something to Rachel. And if Mum had been of sound
enough mind, she would have done the same.
A sound, like a crack, interrupts my thoughts. My eyes snap open and my whole body tenses. Instinctively, I know that something is wrong. I lie as still as I can, straining my ears, listening through the open door for
the sound that told me I wasn’t alone in the house.
Hannah’s words about Jane’s murderer being holed up
nearby come back to me. I hold my breath and my lungs,
deprived of air, tighten painfully. I wait; but there is
nothing.
Keeping my movements steady so as not to disturb
the water any more than necessary, I raise my arm
carefully; it breaks through the suds and I stretch my
hand towards my mobile, perched precariously on the
edge of the bath near the taps. But it remains out of
reach and, as I slide further down the bath towards it,
the water lapping against the side of the bath sounds as
loud as waves crashing onto the shore. Terrified that I’ve drawn attention to myself and horribly conscious that I’m naked, I leap suddenly from the bath, taking half The Breakdown
71
the water with me and lunge for the door, slamming it
shut. The sound reverberates around the house and as I
shoot the bolt, my fingers shaking, I hear another creak, I can’t work out where from, and my fear increases.
With my eyes fixed on the door, I take a couple of
steps backwards and grope along the edge of the bath
for my mobile. It slips from my grasp and clatters to the floor. I freeze, my arm still outstretched. But still there is nothing. Bending my knees slowly, I retrieve my mobile. The time appears on the screen, six-fifty, and the breath that I forgot I was holding comes whooshing
out in relief, because Matthew will soon be home.
I dial his number, praying that I’ll be able to get a
signal, because with the bathroom at the back of the
house, it’s never a sure thing. When his mobile starts
ringing, I’m dizzy with gratitude.
‘On my way,’ he says cheerfully, thinking I want to
know how long he’s going to be. ‘Do you want me to
stop off for anything?’
‘I think there’s someone in the house,’ I whisper
shakily.
‘What?’ His voice is sharp with worry. ‘Where are
you?’
‘In the bathroom. I’ve locked the door.’
‘Good. Stay there, I’ll phone the police.’
‘Wait!’ I find myself hesitating. ‘I’m not sure. I mean,
what if there’s no one there? I only heard something
once.’
‘What did you hear? Someone breaking in, voices?’
72
b a paris
‘No, nothing like that, just a sort of creaking noise.’
‘Look, stay where you are, I’ll be with you in two
minutes.’
‘All right,’ I say. ‘But hurry!’
Feeling less anxious now that Matthew is coming, I
sit down on the edge of the bath. The feel of it against
my bare skin reminds me that I’m still naked so I drag
my dressing gown from the back of the door and shrug it
on. I can’t help wondering if I should have let Matthew
phone the police after all. If there is someone in the
house, he could be in danger.
My mobile rings. ‘I’m here,’ Matthew says. ‘You OK?’
‘Yes, I’m fine.’
‘I’ve parked in the road,’ he goes on. ‘I’m going to
take a look around.’
‘Be careful,’ I say. ‘Stay on the phone.’
‘All right.’
I listen nervously as his footsteps crunch on the gravel
and then round the side of the house.
‘Can you see anything?’ I ask.
‘Everything seems fine. I’ll just check the garden.’ A
minute or so passes. ‘All good, I’m coming in.’
‘Be careful!’ I warn again.
‘Don’t worry, I grabbed a spade from the shed.’
From the bathroom I hear him checking out the
rooms downstairs. When I hear him on the stairs, I
start unlocking the door.
‘Let me check the bedrooms first!’ he calls. It isn’t
long before he’s back. ‘You can come out now.’
The Breakdown
73
I open the door and, when I see him standing there
with the spade in his hand, I feel suddenly foolish.
‘Sorry,’ I say awkwardly. ‘I really did think someone
was there.’
He puts the spade down and wraps his arms around
me. ‘Hey, better to be safe than sorry.’
‘I don’t suppose you want to make me one of your
gin and tonics, do you? I could do with a stiff drink.
I’ll just throw some clothes on.’
‘It’ll be waiting for you in the garden,’ he promises,
taking his arms from around me and heading for the
stairs.
I pull on jeans and a t-shirt and follow him down.
He’s standing in the kitchen slicing some limes.
‘That was quick,’ he says. But I’m too busy staring at
the window.
‘Did you open the window?’ I ask.
‘What?’ He turns to look. ‘No, it was like that when
I came in.’
‘But I shut it,’ I say, frowning. ‘Before I went up for
my bath I shut all the windows.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes.’ I search my memory. I can remember closing