run – not a couple of photos. Whatever way you look at it, it doesn’t make sense for him to have done that.’
‘Okay,’ Lizzy smiled, holding her hands up, ‘I’m convinced. I just think you need to explore all the options.’
‘I know, Lizzy, and I do appreciate it. I don’t want to just delude myself, but on this I’m so sure.’
‘So we still have the mystery of the missing photos,’ Lizzy announced. ‘Are you going to tell the police about them?’
‘I will. But not right now.’
Again there was a silence, this time interrupted by Lizzy’s mobile phone. As Lizzy answered the call, wandering into the hall clutching the phone to her ear, Emma climbed off the sofa and moved across to the window. She looked down at the busy high street below – business people strode past at London pace, while tourists ambled by, moving in and out of shop fronts. Then, for a horrible second, she thought she saw him, peering up at her from across the road, a camera dangling from his neck.
It couldn’t be him, could it?
Instinctively she twisted out of view. And for a few seconds she just stood there, flattened against the wall, her heart racing. She could hear Lizzy talking in the kitchen but it seemed so far away. Thoughts ran through her head, of a time when she’d never felt safe, of a time that she’d tried her best to forget. But then she scolded herself for being so silly. Breathless, she edged out from behind the wall and gazed out of the window. Where she thought he’d been standing was a middle-aged man in a smart suit reading a newspaper.
It was just her imagination, playing tricks again.
Then she did see someone she recognised. Mr Henderson had exited the apartment and was walking off down the street pulling a shopping trolley. She watched him as he paused at a bus stop, just seconds before a double-decker arrived. By the time the bus had left, Mr Henderson had gone, probably on his way into the centre.
‘Emma,’ Lizzy said, approaching from behind.
Emma jumped; her body was really on edge.
‘Hi,’ she said, turning away from the window and forcing a smile.
‘You okay?’ Lizzy asked.
‘Fine.’
‘Emma, that was the theatre on the phone. One of the leading ladies in the play has had to pull out of the show because of a family illness, and they want me to take her place.’
‘That’s great news,’ Emma said, ‘but the performance is only a week away, isn’t it?’
‘I know. That’s why they called. They want me to go over there now and start rehearsing.’
‘You’d better get over there then. What are you waiting for?’
‘I’m not leaving you here on your own. I told them I wasn’t sure I could do it.’
‘Don’t be stupid, Lizzy,’ Emma replied, ‘I really appreciate what you’re doing, but you can’t let this go. Get over there now.’
‘You let your chance go,’ Lizzy countered.
‘That’s different, Lizzy, and you know it.’
‘It wouldn’t feel right. You shouldn’t be on your own.’
‘I’m not on my own, I’ve got Will too.’
‘Call him, now,’ Lizzy insisted. ‘Ask him to come over.’
‘I’ll go over to see him,’ Emma promised, ‘but I’ll just stay here for a bit. Get some extra clothes, you know.’
‘I can help you do that.’
‘No, you go,’ Emma insisted, shepherding her friend down the corridor, towards the door. She knew that the more time Lizzy had to think about this, the less likely she would be to take up the offer. ‘I’ll be fine, honestly.’
‘Promise you’ll call Will.’
‘Yes, I’ll call him.’ Emma opened the front door. ‘Now, you get going.’
‘You sure, Em?’ Lizzy backed out of the apartment as if being physically pushed. ‘I wouldn’t have thought you’d want to hang around here. Not on your own, anyway.’
‘Just for a while, then I’ll go to see Will.’
‘Okay,’ Lizzy said, ‘as long as you’re sure. And I’ll always have my mobile on. If you need anything, just call and
‘Okay,’ Lizzy smiled, holding her hands up, ‘I’m convinced. I just think you need to explore all the options.’
‘I know, Lizzy, and I do appreciate it. I don’t want to just delude myself, but on this I’m so sure.’
‘So we still have the mystery of the missing photos,’ Lizzy announced. ‘Are you going to tell the police about them?’
‘I will. But not right now.’
Again there was a silence, this time interrupted by Lizzy’s mobile phone. As Lizzy answered the call, wandering into the hall clutching the phone to her ear, Emma climbed off the sofa and moved across to the window. She looked down at the busy high street below – business people strode past at London pace, while tourists ambled by, moving in and out of shop fronts. Then, for a horrible second, she thought she saw him, peering up at her from across the road, a camera dangling from his neck.
It couldn’t be him, could it?
Instinctively she twisted out of view. And for a few seconds she just stood there, flattened against the wall, her heart racing. She could hear Lizzy talking in the kitchen but it seemed so far away. Thoughts ran through her head, of a time when she’d never felt safe, of a time that she’d tried her best to forget. But then she scolded herself for being so silly. Breathless, she edged out from behind the wall and gazed out of the window. Where she thought he’d been standing was a middle-aged man in a smart suit reading a newspaper.
It was just her imagination, playing tricks again.
Then she did see someone she recognised. Mr Henderson had exited the apartment and was walking off down the street pulling a shopping trolley. She watched him as he paused at a bus stop, just seconds before a double-decker arrived. By the time the bus had left, Mr Henderson had gone, probably on his way into the centre.
‘Emma,’ Lizzy said, approaching from behind.
Emma jumped; her body was really on edge.
‘Hi,’ she said, turning away from the window and forcing a smile.
‘You okay?’ Lizzy asked.
‘Fine.’
‘Emma, that was the theatre on the phone. One of the leading ladies in the play has had to pull out of the show because of a family illness, and they want me to take her place.’
‘That’s great news,’ Emma said, ‘but the performance is only a week away, isn’t it?’
‘I know. That’s why they called. They want me to go over there now and start rehearsing.’
‘You’d better get over there then. What are you waiting for?’
‘I’m not leaving you here on your own. I told them I wasn’t sure I could do it.’
‘Don’t be stupid, Lizzy,’ Emma replied, ‘I really appreciate what you’re doing, but you can’t let this go. Get over there now.’
‘You let your chance go,’ Lizzy countered.
‘That’s different, Lizzy, and you know it.’
‘It wouldn’t feel right. You shouldn’t be on your own.’
‘I’m not on my own, I’ve got Will too.’
‘Call him, now,’ Lizzy insisted. ‘Ask him to come over.’
‘I’ll go over to see him,’ Emma promised, ‘but I’ll just stay here for a bit. Get some extra clothes, you know.’
‘I can help you do that.’
‘No, you go,’ Emma insisted, shepherding her friend down the corridor, towards the door. She knew that the more time Lizzy had to think about this, the less likely she would be to take up the offer. ‘I’ll be fine, honestly.’
‘Promise you’ll call Will.’
‘Yes, I’ll call him.’ Emma opened the front door. ‘Now, you get going.’
‘You sure, Em?’ Lizzy backed out of the apartment as if being physically pushed. ‘I wouldn’t have thought you’d want to hang around here. Not on your own, anyway.’
‘Just for a while, then I’ll go to see Will.’
‘Okay,’ Lizzy said, ‘as long as you’re sure. And I’ll always have my mobile on. If you need anything, just call and
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