and seeks help, that he’ll . . . come after you.’ She pulled an apologetic face at Emma.
‘So he’s trying to scare us?’
‘He said no, but it seems like that.’
‘So then it might be him doing this.’
‘I don’t think we can rule him out, but I think it’s much more likely to be Sally.’
Emma glanced at her watch. ‘I’ve arranged to meet Dan for lunch.’ They had agreed a lunchtime meet-up at Perfetto , a lovely Italian café around the corner from Dan’s office, to help sugar the pill of his first day back at work.
‘Are you going to speak to him about this?’
‘Yes.’
‘Will you be okay about that?’
Emma nodded. ‘I trust Dan. I’m not going to let this person ruin what we’ve got. Things are going to be okay. If the photo is real, I’m sure Dan will be able to explain it.’
‘Well, I’ll be on the other end of the phone, if you need me.’
‘Thanks.’
‘You haven’t opened the letter,’ Lizzy said.
Emma had forgotten about it. She opened it with a sense of trepidation. Inside was a single line, once again in the same Gothic font.
Ask Lizzy about her little secret.
She turned it around to face Lizzy.
‘I don’t know what that means, Em,’ Lizzy protested. ‘Honestly, I’ve got no idea what that’s supposed to mean.’
‘It’s okay.’
‘ What secret?’
‘Maybe it’s referring to you not telling me about the photograph.’
‘Maybe.’
‘The person might just be wanting to make sure that you showed it to me. If I’d opened it earlier, then it would have prompted me to get in touch with you.’
‘You’re probably right,’ Lizzy said, but she looked unnerved.
‘Lizzy, don’t worry. See, this person is trying to do it again – sow mistrust. But it’s not going to work – I trust you, totally.’
Lizzy nodded. ‘Thanks, Em, it means a lot.’
Emma’s mobile rang. ‘Hello? . . . Yes . . . Oh, hi . . . Okay, right . . . We’ll buzz you in. Come right up.’
‘Who’s that?’
Emma looked perplexed. ‘David Sherborn. The photographer. He’s downstairs, and he wants to speak to me right now.’
Will was sitting at his desk at work, daydreaming about Sally. It had been three days since their meeting, and he hadn’t been able to stop himself from thinking about her. He’d resisted the temptation to call, even though he still had her number on speed dial. It would probably be best to leave things for a few days more, to let things settle, give her time to think. He wondered whether, in time, they really would have a chance of making a go of things.
My God, am I delusional?
He could imagine Emma’s reaction. And she would most likely be right. But, still, even though he knew pursuing a relationship with Sally – even a platonic one – was madness, there was an irresistible force driving him on.
He went back to tapping away on his keyboard, clearing out a few more emails as colleagues chatted in the background.
He remembered just a few weeks ago, when Sally – or Amy, as he knew her then – had called to ask about the parachute jump. It had filled him with a mixture of fear and elation.
But the plan had been to kill, not thrill.
And I want to be with this woman? I’m crazy.
Will played with a bitten-ended pencil, turning it over and over on the desktop, only checking himself when one of the senior managers ghosted past, afraid that he would pick up on his shocking lack of productivity.
‘Will, you’ve got a visitor downstairs.’ Will almost jumped as Collette, one of the PAs, appeared at his shoulder. ‘I’ve told them you’ll be right down.’
Will nodded, wondering whether he’d forgotten about an appointment. It wouldn’t be surprising, given his wandering state of mind. ‘Did they say who they were?’
‘Sorry, I didn’t catch it. You know what that intercom is like. I could only just make out that it was you they were here to see.’
‘It’s okay,’ Will said, flicking to the right day
‘So he’s trying to scare us?’
‘He said no, but it seems like that.’
‘So then it might be him doing this.’
‘I don’t think we can rule him out, but I think it’s much more likely to be Sally.’
Emma glanced at her watch. ‘I’ve arranged to meet Dan for lunch.’ They had agreed a lunchtime meet-up at Perfetto , a lovely Italian café around the corner from Dan’s office, to help sugar the pill of his first day back at work.
‘Are you going to speak to him about this?’
‘Yes.’
‘Will you be okay about that?’
Emma nodded. ‘I trust Dan. I’m not going to let this person ruin what we’ve got. Things are going to be okay. If the photo is real, I’m sure Dan will be able to explain it.’
‘Well, I’ll be on the other end of the phone, if you need me.’
‘Thanks.’
‘You haven’t opened the letter,’ Lizzy said.
Emma had forgotten about it. She opened it with a sense of trepidation. Inside was a single line, once again in the same Gothic font.
Ask Lizzy about her little secret.
She turned it around to face Lizzy.
‘I don’t know what that means, Em,’ Lizzy protested. ‘Honestly, I’ve got no idea what that’s supposed to mean.’
‘It’s okay.’
‘ What secret?’
‘Maybe it’s referring to you not telling me about the photograph.’
‘Maybe.’
‘The person might just be wanting to make sure that you showed it to me. If I’d opened it earlier, then it would have prompted me to get in touch with you.’
‘You’re probably right,’ Lizzy said, but she looked unnerved.
‘Lizzy, don’t worry. See, this person is trying to do it again – sow mistrust. But it’s not going to work – I trust you, totally.’
Lizzy nodded. ‘Thanks, Em, it means a lot.’
Emma’s mobile rang. ‘Hello? . . . Yes . . . Oh, hi . . . Okay, right . . . We’ll buzz you in. Come right up.’
‘Who’s that?’
Emma looked perplexed. ‘David Sherborn. The photographer. He’s downstairs, and he wants to speak to me right now.’
Will was sitting at his desk at work, daydreaming about Sally. It had been three days since their meeting, and he hadn’t been able to stop himself from thinking about her. He’d resisted the temptation to call, even though he still had her number on speed dial. It would probably be best to leave things for a few days more, to let things settle, give her time to think. He wondered whether, in time, they really would have a chance of making a go of things.
My God, am I delusional?
He could imagine Emma’s reaction. And she would most likely be right. But, still, even though he knew pursuing a relationship with Sally – even a platonic one – was madness, there was an irresistible force driving him on.
He went back to tapping away on his keyboard, clearing out a few more emails as colleagues chatted in the background.
He remembered just a few weeks ago, when Sally – or Amy, as he knew her then – had called to ask about the parachute jump. It had filled him with a mixture of fear and elation.
But the plan had been to kill, not thrill.
And I want to be with this woman? I’m crazy.
Will played with a bitten-ended pencil, turning it over and over on the desktop, only checking himself when one of the senior managers ghosted past, afraid that he would pick up on his shocking lack of productivity.
‘Will, you’ve got a visitor downstairs.’ Will almost jumped as Collette, one of the PAs, appeared at his shoulder. ‘I’ve told them you’ll be right down.’
Will nodded, wondering whether he’d forgotten about an appointment. It wouldn’t be surprising, given his wandering state of mind. ‘Did they say who they were?’
‘Sorry, I didn’t catch it. You know what that intercom is like. I could only just make out that it was you they were here to see.’
‘It’s okay,’ Will said, flicking to the right day
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