Beth’s head snaps up. She catches eyes with Saskia, whose face is filling up with disgust. ‘They’re not dead, okay?’ she implores. ‘They live in Reading. That’s where I was yesterday, visiting my parents. Maybe I haven’t been completely honest with you, with Simon, but I just wanted to leave that part of my life behind.’ She reaches her arm towards Saskia but holds it mid-air. ‘I didn’t kill Eddie though; I loved him.’

‘And the homeless man?’ Saskia asked.

‘He reminded me of Eddie,’ Beth murmurs. ‘I wanted to do what I couldn’t for my brother, save his life.’

‘He died of a stroke too,’ Saskia continues. ‘An air bubble in the syringe. That detective told me today.’

Kat runs her hands through the red spikes of her hair and blinks back hot tears. Of course deep down she knew that Beth had killed that man, but hearing it out loud is still like a heavy weight dropping on her chest. Is his death on her hands too? For not having the courage to defy Ellie all those years ago?

‘You hated having squatters on our road, didn’t you?’ Saskia continues. ‘You said they were dirty.’

‘No, I just meant they needed help,’ Beth protests. ‘How can you choose her side? You’re my friend; she’s not like us.’

Saskia’s eyes flit between them both. A siren sounds in distance, but Kat suddenly feels calm. Soon it will be over, one way or the other. She’s played her hand and all she can do now is hope she’s done enough for others – Saskia, the police – to see through Beth’s beauty, her wealth, her smile. To believe Kat instead, a skint dog groomer with a fifty-inch chest and a history of mental illness.

But then a shriller noise erupts. It’s Beth’s phone, buzzing on the side table. Beth looks, then reaches for it. Saskia groans, an animal sound. Kat turns to look.

And watches her vomit all over the carpet.

Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Beth

The smell, oh my God, it’s vile. Beth watches the putrid liquid seep into the fibres of her carpet.

‘Elizabeth, are you there?’

Beth drags herself back to the phone call, tries to use the cold glass screen of the handset to cool her burning face.

‘He’s gone, mea dragă. Just taken his last breath.’

Her dad is dead? ‘Please, no,’ Beth whispers. It’s too soon – she hasn’t had chance to say goodbye. She closes her eyes, but her eyelids are infested with Saskia’s vomit, worming and burrowing its way into her eyes. She flicks them back open. Kat is kneeling beside Saskia now, her bulk obscuring the stain on the carpet, but even her presence is sickening. Fat, ugly Katherine. How dare she intrude on Beth’s life?

‘It’s his time, don’t be sad,’ her mum says. ‘He’s with Eddie now.’