‘What are you doing here?’ Arabella said as she opened the door to Roxanne.
She’d arrived home just a few hours ago, having discovered that Scarlett was dead and was still none the wiser as to how it had happened. It looked suspicious, based on the news report and the police presence. Surely the police would want to talk to Arabella, being her boss. Roxanne turning up now was something she didn’t want to deal with.
‘Charming,’ Roxanne replied, pushing past her and entering the flat without being welcomed. ‘I just thought I’d check in, see how you’re doing after today?’
Arabella closed the door behind her former friend and sighed. All she wanted was for Eddie to come home. She needed him around and he seemed to be here less and less.
‘I’ve had a really shitty day, on top of what you’ve brought into the salon. So, if you don’t mind—’
‘No, I don’t mind at all. Actually, the salon seems to be the best place for my little money-maker. No one suspects and no one will because you’re going to be a good little friend and keep your mouth shut.’ She jabbed a finger at Arabella, poking her in the chest.
Arabella hesitated but kept her eyes on the bitch standing in front of her. ‘Right now, I couldn’t give a fuck what you say to me, Roxanne. You’re just out of prison after a ten-year stretch. One sniff of trouble from you and the polis would have you back inside before they could slap the cuffs on you.’
Roxanne laughed loudly and towered over Arabella. It was obvious she was trying to intimidate her, yet somehow Arabella didn’t feel like backing down, even though deep down she knew that Roxanne could knock her out with one punch. Arabella knew that the right thing to do would be to turn herself in, because no matter what, she’d killed someone. But she wasn’t going to say that to Roxanne.
‘Is that right? Well just you remember hen, I’ve got dirt on you. You just remember that one word from me and it’ll be you straight back at Kirktonhill. You’d get a lot more than ten months for what you did, and this time you won’t have me to walk you through it.’
Arabella shook her head. ‘Just do one, Rox. I’m not in the mood for your shit.’
Roxanne stood firm, unmoving. Arabella could tell that she wanted confirmation that she wouldn’t talk about her little drug venture.
Arabella eyed the open front door and moved towards it, holding the handle firmly in her grasp. ‘Just get out, Roxanne.’
Roxanne turned, her brow furrowed and Arabella sighed, ready to tell her again to get the hell out. But then Roxanne said something that made Arabella’s stomach lurch, her skin chill.
‘Your Eddie’s in a bit of shit. Saw him leaving that Scarlett’s flat earlier. He was raging from what I could see. Then the police are crawling her street. Did you know she was found dead in her flat today?’
The nausea clawed at her throat as Arabella’s body tried to reject the words that Roxanne was saying. Why would she say this? Why would she link Eddie to Scarlett like that?
‘Yeah, he’s her boss and she hadn’t turned up for work. He was probably just trying to get hold of her and when he couldn’t, he left.’ Arabella failed to sound confident.
‘Aye, you tell yourself that, love. But why don’t you ask dear old Eddie how he met Scarlett in the first place? Why don’t you ask him how well he really knows her? Do you really want to be with someone when you don’t know who they really are?’
Arabella swallowed back the nausea as she watched Roxanne smirk and head for the door. She wanted to slam her head between the door and the frame, and in days gone by she would have. Arabella was a rough girl back in the early days. But she’d seen what life could be like on the other side now, seen a future ahead of her with Eddie and some money in the bank. There was no way she was going to let Roxanne be the reason she lost all that.
‘I don’t want to be around someone when I don’t know who they really are. That’s why I’m telling you to get the fuck out of my flat. I’m not scared of you and I’m definitely not going to let you stand there and try to intimidate me or lie about Eddie.’
Roxanne smiled, and a sadistic glint shone out from her eyes. ‘Just ask him. I bet you he’ll crumble at the mere idea that you have your suspicions.’
At that she left and Arabella slammed the door so hard that it shook in the frame.
And then the tiny cogs at the back of her head began to turn. Roxanne barely knew Eddie. So why would she say what she had about him, if there wasn’t some weight behind it?
Pacing the floor of the flat, phone in hand, Arabella’s head was now swimming with all sorts of thoughts. What was going to happen to the salon now that Roxanne had made clear her plans for it? What would happen to Arabella regarding the murder, of which she still had no memory? What had happened to Scarlett? What if Eddie was involved, as Roxanne had suggested?
She’d sent Eddie a message not long after Roxanne had left and he hadn’t replied. She’d contacted the office but he wasn’t there either. So where the hell was he? There were so many questions about how her life was quickly spiralling out of control. She couldn’t even trust Eddie now.
A sound from the hallway halted Arabella on the spot in the living room. A key in the door. He was back. She marched out to the hall, ready to blurt it all out and ask him what was going on. But then she saw the look on his face.
‘Hi,’ she said, her tone soft.
Eddie closed the door behind him and his eyes narrowed. ‘You got some stuff you want to tell me? About a certain Roxanne pulling you into a situation you shouldn’t be in?’
Arabella felt her chest tighten. How did he know about that?
‘Well?’ he said, taking his jacket off. ‘Go on then. Tell me what happened.’
His tone was firm, angry. Her eyes burned as she stared back at Eddie and her stomach flipped. She had to tell him the truth. But she had her own questions too.
‘It was an accident. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I can’t even fucking remember because I was so blind drunk. That night, when we all went out from the salon, I drank so much and we got split up. When I woke up the next morning Roxanne told me what I’d done. I didn’t believe her. I thought I’d changed; thought I’d got all the anger out of me after the last stint in jail. But then I went down to the pathway and the police were there, had cordoned off the place. How did you find out? How did you know I’d killed him?’
Eddie’s eyes were wide, unblinking. His face paled and he stepped forward. ‘You what?’
Arabella frowned. ‘How did you know I killed him? I barely know how it happened. But Roxanne was there, she… dealt with it.’
Eddie moved closer, gripped Arabella by the shoulders. ‘Arabella, what did you and Roxanne do?’
She realised then that when Eddie had come in and asked her about the situation Roxanne had pulled her into, he hadn’t meant what she’d thought. Because Roxanne hadn’t pulled her into that situation. She’d just sorted it for her, and then used it as blackmail against her.
‘That’s not what you meant?’
Eddie shook his head. ‘You need to start from the beginning and tell me what kind of shit you’ve got yourself into with Roxanne.’
Arabella felt her legs buckle from beneath her, but she managed to stay upright and move through to the living room. Eddie followed, but instead of sitting down together like they normally would, they stood facing each other. Staring at one another.
‘Start talking.’ Eddie said.
So she did.