“I know,” said Laura softly. “I know.”
After they’d said good night, she flicked through the channels to try to pass the few minutes until he arrived. The 911 shows and dated films from the 1990s did nothing to help her sense of alienation, as if all those with normal lives, normal families, had long since abandoned the TV to the outcasts and the solitary.
* * *
At 11:28 p.m., Laura heard the doorbell. She jumped up and quickly went to let Daniel in.Never before have I wanted company so much,she thought as she opened the door. Almost as soon as she had, she let out a startled wail, but Cherry was already inside and had shut it behind her. Laura backed away, knocking into the hall table.
“What are you doing here?” she managed.
“I know it wasn’t me you were expecting,” said Cherry, putting her bag on the table as if she lived there. Laura watched, her heart beating rapidly, as she tried to work out what Cherry was doing and saw she seemed relaxed, pragmatic, as if she paid a call on her late at night on a regular basis.
“Where’s Daniel?”
Cherry didn’t answer, just looked at her strangely, and Laura suddenly got a ripple of fear. “What have you done with him?”
Cherry shook her head, amused by Laura’s vigorous imagination. “Nothing! But that attitude is something we really need to talk about.” She held up a hand and felt herself getting snappy. “I’ll say this bluntly—you’re way, way too suspicious. I’m sick of it.If you’d ever given me half a chance, you would have discovered I’m not so bad.”
Cherry thought that Laura looked agitated, scared even, and for a moment she got a flush of satisfaction before checking herself. She was here to try to sort this out. Laura didn’t deserve it, but she was willing to bury the hatchet. She’d done a lot of thinking the last couple of days and, in all honesty, life would be a lot easier if she didn’t have to carry on with this vendetta. She’d done enough, she thought, to make her point; and if Laura would back down, she was prepared to forget all about it. At first, pursuing Laura had been satisfying, but it was a time-consuming ordeal and felt rather like trying to break a horse. How much did the woman want to take, for God’s sake?
Her benevolence gave her a warm feeling, a sense of righteousness. She’d come to her conclusion after a day of waiting, of brick walls and inaction, and she’d been bored—and irritated that for a time she’d lost control of the situation.
* * *
Daniel had been on a later shift today and this had given them the chance to have breakfast together. The atmosphere had been one of forced amiability, and neither of them had mentioned the night before, even though Cherry was intent on finding out what had shifted his implicit trust, what had made him behave disingenuously around her. Instinctively, she knew if she asked him outright, he’d pretend not to know what she was talking about. She discounted the idea he’d found something incriminating of hers; she was careful, so careful, that nothing existed except her hopes and dreams, her plans in her mind. Anyway, she was an honest and genuine person. She could love him, support his career, look after their house and children.
No, what she needed was to check his phone. That would hold the most likely source as he’d been fine until she’d come back from getting the wine. He must’ve spoken to someone or heard from someone while she was out. Fully expecting to snoop when he was in the shower, she was annoyed to see he took it into thebathroom with him so he could play music from his iTunes. The phone didn’t leave him for longer than a minute, two perhaps after that, and before long he was kissing her good-bye and leaving the apartment, taking her source of intelligence with him.
She sat heavily on the lemon sofa. For once, she was stumped and realized she’d just have to wait until he came home and then engineer a situation where he was away from his phone and she could check it without being caught. She kicked herself for not thinking of this first thing—and now she was wasting a whole day. In order to get his mind on his return, she sent him a text, something suggestive, lighthearted, and teasing, which sent the message that she was oblivious to his suspicion and dying to shag him. Hopefully, one or the other would distract him and/or bring him home as soon as possible so she could get another look at his phone.
Cherry idled the day away, waiting, thinking, planning how to get to his phone and practicing how to deal with the outcome. There was a good chance it was Laura who had called and she held imaginary conversations with Daniel while pacing the room, distressed yet calm:“Daniel, I don’t know what to say. We know she’s intent on driving me away. Do you not think she’s a little—I don’t know how to say this—obsessive?”
She also rehearsed her hurt reaction to the accusations so many times, she was beginning to believe her own denials. It was a good sign. In the breaks, she treated herself to some wedding websites, starting to plan where it would be, what she would wear. It wasn’t as much fun as it should have been, because she couldn’t fully relax until things with Daniel were back on an even keel.
When he came home, Cherry went to the front door to greet him, solicitously taking his bag and massaging his shoulders.
“That’s nice,” he said appreciatively, rolling his neck, but he didn’t stand there long and made his way into the kitchen to get a drink. “I said I’d go and see Mum tonight—if it’s not too late for her,” he said as he poured water into a glass.
It was one of the scenarios she’d predicted. “It’s well past ten,”said Cherry, acting surprised, but without bitterness, careful not to alienate him. For the first time since he’d come in, he looked her in the eye and she kept up the appearance of nonchalance.
“I know. She might be asleep. I left her a message telling her to call if she’s still up for it.” He kissed her briefly. “I’ll just get a shower,” and he went into the bathroom, but this time, he left his phone on the worktop. Excitement flared inside her, but she waited until she could hear the water running and was about to pick up the phone when it started to ring. Startled, she snatched her hand away.Mumwas illuminated on the screen. Cherry waited for the rings to finish and then came theblipto say there was a message. She picked up the phone and dialed into Daniel’s mailbox.
“Daniel, I missed your call. I still want to meet. You said you’d still be up? Please, can you come over? Maybe you’re in the shower or something . . . let me know. I’ll wait up, so don’t worry about it being late.”
Cherry didn’t want him to go over. She needed more time, didn’t need anything to accelerate the already-fast-burning touchpaper. She pressed 3 to delete and then got rid of the text announcing the voice mail as well. Next she looked at the call history. Laura’s call was listed at the top and, in a couple of swipes, she deleted it. She scrolled down through the remaining calls from what she supposed were work colleagues, Will, his dad, and then she saw it.
It wasn’t listed as a name, but as the number in full. The only one she knew by heart, as she’d lived there. Her mother’s house. Her mum and Daniel had had a conversation at eight thirty-seven the night before. Quickly she thought back. It was exactly the time she’d gone out to get the wine. Her heart was pounding. So he knew everything, or at least enough. That’s why he could hardly look her in the eye when she’d come back, and why he’d been distracted and distant since. It was also why he was going to see Laura tonight.
Except he wasn’t, she reminded herself quickly. She’d removed the message. Cherry often found that her brain was at its optimum under pressure, she got a physical buzz from solvingproblems against a ticking clock, and tonight was no different. In fact, tonight was inspired, genius, and most of all felt likeexactly the right thing to do.
Shewould go and see Laura.
Cherry felt an odd sense of fatalism, as if by recognizing what to do, she’d started a sequence of events. She didn’t know what they were yet, but somehow knew they would hold her answer.
Cherry had to prepare herself and quickly. The shower had gone off and he’d be dressed in a minute. She scrabbled around the kitchen and grabbed two slices of bread, slathered them with mayo, and put in some sliced beef and arugula. Poured a fresh glass of water and put them both on the worktop, just as he came in.
“Expect you’re hungry. Thought this would be quick, especially if you end up going to see your mum.”
He looked touched by her thoughtfulness. “Thanks. Has my phone rung?”
