Trust Me - Sheryl Browne Page 0,47

would she be so secretive unless she had something to hide? Emily could only think it was because she was afraid that she and Jake would disapprove of the person she was seeing.

Might he be controlling or aggressive in some way? Going through all the stomach-wrenching scenarios, her mind returned to Zoe. What had happened? Since he was being questioned by the police, gossip had it that Dean had been responsible for her fall from the balcony. Emily tried to imagine what could have possessed him to push her, or else terrified her so much she’d climbed up there and fallen. He’d been on the point of losing his temper at the practice today, but he was normally such a gentle, caring young man. Emily didn’t consider herself the best judge of character at the moment, but she couldn’t imagine him ever wanting to hurt Zoe. He’d obviously worshipped her. That much had been obvious from watching them together at their wedding. The expression on Dean’s face when he’d turned to see Zoe walking down the aisle had almost reduced Emily to tears. He’d been bursting with pride, his love for his new bride shining bright in his eyes. Their first dance together had been magical. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her as he’d led her around the dance floor to ‘The Way You Look Tonight’. It truly had been the stuff of romance.

The trigger for Dean’s violence had originated here. He’d become privy to information that had rocked his world to the very core, Emily had no doubt about that. She was scared. That email Jake had received had been the catalyst for all of this, and she’d said nothing about it at the time. She still hadn’t told him what the email had implied. She should have. Jake was bound to think, as she now was, that they might have nipped all this in the bud. From the letters other people were receiving, it was becoming obvious that she and Jake were being targeted as part of a malicious plot of some sort. Didn’t that suggest that she shouldn’t be reading too much into the email? On the other hand, the information about Zoe’s abortion was real. Natasha was on the pill, Microgynon 30, Emily had checked. Didn’t that make the implication about Jake’s infidelity true too? And what about the weird texts she herself had received? Might they in some way be connected?

‘This all looks very official.’ Tom, who’d initially been annoyed at being called away from one of his meetings, interrupted her thoughts. Looking wary, he nodded towards Jake, who looked across to them, hesitated, and then detoured towards the water cooler. He looked more in need of a strong brandy. His hands were shaking as he tipped the cup to his mouth, his complexion ashen. Emily felt a turmoil of conflicting emotion. She should hate him, yet still she loved him. Her heart felt as if it was tearing apart inside her at the thought of him cheating on her with Sally.

‘Any idea what this is all about?’ Sally asked. She was sitting opposite Emily, who had ignored her since hearing her intimate exchange with Jake in his office and busied herself trying desperately to catch up with the arrangements for Edward Simpson’s party, firming up the booking of the village hall and returning the call regarding the bar.

‘Zoe Miller.’ Fran, who was standing, rather than sitting – probably so she could be first out of the door with the gossip – filled Sally in. ‘Pushed over her balcony by her husband,’ she said with a dramatic sigh.

‘Shit.’ Sally’s shocked gaze twanged in Emily’s direction. ‘You’re joking.’

‘I wish I was.’ Folding her arms, Fran shook her head dourly. ‘He denies it, of course. Poor girl fell three flights, cracked her head open on the paving slabs below. Blood everywhere, awful sight it was. She looked like a little broken rag doll according to Mrs Wilkinson who works at the chemist. She was coming back from walking her dog. Said she’d never had such a shock in her life. Heard her landing, apparently. There was a dull thud and then—’

‘Fran!’ Noticing Nicky wiping quietly at the tears streaming down her cheeks, Emily pulled Fran up sharply. Could the woman not just exercise a little restraint, for goodness’ sake?

‘But couldn’t she have just fallen?’ Sally whispered.

‘Not according to the neighbours,’ Fran whispered back, her eyes flicking to Emily as she did. ‘They had