36

Karin

Karin opened her hand to look at the rainbow keyring again.

For friendship.

Some friend.

It was twenty past midnight. She had been lying on her bed for nearly three hours, sweating, waiting, praying for Mel to come back, trying to convince herself that Louie had nothing to do with Will’s death. But how to explain the keyring? None of it made sense. She wrote countless messages to Louie, but didn’t send any of them. They helped to make the time pass quicker, that was all.

Hearing the front door slam, Karin raced downstairs.

‘Mel? Mel, is that you?’

She didn’t answer. Not even when Karin landed in the hallway.

‘Oh, thank goodness you’re safe. I’ve been so worried about you.’ She could tell that Mel was still angry. ‘Look, I’ll sort it, Mel, I promise. But after the launch, okay? Just a few more days. A lot of people are depending on me for that. I can’t let them down.’

Mel pushed past to get upstairs, shedding clothes and removing earrings as she went. She stormed into her bedroom where she changed into her pyjamas. Karin had been following her and stood waiting for Mel to speak.

Finally, she did.

‘So, are you going to tell Aaron, or what? He needs to know what’s going on. Don’t you think?’

‘Yeah, I will,’ Karin replied softly, hoping to take the edge off Mel’s tone. ‘But only after the launch.’

She had already considered this. Telling Aaron would inevitably lead to more trouble, which, for the time being, she simply couldn’t deal with. In all honesty, Karin was now of the opinion that she would rather take the hit on the money. So far it had caused her no end of problems, and what was stopping her making her own way in life? She didn’t even need Birgitta’s money. Persuade Louie to leave her alone and the status quo could be restored. They could all carry on their lives in peace. In reality, though, she knew Aaron would have to know at some point and he was bound to say it was inconceivable to allow Louie just to walk off with nearly a million pounds.

And what about Will’s death?

Karin returned to her own room, got into bed, her mind still churning things over. Suddenly Mel burst in and started climbing in on the other side.

‘I’m sleeping with you tonight,’ she announced. ‘Crapping it, on my own.’

‘Oh! Okay,’ said Karin, making room. ‘But I really don’t think Louie will show her face again.’ She was glad of Mel’s company all the same.

‘How can you know that?’ said Mel, bouncing onto her side, with her back to Karin.

‘I know Louie.’

‘Well I just hope you’re right. Will’s dead, remember. I just wonder what she’ll do next.’

Karin put the pillow over her ears to block out her mother’s screams. His legs swinging. Side to side. Like a human pendulum.

Except this time, the face is not her stepdad’s.

It’s Will’s.