Page 139 of The Jealous Girl

I glanced back at the machine, listening to it whir as it restarted.

‘Kirsty…’

‘It won’t be long now,’ I assured her.

‘Kirsty…’ she repeated, her voice more urgent this time. She nodded towards the door behind me. ‘Why are the police here?’

My stomach dropped as I swung round.

PC Grove. PC Day. I fought to keep my panic from showing on my face.

Why were they here?

I pressed the blank key card into the receptionist’s hand. ‘You should be able to encode it now,’ I said as I slipped past her and stepped out from behind the reception desk.

The walk across the lobby felt painfully slow and long as I moved towards the police officers, nausea churning in my stomach.

‘What’s going on?’ I asked as I reached them. ‘Do you have more questions for me?’ I glanced from one to the other, but their expressions were dark and unreadable.

‘Kirsty Palmer,’ PC Grove said. ‘I am arresting you on suspicion of fraud and on suspicion of causing the death of Charlotte Lewis.’

The lobby around me tilted.

‘W—what?’ The word sounded slurred and barely audible.

‘You do not have to say anything—’ PC Grove continued but I wasn’t listening.

This couldn’t be happening.

Causing the death of Charlotte Lewis.

His words repeated in my head.

He couldn’t really believe that. The fraud accusations were bad enough, but Charlotte⁠—

I shook my head. ‘I didn’t—’ I tried to speak, but bile rose in my throat.

The faces around me blurred, but I could feel them all watching me.

Judging me.

How was I going to come back from this?

Even if I could prove my innocence to the police, no one would look at me the same way. Not after this.

‘Kirsty?’

My gaze shifted to the sound of Emma’s voice. I blinked, trying to bring her into focus.

‘Should I call someone?’ she asked, fear vibrating through her words. ‘Your parents? Boyfriend? Anyone?’

I shook my head.

‘No.’ My throat tightened. ‘There’s no one.’

Everything felt numb. My body. My brain. As though I wasn’t really here. But I knew that I was.

‘Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?’ DC Portman, seated in front of me, said, her voice cutting through the haze.