Page 150 of The Jealous Girl

I pushed the door open and surveyed the room. Everything was neat and organised. Typical Denise. The office in the stables was Martin’s domain. The house was hers.

I crossed to the dresser, pulling the drawers open, one after the other.

Nothing.

I tried the bedside cabinet on the right. Still nothing.

I moved around the bed to the other side and the second cabinet.

A folder.

I pulled it out, flicking through the papers inside.

A bank statement. My fingers froze. I checked the name.

Denise Blackwater.

I sighed and kept turning the pages. Another one, and another. All in her name.

I shoved the folder back and stood up. I’d looked through every drawer and found nothing.

My gaze drifted around the room again. There had to be something here. But where? Denise was organised. Careful. She wouldn’t leave something incriminating in plain sight. She’d be smarter than that.

I turned back to the bedside cabinet and tipped my head to the side. What if…?

I reached forward, tugging the bottom drawer off its runners and out of the cabinet. I peered inside at the base of the cabinet.

An A5 envelope. I shoved the drawer aside and grabbed the envelope.

Another bank statement. But this one was different. A different bank. A different name.

My name.

A car engine rumbled outside and I turned sharply towards the window. Ryan’s truck was parking in the driveway.

No! He wasn’t supposed to be here.

I grabbed the drawer and rammed it back into place, raced across the room and down the stairs, towards the living room. We had to get out before he saw us. Before⁠—

‘No!’

My scream was deafening but it didn’t drown out the thud as Ben crashed to the floor.

Ryan swung round, staring at me. The crowbar still raised in his hands.

52

NOW

Late August

Sunday

‘Kirsty?’ Shock resounded in Ryan’s voice as the crowbar fell from his hand with a clatter.

‘What have you done?’ I gasped, rushing towards Ben.

‘He broke in,’ Ryan said, staggering backwards.