‘That wouldn’t have worked anyway, because he thinks she’s too skinny,’ Ellie said petulantly.
Leo laughed.
‘It’s okay you laughing. You’re not the one whose marriage is falling apart.’ Ellie put her head down and started to cry. Leo was shocked.
‘Oh God, Ellie. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I wouldn’t have joked if I’d known it was so serious.’
Leo leaned across and patted Ellie on her arm a couple of times. She wished she could offer more, but at least she was here.
‘Why do you think it’s falling apart, Ellie? Just because he came home with this Alannah woman one night?’
Ellie grabbed a napkin to wipe her eyes and nose.
‘I’m not quite that pathetic. It’s much worse than that.’
‘So tell me. Tell me what you know and what you suspect, and let’s try and sort this out. I can’t believe you’re right, though.’
Leo’s natural distrust of men didn’t quite extend to Max. She might ultimately be persuaded that he was as bad as all the rest, but she would need some pretty strong evidence.
Ellie stood up and shoved her chair back so hard it fell over.
‘A great place to start then, if you automatically think that he’s so bloody perfect that it can’t be true. But this is just the last in a line of things that have happened. And he lied to me. I thought Max would never lie to me. That was weeks ago, so this is nothing new, Leo. And as for Friday night, I know there were two other guys in the car that left the rugby club - two other people that Alannah was giving a lift to. He told me about them. But I know where they live, and I know where bloody skinny-arsed Alannah lives.’ Ellie bent down and picked up the fallen chair, banging its feet hard on the tiled floor. She turned to Leo and placed her hands on her hips, leaning forward at the waist like a fishwife. ‘For Max to be the last one in the car that drove through the village - which it seems was the case - Alannah would have had to drive about three times farther than necessary. Max should have been the first one to be dropped off - not the last. But he wasn’t. She took the other guys home first, and then came all the way back here with Max. They obviously had to have some time together after they’d got the other two safely home. It makes no sense in terms of a route - it only makes sense if they wanted to be alone.’
Leo didn’t know what to say to this. It did sound strange, but surely there could be a reasonable explanation if Ellie would only ask Max.
Ellie had clearly had enough. She walked over to the door and stopped. She turned dramatically towards Leo, with one hand on the doorknob, the other raised high, jabbing her index finger towards Leo.
‘You believe what you like, but that’s not the only evidence I’ve got. Max was overheard talking to her - his mistress - in the pub. They were talking about some kind of plan that he couldn’t tell me about. At least, not until it was too late for me to stop it from happening. But I don’t know what, Leo. I don’t know what I would want to stop happening - I can only guess. So how would you feel, Leo? Perhaps I should take a leaf out of your book and accept that it’s a mistake to ever trust a man.’
The door slammed hard behind her.
* * *
Leo decided to keep out of Ellie’s way for the rest of the morning. There was no point trying to persuade her sister that she had misunderstood everything when she was in this mood, and she would have to bide her time. But she wondered if Max was aware of the depth of Ellie’s suspicions. The trouble was, suspicion was endemic in this village at the moment, with Abbie’s accident sitting right at the heart of it. If only the driver of that car could be identified, the rest of the confusion might unravel.
She sat on the bed, leaning back against her outstretched arms. She might be completely helpless when it came to solving a hit and run accident, but maybe there was something she could do to reduce the tension in this house.
Her natural instinct was to ask Max what this business with Alannah was all about,