London.
‘I have no idea what’s got into the child,’ Angela continued. ‘The emotion of the day, I’m sure. The girls were close, of course, but the behaviour,’ she glared at Rebecca, ‘is unacceptable.’
Rebecca glanced up at Kate, caught her eye then quickly dropped her head, pulling at her fingers more frantically.
‘Tell me,’ Kate said. She dropped to her knees at Rebecca’s feet. ‘Please, Rebecca.’ Kate’s voice cracked in desperation.
‘Please go back to the hall, Mrs Thorne. This is a matter for me to deal with.’
Kate leant closer to Rebecca. ‘Rebecca?’
Again Rebecca looked up at Kate, this time holding her gaze for a few moments. She seemed so close to speaking but then, with a quick nervous glance at Angela, she lowered her eyes. Kate felt an irritated stab of frustration and her fingers clenched, digging into Rebecca’s knee. The girl flinched. Kate was suddenly filled with an overwhelming urge to scream at her, demand she tell her what the bloody hell it was that she knew. She’d never liked Rebecca that much, not really. She certainly never understood why Anna was so fond of her. Familiarity, she knew, had much to do with it; they’d been friends since they were babies, when Rachel and Kate saved each other from a hair-wrenchingly dull NCT group. But as the girls grew, Rebecca turned out to be quiet and withdrawn; she didn’t play sport or like drama, she wasn’t bright or funny or even that pretty, and there was a permanent glumness about her. Her father leaving didn’t help – she seemed to retreat even further into herself, sometimes unable even to say hello. But, like it or not, the two girls were inseparable, until that fateful night, of course, when Rebecca stayed safe in her bed and Anna didn’t.
Angela began to dial. ‘I’m calling her mother, Mrs Thorne. Go back to your daughter’s service. You should be there. This young lady has much to answer for.’ Angela lasered Rebecca with a terrifying glare. ‘She will be dealt with appropriately.’
She held the phone to her ear, glowering, never once lifting her eyes off Rebecca, but when she said a terse hello to someone Kate assumed to be Rachel, Rebecca jumped up, shoving her chair so hard it fell backwards as she ran for the door.
‘Don’t you go anywhere!’ bellowed Angela Howe, moving after her as far as the phone cord would allow. ‘Come back here this minute!’
Kate didn’t hesitate. She ran after Rebecca.
‘Mrs Thorne!’
Kate had to get to her. If Rebecca knew something about Anna’s death Kate was going to find out what it was, right there and then. ‘Rebecca!’ she called. ‘Stop. Please!’
But Rebecca kept running.
She hurtled through the maze of corridors, with Kate desperate and gasping behind her, trying not to slip over as she threw herself around corners, ricocheting off walls, pulling work off display boards as she tried to keep up. Kate kept shouting at her to stop but Rebecca ran on. They banged through two sets of double doors. The air in Kate’s unfit lungs was burning. Up ahead she saw Rebecca disappear through a door, and outside.
Kate shouted again.
‘Rebecca, stop! I just want to talk!’
Kate followed her outside. It took a few moments for her eyes to grow accustomed to the brightness. When they did, however, and she realized where she was, she stopped dead in her tracks and a chill fell over her. She stared around her in horror, panting heavily, dizzy, her head swirling both with the effort of running and spikes of hideous recollection. There was a spindly apple sapling in a large plastic pot with an extravagant white bow tied around it like some sick present. The sight of it snatched her breath. Why had he put it in there? Surely not to mark the exact spot of vile concrete that had taken Anna from her? Kate struggled to breathe. Bile rose in her throat. This was hell itself.
From a distance away there was a despairing shriek that broke the silence in the deserted
‘I have no idea what’s got into the child,’ Angela continued. ‘The emotion of the day, I’m sure. The girls were close, of course, but the behaviour,’ she glared at Rebecca, ‘is unacceptable.’
Rebecca glanced up at Kate, caught her eye then quickly dropped her head, pulling at her fingers more frantically.
‘Tell me,’ Kate said. She dropped to her knees at Rebecca’s feet. ‘Please, Rebecca.’ Kate’s voice cracked in desperation.
‘Please go back to the hall, Mrs Thorne. This is a matter for me to deal with.’
Kate leant closer to Rebecca. ‘Rebecca?’
Again Rebecca looked up at Kate, this time holding her gaze for a few moments. She seemed so close to speaking but then, with a quick nervous glance at Angela, she lowered her eyes. Kate felt an irritated stab of frustration and her fingers clenched, digging into Rebecca’s knee. The girl flinched. Kate was suddenly filled with an overwhelming urge to scream at her, demand she tell her what the bloody hell it was that she knew. She’d never liked Rebecca that much, not really. She certainly never understood why Anna was so fond of her. Familiarity, she knew, had much to do with it; they’d been friends since they were babies, when Rachel and Kate saved each other from a hair-wrenchingly dull NCT group. But as the girls grew, Rebecca turned out to be quiet and withdrawn; she didn’t play sport or like drama, she wasn’t bright or funny or even that pretty, and there was a permanent glumness about her. Her father leaving didn’t help – she seemed to retreat even further into herself, sometimes unable even to say hello. But, like it or not, the two girls were inseparable, until that fateful night, of course, when Rebecca stayed safe in her bed and Anna didn’t.
Angela began to dial. ‘I’m calling her mother, Mrs Thorne. Go back to your daughter’s service. You should be there. This young lady has much to answer for.’ Angela lasered Rebecca with a terrifying glare. ‘She will be dealt with appropriately.’
She held the phone to her ear, glowering, never once lifting her eyes off Rebecca, but when she said a terse hello to someone Kate assumed to be Rachel, Rebecca jumped up, shoving her chair so hard it fell backwards as she ran for the door.
‘Don’t you go anywhere!’ bellowed Angela Howe, moving after her as far as the phone cord would allow. ‘Come back here this minute!’
Kate didn’t hesitate. She ran after Rebecca.
‘Mrs Thorne!’
Kate had to get to her. If Rebecca knew something about Anna’s death Kate was going to find out what it was, right there and then. ‘Rebecca!’ she called. ‘Stop. Please!’
But Rebecca kept running.
She hurtled through the maze of corridors, with Kate desperate and gasping behind her, trying not to slip over as she threw herself around corners, ricocheting off walls, pulling work off display boards as she tried to keep up. Kate kept shouting at her to stop but Rebecca ran on. They banged through two sets of double doors. The air in Kate’s unfit lungs was burning. Up ahead she saw Rebecca disappear through a door, and outside.
Kate shouted again.
‘Rebecca, stop! I just want to talk!’
Kate followed her outside. It took a few moments for her eyes to grow accustomed to the brightness. When they did, however, and she realized where she was, she stopped dead in her tracks and a chill fell over her. She stared around her in horror, panting heavily, dizzy, her head swirling both with the effort of running and spikes of hideous recollection. There was a spindly apple sapling in a large plastic pot with an extravagant white bow tied around it like some sick present. The sight of it snatched her breath. Why had he put it in there? Surely not to mark the exact spot of vile concrete that had taken Anna from her? Kate struggled to breathe. Bile rose in her throat. This was hell itself.
From a distance away there was a despairing shriek that broke the silence in the deserted
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