The Back Road

25

Since arriving home from work, Ellie hadn’t stopped. She’d started by mopping the kitchen floor - which didn’t sound like a big deal, but it was an enormous kitchen cum family room, and of course she’d had to put all the twins’ toys away first. Max had taken them off to the river to feed the ducks, so she had put her heart and soul into the cleaning. Manual labour was supposed to block out all worries. It wasn’t working.

She was so grateful that nobody had witnessed her embarrassing moment in the car park. Fortunately, she’d had a large bottle of mineral water in the boot, so after a quick drink she had managed to flush most of the evidence from the tarmac down a convenient grid. But she hadn’t risked so much as a cup of tea since then.

The house was quiet. It had an empty and abandoned feel to it. Ellie realised that it always felt like this to her when Max and the children weren’t there. But now it had special significance. Now she was frightened. Was he here? Was he waiting for the right moment to creep up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist? She’d had to keep busy. Either that, or lock herself in the bathroom until somebody came home.

She was walking dejectedly downstairs with her arms full of the second load of washing when the shrill peal of the doorbell pierced the silence, making her jump out of her skin. Half of the dirty clothes fell to the floor, and she hastily picked them up and dumped them on the hall chair. She stood still, wondering whether she could deal with whoever was on the other side of that door. She didn’t want visitors, so perhaps if she kept quiet they would go away.

They didn’t. Ellie had no choice but to answer the persistent ringing.

She didn’t recognise the two people standing there, both smartly dressed in suits. They weren’t smiling though, so she could tell this was no social call.

‘Mrs Saunders? Detective Sergeant Crosby, madam. And this is Detective Constable Lacey. May we come in?’

Ellie was rooted to the spot. This was it, then. Her car must have been seen. Or his car, and he had given them her name. Oh Christ. What was she going to do? Thank God Max was out. She mentally shook herself, and held the door wide, indicating that they should come in. She took them into the library where at least they could close the door and not be heard by Max if he returned.

‘How can I help you?’ she asked, hoping that her nervousness would not be misconstrued.

‘Actually, Mrs Saunders, it’s your husband we want to talk to. Is he in, please?’

‘Max? You want to talk to Max? Why?’

‘I’m sorry, Mrs Saunders - that’s something between us and your husband. Is he in?’

Ellie knew that her face must have looked a picture of fear and dismay - not the face of an innocent person wanting to help the police with their enquiries.

‘I’m sorry, but my husband’s out. He’s taken the children to the river. They wanted to feed the ducks, and we had some old bread…’

Ellie was rambling. She had to shut up.

‘Do you mind if we wait, Mrs Saunders? We do need to speak to him, and it is quite urgent.’

Pulling herself together, Ellie indicated the chairs and both the detectives sat down.

‘Would you like a cup of tea or coffee, or anything?’ she asked, hoping this was the right thing to do.

‘Tea would be good, thanks. We both take it white, no sugar.’

Ellie made a quick escape to the kitchen. She filled the kettle with water and switched it on, getting mugs out of the cupboard on autopilot. But before she had finished, the back door crashed open - the only way that Jake knew how to enter a room - and the twins came trudging in wearing muddy wellingtons. She barely registered that she was now going to have to mop the floor again, and she didn’t even ask Max why he’d let them come in without taking their wellies off first.

‘The police are here, Max. They want to speak to you.’

Max looked vaguely puzzled, but to her relief he didn’t seem at all concerned.

‘Okay - where are they?’

‘They’re in the library. What’s it about Max? I’m making them a cup of tea, do you want one?’

‘No thanks. I’ve no idea what they want, so I’d better go and see. Shall I take the tea?’

‘No,’ Ellie said. ‘It’s not ready yet. I’ll bring it through in a minute.’

Max disappeared towards the library, and Ellie finished making their drinks, absent-mindedly watching the twins making patterns on the floor with their muddy boots.

She put the two mugs on a small tray with a plate of biscuits, and as she approached the library she heard Max ask the police what he could do to help them. She didn’t quite catch the reply, but was very surprised to see Max close the library door. Balancing the tray in one hand, she pushed the door open again, and the room went silent. Max turned a slightly startled face towards her, and then stepped forward to take the tray.

And still nobody spoke.

‘Do you mind closing the door on your way out, love?’ Max asked. ‘Thanks.’

He gave her a weak smile, which Ellie found even more disturbing.

As she pulled the door closed behind her, the front door opened, and Leo walked in with a scowl on her face.

‘God, my feet hurt. A daft idea, marching up and down the high street in these sandals.’ Leo kicked the offending shoes off and sat down on the stairs. ‘I noticed a strange car in the drive. Have you got visitors?’

Ellie was quiet for a moment. She was still unsure what to make of Max’s behaviour.

‘It’s the police. They wanted to talk to Max.’

Sitting on the bottom step and rubbing her feet, Leo barely glanced up.

‘Oh, they came here did they? I got the impression he’d been down to the police station. Ouch - that’s a blister.’ Leo seemed to suddenly register Ellie’s silence. ‘What’s up, Ellie? You know Max wasn’t driving that night. I can’t think that you’ve got anything to worry about.’

‘What if whoever was driving did it, and Max has been keeping quiet?’ Ellie asked.

Leo rested her forearms on her knees and gave Ellie a puzzled look.

‘Max wouldn’t do that - you know he wouldn’t. They probably want to know if he saw anybody when he was coming home. Don’t look so frightened.’

Ellie just stood. She felt as if she were frozen to the spot.

‘Leo, what did you mean when you said you’d got the impression he’d been down to the police station?’

Leo took her bottom lip in her teeth - a habit that Ellie recognised from when they were children. It always meant that she was going to have to say something that she’d rather not.

‘Look, it was just the village gossipmongers. You know how they can make a mountain out of a molehill. I went to get some bits from the deli - there, in that bag by the door. They mentioned that the police had been interviewing a PE teacher, so I presumed it would be Max, but then he wasn’t driving, was he? And I thought they said at the police station, but I mustn’t have been listening properly. The odd thing was… Ellie, are you listening to me?’

Ellie was gazing out of the window and across the lawns. She’d heard everything she needed to, and now she understood why Max had closed the door. He’d been with her, and he didn’t want Ellie to know. Ignoring Leo completely she made her way slowly back to the kitchen, wondering how she was going to deal with this latest bit of information. Then she felt her phone vibrating in the pocket of her jeans. She kept it permanently on silent now.

She sat down in the corner of the kitchen, as far away from the hallway as possible. A text message. Was it him? The number was blocked.

TUT, TUT, ELLIE. LITTLE MISS PERFECT HAS A SECRET. AND GUESS WHAT? I KNOW WHAT THAT SECRET IS! WHERE WERE YOU ON FRIDAY NIGHT? AND WHO WERE YOU WITH? I’M SURE MAX WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED TO KNOW. BUT I PROMISE NOT TO TELL IF YOU DO ONE LITTLE THING FOR ME. I’M NOT READY YET BUT I WANT YOU TO BE PREPARED AND WAITING. DON’T THINK OF TELLING ANYBODY - BECAUSE I THINK YOU CAN GUESS WHAT I’LL DO.

Ellie stared at the screen for a full minute. She felt the pressure of tears at the back of her eyes, and had to suppress them. Her pulse was pounding, and she felt a tight band of tension gripping her forehead.

Oh God. What is happening to my life?

Who was this? Who would want to send her such an evil text? How did they get her number, and what did they mean, a job? How did they know about Friday? What could anybody possibly want from her, apart from money? But it didn’t sound like that. It sounded like they wanted her to do something. What?

Ellie felt a burning anger. It had to be him. He was messing with her mind. He was the only person who knew where she’d been that night. He was the only one with something to gain. Why would he do this to her?

She felt a scream building in her chest, but a flash of movement caught her eye and she stifled her emotions. Leo had obviously followed her from the hallway and was leaning in the doorway giving her sister a puzzled look.

Quickly Ellie deleted the message and stuffed the phone back into her pocket.

‘Ellie?’ Leo said, with a baffled expression.

‘Sorry, Leo. I’m fine.’ She gave a fake laugh that wouldn’t fool anybody but she carried on, talking nineteen to the dozen and leaving no gaps for questions. ‘It’s not every day you get two policeman on the doorstep wanting to talk to your husband is it? I’m okay now. Just being silly. Let’s have a cup of tea ourselves should we? Do you want to put the kettle on, because I’m going to round up the kids and give them wet cloths - see how they like cleaning the floor!’