‘Absolutely,’ said Abby. ‘And some shade.’
While they discussed her recuperation, Ellie indicated the hypermarket. ‘I think I might just use the bathroom,’ she said.
She went to head off but Abby said a swift goodbye to the French woman and then was by her side, insisting on escorting her. Ellie’s head was still spinning and she wanted to be alone, to think.Mum said not to tell Abby she’d called.None of it made any sense.
As they hit the wall of air conditioning inside the shop, Ellie knew what she had to do.
‘Abby, is there any chance you could get me something to eat?’ She waved towards the maze of aisles. ‘I’ve got a pounding headache. I think some food will help.’
‘Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you.’
Ellie smiled. ‘I’ll be fine.’ She spoke as firmly as she could. ‘I’m just going to use the ladies, then I’ll wait for you by those seats.’ She pointed to a row of bright green plastic seating just around the corner from the supermarket entrance. Next to them she could see a payphone.
‘OK. I’ll be as quick as I can,’ said Abby.
‘Honestly, don’t rush,’ said Ellie. She went towards the toilets and looked back to see Abby go through the turnstile into the shopping area. As soon as Abby had been swallowed up by one of the aisles, Ellie doubled back on herself and hurried towards the public phone. Hands shaking, she dialled her mother’s number. It rang for three rings, four, five, and Ellie thought she’d imagined it, the whole message – it was her mind playing tricks on her, some sort of response to her grief and shock – when suddenly—
‘Hello?’
Ellie felt the room spin. ‘Mum?’ she whispered.
‘Ellie! Oh my God, it’s really you. Are you all right? Are you hurt?’
‘No...I’m fine.’
‘I can’t believe you’re there. You’re alive. Thank God.’
Ellie shook her head. ‘Of course I’m alive.’ She felt a surge of relief, of joy. ‘It’s you who...We thought something awful had happened, Mum. When you fell. We thought...Abby said you’d died.’
There was a silence at the other end of the phone.
‘She did?’ her mother said eventually.
‘Yes. I mean, we both thought it. It was soterribleand...well, then Abby told me to get in the car. We’ve been driving—’
‘Ellie, listen to me carefully. Are you listening?’
‘Yes.’
‘This is a hard thing to say but you need to know. Your sister...Abby is a very damaged individual. What she was telling you, yesterday, when we were on the terrace. That awful accusation.’ Ellie heard her mother take a breath. ‘It wasn’t me who poisoned you, Ellie. It was Abby.’
THIRTY-TWO
Ellie grabbed the wall. Her mind felt as if it was splintering into a million pieces.
‘What?’
Her mother was speaking deliberately slowly. ‘I realize this will be hard to take in. But you must believe me. Abby is the one who poisoned you when you were children.’
Ellie was struggling to absorb it all. ‘But she said it was you.’
‘She was lying. You must try and understand.’ Ellie could hear her mother’s strained patience. ‘Abby resented you from the day you were born. She still resents you. I’m incredibly worried about her state of mind, about her capacity for lying.’
‘Lying?’
‘Ellie, you said she told you I was dead.’
‘Well, yes, but that was what she thought...’ protested Ellie.
