AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Day Five
Chapter 25
Jennie hears the creak of the rope. She sees Rob’s brown brogues swinging in the breeze.
She wakes with a jolt, but the memory from last night keeps playing in her mind’s eye. How she kept doing CPR until the paramedics arrived and told her to stop. The sympathetic expression on their faces as they told her Rob was gone. How she told Zuri and the officers attending the scene what had happened, and she showed them the text Rob had sent her. That she cursed herself for not getting to him faster. Angry at herself for always having to cycle. For never having learnt to drive.
Sitting up, Jennie checks the time on her phone and sees that it’s almost seven o’clock. She feels groggy after going to bed late and then lying there for hours trying to get to sleep. When she finally drifted off, she woke up time after time, spooked by every tiny sound on the street outside.
Walking through to the bathroom, Jennie turns on the ancient, limescale-scarred shower and twists the temperature gauge all the way around to cold. She steps onto the avocado shower tray and stands under the water, trying to revive herself with the arctic blast. It does help to clear her head a little, but as she switches the water to warm and sets about washing her hair, the sense of unease doesn’t leave her.
She feels disturbed, and confused, by Rob’s death. She doesn’t understand why he called and texted her, wanting to meet so urgently, if he was planning to take his own life. His text had said he wanted to talk. If that was true, why didn’t he wait for her? It makes no sense.
Unless he just wanted her to find him?
That could be true, but why her? He’d stayed in contact with Elliott and Lottie; why didn’t he call them instead? Did they fall out as part of the argument Rob was having with Simon at the vigil? Was the argument related to Hannah’s death?
Jennie rinses the conditioner from her hair as the questions flood her mind. It’s not just Rob’s death that’s put her on edge, it’s the weird things that have been happening to her. First the car that was following her home, then the shadowy figure watching her from the front garden. She doesn’t know who’s behind them. But they started after Hannah’s body was discovered; there’s a strong chance that they’re connected to the case.
Towelling herself dry, Jennie walks back to the bedroom to get ready for work. The suit she wore yesterday needs dry cleaning; the trousers have dirt and leaf mould over them from the time she spent trying to bring Rob back. So from the rickety orange pine wardrobe she takes her other black suit, identical to the first one, along with a pale blue shirt. As she dresses, Jennie tries to make sense of what’s happened in the last few days, but her tired mind is sluggish and unresponsive.
Hammering on the front door makes Jennie jump.
Her heart races as she hurries to the window and, staying low so that whoever it is can’t see her, pushes the curtain aside, looking down into the front garden. She sees no one. That’s weird. Really weird. There was definite knocking. She didn’t imagine it.
Jennie flinches as there’s more pounding on the door. Her heartbeat accelerates.
There is someone there.
Rushing down the stairs, she stops at the bottom step, peering at the front door. Through the frosted upper panel of the door, Jennie sees the outline of a person. A man, she thinks. Adrenaline is pulsing through her: her body’s automatic fear reaction prompting her into flight or fight.
‘Who is it?’ Jennie calls, trying to inject as much authority into her voice as she can.
There’s no answer, but another burst of quickfire knocking pummels the door.
What is this person’s problem?
Picking up the heavy lamp from the hall table, Jennie approaches the front door. With her heart bouncing in her chest, she unlocks the door but keeps the chain in place, opening the door just a few inches. ‘Yes?’
The delivery driver on the doorstep smiles disarmingly. He gestures at a large cardboard box on the top step.
‘Oh, thanks,’ says Jennie. Her heart rate starts to steady, but she’s still on high alert as she glances past the driver to check the garden. There’s no one else there.
‘Can you sign?’ the delivery guy’s voice is overly loud.
Jennie looks back at him. He’s twentysomething, with a good tan and wearing white earbuds. ‘Sure.’
He leans closer and holds out a handheld device for her to sign on the touchscreen. As she does, Jennie can hear the music blaring from his headphones.
Taking her parcel, Jennie closes the door and carries the box into the kitchen. There’s nothing on the label to identify the sender.
Who the hell sent this?
She puts it on the pine table and grabs a knife from the dish rack, slicing open the tape. Her heart rate accelerates again. She feels suddenly nauseous.
What’s inside?
As she opens the box, she remembers. Smiling, she shakes her head. It’s the photo-developing kit and chemicals she ordered. She’d totally forgotten they were due to be delivered today.
