All Fall Down by M J Arlidge

Author:M J Arlidge [Arlidge, M J]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Calibre
Published: 2020-06-10T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 61

She shut the door behind her, sliding the deadlock across and slipping on the chain. Turning, she listened, straining to hear any signs of movement, a creaking floorboard, a door opening, but there was nothing. She was alone.

Dumping her bag, Maxine moved fast around her flat, darting into both bedrooms, then the bathroom, before hurrying through the kitchen into the living room. Satisfied that she was alone, she tossed her keys onto the table and sank down onto the sofa.

It had never felt so comfortable, so yielding, as it did now. It was tired, she needed a new one, but today she loved the way it engulfed her, wrapping itself around her in a protective hug. How she could have done with the real thing, someone to take her in their arms, but who on earth could have fulfilled that role? Who could she have possibly confided in?

No, this was a burden she would have to shoulder alone. She had faced the danger, made a choice and now she would have to live with the consequences. At the time, it had seemed so simple. It was a straight yes or no. Do or die. And she was embarrassed to admit that she had found the choice easy. Afterwards, she’d told herself that this was only natural. She was a survivor, she was someone who would always make it out, whatever obstacles were thrown in her path. But it wasn’t that simple, was it?

Her heart was thumping, her head pounding. What she really wanted to do was wash down a couple of Nurofen with a vodka and tonic, but she didn’t have the energy to raise herself from the sofa, so she buried her face in her hands instead, hoping their cool touch might afford her some relief. But the same thoughts kept spinning round her head, the same dull ache of guilt pulsing inside her.

Actions have consequences. She’d always known that but never as keenly as today. She’d hoped that it was an idle threat, that the idea of substituting someone else’s death for your own was a wild, baseless fantasy, yet she’d known it wasn’t. The voice had sounded so sure, so confident, as if this was a game that would be played at his pace, with his rules. Even so, the news that Callum had been brutally murdered had nearly broken her. She’d woken this morning full of joy, wild, carefree, even optimistic, overwhelmed to have cheated death. How empty and groundless that hope seemed now. Thanks to her, Callum had been murdered. Her old friend, her partner in pain, had been hunted down and strangled.

It was unbelievable, but true. Maxine had stayed hidden in her flat, praying that it would all go away, that she would wake from this awful nightmare, but worse was to follow. Fran had called, asking to meet, refusing to take no for an answer. Maxine hadn’t wanted to go – God, she hadn’t wanted to go – but she’d had no choice.

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