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Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by Dawn Goodwin
  3. WHAT I NEVER TOLD YOU
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Dedication
  7. Prologue
  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. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. Acknowledgements
  55. About the Author
  56. An Invitation from the Publisher

I sit on the floor of the shower, hunched over, until the water runs cold and I start to shiver.

41

NOW

Helen wanted to laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous, Lydia. Now is not the time.”

“I’m telling the truth. We argued and I pushed her. She slipped on the tiles, banged her head on the edge of the pool and lay really still. I panicked, didn’t know what to do, so I pushed her into the water. I thought someone would think she had had an accident.”

Silence fell over the group.

Then Matt said, “So where is she now?”

They looked from one to the other.

“Did any of you think to check her pulse?” Helen said.

Lydia shook her head. “She wasn’t moving though.”

“I stuck my finger under her nose when I pulled her from the water, but couldn’t feel her breath,” Mills said.

Helen sighed, turned back to Lydia. “What were you fighting about? Come on, Lydia, it’s time you told us what is actually going on.”

In a paper-thin voice, she started to tell them about her relationship with Diana, how Diana had listened to her, understood her, saw her. Matt looked stricken as she talked, but said nothing.

She told them about the keys to the shop, how Diana was seemingly obsessed with Helen and her past. “She kept asking me about you, if I knew anything about your school friends, your childhood. I said I knew nothing, but she asked me to find out. I said I didn’t want to get involved, wasn’t interested, then she said you were having an affair behind my dad’s back, had seen you with him, and that you deserved to be exposed for who you really are.”

Matt looked sheepish. “I told her that. I saw him here.”

Helen ignored Matt. “The genealogy project. That was a lie?” Helen said instead.

“Yes, I was just trying to find out more for Diana. Then I found the diaries. I didn’t mean to, but I was looking through the boxes and I knocked one over, which pushed in the panel and the hiding place.” Lydia took a shaky breath. “I couldn’t see what was so important – with the diaries. I mean, yeah, it sounded like there was drugs, alcohol, that kind of stuff, but I couldn’t work out what it had to do with Diana. Or what harm it would do to show her. So I did.” The last three words were a whisper.

“Then what happened?” Helen pushed.

“She said she had some photos, of something that happened a long time ago. She said they showed what kind of person you really are – and how you were dangerous.” Lydia reached down next to her and picked up a tightly wrapped plastic bag, laid it on the lounger in front of them.