The End of Her - Shari Lapena Page 0,92

go. I didn’t do it, Niall!’

‘I know, and I’m sorry. But to be absolutely honest, I had been thinking about making a change before that. You’d been slipping for months, Patrick, you know that, you can’t deny it.’

‘That was because of the twins! I hadn’t had any sleep in months! They had colic, but they’re over it now. Everything’s back to normal. I can come back to work and give a hundred per cent. A hundred and ten!’

‘I’m sorry to tell you this,’ Niall says, averting his eyes briefly, ‘but I’ve already found another partner.’

Patrick glares back at Niall in disbelief. ‘You son of a bitch.’

‘No need to get nasty, Patrick,’ Niall says, bristling.

Patrick wants to punch his former partner – former friend – in the face. So this is how it ends – four years of building a business together. He realizes he has nothing to lose now. He says, his voice accusatory, ‘You’ve been sleeping with her yourself, admit it.’ Niall’s face pales further and he suddenly looks very distressed. ‘Made you feel good about yourself, did it?’ Patrick says. ‘Let me give you a word of advice – stay away from her. She’s dangerous – you have no idea.’

Niall says, his voice trembling, ‘I didn’t know what she was doing to you. Nancy found out about it and I broke it off. And then, when you told me about the inquest – and Erica’s role in it – I was sickened by it all. Nancy had already threatened to leave me. I wanted to distance myself from both of you.’ He sinks in his chair in shame.

‘You fucking coward,’ Patrick says. He tamps down his rage. He decides to take the high road. He’ll make it on his own. He gets up and leaves, refusing to look at Kerri as he passes by reception, slamming the door on his way out.

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

AN UNEASY COUPLE of days go by in the house on Danbury Drive. Patrick behaves affectionately towards Stephanie and the twins, pretending that everything is the same as it was before. But for Stephanie, nothing is the same.

Stephanie has been unable to make a decision. It’s as if she’s paralysed, so she takes the path of least resistance, which is to do nothing. She focuses on the twins – feeding, bathing, dressing, changing. She takes them on outings, reads them stories, plays counting games with their toes.

It’s like she’s suffering from some kind of internal collapse that has sucked out all her energy. Or maybe it’s just that she’s finding it so hard to sleep. She’s back to her old habits, wandering around the darkened house at night, brooding, staring at the sleeping babies, thinking the worst of people, imagining things. Awful things.

It’s time for her to cut her losses and leave him. But she’s afraid. She’s afraid for the twins, mostly. The twins need a strong mother. She must survive, whatever happens, and take care of her babies. She must protect them. She’s tormented by images of her and her babies dying in a house fire. She thinks about the pan on the stove. She doesn’t know who put it there. It might have been her. It might not.

Patrick breaks into her morbid thoughts. ‘I’m going out for a bit,’ he says.

She’s so caught up in her own thoughts that she barely even acknowledges him.

Erica has just left her apartment and is on her way to her car when her cell phone buzzes. She looks down at it and sees who’s calling. It’s Patrick. She hesitates, and then accepts the call.

‘Erica,’ he says in a low voice.

He’s breathing heavily, as if he’s walking quickly. Her heart speeds up and, involuntarily, she looks over her shoulder and around the parking lot outside of her apartment. He’s not here. No, wait. Her heart spikes. She sees him, across the lot, walking towards her. She tries to keep her voice steady, put her old confidence into it. ‘What are you doing here?’ As he gets closer, she disconnects and drops her cell phone into her handbag. He comes closer still, until his face is mere inches from hers. It’s the first time they’ve laid eyes on each other since the inquest.

‘Why the hell did you go to the coroner?’ Patrick hisses at her furiously. ‘I thought we had an understanding.’

She looks back at him in surprise. ‘So did I – until you double-crossed me. What did you expect?’

‘What the fuck are you talking about?’

He’s staring at her. She