Chapters (67)
- Cover
- Dedication
- PROLOGUE
- PART ONE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- PART TWO
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- PART THREE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- PART FOUR
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- EPILOGUE
- Mailing list
- A Letter from Kathryn
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- Also by Kathryn Croft
Silence. ‘That doesn’t mean he didn’t just find it and decide to keep it. It’s possible, isn’t it?’
‘We have to tell the police, Holly. I’ve been going over it all and this is a key piece of evidence.’ Sienna wishes she’d been more rational when she’d found it; now Holly’s and her own fingerprints will be all over it.
‘What exactly are you saying? That you think Jackson had something to do with Greg’s death? That he did it?’ It’s clear that Holly’s frightened now: all her usual composure has evaporated. She sinks to the bed, staring at the card she still clutches in her hand.
‘I honestly don’t know what to think, Holly. But it doesn’t look good, does it? I think we need to tell the police.’
‘No, please, Sienna. Can we just talk to Jackson first and see what he says? There must be a good explanation.’ Holly reaches for her phone. ‘Let me text him and tell him to come back right now.’
Sienna’s about to agree when she hears footsteps in the hall. She spins around and there is Jackson, standing by the stairs, tears streaming down his blotched and swollen face.
‘Please,’ he says. ‘Please don’t call the police. I’ll tell you everything, I swear. It was me. I killed Dad.’ And then he sinks to the floor as if his bones can no longer support him.
FIFTY-THREE
Sienna
December
Sometimes, she likes to come to this park, even though she’s never been here with Greg. It’s one of the last places anyone other than Jackson saw him, and even though Abby might not agree, she finds it calming here. She’ll never tell anyone this, but it’s as though she can feel Greg’s presence wrapping itself around her, comforting her, letting her know she’ll be all right now. As okay as she can be, given that she can’t shake the horrific image of a thirteen-year-old boy killing his own father from her mind.
She often goes through it all, hoping that the more she does, the greater the chance that she can try and make peace with it. Jackson’s just a child, she constantly reminds herself.
It had been an accident, Jackson had claimed. They’d had an argument and he’d lashed out at Greg. And right after confessing this, Jackson had clammed up, withdrawing into himself as if neither she nor Holly were there in the room with him. The only thing that didn’t stop were his tears. It was almost as if he had suddenly died, withered away, right there in front of them.
To this day, he still hasn’t spoken a word.