BooksBarbecue
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

‘I had no choice,’ she says. ‘I knew that we’d never get another tenant with all that piled up inside. So I arranged for everything to be collected and I made sure that your name was recorded as a key holder. I suppose I could have just got rid of the lot but I knew there was a lot of the child’s stuff there and … well, I thought it might give me some leverage should I need to make you leave.’

‘Leverage?’ I cry. ‘What are you …’

I stop speaking and look at Barbara. Now it all makes sense.

‘It was you,’ I say. ‘You sent Elspeth’s cardigan, didn’t you?’

‘Oh, what are you talking about now, Margaret?’ says Barbara, shaking her head condescendingly. ‘You really are quite deranged, aren’t you?’

‘I’m not mad,’ I yell, pushing the chair back so hard it falls over. ‘Even though you’ve tried to drive me to it. I know exactly what you’ve been doing.’

‘For goodness’ sake, calm down, girl,’ she says, slamming her hand on the table. ‘You’re talking nonsense.’

‘No,’ I say. ‘That’s what you’d like to think, but my mind is very clear. You sent me Elspeth’s cardigan and you were there the night of the accident. You were wearing red.’

‘Was I indeed?’ says Barbara. ‘And was there a pink elephant there too and little green men?’

I can see I’ve shaken her though. She coughs out a hollow laugh and the scared fourteen-year-old cowering inside me suddenly gets angry. I rush at her, sending the delicate tea set flying.

‘You evil witch,’ I cry, grabbing her arm. ‘You think it’s funny, eh? You think it’s funny to stand and watch a child die? To watch her mother in the water trying to save her and just do nothing?’

Barbara wrenches away from me and strides towards the door.

‘Come back,’ I yell. ‘You don’t get to walk away without telling me the truth.’

She stops and looks round, her face contorted with hatred.

‘Truth?’ she hisses, her face inches from mine. ‘You don’t deserve the truth.’

She turns and opens the door. I hear her footsteps on the stone steps.

‘Come back here!’ I yell as I follow her up the steps, back towards the hallway.

It’s dark and I can’t see. But I can feel the steps beneath my feet. My chest is tightening and I don’t have my inhaler with me. Just count, I tell myself, and take one at a time. Then I hear someone at the top of the steps. I turn and stagger towards them but as I reach the top step they push me hard in the chest. I scream as my legs give way and I feel myself falling. I try to grab the railings but there is nothing there.

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