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Back Perfect Ten Save as PDF
Chapters (45)
  1. Chapter One
  2. Chapter Two
  3. Chapter Three
  4. Chapter Four
  5. Chapter Five
  6. Chapter Six
  7. Chapter Seven
  8. Chapter Eight
  9. Chapter Nine
  10. Chapter Ten
  11. Chapter Eleven
  12. Chapter Twelve
  13. Chapter Thirteen
  14. Chapter Fourteen
  15. Chapter Fifteen
  16. Chapter Sixteen
  17. Chapter Seventeen
  18. Chapter Eighteen
  19. Chapter Nineteen
  20. Chapter Twenty
  21. Chapter Twenty-one
  22. Chapter Twenty-two
  23. Chapter Twenty-three
  24. Chapter Twenty-four
  25. Chapter Twenty-five
  26. Chapter Twenty-six
  27. Chapter Twenty-seven
  28. Chapter Twenty-eight
  29. Chapter Twenty-nine
  30. Chapter Thirty
  31. Chapter Thirty-one
  32. Chapter Thirty-two
  33. Chapter Thirty-three
  34. Chapter Thirty-four
  35. Chapter Thirty-five
  36. Chapter Thirty-six
  37. Chapter Thirty-seven
  38. Chapter Thirty-eight
  39. Chapter Thirty-nine
  40. Chapter Forty
  41. Chapter Forty-one
  42. Chapter Forty-two
  43. Chapter Forty-three
  44. Chapter Forty-four
  45. Acknowledgements

I reach a remote picnic area and park up. I get out of the car, still wearing my disguise. The hills are bleak and covered with heather and rocks and I find one low enough to sit on and open Frances’s bag. Her phone is in there along with some papers and her purse. I check her purse for pictures. There are none. This doesn’t feel like revenge at all. Revenge is supposed to make you feel better. All I feel is guilty. I push on regardless. There isn’t a way out now, even if I wanted one.

I take her phone. Is your number still on there? It’s fucking locked. But as I try to guess the pattern a notification appears. It’s from ‘Mum’: Are you OK? Are you feeling better now? I hover over the keys, wanting to answer but I don’t. All in good time.

At least I’ll be able to see when you do get in touch with her. She’s the next in the journal and I need to monitor what you’re actually doing about this. I feel bad, but I need to protect myself. I rustle through the bag for a memento. For my hole. There’s a MAC lipstick, unused. A keyring with The Tea Cosy on it. A gas bill. I unfold one of the other papers. It’s a decree absolute. I feel another pang of sympathy. She’s just got divorced. Then I remember she deserves to be divorced. I hope her husband’s cheated on her like mine cheated on me. With her.

The phone rings and I jump. This time it’s someone called Claudia. It rings and rings, echoing across the moorland. It doesn’t go to answerphone. Another text message appears on the screen, faded behind the pattern. Just calling on the way to the airport. No Answer. You OK?. Anyway, we’ll give you a ring when we get there. Seven smiley faces. I look around at the bleakness and the low cloud and think that I’d better get going.

Back in the car I leave the phone on the dashboard. DS Percy will probably come and see me about this and my neighbours will tell her that, no, I hadn’t been out as the dog hadn’t barked and my car had been there all day.

Do I feel bad? Yes I do. This was a step too far. And, thinking about those pictures, no. All actions have consequences and she should have thought of that before she slept with you and held my baby boy.

Chapter Sixteen