WILL TIME WAIT: Boxed set of 3 bestselling 'ticking clock' thrillers (22 page)

“But
Mark’s not short of cash and he doesn’t hate us.  So why would he want to
hurt us like this?  Especially Laura.  He thinks the sun shines out
of her bottom.  It’s just awkward with me, that’s all.  Nothing
strange about that after a break-up.”

“I’m
just looking at possibilities,” he said.  “The motivation might be simple
jealousy rather than hate
,
and scaring you in the process is a bonus for
dumping him.”

Despite
my best efforts to stem agitation, I couldn’t stop my foot from tapping. 
I didn’t dare tell Lee that Mark was intelligent enough to organize and execute
the blackmail plan.  I decided it best to wait until we weren’t in the
same house as Mark.

“At
least consider the idea,” Lee muttered.

We
sat inches apart.  Lee’s face, by now, resembled a much older version of
himself.  Pronounced age lines fanned out from his eyes in
concentration.  Still seriously hot, though.

I
shook my head.  Almost squirming in the seat, I glanced at the door then
whispered, “Mark wouldn’t come round here or agree to be Paul’s best man if
he’s the blackmailer, would he?”

“Do
you think he’d look less guilty if he hid himself away?  Besides, if I
hadn’t come round here, you’d never have known he was Daryl’s patient. 
How could Mark have known that we’re together and I’d come to Laura’s house
today?  When Mark recognised me, he looked guilty as hell.”

I
searched my mind for an explanation.  “Maybe he’s worried you’ll tell us
he was seeing a shrink.”

“He’s
worried because, until I walked in, no one knew he was linked to Daryl.” 
Lee slapped the arm of the sofa.  “Mark is a solid suspect.”

His
words echoed in my head.  Severely lacking as my detective skills were, I
knew that Lee had a valid point.  However much I disliked it, Mark fitted
the bill.

I
sensed movement in the hall.  I glanced at the door, my heart jammed in my
throat, my nerves frazzled.  “Laura wants you to leave,” I whispered.

“Not
yet.”

I
groaned in frustration.

“Can
you think of anyone else who knows you, Daryl, and Laura this well?” 
Lee’s quiet voice sounded rough, smoky.  He arched an eyebrow. 
“Apart from me, of course.” 

Lee
traced a finger down the length of my arm.  I liked him touching me in
this way, but was too wired to respond.  I lowered my head into my
hands.  “I don’t want it to be Mark.  Laura will be devastated.”

“But
we need to find out.”

“Oh!
I don’t know.  I just can’t believe it.  First I find out Laura’s got
this whole other side to her, and now possibly Mark…  I’m starting to
wonder if I really know anyone who’s in my life.”   I wasn’t sure I
could trust my judgement.  I’d been feeling this way for a while
now.  So far this week, I had accused Carl, then Laura, Lee...  I was
so, so wrong on every count.  Laura had deluded me for weeks,
months.  “Maybe my parents will turn out to be bounty hunters, assassins,
or perhaps they’re not even my parents at all.”  

Lee
swept my hair back and dipped to see my face.  “I’m not hiding anything
from you.”

I
raised my head.  “Judging by everyone else, I wouldn’t have a clue if you
were.”

“Anyway,
back to Mark,” Lee said, reaching for my hand.  “We should drop a few
hints and test his reaction.”

I
pushed his hand away and growled, “No!  Not in front of Paul.”

There
was an unmistakeable trace of suspicion behind Lee’s narrowed eyes.  He’d
latched onto Mark tighter than a leech engorging blood.  A shiver of dread
went through me, realising he might not be able to keep quiet.  I feared
Lee firing questions at Mark would come across so obvious that he may as well
pelt him with rocks. 

Our
new number one suspect was in the house and it felt creepy. 

The
sound of footsteps drifted from the hall. 

“Swear
to me you won’t say anything,” I whispered.  My pulse picked up.  The
door handle rattled.  Open ears lingered metres away.  I faced Lee
and pressed a finger to his lips.  “Not a word.  Hush… someone’s
coming in.” 

“So
everything seems to be in hand and I can’t wait to marry her…” Paul’s words
trailed off on entering the room.  “Hey, Chelsea!  Lee!”  He
flashed a brief smile in our direction and slumped on the opposite sofa,
followed by Mark, who shot Lee a very brief, but worried look. 

Lee
gripped my thigh.  Suffice to say, my tension returned tenfold. 

Laura
pattered into the lounge.  She crossed the room between Lee and Mark,
oblivious to walking the invisible line of conflict. 

“Laura. 
Anything good on telly, honey?”  Paul asked.

Lee
nudged me then whispered against my ear.  “Say something or I will.”

His
words almost broke me out in a sweat.  I wanted to gag him, drag him out
of the house and lock him in the boot of my car. 

Agitated,
I looked at Mark who was watching Laura, wondering if I was indeed staring at
her blackmailer, and maybe even Daryl’s killer. 

I
hoped the now blaring TV would diffuse the tension.  But clearly, finding
solace was not on Lee’s agenda.  He indicated towards Mark with his eyes,
cleverly using my anxiety against me.  If I didn’t speak, then Lee
would.  A jumble of loose words raced around my brain while I tried to
string a suitable sentence together.  Lee looked at me again.  He
arched his brows which, when coupled with him clearing his throat as though
warming his voice, forced me into action. 

“The
police know who sent the emails,” I blurted out.  Phew!  I’d done it.

Laura
pressed mute on the TV remote.  She shot a heated scowl at me. 

“That’s
good news,” Paul said.  “I didn’t like seeing you so worried the other
day.”

“Yes,”
I replied, noticing Lee’s eyes were fixed on Mark as though Lee had tunnel
vision. 

“It
must be someone clever,” Paul said.  “That email was impressive. 
Speaking of clever, did you finish the Sudoku, Mark?”

“Yeah. 
It was easy.  You owe me a pint!”

Lee
brushed my ribs with his elbow.

Laura
glanced sideways at the TV then fiddled with the remote.  The sound
returned, but she began pinching her lips together with her fingers, as though
locking words inside. 

“So?” 
Paul asked.  “Who is it?  Who sent the emails and what were they
about?” 

I
felt flustered.  “Oh!  Erm.  They haven’t given me a name
yet.  Apparently it’s the account of someone who’s dead.”

“Jeez,”
Paul said.

Lee
eyed me, either expecting or prompting me to say more.  Short of coming
out with the pinnacle question; Mark, are you blackmailing Laura and did you
kill Daryl?  I had no other card to play. 

“Does
Mark look worried to you?”  Lee’s whisper sounded loud enough for everyone
to hear.  He angled his head, aiming his ear towards Mark, as though
hoping to hear his thoughts.

Laura
stood.  She skulked across the room towards the hall with an outraged look
on her face.  She mouthed, “Let’s talk now.” 

Scared
to leave Lee in the room with Mark, I hesitated to follow her.  But a
moment later, I raced into the kitchen because I knew she’d soon shout for me.

“Spill. 
Who’s using that dead guy’s account?”  Laura dropped her voice to a taut
whisper.  “And why the hell did you say
that
in front of Paul?”

“I
don’t have a name.  They’re monitoring the account.  I only said that
to test something.”

“Great. 
Ruin my life by making Paul suspicious for a stupid test.”  Laura placed
her hand on the counter so I couldn’t move past her.  “Why’s Lee acting
strange?  Whispering?  I thought you were getting rid of him.” 

I
blinked fast, feeling on the spot again.  “You noticed, too?”

“Come
on, out with it.”

“Laura,
I’m trying to help.  It won’t kill you to drop the attitude for once.”

A
few seconds later, Laura’s face softened.  “Sorry.”

“Okay. 
Lee’s got this crazy idea into his head, that Mark is the one blackmailing
you.” 

“Surely
not, Chelsea.  What on earth makes him think it’s Mark?”

“He
does act weird around us,” I whispered, giving little away.  So, I said,
“I mean around
you
as well.”

Laura
frowned.  “What do you mean by that?”

I
glanced over her shoulder.  We were still alone.  “You must have
noticed.  He fancies you.”

Laura’s
eyes seemed to widen in delight first, and then again through shock. 
“I’ve always had a soft spot for Mark.  I can’t believe he’s capable of
this.  No.  He wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Are
you sure about that?”

“We’re
each other’s back up plan.  We joke about it.  You know, if we’re
both single at forty, we’ll marry each other.”

“Really?” 
Why don’t I have one of those?
  “Maybe he’s doing this to split you
and Paul up, out of jealousy.  He wants to nudge things along.  Now I
have to go back in there, before Lee says something in front of Paul.” 

I
pushed her aside to return to the lounge.

She
grabbed my elbow.  “Hold up.  Did Mark know Daryl?”  Her smug
tone told me she was blissfully aware that if he didn’t, it would rule Mark
out.

“Yes,
he did.”  I watched her mouth pop open.  “Professionally.  You
weren’t Daryl’s only client.”

“No
way!  I’m telling you it’s not him.”  She angled her head. 
“But, saying that, he’s intelligent enough.  No.  I can’t see it
being Mark.  He’s my friend.  We get on so well.  For God’s
sake!  He’s our best man at the wedding!”

“Who
then?” I asked.  “Who else knows all three of us?  And don’t say Lee
again, or I’ll start accusing Paul.” 

“Shut
up, Chelsea.  And keep your voice down.  I’m starting to think that
you want Paul to overhear.” 

Having
recognised fury within Laura’s eyes, I chose not to retaliate, just gave her a
mental slap across the face instead. 

She
hurried into the lounge, probably now more worried than I, that Lee would be
firing questions at Mark.  I followed her, while thinking,
this isn’t
so bad.  Assuming, of course, that it is Mark, then Lee has it all
wrong.  Daryl’s death must be an accident.  Mark wouldn’t kill
anyone.  He doesn’t have it in him.  He’s just jealous, wants Laura
for himself. 

Laura
paused in the doorway and I rammed into her back.  We were right to worry.

“So,
Mark,” I heard Lee say.  A drop sensation sickened my stomach. 

Laura
stretched her arm behind her back, felt for my hand and squeezed it.

Lee
continued.  “That was some rain storm earlier.  Did you get caught in
it, Mark?”

“I
was in a meeting,” Mark replied.

Paul
looked at each of them in turn.  “Do you two know each other?”

Ignoring
him, Lee said, “You must be on edge with the deadline approaching.  But
then, you’ve done this before... to my brother, haven’t you?”

Laura
dug her nails into my palm.

“What
deadline’s this?”  Paul asked.

I
barged past Laura and butted in, “He’s talking about the best man
speech.”  I gritted my teeth and stared down at Lee.  ”Aren’t you?”

I
dragged Lee out
of the lounge to get him away from Paul and Mark.

Lee
shook off my grip as we reached the kitchen.  “Easy, tiger.”

Laura
entered a moment later.  She shut the kitchen door behind us and fanned
her face with a leaflet from the worktop. 

“Could
you be any more obvious, Lee?” I scraped a black, leather high stool out from
under the bench and sat on it.  “Want to skywrite it so everyone finds out
what’s going on?  If Paul had picked up on—”

“I’m
just sick of not knowing who’s doing this,” he replied.  “Someone has to
get to the bottom of things.  You two seem to be glued on your
asses.  If you won’t do anything, I sure as hell will.”

“I’m
sick of it, too,” Laura and I said in unison.

Laura
sat down, glared at Lee and spoke in a harsh whisper.  “You nearly dropped
me right in the shit then.  I’ve just had to make up some stupid story to
stop Paul asking questions.”

Lee
stroked my hair and eased onto a stool.  “Sorry.  I guess I was
tactless.”

Laura
stopped fanning her face.  “I haven’t received a reply to my text.”

“You
wouldn’t, would you?” Lee pointed at the door.  “Not when Mark’s sitting
in your lounge!”

“Let’s
keep calm.  What are we going to do?” I upturned my palms, and stared down
as though I’d opened an instruction book on dealing with shitty
situations.  “We need a plan to work out if it is Mark or not.”  There
was no way I could ask Mark to answer my email questions now.  Not until
we’d ruled him out.  And I certainly couldn’t ask Paul, and open myself up
to awkward questions.

Lee
stared at each of us in turn, ensuring he had our full attention.  “Tell
me what’s been going on.  What dirt does Mark, or this person have on you,
Laura?”

Phew! 
I thought, pleased Lee didn’t lace into her for lying, although the narrowed
eye looks they shared showed signs of brewing conflict.

“Someone
had footage of Daryl and me stored on a mobile phone, but it got
destroyed.  Now they say they have photos.”

“It’s
risky to come back for second helpings,” Lee said.  “Maybe money’s not the
main thing Mark wants.”

I
fidgeted.  “You don’t mean...”

“Yes.” 
He pointed across the table.  “Laura!”

She
clamped her cheeks between her hands.  “Jeez!  I can’t believe I had
no idea Mark liked me
this
much.  You really think it could be
him?”

Lee
dipped his head and his eyes rolled up to Laura.  “My guess is, he wants
rid of Paul, so he can have you all to himself.”

“You
think?” she said.

“Yes. 
Didn’t you see the way he winked at you?  He could be trying to push you
into a confession by demanding money until you can’t pay anymore.  After
all, if he tells Paul, well, you’re not likely to fall into Mark’s arms if you
find out he’s the cause of all this.”

I
exchanged a long, nervous look with Laura.  Perhaps Mark was guilty, and
he saw Laura as his prize.  He did seem to light up whenever he shared
space with her.

Lee
snapped his fingers and broke our gaze.  “Before paying, you needed some
assurance that they’d destroy
all
the evidence.  You should have
arranged the drop point yourself.  Did you see the footage?  Can you
show it to me?” 

Laura’s
dark eyes reflected regret.  “They sent a copy to me last week, but... I
deleted it in case Paul came across it.”

A
loud slap made me flinch. 

Lee
had slammed his palm on the bench right under Laura’s nose.  “God damn
it!  There could have been a clue on there.”  His hard face and unblinking
eyes cranked up the heat as sure as if the radiators had kicked in. 

Laura
snapped her head back.  When I saw her doleful expression, I just wanted
to hug her.  But she had to listen. 

Lee
looked pointedly at Laura.  “You’ve made things worse for yourself and
easy for him.  If I’m right about his motive, Mark’ll wait until the last
minute before telling Paul about the affair, in the hope that
you
tell
him first.  You should have stalled, thought it through, instead of
spending your time filling Chelsea’s head with nonsense about me.” 

Disturbing
stares shifted between them, fired by blinks.  Laura’s face grew redder by
the second.  Even the sudden silence defined their anger.

Here
we go!
 
I steeled myself for a verbal onslaught.  Laura surprised me.  She
didn’t retaliate.  Feeling confused, I looked at her.  She just sat,
twirling a lock of hair around her finger, staring, hot-faced, at a wall. 
Despite her strong yet now silent animosity towards Lee, I assumed she was weak
with fear, afraid Paul would overhear the rowing. 

Not
getting any bites from Laura, Lee shook his head and looked at me. 

I
assumed my burning cheeks were red like Laura’s, which gave a decent impression
of a clown – although the opposite of comical. 

I
ran my hand through my hair and groaned.

Lee
stroked my hot cheek and adopted a gentler tone.  “Sorry.  It’s done
now.  Let’s move on.  It’s someone who knows my brother and the two
of you.  They know your email addresses, time of your wedding, how much
money you can get your hands on.  It’s someone who was not at home or at
work when you dropped that money off this morning, unless they have an
accomplice.”

“No,”
I interrupted.  “The way the messages are phrased sounds like just one
person.”

“Or
one main person,” Lee said.  “A person who has access to your house keys.”

A
door rattled somewhere in the house.  We huddled together as if forming a
protective bubble around the conversation. 

“I
suggest you check up on Mark’s whereabouts this morning.”  Lee tapped the
bench.  “Phone his work.”

Laura
nodded. 

“Since
I doubt my brother knew any of your family members, and you all work at
different companies, I’d place my chips on it being a friend.  Someone you
know fairly well must have been keeping an eye on you.  That someone could
be Mark.”

Laura
wriggled on the stool.

A
compassionate shiver ran across my shoulders, having experienced the creepiness
of being watched myself.  I was about to reach out to comfort her when Lee
spoke again.

“The
thing that puzzles me though, is, why involve Chelsea?”

“They
used her to pass messages to me,” Laura said.  “And if they told Chelsea
about my affair, I knew that if I didn’t pay, they’d definitely tell Paul
next.”

“The
price of your wedding has certainly been increasing this week,” Lee said.

“And
still is,” I murmured.

“There’s
something else going on here.”  Lee scrunched his lips.  “Sending
messages via Chelsea doesn’t explain scaring her.”  Lee set his hand on my
shoulder.  “He must have a separate grudge against you, Chelsea.”

I
chewed my nails.  “That did cross my mind.  Stabbing my bathroom wall
is a lot different to sending an email.”

“Best
friends tend to share secrets.”  Lee appeared confused when he looked at
Laura.  “So how did he know that Chelsea didn’t know about the affair?”

Laura
shrugged.  “By the way she acted?”

Lee
squeezed my shoulder.  “The fact that you dumped Mark just might be his
reason for scaring you, Chelsea.”

Laura
looked me in the eyes.  “This person is hitting me from as many angles as
possible.  Whatever it is… it worked.  I paid.  I’m sure you’ve
got nothing to worry about, Chelsea.”  Laura rubbed her temples then
gripped the worktop and swayed.  She looked like she’d fall to the floor
if she shut her eyes. 

I
stopped chewing my nails and moved things along.  “We need a plan.”

“We
give the police a reason to grill Mark,” Lee said.  “Get them to search
his house, computer…  The video could have been transferred to it.  I
won’t let him get away with killing Daryl.”

“No!”
Laura yelled.

I
echoed the word. 

Laura
touched Lee’s hand.  “Please, Lee.  There has to be another
way.  If we phone the police Paul will find out what I’ve done.” 
Then to me, she said through her teeth, ”I knew you shouldn’t have told Lee
about this, Chelsea.”

“Three
heads are better than one,” I said.

Laura
spoke as though Lee had left the room.  “He’s gonna blow my future with
his big, flapping mouth!”

“That’s
rich!” Lee jumped in.  “What kind of person lets her best friend think
someone’s coming to kill her?  A selfish, gutless one!  You’re just
protecting yourself.” 

“Selfish?” 
Laura screeched.  “You’re sly, devious.  You’re using Chelsea to get
a lead on your brother.”

“You’re
the reason my brother’s dead!”

“Well,
you’re a shithead!”

“Enough!”
I slapped the worktop.  “I can’t stand this.”  Torn between the two
of them, I felt like ripping my hair out.

Paul’s
voice travelled in from the lounge.  “Is everything okay in there, Laura?”

“Yes,”
she shouted back, eyes wide in panic.  She looked at us, pressed a finger
to her lips, and then said to Paul, “Fine.  It’s wedding talk.  Want
another drink?”

“No. 
I’m good, thanks,” he replied.

Laura
nibbled the corner of her lip and stared into the garden, as though considering
taking our conversation outside.

Silence
ensued while we listened for footsteps in the hall.  When it became clear
that Paul wasn’t going to enter, I sighed.  The minute of time-out cooled
the arguing.

Lee
took a deep breath.  “Look, I’m not impressed with you either,
Laura.  I’ll hold off calling the police for now.  But once I can
prove who killed Daryl, I’ll be banging on the police station door.  Get
his ass thrown in jail and the key snapped in the lock.” 

Lee
and Laura shared an angry stare. 

“Okay,
then.  A plan,” Lee continued, speaking with a new composure that
impressed me.  “We have to find out if these photos exist.  It might
be a bluff.”

Laura
nodded. “I’ll send a text demanding to see them.”

“And
we need backup,” Lee said.  “Something to level the playing field, trick
Mark into slipping up.  I suggest you both get thinking.”

Just
for a moment - despite each of us having a separate agenda - I smiled, feeling
optimism stretch like a strong rope between us.  Although, I knew Laura
would do everything within her power to prevent Lee making that dreaded phone
call to the police. 

Lee
scribbled his phone number on a pad, pushed it towards Laura.  A sharp
intake of breath caused his nostrils to flare.  “I think my brother was
blackmailed, too.  Those application forms for loans I found… 
Whoever’s behind this must have known Laura was his patient.  Daryl could
have worked out who it is, and then they killed him.”  He looked at
Laura.  “Paying up might not save you.  It didn’t work for Daryl.”

My
pulse began tapping at the side of my head.

Laura’s
lack of response confirmed that she still believed Daryl’s death was
accidental, not linked to the blackmail.  Without proof, how could we be
certain?

“If
Daryl took advantage of you, then I apologise for him and I…” Lee trailed off,
he sounded flustered, choked up, and I wished I could finish his sentence for
him.

I
jumped off the stool and wrapped my arm around him, breathed in the sweetness
of his aftershave.

Laura
reached over to pat his shoulder, but pulled back at the last second. 

Lee
produced a set of jangling keys from his pocket.  He stood and headed to
the door.  “It’s time I left.”

Laura
folded her arms across her chest.  “If I do pay this extra twenty
thousand, I need to work out how to get all the evidence.  I’m not having
him come back at me a third time.”

“Bluff,”
Lee blurted out.  “If he sends you an actual photo, say there’s a
fingerprint on it and we’ll give it to the cops, or that you remember seeing
him nearby when the photo was taken.  The slightest risk of exposure might
be enough to make him back off, or panic him into slipping up.”  His voice
lowered, “which is what we really want.”

“What
if he doesn’t believe me?”

“You’re
good at convincing people, twisting things around to save your own ass, aren’t
you?”  Lee’s tone was harsh again, sharpened to hurt.  Although I
understood his frustration, I didn’t like this side of him.  “Ask him if
he’s willing to take that risk.”

“That’s
enough.”  Laura pointed down the hall.  “I think it best you leave.”

“With
pleasure.”

A
loud tapping arose in the room.  Laura’s Aunt Carol loomed bleary-eyed in
the back garden, knocking on the kitchen window and waving like an excited
child.