The Family Holiday: A totally gripping psychological thriller with an unforgettable twist by Shalini Boland

Author:Shalini Boland [Boland, Shalini]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781838881511
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2022-03-28T16:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-SIX

BETH

I wake to an empty bed, and to harsh sunlight streaming in through the balcony doors. A bleary glance at my phone shows it’s almost nine a.m. I run my tongue over my teeth and rub the grit from my eyes. I slept even worse than usual last night. The boys wriggled and shifted as I lay there worrying about the intruder, wondering if they might still somehow be inside the villa. I didn’t have the courage to get up and look, but I also didn’t want to voice my worries to Niall in case the children heard. I would have taken one of my sleeping tablets, but I couldn’t in case the intruder returned and I was too out of it to hear them.

At some point I did eventually manage to drift off, because when I awoke again at around four a.m. Niall wasn’t in bed. I assumed he’d gone to the bathroom, but if he had, he was taking his time. I wondered if I should get up to see if he was okay. Instead, I fell back to sleep.

The events of yesterday evening come back to me in an unsettling montage of buses, taxis, police and open windows. This villa doesn’t feel like the glamorous holiday home it once was. Instead, it’s cold, echoing and a little scary. Hopefully, that feeling will fade. Maybe I’m tired.

It’s not only the house. Niall is different here, too. He’s uncommunicative and irritable. On edge. I still can’t stop thinking about that photo of him in Amber’s jacket pocket. It’s like an unwelcome song I can’t get out of my head. I guess I could mention it to her – see what she says – but then I’d have to admit that I was snooping, and that I tried on her jacket. I take a deep, cleansing breath, sit up and stretch out my arms. I should get out of bed and see where Niall and the boys have got to.

I shower and dress in black linen shorts and a strappy cream top. The boys’ bedroom is empty and as I make my way down the stairs I hear them chatting in the kitchen. To my surprise, Niall is cooking with their help.

‘Hi, Mum!’ Liam calls out enthusiastically. He’s standing at the island, slicing mushrooms with a sharp knife, his fingers perilously close to the blade.

‘Careful with that.’ I can hardly dare look, but I’m loath to criticise Liam, or rain on Niall’s parade.

‘Morning, lazybones,’ Niall says, looking up from a bowl where he appears to be whisking eggs.

‘Morning. This all looks very productive.’

‘We’re making a full English,’ Connor says proudly.

‘I can see. Very nice! What’s brought this on?’ I ask.

‘Other than a bad night’s sleep and being starving?’ Niall replies. ‘If we’d waited for you to come down, we might have been waiting all day.’

‘It’s not that late. Where were you last night?’ I plonk myself on one of the bar stools. ‘I woke up and you weren’t in bed.’

‘Couldn’t get comfortable with Connor kicking me every two minutes, so I went and slept in the next room.

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