The Broken Marriage: An unputdownable psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist by Elena Wilkes

Author:Elena Wilkes [Wilkes, Elena]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Published: 2024-04-18T00:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

The huge prison gate shunts closed behind me. The snowy car park is still: nothing moves. I can’t remember where Rachel was parked and a run of anxiety shifts through me. I need to get out of this place, and quickly. I feel for my phone, glancing from left to right, desperate to see a friendly face. She answers straightaway.

‘You okay?’

‘Where did you park? I can’t find you.’

‘I can see you. I’ll get out and wave; hang on…’

I look up and spot her, only a few cars away, slotted in behind a truck. She disappears below the roof line as I hurry over, my eyes registering that something is different somehow, yet my brain can’t quite fathom what it is. I go to reach for the passenger door and then stop.

There’s a stranger sitting there. She looks round in greeting, gesturing towards the back seat.

‘Hello,’ she says brightly, offering a hand between the seats as I slide inside. ‘I’m Emily.’

I dumbly take it.

‘Emily, Hannah – Hannah, Emily Travers.’ Rachel’s palm sweeps from one of us to the other. ‘I think I might’ve mentioned that Emily works at the prison, didn’t I?’

‘No, you didn’t. Hello, Emily.’ I’m trying to act normally.

‘But I had no idea we’d bump into her. It’s the perfect opportunity for you two to meet,’ Rachel continues while Emily is smiling and nodding, nodding and smiling.

I’m aware of Rachel scanning my face. ‘Everything okay Hannah?’

‘Fine.’ I automatically give the right response.

‘How did it go?’

‘I think I got what I needed.’

‘Right. Good.’ Rachel’s eyes flit briefly to Emily. ‘Em and I spoke briefly on the phone. I told her a bit about your situation.’

I can’t believe Rachel would do such a thing. She doesn’t pick up on the look on my face.

‘It was such a coincidence that she should be walking across the car park,’ Rachel starts, hesitantly. There’s a pregnant pause. ‘And I suddenly wondered if it might be useful for her to wait for you to come out? You two could talk.’ Rachel is measuring her words.

‘Emily knows all about prisoners being released on licence. I was thinking she could advise you how to handle it.’ She looks meaningfully at me.

I’m aware of the ache in my cheeks as I try to hold it all together.

‘So, you’ve been to see Hugo?’ Emily says, not missing a beat.

The use of his name stuns me.

‘Maybe I should explain, Hannah.’ She smiles. ‘I do a lot of work with a whole range of police departments.’ Her smile has a dead quality to it. ‘I advise them on cases. On supporting victims of crime – particularly violent crime.’

I’m a case. I’m a victim.

‘And part of that process is working with violent offenders who are due for release.’

She looks at Rachel who hasn’t taken her eyes from me.

Emily keeps an inane grin plastered across her face. She has that no makeup scrubbed look and her fair hair is piled up in a messy bun, with tendrils of it hanging in curls around her dangly boho earrings.

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