The Therapist by B.A. Paris

Author:B.A. Paris [Paris, B. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, psychological thriller, Suspense
ISBN: 9780008470531
Published: 2020-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Four

Stay!

The soft, sibilant whisper lulls me from my sleep. Instead of feeling afraid, the lingering echo of the word fills me with lightness.

‘Nina,’ I murmur.

The sense of her, strong, silent, acts like a balm to my troubled mind.

‘I’m not going to leave you,’ I promise her silently. ‘I’m going to get to the truth. If it wasn’t Oliver who killed you, I’ll find out who did.’

I expect her to leave. But she stays, and I drift easily back to sleep.

I wake late, luxuriating in the aura of peace cocooning my body. I search the reason for this unexpected feeling of wellbeing and remember how I sensed Nina’s presence in the night. I have no trouble believing her spirit was there, that – like my sister was – she’s trapped between this life and the next, waiting for justice to be done. I throw back the covers, driven by new purpose. I’m not going anywhere, I have a promise to fulfil.

My mobile beeps, a message from Leo.

You didn’t tell me if I should come home tonight. My heart sinks. I take a moment, then text him back I’m sorry, I need more time. I wait anxiously for his reply, feeling guilty that I don’t want him here. It comes – It’s fine, I understand. I’m here if you need me xx. Tears fill my eyes. We were good together, me and Leo.

I find myself thinking about Thomas. I’ve already worked out that he must be around forty-four years old and I’m still wondering about his relationship with Helen. I’ve noticed a tenderness in his eyes whenever he mentions her name and I can’t imagine what it must be like – whether she’s a friend or something more – to know that time is running out for her. Leo thinks it’s only because my sister was called Nina that I’ve taken Nina Maxwell’s murder to heart, but he’s wrong. If my husband or brother was wrongly accused of murder, I’d want the truth to come out. And from the relatively little time I’ve spent in The Circle, I’m convinced there’s a truth to be found.

I call Thomas.

‘I heard something,’ I say.

‘Oh?’

He listens while I repeat what Leo told me about Nina helping out people in The Circle, including the husbands of her close friends.

‘Thank you for being so open with me,’ he says when I get to the end.

‘The only reason I’m telling you is because something strange happened. When I was leaving Lorna’s house the other day, after I’d asked her about Nina, I could have sworn she whispered “Don’t trust anyone” in my ear.’

‘She’s probably right. The more I look into Nina’s murder, the more secrets I think there are.’

‘Yes, but that’s not the point. She told me her husband wasn’t there, so I thought it was strange that she felt the need to whisper. Then, not long afterwards, when I got home, I saw him coming out of the garage. So I think she might have lied. Although he could have been in the garden, because he had his gardening shoes on.

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