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Back Day of the Accident
Chapters (71)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. What readers are saying about
  5. Epigraph
  6. Prologue
  7. Part One
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. Part Two
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. Part Three
  61. 52
  62. 53
  63. 54
  64. 55
  65. 56
  66. 57
  67. 58
  68. Epilogue
  69. Acknowledgements
  70. THE NEXT THRILLER BY NUALA ELLWOOD
  71. THE BEGINNING

47

I wake up sweating. I breathe out slowly, relieved that it was just a dream.

And then I hear it. Voices. I lie on the bed for a moment, fear gripping my insides. Someone is in the flat. Slowly, I haul myself up and walk to the door, opening it a fraction. ‘Hello,’ I call, but my voice is croaky from sleep and the word comes out as a whimper.

I hear footsteps on the wooden floor in the living room.

What if the person, I think to myself as I shrink back against the wall in the corridor, the person holding Elspeth, what if they have come to get me?

The footsteps draw closer. I lean back into the wall and close my eyes. Any moment now they’re going to grab me and …

‘Maggie. What are you doing?’

I open my eyes and see Sonia standing there with a sweeping brush in her hands.

‘Oh, thank God,’ I gasp. ‘I thought you were an intruder.’

‘Don’t be silly,’ she says with a smile. ‘What kind of intruder does the housework?’

She turns and heads back into the living room. I follow, my heart still thudding with fright.

‘Why didn’t you tell me you were here?’ I say, slumping down on to the sofa.

‘I looked in on you when I arrived but you were sound asleep,’ she says, kneeling down to pick up the overflowing dustpan. ‘So I thought I’d do a bit of cleaning before you got up.’

‘What time is it?’ I ask, feeling disorientated.

‘1.45,’ she says. ‘We should get a wriggle on. You’ve got your physio session at the hospital at 3 p.m. Shall I fix you some lunch?’

All that information makes my head spin. 1.45? I got home from the police station at 10. Then I lay on the bed, read Elspeth’s letter and then … then that dream. It was horrifying.

‘Maggie?’

‘Sorry, what?’

‘I said shall I fix you some lunch?’

‘I’m not hungry,’ I say distractedly. Part of me is still inside the dream.

‘Maggie, you have to eat,’ says Sonia. ‘Even if it’s just a little bit.’

‘Okay, thanks,’ I say, sighing. ‘Just something small.’

Sonia smiles and heads back into the kitchen. I sit, motionless, running the dream over and over in my head. Was it just a nightmare, my worst fears coming out through my subconscious, or …?

I can’t bring myself to contemplate the alternative.

‘Are you sure you’re okay, Maggie? You’re awfully quiet.’

Sonia looks across at me as we sit in the hospital waiting room.

‘I’m fine, Sonia,’ I reply. ‘I’m just a bit tired, that’s all.’