The Marriage K.L. Slater (classic romance novels TXT) 📖

His hands tightened on the steering wheel and he stared straight ahead without speaking. She was right, of course, in an ideal world he should be at home with his wife and with Ellis, who had lost his mum. But this was not an ideal world and he had to sort things out with his own mother. The truth he’d known he must one day tell her had been a glimmering light in the distance for years, but now it shone in his face like a powerful spotlight. It would not wait a day longer.

‘The police think I’m good for Coral’s death,’ he murmured, his chest pounding.

‘Did they say that?’

‘Not in so many words, but I could tell. The way they spoke to me, looked at each other.’

‘It’s your trip to the “gym” that’s screwed you.’ Bridget hooked her fingers around the word. ‘That’s what happens when you lie. And if you didn’t go to the gym, where did you go? Are you ready to tell me the truth yet? Because I’m waiting and I’m fast losing patience.’

That word again. People all wanted the truth from him, but the irony was that once they had it, they wished they’d never got it.

This feeling – like his insides had liquidated, his brain unable to think straight – was pure panic. He felt incapable of facing the prospect of another ten years in prison. He’d rather die.

It was a real possibility. The police were sniffing around; they already suspected that Coral’s death was not the simple accident it had first appeared to be. And Bridget was right about the trip to the gym. When the police checked – and he knew they would – they’d realise immediately that he’d been lying and would come and arrest him. The gym was kitted out with security cameras; it would be obvious he hadn’t been there again in the afternoon.

He’d been somewhere else instead. He’d been to Coral’s house.

If the police found out the truth, it would lead them straight to him as the main suspect in Coral’s death, and that was why he had to speak to his mum right now.

He didn’t know how much time he had before they came for him, but he suspected it wouldn’t be long.

Jill’s face floated into his head wearing that same expression he’d seen a thousand times before. It said, Son, I want to believe you’re telling the truth. I want to believe you are a good person.

Except right now he felt like the worst person in the whole world, and soon everyone else was going to know it too.

Fifty-Three Audrey

She watched Tom and Bridget pull up outside the house. Bridget went to the door and Ellis came out. Then they all drove away again. Tom didn’t get out of the car at all.

Audrey waited five minutes, then knocked at the front door. Jill took a few minutes to answer. Her cheeks looked puffy and damp and she seemed out of sorts.

Jill’s face hardened when she saw her.

‘Hello, Jill,’ Audrey said.

‘Why did you disappear from the shop without saying a word?’ she replied stiffly.

Audrey stood on the doorstep. ‘I wasn’t ready to tell you there and then. The shock of you walking in like that, seeing Bridget there … I panicked. It felt like fight or flight, and to my shame, I chose the latter. Sometimes you don’t know what your reaction is going to be until you’re under big pressure.’

‘You might’ve said something. I was worried about what had happened to you as well as being put out, having to close the shop up.’

Audrey lowered her eyes. ‘You were already so worried about Bridget ruining Tom, I honestly thought it would send you over the edge if I told you the truth. I drove out of town for a while at first, to get my head around things. Can I come in?’

Wordlessly, Jill stepped aside to allow Audrey to move inside. They went into the living room.

‘I’m sorry, Jill. I didn’t mean—’

‘I’m not interested in empty apologies!’ Jill’s voice rose in alarm. ‘Tell me about you and Bridget!’

Audrey took a deep breath. ‘It’s not what you think. We’re not friends. She came to the shop because she thought I was having an affair with Robert.’

Jill watched her steadily. ‘I came to your house looking for you and I saw his striped scarf on the side in the kitchen. Are you having an affair with Robert?’

‘No! That would be laughable if things weren’t so serious.’ Audrey sighed and perched on the sofa. ‘Look, I need to explain everything for it to make sense. From the beginning.’

‘Do you know Coral is dead?’

‘Yes. Look, Jill, I’m begging you, let me speak first.’ Audrey patted the sofa cushion next to her. Jill sat down in the chair. ‘I can see you’re low, but there are some things I need to tell you. Things I should have told you years ago and I’m sorry now that I didn’t. But I had my reasons.’

Jill looked at her but didn’t respond. She seemed to be holding her breath and Audrey wondered if she was strong enough to do this, but it was too late to stop now. The truth had to come out.

‘I don’t know what happened to Coral. I don’t know how she died. But I have something to tell you, and when I’ve finished, I’m going directly to the police to tell them too.’

Jill’s eyes widened, but still she remained silent.

‘These past few years, I’ve got to know Coral well. I didn’t recognise her at first. We got talking in the shop and I treated her like another customer. But then of course, I quickly realised who she was and, over time, we forged a bit of a friendship, mainly me being a sounding board for her rather turbulent life. Anyway, once I did know, there never seemed to be a good time to tell you, because you were