Jane stares at me, her mouth open and her eyebrow twitching. ‘You… what?’
‘I killed him,’ I say, composed and calm. Perhaps I learned that from David? ‘I didn’t mean to – but I did get rid of the body. I did that knowing exactly what I was doing. Then I told everyone he ran away.’
Jane continues to stare, as if she’s frozen. She’s known me long enough to realise that I’m telling the truth – but it’s only now that she must know how badly she’s misjudged the situation.
‘I’m not going anywhere,’ I say. ‘You know what I’m capable of – and you’ll never be able to prove what happened to David. You can stay around if you want. I won’t interfere in your life. I will never speak another word to you, if that’s what you want. But you won’t tell anyone about Ben and me – and you won’t tell anyone about what happened to David.’
Jane slips further into the chair and the fight has left her. She thought one thing was going to happen and, instead, it’s something completely different.
‘If you do,’ I say, ‘just remember that your end game was for me to move away. Mine was to get rid of my husband’s body, hide the evidence and spend two years convincing everyone that I was the wronged woman.’
I wait for her to look up. To make sure she is looking into my eyes when the truth is finally known. When I know she fully has my attention, I stand and move my way around to the door before speaking to her for the last time.
‘I guess the question is whether I should be scared of you, Jane – or whether you should be scared of me.’