Tell Me Lies by Teresa Driscoll

Author:Teresa Driscoll [Driscoll, Teresa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2023-04-17T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 31

DAY SIX – OWL COTTAGE

Hannah

‘What do you mean the police are coming here? Why?’ You’re looking at me in abject horror as you speak.

‘Keep your voice down.’ We both glance through the open kitchen door to Lily in the garden, several toys set out on a rug with her morning juice in a bright pink mug and a plate of toast.

‘She can’t hear us.’

‘I think we both know it’s a mistake to think Lily doesn’t hear what’s really going on between us.’

‘Precisely why I don’t want the police here.’ You pause and rake your fingers through your hair. ‘Look. It’s very, very sad about the woman next door.’

‘Jenny. Her name was Jenny.’ I go cold as I say this. The memory of her flesh, clammy as I tried to help her.

‘Desperately sad. And I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Finding her like that. But it’s like I said to you last night: you have no reason to feel guilty. Or involved. It’s a shock, but this is her family’s tragedy. Not ours. I don’t want you to be upset further and I don’t want us to be dragged into anything.’

I look at your strained face, your evident panic, and try to process what I make of this. Are you worried about me? Or something else?

‘So what are you planning to say to them? Can’t you ask them to contact you when you get home? I mean, it’ll be put down as a straightforward sudden death. Like I say – very upsetting and tragic for her family and her friends. But it’s not really anything to do with us.’

‘Well, I think it needs investigating.’

‘Investigating. Why on earth would you say that?’ Your face changes again, the expression morphing from disapproval to true horror now. ‘Is that why they’re really coming here – because you said that to them? That you think there’s something suspicious?’

I flush. Even now I don’t know why my gut is telling me that what happened next door doesn’t feel right. All I do know is I want to bump this to the police. Make it their problem, not mine. Let them figure it out. For Jenny, and for her family too.

‘Wasn’t it her diabetes? Triggered a heart attack? Isn’t that what the paramedics thought?’

‘Possibly. Probably. But I don’t know. It’s odd, isn’t it? Don’t you think it’s odd? Weird stuff going on here. Someone knocking on our door and disappearing. We have a supposed power cut and I get hurt.’ I lift my plastic boot to underline my point. ‘But it turns out it probably wasn’t a power cut. And then our neighbour ends up dead.’

‘Seriously? You’re seriously putting those things together?’ You scrape your fingers through your hair yet again, a signal of complete exasperation. And then you close your eyes as if regrouping. Or thinking up some excuse to pacify me. I can’t decide which these days.

‘So what exactly are you planning to say to the police, Hannah?’ Your eyes are open again but I can’t read you.

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