How to Fall by Jane Casey

Author:Jane Casey
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781448119462
Publisher: RHCP Digital

11

AS SOON AS I’d said it I regretted it; I’d have taken the words back if I could. But it was the truth. I risked a look at Suspect Number Six, who didn’t look remotely perturbed.

‘I thought so.’

‘Is that it? That’s all you’ve got to say?’

Will shrugged. ‘What should I say?’

‘What about trying to persuade me I’m wrong?’ I pulled my feet up onto the bench and turned to face him, my arms wrapped around my knees. ‘What about asking me why I put you on the list in the first place?’

‘Actually, I would like to know.’ He wouldn’t meet my eyes, staring at a completely uninteresting bit of ground instead.

‘You’re obviously feeling guilty about something to do with Freya – you said so yourself. And you were close to her at one time.’ I was getting into potentially awkward territory but I carried on, focused on finding out what had happened between them. ‘You could have been jealous of her and Ryan, or her and the mystery boyfriend. If it wasn’t you.’

‘Not me. I suppose it’s possible I might have been jealous.’ From Will’s tone of voice the idea amused him and I couldn’t tell why.

‘You got shut out, didn’t you? That’s why you stopped coming to the house. You couldn’t be around her any more.’

He slid down with his back against the bench, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He looked completely relaxed, and only the rapid rhythm he was tapping with one foot told me he was in any way bothered by the turn our conversation had taken.

‘I did stop coming to Sandhayes before Freya died, and it was to do with her. But it wasn’t that she’d turned me down.’

‘Let me guess. It was the other way round.’

He glanced at me. ‘You wouldn’t believe that?’

‘No. I would. I mean – obviously. Of course.’ Of course he was handsome enough to have anyone fall for him, and from a height. And the emotional damage would be roughly similar to what would happen to your body if you stepped off the cliff, I thought.

‘I don’t like talking about it because Freya’s not here to tell her side of the story and my side sounds—’ Will broke off and shook his head.

‘I’ll give you a pass on being big-headed, if you like. Just tell me what she said and what you said.’

‘No.’

I raised my eyebrows.

‘Not in detail, anyway,’ he said. ‘I’m not going to betray her trust.’

‘I get the picture. You’re a gentleman. That’s fair enough.’ But it wasn’t enough to make me drop the subject. ‘Paraphrase it.’

He took a deep breath. ‘Right. Well, a few months before she died, Freya made it clear to me that she liked me.’

‘She told you?’

‘Not in so many words. And I’m not going into detail about it.’

And if I pushed him, he would leave. ‘What happened next?’

‘I . . . didn’t feel the same way.’

‘Did you tell her that?’

‘Of course.’

‘Was she upset?’

‘Yes. Initially. And a bit embarrassed, even though I didn’t think she should mind.

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