Girl A, Dan Scottow [best short books to read .TXT] 📗

her outside. He stepped out onto the path, wincing as his bare feet touched the gravel. The security light clicked on, illuminating the Range Rover and glinting off the roof of his Audi beside it. As the light dissipated in the distance, it scarcely highlighted the tips of the hedgerows beyond, before fading into black. Charlie retreated into the comfort of the farmhouse, brushing some loose stones from the soles of his feet.

His sense of unease was growing. Why on earth would Beth leave the house in the middle of the night?

He returned to the bedroom, retrieving his mobile phone. He dialled Beth’s number, and immediately it started to vibrate from her bedside table. Ending the call, he climbed into bed, pulling the duvet up around his shoulders. He lay on his side, staring at the glowing red numbers on the clock radio.

Wide awake.

Eventually at 2.45, Charlie heard the front door quietly open. He listened as Beth tiptoed up the stairs and into the bedroom. He closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep, as she undressed silently, folding her clothes over the back of a chair where they had been before. She climbed into bed, turning her back to him.

Charlie lay with his eyes wide open, listening to the sound of Beth’s breathing.

He could tell she was awake.

He resisted the urge to speak to her, to ask her where she had been. This was not the time for that conversation.

He would wait until the morning.

Beth’s behaviour was odd. Worrying even. And as Charlie lay drifting off to sleep, one sentence ran through his mind on loop.

How well do you know your wife?

10

The following morning, Beth left for work before Charlie had a chance to talk to her. So he had to wait until they were both home in the evening, after Daisy had gone to bed. As usual, Peter had shut himself away in his room with his video games and phone, so there was no fear of him interrupting them.

Beth was standing at the kitchen sink, cleaning the dishes after dinner. Scrubbing baked-on lasagne from a Pyrex dish. Charlie sat himself down at the island unit, drumming his fingers on the worktop. Beth didn’t turn around. She just stood with her back to him, humming a familiar tune that Charlie couldn’t place.

‘I spoke to the security officer at work today. He checked the footage to see who left that note.’

Beth paused for a second, then continued to clean the dish. ‘Oh. And?’ she said, inquisitively.

‘Nothing. He was wearing bike leathers, helmet and all. Couldn’t see the guy’s face. He didn’t lift his visor up.’

‘Right,’ Beth muttered. ‘Oh well.’ She sounded disappointed.

‘Funny thing is, the entire building is locked down. You can’t get through a single door without a staff card.’

‘Same as our place. How did he get in, then?’

‘They checked the security log. He swiped a visitor pass. Sure enough, when they counted the passes at reception, there was one missing. So basically it could have been anyone. No way of knowing.’ Charlie let out a long breath and ran both his hands through his thinning hair. Beth carried on with the dishes without a word. She simply shrugged.

‘Where did you go last night?’ Charlie asked casually. Beth froze.

‘What do you mean? I was here with you all night,’ she said assertively.

‘No. I woke up. You weren’t in bed. Try again.’

Beth stopped washing up and peeled off her bright yellow Marigolds, slinging them into the sink with a satisfying wet slap. She turned to face Charlie.

‘I couldn’t sleep. I came down and made a drink. Sat on the sofa, read for a few hours, then when I finally felt tired, came back to bed.’

Charlie slammed his fists down on the worktop so hard that Beth flinched.

‘No, Beth, you didn’t. I looked round the entire house for you. You weren’t here. And the front door was unlocked. The cars were in the driveway. So I’ll ask you again. Where did you go?’

Beth’s face coloured, and a panicked expression flashed across it, but only fleetingly.

‘I went for a walk, okay?’ She stormed past Charlie obstinately, towards the kitchen door.

‘Then why lie about it?’

‘Sorry?’

‘Why lie? You told me you came down for a drink and to read, which was an outright lie. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t just say you went for a walk, if that’s what you were doing.’

Beth stopped in the doorway and turned back towards Charlie. ‘I was embarrassed. It’s not exactly normal behaviour to go walking in the middle of the night. And on top of what happened when I freaked out with Daisy at the weekend, I didn’t want people judging me. I’m aware that my son already thinks I’m a total psycho, I don’t need to add fuel to that fire.’

Charlie stood up. ‘But you’re not talking to your son! You’re talking to me. And I would hope that you know me well enough to realise that I would never judge you. And while we’re at it, why did you lie about the note?’

Beth frowned, confused.

‘What do you mean? How did I lie about the note?’

‘You told me you threw it away. But I found it in there.’ Charlie tilted his head towards the drawer opposite him.’

‘Oh for Christ’s sake, Charlie, I didn’t lie. I was mistaken. I thought I had thrown the note away. It was late, and I was tired, and I thought I threw it in the bin, okay? But obviously I didn’t. Obviously, I put it in the kitchen drawer, and I made a mistake when you asked me. Like the time you lost your car keys, and you said I had tidied them away somewhere. You were adamant that you had put them in the bowl on the kitchen side. And then where did you find them?’

Charlie didn’t say a word.

‘Well?’ Beth bellowed.

‘I found them in my jacket pocket, hanging in the hall cupboard,’ Charlie replied quietly.

‘Exactly. Because when we are tired and we have had a hard day,