Matteo could hear the hunger, the relish in her voice. He knew she was like a shark smelling blood, that she wouldn’t rest until she’d got the answers she wanted.
Baroni folded her arms. ‘So, Matteo, it seems your wife is more dangerous than you thought.’
He wanted to deny it. But the words fell flat on his tongue.
SIXTY-TWO
Ellie sensed light prising open her eyelids. With the light came consciousness and with consciousness came pain. Her right leg felt as if an army of ants were under her skin, crawling up and down it. She tried moving and grimaced, muffling a groan. She opened her eyes, crusty with sleep, and was greeted by the sight of two suns rising over two hills. She blinked until they settled into one and watched as the green on the hill crest turned from bottle to emerald.
They had parked up in the empty layby at about four in the morning, Abby so exhausted she could no longer drive. Ellie looked through the windows of the car, seeing in daylight where she’d spent the night. They were surrounded on all sides by rolling farmland, fields sectioned by trees. Sheep grazed in the distance, small dots of black and white venturing up the hillside. Further away, there was the cluster of red-roofed buildings of a town.
Ellie heard Abby stir beside her. She waited while her sister came to.
‘Where exactly are we?’ said Abby, rubbing her eyes.
‘Not sure. I lost track of the map for a bit while we were driving. When I fell asleep.’
Abby got out of the car and stretched. Ellie took advantage of her sister’s distraction to ease herself out. She felt dizzy as she stood and tried to regain her balance while she gripped the car door, her eye catching something on the back seat.
Abby turned. ‘Are you OK?’
Ellie smiled. ‘Fine. What do you think of our bedroom view?’
‘It’s beautiful.’ She paused. ‘I wonder if they’ve found him yet.’
‘Who knows?’ Ellie hesitated. ‘Should we call it in?’
‘You mean, speak to the police?’
‘Well...yes.’
‘And tell them I’ve murdered someone as well as you? Double arrest?’
Except I haven’t murdered anyone, thought Ellie. She wondered about telling Abby then, saying that Susanna was alive. After all, if, as she now thought, Abby was genuinely looking out for her, what harm could it do?
Abby stared pensively at the hills, then shook herself. ‘We should get going.’ She pointed at a few bushes on the edge of a field. ‘Our bathroom?’
‘You first,’ said Ellie. She waited until her sister was out of sight and then looked back into the car at what had caught her eye. The gun was still lying on the back seat where Abby had thrown it the night before in their quick getaway. There was no need to be afraid anymore. Was there? Ellie looked up and saw her sister was still behind the bushes. She opened the back door of the car, quickly got the gun and put it back in her handbag.
They hadn’t been driving long when Abby glanced down at the dashboard. ‘Fuel’s low again,’ she said. ‘Going through the night pretty much emptied the tank.’
They found a petrol station and Abby pulled up at the pumps. Wearily she began to fill up. When the tank was full, she got back in the car next to Ellie.
‘Do you mind sorting it this time?’ she asked. ‘Only I feel so tired.’
Ellie felt she could hardly refuse – her sister had paid for everything so far. She tentatively got out and glanced up at the pump, her stomach sinking as she saw the figure on the dial. She crossed the forecourt and went inside. There was no one else there so she went straight to the till and took out her purse to pay.
Please work, please work, she prayed as she typed her PIN into the machine.
A frown appeared on the cashier’s face. ‘No funciona,’ he said, and Ellie gave a casual smile to hide her panic.
‘That’s strange,’ she said. She made a pretence of looking for cash, knowing her purse was empty. Should she just go and ask Abby? Her heart sank. It was so shameful.
‘I’ll just get some money from my sister,’ she said brightly, indicating through the window at Abby sitting in the car outside.
The cashier looked up, gave a cautious nod.
Ellie left the shop as nonchalantly as she could and got back into the car. She paused. Now was the time to tell her sister that she was skint and she needed Abby to bail her out.
