The Dinner Party
R. J. PARKER

One More Chapter

an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

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London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain in ebook format by HarperCollinsPublishers 2019

Copyright © R. J. Parker 2019

Cover design by Andrew Davis © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019

Cover photograph © Shutterstock.com

R. J. Parker asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Ebook Edition © October 2019 ISBN: 9780008358914

Version: 2019-09-02

To Carole and Dave Whiteley, who know how to throw a dinner party.

Thanks for the support, guys!

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Eight

Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty-One

Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Three

Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty-Five

Chapter Fifty-Six

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty-One

Chapter Sixty-Two

Chapter Sixty-Three

Chapter Sixty-Four

Chapter Sixty-Five

Chapter Sixty-Six

Chapter Sixty-Seven

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Chapter Seventy

Acknowledgements

About the Author

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

Ted awoke and felt like he’d been in a deep sleep. But as the bare leg he was clinging to slithered away from his sticky bloody fingers, the events that had left him sprawled on the kitchen floor crashed in. He’d blacked out for precious seconds and couldn’t afford to again.

‘Let go!’ the owner of the leg spat.

He gripped the limb harder, dug his nails into their warm calf and skated forward on his front through the smeared blood on the granite tiles. If he relinquished the leg, he knew what would happen.

Their bodies thrashed around on the floor and noisily scattered metallic utensils. He tried to rise, but the object stuck in his back wouldn’t allow him. It was a long stainless-steel prong, the type with a digital thermometer attached for testing the temperature of cooked meat. The acute pain along his spine severed his breath.

How deeply had it been planted in him? Was he paralyzed? He could still move his arms.

A scream.

It tugged his eyes open again. Consciousness was as slippery as his grasp on the leg, which jerked from under him as a bare foot caught him full in the face. The harsh impact deadened his hearing, warm blood filled his left nostril and darkness closed on his thoughts like a snare.

Wake up!

But his internal voice scarcely penetrated the barrier his brain was erecting against the assault.

Wake up.

No urgency in the muffled command now. He was withdrawing, leaving physical sensations far behind. Oblivion beckoned.

‘Ted!’

His eyelids shot open. The return to the kitchen was as painful as the injuries to his body.

His hand was empty. They’d got free. The consequences of that rushed into him as fast as the room.

‘Ted!’

CHAPTER TWO
THREE DAYS EARLIER

‘Ted!’

Ted was halfway up the stairs when the doorbell went.

‘That’ll be Evie and Jakob!’ Juliette yelled from the bathroom.

The couple were always half an hour early. He and Juliette – after nightmare train journeys home – hadn’t been in for longer than ten minutes. Ted descended the stairs and trotted up the hallway to the front door. Behind its frosted pane two figures stood in the dark. He switched on the outside light.

‘Do you want us to drive around the block?’ Evie apologized as soon as he opened up.

Ted could only see the middle of their faces in their scarves and hats. ‘Come in before you freeze to the doorstep.’ He gestured them in and lightly kissed Evie’s cheek.

‘The traffic was surprisingly clear for a Friday night,’ Jakob mitigated. He’d lived in the UK since his mid-teens, but his Norwegian accent had never been watered down. He rubbed his palms as he entered.

‘I’ve just lit the wood burner.’ Ted shook Jakob’s freezing hand. ‘You know where to hang your coats.’ He made his way back to the candlelit kitchen dining room at the rear of the house. He’d been looking forward to tonight all week. And had taken the coming Monday to Wednesday of next week off work to redecorate. He loved his career as an independent assessor, but he was looking forward to having zero foster care compliance forms to process for a whole five days. ‘Alexa, play my dinner party music.’ He wondered if his guests would like his playlist. They all had strong opinions about music, so certain artists had to be avoided.

The device on the counter between the kitchen and the dining area glowed blue, but nothing happened. He could hear Evie remonstrating with Jakob that he’d made them leave too early. Jakob hated being late as much as he did though. He waited for them to hang their coats on the banister then led them into the dining area. ‘We’re doing Negronis for those who aren’t driving.’ He indicated the bottles assembled on the counter.

Evie’s flushed complexion brightened. Even with her auburn curls in disarray after removing her claret beret, she looked really well. She’d been in remission for a good few months, but she and Jakob hadn’t told anybody about their ordeal. They’d dropped off the social radar for a while, but everyone’s lives were so busy it hadn’t really registered. It was so good to see them both. ‘I can’t believe it was last May since we all got together.’

Evie nodded and focused on the bottles. ‘Have you got Aperol instead of Campari? I’ll be flat out after one otherwise.’

‘Got some here somewhere.’ Ted went to the cupboard the other side of the counter. ‘Jakob?’ He’d tried to call him Jake in the past but, after a few beers one night, Jakob had made it clear he didn’t appreciate it.

‘Nothing at the moment, I’ll have some wine with my food.’

Which meant the usual. Jakob would abstain for half the evening, have a glass, quickly polish off a whole bottle and then call them a cab. Ted turned to him with a wry smile. ‘Sure?’

‘Positive.’ Jakob nodded earnestly.

Not even a glimmer that Jakob knew exactly how the evening would unfold. Until he had that first glass, it would be strait-laced Jakob. After alcohol, the louder, red-faced and indiscreet version would appear. Ted was looking forward to him.

‘What’s bubbling in there?’ Jakob eyed the slow cooker.

‘Venison haunch in red wine, since this morning.’

Jakob nodded his approval and flattened the blonde wisps of hat hair that stuck out from the right side of his head. ‘I’m starving.’ His hand scrabbled in the bowl of peanuts on the counter.

‘Warm yourselves up.’ Ted nodded to the tubular burner in the old fireplace but noticed it had gone out.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll see to that.’ Jakob fisted some nuts into his mouth and went to stoke it.

Jakob had put on a few pounds since they’d last met. He was over six feet and thickset, but he had a definite paunch developing. All the couples coming were around the same age as he and Juliette. Ted had a good metabolism, but even running hadn’t shifted his extra Christmas weight. Did he really have another five years grace until he was forty? His older work colleagues assured him that was when everything started to conform to gravity.

‘Smells really good.’ Evie tugged the sleeves of her black sweater over her pale hands, leaned on the counter and fixed him with her green eyes.

He was slightly relieved to have the counter between them and felt as he always did when it suddenly seemed like it was just the two of them. He’d never told Evie, but she reminded him of a ginger-haired classroom assistant he’d had a crush on at school. And she frequently made him feel like he was back in the playground. Particularly as, like Jakob, she was a teacher. ‘Trip to the fjords still happening this year?’ Ted knew it was an ongoing saga.

She pursed her lips. ‘No. It’s all about money and time … and still money.’

Jakob hadn’t been home to see his family for years. They were spread all over Norway and a trip had been on the cards since Ted could remember. He felt for Jakob but understood the limits of a teacher’s salary.

‘Do you have any more kindling?’ Jakob turned from where he was crouching at the burner.

‘Should be some in the bucket.’

Jakob shook his head at Ted and inverted the metal pail for good measure.

‘Why haven’t our guests got drinks in their hands?’ Juliette was standing in the kitchen doorway.

It was miraculous. Only minutes ago, she’d got home from logging traffic pollution samples in Woolwich, windswept and exhausted, and now she was made up. Her silver-grey bob was immaculate, and she was wearing the olive-green woollen dress he’d bought her for her birthday. Juliette never took longer than ten minutes to get ready in the bathroom, but always looked like she’d spent hours there. Ted was glad to see her smile. Her father had passed away the previous September and she’d seemed very preoccupied over the last few weeks.

Evie embraced her, and Jakob quickly made his way over to give her a bear hug.

‘It’s been months since we’ve seen you.’ Jakob crushed then released her. ‘When was it?’

‘Last May,’ Evie reminded him.

Ted went to fix the cocktails. ‘Alexa, play dinner party music.’

The device glowed blue again but still didn’t obey.

CHAPTER THREE

Ted used the downstairs bathroom, zipped himself up and checked his reflection in the mirror over the sink. Even in the bright light his complexion appeared pale and grubby, his blue eyes tired. He threw some water in his face and dried it with the hand towel, running his fingers through his straggly hazel hair and deciding it looked even worse. It didn’t bother him that much, but he didn’t want to let Juliette down. He headed back down the rear passage to the kitchen. Juliette was just opening a bag of ice. Orla and Connor had arrived. Now they were just waiting for the last two latecomers. ‘Just going to check on Georgie.’

‘He’s not himself.’ Juliette dropped some of the cubes into glasses.

‘The usual?’

‘I think so.’

Ted headed upstairs to Georgie’s room. He’d only seen him briefly today as he’d been too busy getting things ready for the evening, but he always tucked him in. When he opened the bedroom door his six-year-old son was in his pyjamas, his fair hair dark and wet and combed straight. He sat cross-legged on top of his SpongeBob duvet, wearing headphones that were plugged into a tablet. Ted gestured for him to remove them and he did so. ‘Hope we’re not too noisy, scout.’

‘No. I know you’ve all got to let off some steam.’

Ted smiled. Georgie had an unerring knack of absorbing adult phrases and using them in exactly the right context. ‘Had a shower?’ It was Georgie’s new thing: he took a shower most nights and spent at least half an hour in there. Ted was concerned about the water consumption, but Juliette wanted to encourage his interest in hygiene. ‘Everything OK at Peta’s house today?’ But Ted knew the childminder wasn’t the problem.

‘Fine.’ Georgie wriggled on his behind uncomfortably.

Ted crossed the room and sat on the bed. ‘What about at school?’ Georgie breathed heavily through his nose and Ted could see his distress building. ‘Is it Jolian again?’

Georgie swallowed hard and his ears twitched. They protruded and it made him an easy target for name-calling. ‘Not just Jolian.’

‘Who?’

‘Tyrone, Yash … Brendan.’

‘I thought Brendan was your best buddy.’

Georgie nodded and narrowed his eyes at the screen. Ted could see how anxious he was. ‘So has Jolian been getting them to gang up on you again?’

Georgie nodded.

‘Then they’re not worth your time.’ What could he say when, as far as Georgie was concerned, his universe had ended? ‘I know school’s hard but, believe me, you’ll find real friends soon. Proper ones. You thought these boys were but sometimes people aren’t what they seem. Sometimes they have what we call ulterior motives.’

‘What are they?’ Georgie clearly liked the sound of the phrase.

‘Stuff they want from you but don’t tell you to your face.’

‘Like my Xbox games?’

‘That sort of thing. Point is, if your friends do exactly what Jolian says and turn on you, then they’re really not worth knowing, are they?’

Georgie looked up at him, anguish in his eyes. ‘But I’ve still got an invite to Brendan’s party.’

‘When is it?’

‘March the sixth.’

‘That’s nearly two months away.’ Two months was a long time in the social life of a child. ‘You can decide whether you want to go then.’

Georgie straightened his back in mortification. ‘But I do want to go.’

‘But remember Brendan will want to come to yours the month after. That’s when you decide whether he’s been a good enough friend.’ They’d had Brendan around a few times. He was spoilt, so Ted knew what was coming next.

‘His party will be better than mine.’

‘Why d’you say that?’

Georgie seemed to know why but clammed up.

Ted knew it was wrong, but he didn’t like Brendan. Didn’t like a six-year-old boy who still had to grow up. He was a bad influence on Georgie. Had already told him that Santa didn’t exist. At six! ‘We can do anything here you could do at Brendan’s.’

‘Yeah … I know.’

But Georgie was sparing his feelings. Brendan’s parents had a huge Georgian house with a games den. Georgie only had a playroom in the garage and that was damp and full of junk. It would be a big expense to make it properly habitable. ‘Look, I’ve got to get back to the guests now, but we’ll talk about this in the morning. OK?’

‘There’s nothing to talk about. I’ll be OK. Really.’

Ted could feel his heart starting to break. ‘It’s Friday. Two whole days of no school. Try not to worry. If you show them that what they say doesn’t bother you at all, they’ll move on to somebody else. And if they don’t, we’ll both figure out a way of making them stop. Deal?’

‘How about I take a kickboxing class?’

Ted smirked. ‘I don’t think we need to do anything that drastic. Come on, it’s past lights out.’

‘But I’ve only just started my screen time.’

‘We’ll roll it over to tomorrow.’ Ted gestured for him to climb into bed and he scrambled under the duvet. ‘We’ll work it out.’

The doorbell rang.

‘Who’s that?’

‘And don’t play for time. Football training in the morning.’ Ted kissed his hair and it smelt like he’d used too much shampoo. ‘Don’t worry about a thing, scout. It’ll be a different story this time next week.’ It probably would be, but he guessed that Jolian and Brendan were going to be the topic of many more conversations to come.

‘Night, Dad.’

He’d only recently started taking the DY off Daddy and Ted wasn’t sure he liked it. ‘Sleep tight.’ Ted got up, closed the door quietly and went downstairs. He met Juliette in the hallway. ‘Half an hour’s not too bad for the Driscolls.’

It was ‘KathRhys’ at the door. At least that was how they signed their greetings cards as a couple. The others all shared history, but Kathryn and Rhys had only moved to Basildon in 2017. Rhys worked for a petrochemical company that had relocated there and Kathryn was a recruitment consultant. Even though they lived the closest, only a five-minute drive away, they were always the last to arrive.

This rankled with Ted and more so with Jakob, even though Jakob had been instrumental in recruiting them to the dinner group. When they held up everyone else’s evening, they never apologized for being late, so Ted had taken to inviting them an hour early to exert some damage limitation. ‘Here they are!’ he exclaimed, diplomatically, when he opened the door.

‘Hope you haven’t started without us.’ Rhys’s breath clouded around his dark bearded face. He was thirty-four, a year younger than Ted but his frameless spectacles gave him an avuncular appearance.

Tall Kathryn had her dark hair in a bun on top of her head and her usual dyed Mallen Streak forelock swept across the top of her fringe. She thrust a bag containing wine bottles into Ted’s hands as if it was their ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card and kissed him on the cheek.

‘Some interesting ones in there.’ Rhys nodded at the bag.

Ted didn’t have a clue about wine, but he’d worked out that Rhys didn’t either. Rhys was enthusiastic about whichever acidic consignment he’d been sent by his wine club, but Ted always put them on the rack to gather dust. At their next visit Rhys would forget that he’d brought them previously and examine the labels with vague disdain. Ted didn’t dislike Kathryn and Rhys. They just weren’t his favourite people. They didn’t really fit in with the rest of the group, but they were Evie and Jakob’s friends and had assumed one invite to join them all for dinner in 2017 meant lifelong membership.

But when Juliette’s father died, Kathryn and Rhys had been incredibly supportive. Both spending time with her because they’d both lived through the same bereavement. More time than any of their other friends. After that Ted’s perception had changed. They were at odds with the others, but Ted couldn’t forget the sensitive side they’d shown his wife when she’d really needed it.

‘The girls are sleeping over at a friend’s, but they didn’t want us to leave,’ Kathryn said to Juliette.

Kathryn and Rhys had twins of Georgie’s age. It had taken them five years of IVF treatment to bring them into the world, so Ted understood why they handled their girls like antique china.

He took Kathryn’s dark teal cashmere shawl and it smelt overpoweringly of perfume. ‘Come through.’ That was everybody. The evening was now officially underway.

CHAPTER FOUR

‘It’s a trust game.’ Evie gauged seven people’s reactions and didn’t seem surprised by them: attentiveness from the women and uncomfortable suspicion from the men.

‘Alexa, turn off,’ Juliette said without shifting her attention from Evie.

Ed Sheeran was cut off mid-angst. That pleased Ted, but he was still baffled as to why Alexa only seemed to obey Juliette. The sudden silence committed everyone to listen and he studied Orla’s and Connor’s expressions. Evie attempting to reconcile them was part of every get-together.

Orla and Connor were a passive aggressive couple, their Northern Irish accents noticeably stronger when they were tossing cutting remarks at each other. But now they sat among the others like two singletons. Juliette liked to mix everyone up so nobody was sitting with their partner. They’d never been that tactile but now the only giveaway that they were actually together was the occasional barked remonstration from Orla when Connor rested his elbows on the table or slouched in his chair.

Connor’s look was always the same – wiry, sweaty and harried, with three buttons opened down from the collar, his tight black curls looking as coiled as he was. But today Ted could see a shadow of something in Connor’s eyes. Orla was as skinny and tall as Connor and her straight fringe of mousy hair came exactly down to her eyebrow line. She was a pale and beautiful woman, but Ted thought the style made her look slightly deranged. Juliette had told him her eyebrows had fallen out because of a childhood trauma and that she’d always been self-conscious about them. She’d never wanted to augment them with eyeliner or get them tattooed, however, even though a large percentage of her arms were covered in ink. Ted thought she looked more frazzled than usual.

‘My work colleague is seeing a counsellor at the moment,’ Evie continued. ‘She said that after twelve years of marriage she didn’t believe anyone outside of it was ever going to be able to help her.’

There was that ‘work colleague’ again. Ted wondered if she really existed. Evie was always advocating therapy, even though she and Jakob had had only a handful of sessions some years ago. They were a solid couple, but boredom was their enemy. Evie often looked for problems where there weren’t any. They should have had children; it had been talked about at one point, but Juliette said the subject was now strictly out of bounds.

‘He got them to play the trust game. It’s especially for couples who have been married longer than seven years.’

That described all of them. Kathryn and Rhys had had their tenth anniversary already and, as they’d all got married the same year, the rest of them would be celebrating this coming summer.

Orla and Connor had two girls, like Kathryn and Rhys. Ted didn’t know how they managed with more than one child. But they’d all felt overpowered by parenthood at various stages, experienced that deep fatigue and the night terrors about their children’s future. Probably because of the girls, Evie had made Orla and Connor her rescue project, and recently even Ted had become concerned about Connor.

Connor had always had a dour sense of humour, but over the past year there had been a marked change in his personality. The flippant glimmer in his eye had gone and he now seemed to go through social occasions with Orla on autopilot. But it was something Connor had said at a pub that had disturbed Ted. Connor had been bemoaning the relentless nature of parental commitments and Ted had responded with a platitude about trying to enjoy the kids when they were young because life was short. Connor had said:

‘Life’s short. But sometimes not short enough.’

It was vintage Connor, but without a trace of his usual playfulness. He just looked worn out. He was an investment broker and brought home a bigger salary than the other couples put together, but Ted guessed that juggling multiple stress balls at work and dealing with a crumbling marriage was the reason he was becoming increasingly withdrawn. Maybe Ted had been reading too much about suicide stats for men their age, but he’d been worried enough to mention it to Juliette. She said that Orla and Connor’s fights had stopped, but that seemed more troubling than anything else.

‘To any couple who feel they’ve amassed too much baggage, the game is designed to expunge guilt and wipe the slate clean for the sake of their futures.’

Ted’s eyes switched to Evie and back to Connor again. His friend’s face was impassive.

‘So what is the game?’ Juliette asked as she poured more red wine from the decanter into the empty glasses on the table.

Jakob nodded he’d have more. He’d just finished his third glass and his ruddy complexion held the tally. He’d already told Evie they’d be getting a cab.

‘Each person in a couple has to write down their deepest, darkest secret on a piece of paper, something that has happened since they took their vows – something they’ve never told their partner about.’ Evie checked their reactions again, gave it a beat to let the tension set in.

Nobody moved. Ted had been about to swallow but now didn’t want to fill the silence.

‘Then they fold the piece of paper, put it into an envelope and give it to their partner.’

‘Uh-huh.’ Jakob responded offhandedly and took a generous swig of his filled glass. ‘Already sounds dangerous.’

Evie turned to him. ‘If you have something to hide.’

‘What if they have nothing to hide?’ Rhys absently stroked his beard.

Evie ignored him. ‘It can be anything, minor or major. Then their partner, without opening the envelope, tells them that they forgive them and sets fire to it.’

‘What about the other’s envelope?’ Juliette filled her own glass.

‘They do the same. Say they forgive them and burn theirs too.’

Juliette’s eyes were fixed on pouring.

‘And what the hell does that achieve?’ Connor sounded bored.

‘It’s symbolic and it means they can move on. Whatever secret they had has been forgiven and destroyed by their partner.’

‘Without them knowing what it was,’ said Rhys warily.

‘It’s a declaration of faith in each other’s future together.’ Evie sipped her wine.

Connor leaned back in his chair. ‘Isn’t that like ten Hail Marys though? I mean, how often do you do this? Every week? Do I simply get Orla to absolve me every time I do something wrong?’

‘That’s already a full-time job.’ Orla didn’t look at him when she said it, just gently stroked the ornate tattoo of a blue-ringed octopus on her forearm.

‘Why do you assume you’re the only one who’s done wrong?’ Juliette asked Connor pointedly.

The three men were briefly tongue-tied.

‘It’s not like a laundry service.’ Evie fingered the stem of her glass. ‘You’re not taking this seriously.’

Was Juliette? Ted noticed she still hadn’t made eye contact with him.

‘And it’s one secret you write down?’ Rhys raised an eyebrow.

Evie sighed. ‘Yes.’

‘So nobody could do a job lot and get them all forgiven and burnt in one hit?’ Rhys glanced at Kathryn.

‘So what happened to just being honest and open with your wife?’ Connor seemed to regret the question before he’d finished asking it.

‘What indeed.’ Orla’s Northern Irish accent was suddenly very thick.

Jakob was shaking his head at his wine glass.

‘You’ve gone very quiet, darling,’ Evie observed.

‘Let people sort their own problems out,’ Jakob said quietly and took another glug of wine. ‘No need to spoil a nice evening.’

Evie frowned theatrically. ‘I’m just telling them about my work colleague.’

Jakob kept his nose in the glass, his eyes rolling.

‘I’d be happy to do it,’ Orla declared. She nodded as attention shifted to her. ‘Why not?’

Ted felt the atmosphere suddenly chill. ‘Nobody here is a qualified therapist.’ He shot a glance to Evie then Juliette, but both were looking at Orla. It felt like the evening was suddenly on shaky ground.

‘I’ll do it too,’ Kathryn proclaimed.

‘So you’ve already thought of something to write down?’ Rhys wasn’t smiling.

‘OK. Why don’t I get some pens and paper?’ Juliette was on her feet.

‘Wait.’

She fixed Ted blankly and it reminded him of how she looked at Georgie with dead-eyed patience when he threw a tantrum.

‘Not everyone’s comfortable with this.’

Juliette looked around the table and Ted followed suit. The other women were obviously keen on the idea. Connor leant back in his chair and languidly raised his hands.

‘Looks like we’ve been set up,’ he said with resignation. ‘We’re damned if we do, but we’re most certainly damned if we don’t.’

Jakob put down his empty glass. ‘Get the paper, if Evie wants to forgive me so badly.’

‘For what?’ Evie tried to read his features.

‘You’ll never know. Your game, remember?’

Ted knew that strait-laced Jakob wouldn’t have played.

‘OK then?’ Juliette smiled at Ted, as if to reassure him that the game wasn’t for them. But when she turned away, Ted saw it quickly vanish.

CHAPTER FIVE

‘You didn’t have to think long either,’ Kathryn remarked icily and flattened her Mallen Streak to her forehead.

Rhys had his fingers cupped around the piece of paper he was scribbling on, his tongue protruding through his beard in concentration. ‘Ouch.’ He shook his aching hand. ‘Can’t remember the last time I had to write anything more than my signature.’ But still he hadn’t finished.

‘You’re going to run out of space in a minute.’ A sly smile tugged at the corner of Connor’s mouth.

Nobody else was joining in. Ted regarded the blank pastel notepaper and empty envelopes that Juliette had placed in front of everyone.

‘Well … I’m not doing this on my own.’ Rhys looked around guardedly at the others.

Nobody put a hand to the pile of pens in the middle of the table. Jakob had his arms folded defensively.

Connor turned to Evie. ‘And this worked for your colleague?’

Evie nodded.

‘How?’ Ted asked.

‘Well, she’s no longer divorcing her husband.’ Evie pursed her lips.

‘Maybe you can invite her along to our next evening so we can compare notes,’ Connor retorted dryly.

‘Yes, it would be good to meet her at last.’ Jakob straightened in his seat but didn’t uncross his arms. ‘What about you, Evie? You started this.’ He raised one fair eyebrow at her.

Evie put down her wine glass.

‘Well, I suppose as my husband is so eager.’ Kathryn eyed the pens.

‘It’s my suggestion. Jakob’s right.’ Evie plucked a pen and started to write on her paper.

‘No thinking time for you either?’ Jakob emptied the remains of the decanter into his glass.

Evie ignored him, finished and folded her piece of paper in half.

‘I’ll get us some more wine.’ Juliette scraped her chair out.

‘Is that a good idea?’ Ted had already counted four bottles opened between them. Another one wasn’t exactly going to improve the atmosphere.

‘Don’t look so worried.’ Juliette began to rise.

‘Hang on.’ Rhys held out his hand to her. ‘You don’t get out of it that easily.’ He folded his piece of paper. ‘I’m done. I’ll get the wine.’ He slid it inside its powder blue envelope and fixed his gaze on Evie. ‘Do we seal them?’

‘I suppose so.’ She slipped hers into her peach envelope.

Juliette settled back in her chair.

‘OK.’ Rhys made a show of licking the edge obscenely while he looked at Kathryn. Then he placed it delicately on the table and thumped it a couple of times with his fist.

As if in retaliation, Kathryn reached past him and snatched up a pen.

‘Shall I select something from the rack?’ Rhys headed to where it was mounted on the wall.

‘Whatever you fancy.’ Ted was watching the glances Orla was throwing Connor.

‘Crack on then.’ Orla nodded at the pens.

‘Then we can change the subject and have some cheese and port?’ Connor seized one.

‘Yes.’ Orla followed suit. ‘God forbid we should talk about anything meaningful.’ Her hand moved across the paper.

Ted suspected it was too late to prevent what Evie had instigated but tried regardless. ‘Maybe we should do this another time. It is getting late.’

Juliette picked up a pen. ‘Come on. We don’t want to be the last.’

‘Very suspicious,’ Rhys chuckled. ‘I wonder what a therapist would read into that?’

When Juliette started writing, Ted began to feel uneasy.

Jakob caught his eye. ‘What if we can’t think of anything?’

Evie bit her lip. ‘You’ll think of something.’

Jakob shook his head. ‘So, there’s obviously something you think I should write.’

‘Whatever you feel guilty about. Could be a small thing, could be a very big thing.’ She let that hang between them for a few seconds. ‘You’ll think of something.’ Evie nodded at the pens.

Jakob sighed, reluctantly grabbed one and started scratching at his paper.

‘We’ve got to have a talk about your wine cellar.’ Rhys peered at the bottle he’d withdrawn from the bottom of the rack.

Ted knew it was a Rhys leftover. ‘Better ones at the top.’

Rhys squinted at them through his specs. ‘If you say so.’

But suddenly Ted realized he was the only person who hadn’t written anything. He looked at the top of Juliette’s silver-grey bob as she concentrated. What could he commit to paper? Not that. He couldn’t put that moment into words, couldn’t physically register what he didn’t even want to think about. Not for the sake of Evie’s stupid party game.

But Juliette had to forgive him for whatever was in the envelope, burn it to release him from guilt. Was he tempted enough to risk giving the secret a physical presence before it was willingly destroyed? No. Think of something else. This was just a silly stunt. He’d drunk too much wine. If they were all sober, they’d all recognize how foolish this was.

Juliette’s pen moved across the paper. What exactly was she writing?

CHAPTER SIX

‘I forgive you, Rhys.’ Kathryn was holding Rhys’s powder blue envelope in her hand. In the other she had a green transparent plastic lighter that Juliette had found.

‘That was pretty convincing.’ Rhys smiled humourlessly.

‘We all have to say it with conviction. Right, Evie?’ Kathryn’s eyes remained on Rhys.

Ted registered that Evie seemed transfixed by the couple facing each other over the table.

Kathryn rasped the flint of the lighter with her thumb and a flame flickered up towards the bottom edge of the envelope. She moved it closer and positioned both over the handcrafted yellow clay ashtray from Portugal that Ted’s parents had brought back for them.

Kathryn touched the flame to the paper, and it started to blacken, but after a few seconds, she extinguished the lighter and bit her lip. ‘I could just open it. What if I do that?’

Evie fingered an auburn lock behind her ear. ‘It’s not allowed. The trust has been placed in your hands.’

Kathryn seemed to enjoy Rhys’s uncomfortable expression. ‘Might be worth it.’

‘Are you forgetting that Rhys has your envelope?’ Jakob slurred.

‘Perhaps I don’t mind him seeing what’s in mine. Maybe opening them would be more honest than burning them.’

‘Maybe you’re right. Your choice, pumpkin.’ Rhys sucked on the hairs under his lip.

Now Ted wanted his own envelope back, wished he’d listened to his common sense. But the idea of having Juliette forgive him for what he’d written had been too difficult to resist.

Kathryn lowered the lighter. ‘Maybe there’s nothing but rubbish on mine.’ She was clearly relishing the moment.

‘Then you’ve cheated.’ Connor didn’t sound amused. ‘And if that’s the case, nobody plays.’

Orla eyed his lemon envelope. ‘Eager for me to burn yours then? We could all just open them now.’

But Evie interjected. ‘Stop teasing, Kathryn. Or hand him back the envelope. The sole purpose of the game is to release the past and unite for the sake of the future.’

‘You seem very keen to do that, Evie.’ Jakob reached for his glass, but it was empty.

Kathryn smiled at Rhys, then flicked the flint again. She played the lighter over the bottom of the envelope and the flames licked up the paper. She released it when they reached her French polished nails.

The envelope and its secret curled into black in the ashtray and nobody spoke until the last patch of blue paper had vanished.

‘I’d better open a window before we set the alarm off.’ Ted was glad of the distraction, slid the pane behind him open and let the freezing air pour in. But nobody sitting around the table complained about the cold.

‘My turn now.’ Rhys held his hand out for the lighter.

‘You can breathe,’ Kathryn said caustically and passed it to him. She shoved the ashtray and it slid across the table.

Ted wondered exactly what she’d just forgiven Rhys for. And did she now feel foolish because she had?

Evie sat straight. ‘We need a change in attitude here. This is to help us, not drive us apart. We’re all willingly doing this.’

‘Are we?’ Ted countered.

Juliette turned slowly to him, playfulness gone and suspicion creeping into her expression. ‘Yes. Or are you afraid I might open yours?’ Her eyes flicked to his sealed orange envelope on the table in front of her.

‘I just don’t think this is going to lead anywhere good.’ Ted shook his head too many times.

Juliette frowned at him, genuinely worried now.

‘Let’s just get this finished,’ Connor said in a surly tone. ‘Perhaps Evie will stop trying to analyse Orla and me then.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Evie almost sounded mortified.

‘Oh, come on.’ Connor shook his head.

‘Rhys, are you doing this?’ Kathryn nodded at her husband; her expression was flushed.

‘What’s the matter, pumpkin? Feeling uncomfortable?’ He grinned.

‘Don’t call me that.’ Kathryn clenched her jaw.

Ted knew the menopause had arrived early for Kathryn. She was having what she described as one of her ‘tropical moments’ but she’d made it clear she didn’t want people to fuss when it happened. Besides, the window was already open.

‘Just get it done,’ Jakob huffed.

Rhys nodded, held the lighter to the side of Kathryn’s aquamarine envelope and paused for dramatic effect. ‘I forgive you.’

‘You have to mean it, Rhys,’ Evie reminded him. ‘Say it like you do.’

‘OK.’ Rhys nodded and some of the cruelty drained from his face. He wet his mouth. ‘I forgive you.’ His eyes still fixed on his wife, Rhys set fire to the envelope and let it drop into the ashtray.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jakob indicated the mint green envelope that contained his secret. ‘Maybe you should have gone first, Evie.’

‘Perhaps.’ Evie held it up and studied the seal.

Ted watched Jakob examine his empty glass and then the unopened bottle that Rhys had selected at the opposite end of the table. Looked like the game was sobering everybody up. It had definitely caused a fractious atmosphere between each couple, including him and Juliette. He just wanted it over now. He suspected he’d be calling cabs soon.

‘Show us how it’s done then.’ Jakob interlinked his fingers on the table and sat forward.

Rhys slid the smoking ashtray and the lighter down the table to where they were sitting. Jakob took them, positioned the ashtray in front of Evie and handed her the lighter.

She took it and maintained eye contact with him. ‘I forgive you.’ She smiled earnestly and blinked, then set fire to the green envelope.

But Ted noticed the side of her mouth twitch as the paper was consumed.

‘Don’t get your fingers burned.’ Jakob nodded at the envelope.

But Evie held it for a while longer before letting what little remained float down into the ashtray.

‘That’s you off the hook, Jakob,’ Orla said flatly. ‘Put the girl out of her misery.’

‘Or just open it and find out how imperfect everyone is,’ Connor added.

‘Connor,’ Orla growled.

‘I forgot, Evie’s rules.’ Connor emphasized her name.

It struck Ted how painfully aware Orla and Connor were of Evie’s attempts to mend their relationship and just how offended they might be.

Jakob picked up Evie’s peach envelope from the table and turned it over in his hands.

Evie tightened her bottom lip at him, and Ted could see the nervousness in her green eyes. He suddenly felt sorry for her. She had brought the evening down, had made everyone feel uncomfortable, but her heart was in the right place. She wanted Orla and Connor to be happy again, for their sake and their children’s, but this was the ultimate example of her misguided attempts causing more harm than good.

Evie went to pass the lighter to Jakob, but he took a butter knife off the table instead.

‘Jakob.’ When Juliette spoke there was more than a warning in her tone. ‘Don’t.’

Ted knew Jakob would listen to Juliette. He always respected her opinion.

‘This is what happens when you play with fire, Evie. Let’s hope that’s the one take-home you get from this.’

Ted didn’t like the spite in Jakob’s comment.

Jakob put the blade of the knife to the flap of the sealed peach envelope and then grinned at Evie. ‘I forgive you,’ he said melodramatically. He put the knife down, took the lighter from her and set fire to the envelope.

Evie’s face didn’t shift, but Ted could see her shoulders slightly drop.

‘Shit.’ Jakob released the flaming envelope as it reached his fingers.

The paper seemed to burn more intensely than the others and then went out.

‘Looks like Evie’s secret is the hottest,’ Rhys quipped.

Orla didn’t even allow the awkward laughter to subside. ‘Us now then.’ She impatiently extended her hand and Jakob passed the ashtray and lighter. She held Connor’s lemon envelope rigidly between her thumb and forefinger and immediately flicked the flint. It sparked but didn’t work.

‘Looks like Connor’s is fireproof.’

Everyone ignored Rhys.

She hastily spun the flint with her thumb several more times before it lit. Connor’s envelope started to smoke.

‘You’ve got to say it,’ Kathryn reminded her.

She robotically cocked her face to Connor. ‘I forgive you.’

‘Me too.’ Connor leaned across and held Orla’s coral envelope in the same flame.

The guests watched their envelopes feed off each other’s heat. Connor discarded his and then Orla released hers.

‘There. Satisfied?’ But Orla didn’t look at Evie.

Connor broke the silence. ‘Well, it made a nice change from Orla getting me to swear faithfulness to her on my mother’s life. Cheese and port now?’

Ted gently shook his head. It had seriously misfired. The only people that hadn’t been fazed by Evie’s game were the couple she wanted to fix. It was everyone else who had been tested by it. But his orange envelope still lay in front of Juliette. ‘Let’s get ours out of the way then.’ He reached over and took the ashtray. Orla gave him the lighter. He slid both to Juliette.

She looked up at him with a tiny frown.

Had he seemed too eager? There was a long silence and then Rhys smiled smugly at him. ‘In a bit of a hurry, Ted?’ He twisted off the lid of the wine bottle.

Ted nodded at Juliette’s lavender envelope in front of him. ‘I’ll do yours first, if you like.’ He attempted to sound casual instead of defensive but failed. ‘Let’s just get this finished.’

‘OK.’ But Juliette sounded far from it.

Everyone’s eyes were on him. ‘And I don’t think we should drink anything more, Rhys,’ he deflected. ‘Evie’s game hasn’t exactly put everyone in the best frame of mind.’ Ted picked up Juliette’s lavender envelope and studiously examined it. ‘Mine or yours then?’

‘I’d better do yours,’ Juliette stated coolly and seized the lighter.

‘Dad!’ Georgie shouted from upstairs.

From the tone in his voice, it didn’t sound like an emergency. Ted waited and Juliette raised her eyebrows.

‘Dad!’

‘You’d better go.’ She hadn’t lit the envelope.

As he lingered he looked at everyone’s perplexed expressions.

‘Dad!’

‘Perfect timing.’ He tried to sound jovial. ‘Back now.’ Ted rose and made for the hallway door.

‘Wait,’ Juliette said.

He turned and her eyes fell on the lavender envelope in his hand. It contained her secret. Had she thought he might read it in private? He set it on the table and walked leisurely from the room, resisting the temptation to tell them not to do anything without him.

Only as he mounted the stairs did he hear the buzz of conversation begin again.

CHAPTER EIGHT

‘You smell funny, Dad,’ Georgie said after he’d been tucked back in.

Ted had just kissed the side of his head. ‘It’s just grown-up drinks.’

‘Are your teeth black again?’ Georgie kept his eyes closed.

‘Probably.’ Ted wondered what was going on downstairs.

‘What time is it?’

‘Way past sleep time.’ Ted squinted at his watch. It was gone midnight. ‘We’ll be coming to bed soon.’

‘After you’ve finished playing your games?’

Ted paused. ‘Have you been listening?’ He knew Georgie frequently came halfway down the stairs to eavesdrop on the adults.

‘No. You’re just very loud. You woke me up.’

Ted was sure they hadn’t been making that much noise. The music was off, and Evie’s game had seen to the rest. ‘OK, we’ll try to be quieter. No more getting up though.’

‘Promise.’ Georgie shut his eyes tighter.

Ted paused at the door. ‘You’re not still worrying about your friends?’

‘No. Not thinking about them.’

But Ted guessed Georgie was telling him what he wanted to hear.

‘It’s wine o’clock.’ Georgie must have heard Juliette say that multiple times. ‘Go, Dad.’

‘OK, sleep tight.’ Ted pulled the door shut behind him, wondering if he should have stayed to talk. But this wasn’t the right time and he’d already said they’d discuss it in the morning.

As he made his way back down the stairs he could hear Rhys’s raucous laugh. Hopefully, that was a good sign. He tried to enter the dining room as calmly as possible, but the chatter instantly died down.

Juliette turned from the table as he approached, maternal concern overriding everything else. ‘Is he OK?’

‘Fine. Thought we were being a bit loud.’

Rhys exaggeratedly clapped his hand over his mouth.

Ted walked to his place at the table and sat. Filled his glass, took a sip and gazed around as if he’d forgotten exactly what they were in the middle of. He didn’t look directly at his envelope but could see the orange blur in front of Juliette.

‘I didn’t think you wanted anything else to drink.’ Juliette’s face resumed its earlier suspicion.

‘As everyone else has had a refill …’ He nodded at the others’ glasses. ‘Right. Us then,’ Ted sighed, as if it were a chore. Now he regarded the thankfully sealed envelope in front of Juliette.

Juliette took hold of the lighter and flicked up a flame. She didn’t touch the envelope though. ‘Sure you want me to do this?’ She held the glow at face height so that her blue eyes were either side of it.

Ted shrugged. ‘You didn’t steam it open while I was with Georgie?’ Rhys said something in response, but Ted didn’t hear it.

Juliette’s face remained unchanged, her pupils locked on his and suddenly they were the only two people in the room.

‘OK.’ Juliette eventually glanced down at the orange envelope, picked it up and held the lighter to it. ‘I forgive you.’ But she only looked at the paper as it went up.

Ted wondered how he should react. He was aware of himself slowly nodding, of his stomach muscles relaxing.

Juliette kept her eyes on the envelope as it shrivelled in the ashtray. She scrutinized its blackened form for a moment, as if waiting for something to happen, and then blew the ash into fragments. ‘There, gone.’

Tiny pieces briefly hovered above the table before coming to rest there.

Ted didn’t wait for her eyes to return to his. ‘OK, just yours left.’ He wouldn’t milk the moment as some of the others had.

She put the lighter on the side of the ashtray, gently pushed it over to him and sat back.

Ted took her lavender envelope in one hand and the lighter in the other, holding both over the ashtray. When he refocused on Juliette, however, he found an emotion on her face he hadn’t expected. He’d been anticipating disapproval, a portent of a heated conversation to come, but Ted saw something he rarely did. Juliette looked scared. It unnerved him.

‘I forgive you.’ Ted quickly lit the envelope, as if doing so would also incinerate the fear in her expression. The flames burned between them. He dropped it and as the veil of smoke cleared her countenance changed. She was taking in the other guests now, smiling for their benefit.

‘Any other games?’ Jakob ribbed Evie.

She shook her head, stony-faced.

Rhys chuckled. The atmosphere of the room washed back in, as if all the tension had been blown away, and Ted suddenly felt a chill from the open window behind him.

The guests started chatting again, all except Ted and Juliette.

‘OK, cheese and port now?’ Connor asked impatiently.

Juliette nodded and started to rise.

‘I’ll get it.’ Ted stood faster. ‘I’ll shut this window now we’re done.’ He turned to the pane and sealed it against the darkness outside.

Strained conversation continued as he unwrapped the cheese behind the counter. He contemplated the ashtray on the table and wondered what unspoken moments hidden within four marriages had just been cremated. And even though they’d now been willingly reduced to ash, he was sure Evie’s game had given them more of a presence than they’d had before the eight of them had agreed to play.

CHAPTER NINE

Conversation was perfunctory as Ted and Juliette tidied after their guests had left. Even when most of the dishes were in the washer, the group’s unease still hung about the dining room. They decided to finish clearing up the following day. Juliette blew out the candles and they headed for the bedroom.

Ted listened at Georgie’s door to the sound of his heavy breathing. He nodded to Juliette that all was fine, and they padded into their room.

‘Have you made this year’s payment for the green collection bin yet?’ Juliette asked, as they both brushed their teeth, naked, in the en suite.

Ted sighed. He’d meant to do that a handful of times. ‘Sorry, remind me first thing.’

Juliette nodded but said nothing else, her toothbrush angled right to the back of her mouth and toothpaste foam running over her knuckles.

Ted was desperate to discuss Evie’s game. Wanted to reassure Juliette that the sudden apprehension between them was misplaced. He wished he’d put his foot down when Evie had suggested it. But Juliette had been more than OK about participating. Was that because she had nothing whatsoever to hide? But she had written something down. Was it significant or had she just scribbled something minor for the sake of joining in? And why had she looked so scared? They’d both forgiven each other, but now they would think of nothing else until they’d talked about it.

Even though he needed to, he knew this wasn’t the time. Besides, if he broached the subject he’d look even guiltier. He’d been too eager for her to burn his envelope and the whole table had noticed. He should have bided his time like Juliette.

She had a cooler head than him, could keep a secret when it mattered. She’d sprung surprise parties on him for his birthday and, when he’d thought back to the lies she’d calmly told to conceal them, he’d wondered if she’d ever used the same subterfuge to hide anything else. He was a hopeless liar. And maybe that was why she was acting like she was now.

Or was that to deflect her guilt? It seemed inconceivable that she’d been unfaithful to him. Did she still harbour doubts about his fidelity? She’d given him a hard time when they’d first started going out, got quite paranoid that he was seeing someone else. It had seemed like a huge compliment. He’d been so amazed that Juliette had even been interested in him at the time, so the idea she thought he was that in demand was a considerable boost to his self-esteem. That was when she’d tested him and sent him a valentine card from a girl she’d invented, to see if he would tell her about it. He did. He passed.

He considered what he would say if she asked him directly about what had been in his envelope. He would tell the truth, but that sounded easier in his head than in reality. Maybe they’d never have the conversation because neither of them wanted to divulge what they’d written. The best thing to do was wipe the slate clean and move on.

Juliette spat her toothpaste out, gargled and spat again and walked into the bedroom without meeting his eye.

How long would he have to ride this one out? Till tomorrow, for a few days or whenever the argument broke? He finished at the sink and switched off the light.

The lamp was on at Juliette’s side of the bed, but she’d clicked it off before he got in. That didn’t bode well. Juliette always snuggled down and read her Kindle, only her hands protruding from the duvet, and usually only turned off the lamp when the screen had fallen against her nose. But suddenly her warm hands held his face.

‘I love you,’ her minty lips kissed him in the darkness. Then she released him.

‘Love you too.’ But he sensed she didn’t want him to try to find her mouth again.

Juliette turned her back to him, as if she wanted him to nuzzle her shoulders. He did and her body nestled into him.

Ted felt relief but was sure her eyes remained open as well.

He was still checking the time at three o’clock and knew Juliette was too. But not long after 3.40 her breathing became shallow and Ted fell asleep.

At 4.02 they were both wrenched awake. After a moment, Ted realized it was the sound of their landline ringing. It very rarely rang now, and Juliette had suggested they disconnect it as most people used their personal numbers. Ted scrabbled for it on his side of the bed.

‘Quick, before it wakes Georgie.’ Juliette sounded groggy.

Ted knocked a framed photo of him and Juliette off the bedside, as he frantically searched for the handset. Sounded like the glass had broken. He squinted at the phone’s glowing green keys and tried to remember which one was answer. It had already rung a good few times. He focused and punched the pick-up button. ‘Hello?’

The line was dead.

‘They hung up,’ he explained.

They both hated getting phone calls in the middle of the night. The last one had been about Juliette’s father. Ted heard her swallow.

Then a muted buzzing started.

‘That’s mine.’ Juliette sat up.

‘Where is it?’

Juliette turned on her lamp, scrabbled naked out of bed and grabbed her phone from her handbag on a dressing table chair under the curtained window. ‘One missed call. Hello?’

Ted hinged upright, his circulation thudding between his eyes.

‘Evie?’ Juliette frowned. The only sound was muffled shouting on the other end of the line. ‘Wait, slow down.’

Evie. Why the hell was she calling at this hour?

‘Evie, take a breath.’

Even from the bed, Ted could hear Evie’s voice yelling in Juliette’s ear. What was going on?

‘OK, OK. Tell him I’m coming. I’ll talk to him about it. We’re on our way. Evie?’ Juliette glanced at the screen. ‘She hung up.’ Juliette speed-dialled her number. ‘It’s gone to message.’

‘What’s happening?’

Juliette shook her head and tried again.

CHAPTER TEN

‘Any update?’ Ted emerged from the bathroom wearing the taupe shirt and black jeans he’d had on earlier.

‘She’s still not picking up.’ Juliette had put on grey slacks and a navy sweatshirt.

‘Let me try Jakob.’ Ted speed-dialled with his phone but got his message. ‘No luck. So what exactly did she say?’

‘Just that Jakob had gone berserk. I couldn’t understand anymore.’

‘Should we call the police?’

‘She called us. If we were having a fight, would you want the police turning up?’

‘So they’re definitely having a fight?’

‘From what I could understand.’

‘I’d better get round there.’ Ted scanned the bright room for his shoes.

‘I’m going too. Evie’s my friend.’ She slipped on some black suede ankle boots.

‘We can’t leave Georgie on his own.’

‘I’ve spoken to Zoe. She’s on her way round.’

Ted shook his head. ‘You shouldn’t have disturbed her at this hour.’

‘She was up with Pip anyway.’

Their next-door neighbour had an eight-month-old daughter, so she and Juliette often babysat for each other. ‘That’s a big ask.’

‘I’m sure I’ll return the favour.’

Ted slid his feet into his leather shoes. ‘All right, I’ll get the car.’

‘You can’t drive. You were still drinking a couple of hours ago. I’ve ordered a cab and it’s nearly here.’

‘That was fast work.’ As he’d thrown water in his face to wake himself and then dressed he thought Juliette had been talking to Evie.

Juliette picked her phone up from the bed and checked the cab’s progress. ‘Let’s be ready to go as soon as it arrives.’ She tucked the phone in her back pocket and headed for the door.

Ted followed and they both paused at Georgie’s. No sound from within.

‘We won’t wake him,’ Juliette whispered. ‘Zoe can let him know what’s happening when he does.’

Ted kept his voice low too. ‘Hopefully, we’ll be back before he’s up.’

Juliette said nothing and stepped carefully down the stairs.

As they reached the bottom somebody knocked lightly on the front door. Juliette crept up the hallway runner and opened it. ‘Hi Zoe, you should have used your key.’

‘I didn’t like to when you were in.’ She whispered too. Zoe Cabot was a young single mother, in her mid-twenties. She was gently bouncing her new baby. She wore a paisley headscarf and a worried expression. Her pale eyelashes rapidly blinked. ‘Everything OK?’

Juliette nodded. ‘Just a little emergency, friends of ours in Ibbotson. I’ll phone you when we know what’s going on. Help yourself to anything you want. Georgie is usually up at seven on Saturday.’

Zoe nodded gravely at Juliette and then put on a warm smile for Ted. ‘Don’t worry about anything here.’ She dumped down a changing bag.

A car beeped.

‘Really appreciate you doing this.’ Ted stood aside so she could squeeze by, grabbed his leather coat from the rack and hurried out into the dark. There was a frost on their small front lawn, and he zipped up and shivered as he trotted to the car outside the gate. Juliette remained inside, so he greeted the driver of the white Seat, sat in the front and pulled his door shut.

‘Ibbotson, please. Just waiting for my wife.’

The young Japanese driver nodded and there was a short awkward delay until Juliette dropped into the back seat.

‘Zoe all right?’

Juliette closed her door and didn’t answer Ted immediately. ‘She’s fine.’

‘You OK?’

Again her response was delayed. ‘Yes, just worried about Evie.’

The driver pulled out.

‘They’re only fifteen minutes away. We’ll soon find out what’s going on.’ But Ted suspected it was serious. Evie had never called them like this before. It was difficult to imagine them even raising their voices to each other. Who knew what went on behind closed doors though? Jakob had been very quiet when they left and pretty unsteady on his feet. ‘Try her again.’

Juliette did, then shook her head and hung up.

The driver turned left at the end of the street.

‘What was Jakob doing?’

‘I told you I don’t know.’

‘So what’s “it”?’

Juliette leaned forward and replied in the ear furthest from the driver. ‘What d’you mean?’

Ted turned. ‘When you were on the phone to Evie you said you’d talk to him about “it”. What is “it”?’

‘She just said he’d gone berserk. The rest was incoherent.’

‘There’s nothing you’re not telling me?’

‘Why would there be?’

Ted wondered if there was a little too much mortification in her response. ‘You just seem so determined to come with me.’

‘I told you, she’s my friend.’

‘Has this happened before. Them fighting?’

‘I don’t think so.’

Ted turned front again. He couldn’t imagine it. There was sometimes sniping between them, but Jakob always seemed to be a gentle giant.

They drove the rest of the way to Ibbotson in silence.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The small hamlet that Evie and Jakob lived in had very few streetlights and the narrow road that ran through it was often manned by retired residents taking speeding drivers’ registration numbers. Ted had been caught on more than one occasion and had received stiff letters through the post. He wouldn’t have been surprised to find pensioners with clipboards lurking in the hedges even at this hour of the morning.

The driver took the sharp right into Fencham Place and the headlights illuminated a tall hedge that bordered the left side. Evie and Jakob’s redbrick Victorian house was opposite the crossroads at the end. Lights burned in the downstairs and upstairs windows.

‘This is it. Just drop us in front of here,’ Juliette instructed.

The driver did and she paid him.

‘D’you mind waiting?’ Ted asked.

‘It’s OK.’ Juliette gave him a tip. ‘We might be a while.’

As soon as they got out, he pulled away without a word.

They both crunched up the long, gravelled driveway. Ted studied the lit panes for either of their friends, but there was no movement.

He rang the bell. No sound of anyone coming to answer it. Ted tried again and Juliette thumped the panel with her fist. He stood back from the door and scanned the windows above.

‘Evie!’ Juliette yelled and banged a second time.

‘Call her again. I’ll try Jakob.’

She did but shook her head.

He left a message. ‘Jakob, let us in. We’re outside your front door and we’re worried about Evie. Please ring me straight away.’ He hung up. ‘They don’t have a landline?’

‘No. Let’s try the back.’

Ted felt uneasy as he followed Juliette down the side of the house to the rear of the property. Maybe they were upstairs having a tête-à-tête, but surely they would have heard them at the door. Something felt badly wrong.

The glass door to the kitchen was wide open. The light was on, the room empty.

Ted peered at the darkened lawn. ‘Anybody out here?’ he said loudly. His breath drifted back to him, but the only response was the muted sound of the motorway.

Juliette had already stepped over the threshold and edged across the wooden tiled floor to the breakfast bar in the middle of the kitchen. The polished tiles were Jakob’s pride and joy. He’d rescued them from a gutted church nearby and lovingly laid them there, all the way through the hall and into the dining room.

‘Evie? Jakob? We’re coming in!’ There was a nervous tremor in Juliette’s voice. She reached the sealed door into the hallway and paused. ‘I’ll try her again.’ She hit Evie’s number.

A loud extract of Funktown America’s ‘Celebrate Good Times’ made them both jump and their attention shifted to the phone vibrating on the floor in the kitchen.

Ted walked over to where it lay beneath the sink unit, then froze.

‘What is it?’ Juliette joined him there and examined it more closely too.

There were dark smears over the handset.

‘That is blood, isn’t it?’ Ted straightened.

Juliette nodded and turned back to the sealed door.

‘Wait. We should be careful.’

There was panic in Juliette’s eyes. ‘Call the police?’

‘Yes.’ Ted took out his phone.

A series of thumps from above them. They both looked upwards. Sounded like somebody walking across the floor.

Juliette hurried to the door, but Ted intercepted her there. ‘I’ll shout up the stairs. If there’s any sign of trouble we should both leave.’

Juliette nodded.

Before Ted could open the door they heard more thumping. ‘They’re coming down the stairs.’ He swung it wide and they hastened along a darkened passage with three open doors off it that led to the hallway. They glanced into each deserted room they passed. The third was the familiar dining area where they’d spent many an evening, the chairs tucked neatly under the long table at its centre.

When they reached the hallway, they heard the front door click shut. The light was on, but nobody was at the bottom of the stairs.

‘Have they just left?’ Juliette rushed to the front door and opened it.

They could hear the sound of receding footsteps on gravel.

‘Evie! Jakob!’ Juliette shouted.

They both held their breath and under the sound of his thudding circulation Ted heard the footsteps falter and stop.

‘It’s Juliette!’

They both gazed into the pitch blackness.

Then the footsteps started again and picked up speed.

CHAPTER TWELVE

‘Maybe that wasn’t Evie or Jakob,’ Ted said as soon as the footfalls had faded.

Juliette turned to Ted in alarm and then directed her attention back to the hallway.

Ted closed the door.

‘Evie!’ Juliette called up the stairs. ‘Jakob!’

No response.

Ted clenched his stomach, put his palm on the banister and took the first couple of steps slowly, their boards creaking under the dark-blue carpet. His mouth was already dry.

Juliette was right behind him. ‘Be careful,’ she whispered.

She was right. There could still be intruders in the house. Maybe Evie and Jakob were lying injured upstairs. His pace quickened. But they were there because of an argument between the couple. Could there really be anyone else involved?

They reached the landing and found five closed doors.

‘Evie?’ Juliette’s voice sounded loud in the enclosed space.

Ted had never been upstairs in their house. There was a downstairs bathroom, which they used when they visited, so he’d never had any reason to.

‘Jakob?’ Juliette said quieter.

‘Look.’ Ted pointed.

There was a long smudge of blood at shoulder height along the right-hand wall.

They both halted.

‘Ring the police.’ Ted whispered and didn’t take his eyes from the stain. All he could hear was their breathing.

Juliette took out her phone and dialled. ‘Police,’ she hissed.

While she relayed the specifics, Ted seized the nearest door handle.

Juliette put her hand firmly on his. ‘OK. As fast as you can though.’ She hung up. ‘They said we should leave the house immediately and wait for them outside.’

‘But they could be hurt.’

‘They’re sending an ambulance.’

‘God knows how quickly that will arrive though.’ Ted kept his grip on the door. ‘Somebody fled. I’m not leaving if either of them could be bleeding up here and need our help.’

‘Nobody’s answered us.’

‘They could be unconscious.’

She bit her lip.

He could tell how shaken she was by what they’d found but already knew what her reaction would be to what he suggested next. ‘Go and wait outside while I look.’

Juliette shook her head resolutely. ‘We do it now, quickly.’

‘Sure?’ But Ted knew it was pointless arguing.

‘Evie?’ She called again.

They both listened to the silence for a moment.

Both their breathing stopped as he depressed the handle, the spring in the mechanism creaking as he pushed inside.

The large sparsely decorated space looked like an office, with only a table and swivel chair skulking under the window. The blinds were sealed. An open laptop glowed on the desk and illuminated the empty room. There was nobody here.

They moved down the passage and Juliette opened the next right-hand door.

It was a spotless bathroom: nobody inside and no signs of a disturbance. The heat from the towel radiators and an aroma of tea tree oil rolled out at them.

Ted was at the third left door first. These had to be the bedrooms. ‘Jakob.’ But he didn’t wait for an answer.

It was a spare room. A double bed made up, but lots of paperwork and magazines stacked on the duvet.

Juliette had already moved to the last two doors at the end of the passage. ‘Evie?’

Ted opened the one nearest to him. It probably used to be a bedroom but now it was a generous changing room with doorless wardrobes along the right wall. Evie’s clothes took up considerably more space than Jakob’s. He recognized the outfit Evie had been wearing lying on top of a laundry basket. A familiar feminine scent hung around the room. No trace of a struggle in here either.

There was only one door left to open and they both paused outside. This had to be the main bedroom.

Ted yanked the handle down but stayed where he was as the panel swung wide. It bumped against the wall as they took in its interior.

No Evie or Jakob and the king-size was still made.

Juliette switched on the light and the bulb buzzed overhead.

‘So the argument started before they went to bed.’

‘Look.’ Juliette nodded to the far side of the room.

There was brown blood smeared on the long radiator under the window.

She crossed to examine it and Ted joined her there. On the oatmeal carpet in front of it were more dark red patches. The heat from the radiator had dried the fingerprint stains but the ones on the floor still looked wet.

Ted scanned the rest of the carpet. ‘Let’s not touch anything.’

‘We’d better go outside.’ Juliette gulped. ‘I don’t want to be in here.’

Ted was about to move when the light in the room changed. He turned to the window and realized the security light had come on at the rear. A cat was slinking across the back lawn. ‘Motion detector.’

But Juliette moved her face closer to the pane. ‘Is that …?’

Ted followed her gaze. Somebody was lying on the frosted grass by the summerhouse.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ted and Juliette raced back down the stairs, across the hallway, along the passage and through the kitchen to the lawn. Just as they reached it the security light went out shrouding them in darkness again.

Ted waved his arms and it lit up once more. The person lying on their back by the summerhouse was about thirty yards away and as his feet crunched over the crisp grass he could see dark footprints leading to them.

‘Evie!’ Juliette bolted past him when she recognized who it was.

Ted was close behind and knelt with her beside Evie. Their friend was barefoot and wearing only a magenta silk night robe, which had ridden up her waist. There was a dark patch of blood around the right side of her head and red marks on her throat.

‘Evie.’ Juliette put a shaking hand to her face. ‘She’s cold.’

Ted gripped Evie’s icy bare shoulder. As he did a tiny wisp of breath escaped her lips. ‘Evie.’

She didn’t stir.

‘Evie.’ He shook her.

Juliette put a finger behind Evie’s ear. ‘I can’t feel a pulse. Wake up!’

Ted tried mouth-to-mouth. Her lips were freezing. He’d forgotten his training but was sure chest compressions were more important. Interlinking his fingers he started pumping the lower half of her sternum.

‘Evie, stay with us!’ Juliette slapped her face.

He kept going, tried breathing into her mouth again. She tasted of alcohol. ‘Evie!’

He could hear Juliette on the phone yelling for an ambulance as he frantically shifted position and put his weight behind his wrists. Wasn’t there a danger of breaking ribs? He kept going.

Her eyes half opened.

‘Evie?’ Ted shifted back so his shadow wasn’t obscuring her face.

But there was nothing in her pupils.

‘Evie!’ Juliette held her hand tightly.

No more vapour from her mouth.

‘She was just breathing.’ Juliette jerked her arm.

But Ted assumed it had been trapped air. She was dead.

Juliette continued to shake her and Ted, dazed, surveyed the shadowy hedges. Could whoever have done this be watching them? But they’d heard someone sprint down the driveway and, as he was nowhere inside the house, it was very likely to have been Jakob. What the hell had happened? ‘Juliette …’

She was still clutching Evie’s wrist.

Both his hands were trembling. ‘I don’t think we should touch her anymore.’

‘This is …’ Words failed her, and her eyes bulged with tears.

‘We should go to the front of the house. I’ll let the police know what’s happened.’

Juliette looked at him as if he were insane. ‘I’m not leaving her.’

‘I understand …’ His breath caught in his chest. He was as shell-shocked as she was. He wanted to embrace her so that she didn’t have to look at Evie’s body. But her features were set. ‘But this is a crime scene now …’ Ted examined their footprints intermingled with the others.

‘We’re in it already. I’m not moving.’ Her attention shifted back to Evie and a tear dropped from one eye onto her lap. ‘Where the hell does he think he can run to?’

Ted was thinking the same. Jakob had clearly gone mad. He knew alcohol changed his personality, but he’d never seen him get aggressive with Evie. They were such a stable couple. That’s what was so horrifying. And recently Evie’s cancer treatment had seemed to cement their relationship. He recalled how Jakob had told him how it made him re-evaluate everything afterwards. That nothing he stressed about before seemed significant in the face of losing his wife.

Juliette shook her head. ‘If we could have got here sooner … Minutes sooner.’

‘We got here as quickly as we could.’ But Evie had still been alive forty minutes before. If they’d told the cab driver to put his foot down, would they have arrived in time?

Juliette unstuck a red curl that was plastered to Evie’s face.

‘Juliette, you mustn’t.’ Only hours before Ted had kissed Evie’s cheek.

Juliette retracted her hand.

The security light went out and Ted got to his feet to wave his arms at the house. The lawn was bathed once more. His legs quaked.

Juliette pulled Evie’s robe down.

‘Juliette,’ he cautioned.

She ignored him and tugged it over Evie’s exposed thighs.

Ted knew there was no doubt what had done this. It was Evie’s game. That’s what had altered the entire evening. Jakob had seemed fine when they arrived.

Was this how paper-thin the wall was between the happiness Evie and Jakob appeared to have and what had just happened? Ted had seen how the notion of unspoken secrets had instantly engendered hostility between their friends. Had one or both of them revealed what had been written on their piece of paper?

Juliette closed her eyes. ‘Maybe I didn’t know them at all.’

Ted briefly wondered what might have transpired if he and Juliette had revealed each other’s secrets while they’d been lying awake in bed.

Juliette abruptly opened her eyes again.

They could hear a vehicle rolling up the gravel at the front of the house.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

‘I’ll stay with her.’ Juliette nodded for Ted to go.

Ted opened his mouth and then closed it again. He briefly squeezed her shoulder, turned and shakily headed back down the lawn. The lights of the car illuminated the side of the house and he shielded his eyes as he approached the vehicle.

A man got out of the passenger’s side. ‘Sir?’

The light went out as the engine was switched off, but Ted could see it was a police car. ‘It’s OK, I … my wife called you.’

Another man emerged from the driver’s side.

‘We’ve just found our friend. She’s been … she’s been killed.’ The words sounded absurd.

The two officers exchanged a glance.

‘Where is she?’ The passenger asked uneasily.

Ted wondered if either of them was equipped to deal with a situation like this. They probably thought they were being called out to a routine domestic. ‘She’s on the back lawn.’

Momentarily, neither of the officers seemed to know what to do.

‘I’ll take you there.’ Ted started to turn.

‘Wait.’ The driver closed his door. ‘Who are you?’

‘Ted Middleton. My wife and I are friends of Evie and Jakob … Eriksson. Evie called us and said she and her husband were having an argument. We got a cab out here. When we arrived somebody ran from the house. We think it was Jakob.’

‘Her husband?’

‘Yes,’ Ted confirmed to the driver.

‘You’re not sure?’ He seemed suspicious.

Even though it had only happened minutes ago, Ted struggled to get his thoughts in order. ‘Nobody answered, so we went in through the open back door. Someone ran down the stairs and then left via the drive. And Jakob’s not in the house.’

‘Let the station know,’ the driver said to his passenger. ‘I’ll take a look.’

‘Shouldn’t we just wait for a senior officer?’ The passenger’s voice quivered.

Ted wondered how old they were. ‘My wife is with the body. I don’t want to leave her there any longer.’

‘Call the station. I’ll secure the scene.’ The driver tried to imbue his voice with confidence. ‘Lead the way.’

Ted nodded and turned. They reached the lawn just as the light went out again. He waved his hands and the scene was floodlit. Glancing sideways he confirmed that the uniformed officer was barely in his twenties. His head was closely shaved, and his lean features were grimacing in readiness for what was to come. Ted led him to where Juliette was still crouching and heard him inhale sharply through his nose as they crunched across the grass.

‘I’m Constable Adams,’ he said to Juliette.

Juliette exchanged a look with Ted.

‘There are other officers on the way,’ Adams reassured her and fell silent as he stared at Evie. ‘You’re sure she’s dead?’

Juliette nodded and wiped an eye with her thumb.

‘If I can just ask you both to step out.’ Adams offered her his hand to get up.

Juliette didn’t take it and stood. ‘What happens now?’

‘If you don’t mind waiting with my colleague in the meantime, I can handle things here.’ But he didn’t sound convinced.

‘I’d rather not leave her.’

Adams hesitated. ‘No, wait in the car and keep warm. Someone will take statements from you shortly.’

Juliette looked down at Evie.

‘Come on.’ Ted put his hand gently under her left arm, but she didn’t budge.

‘She needs to be covered,’ she told the officer.

He nodded. ‘That’ll be done. I do have to ask you to vacate the scene now though.’

Juliette started to take off her jacket.

‘Juliette …’ Ted gripped her arm tighter.

‘Please, madam. You’ll be making the job for forensics even harder.’

Juliette paused and then nodded.

‘Come on. Let him do his job.’ Ted tried to lead her gently away, but still she stood rooted to the spot.

The three of them regarded Evie’s body for a few moments and then Juliette walked unsteadily back down the lawn.

‘She’ll be OK.’

Ted didn’t answer the officer.

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