The building was spookily silent. Peeling paper and faded paintwork screamed neglect. On the second floor landing I paused and listened. There was no noise. I took off my shoes and crept to the flat in my bare feet. I put my ear to the door. There was a muffled sound coming from within and I was able to make out Arthur’s voice. He was talking, very quietly, to someone. Of course I should have waited but when I couldn’t hear Amber’s voice, I rapped; tentatively at first and then more deliberately.

When there was still no reply after half a dozen attempts, I spoke out.

‘Amber, it’s me. Rebecca. Are you there? Please let me in.’

92

Rebecca

Arthur pulled me in and closed the door. I felt a cold fear. What if the police didn’t come? Had I given them the right address? Perhaps they thought I was a crank caller.

Arthur was wearing a purple tie, tightly knotted round his neck, and it hung askew over a white T-shirt. His hair was uncombed, sticking out at weird angles from his head and his eyes bulged.

‘Rebecca, my darling. I wondered if you’d come.’ He leant in to kiss me while wildly brandishing a knife around in his hand. ‘This will be so much easier with your help. You’ve met Amber before, I think?’ He pointed towards Amber whose head was lolling over her chin and I wondered fleetingly if she was already dead.

‘What are you doing, Arthur?’ I heard my voice, soft and calm. ‘What have you done to her?’ I didn’t dare move. He was waving the knife, demonstrating how to self-harm, sliding the blade backwards and forwards along his forearm. He had drawn his own blood and offered the knife to me, willing me to practise the cutting action.

‘I’m only doing this for you, Rebecca. Amber was going to derail our plans. She’s still pretending that she and Mitch were in love. An item. Her jealousy of you, my beauty, has put you firmly in the frame for murder. She has schemed with Oliver to tell the police that you were jealous and that she and Mitch were to be married. Oliver, I believe, has told the investigators that Mitch would never have had you back after you slept with him. Quite the harlot, Rebecca.’ At this point, Arthur hesitated and turned the blade in my direction. He seemed confused.

‘I’m going to slit Amber’s wrists. I hoped she’d do it herself but she’s much too slow. I intend to make a nice criss-cross pattern to match the scars already there.’ He grinned then hunched over Amber who had lifted her head and was pleading at me with wild eyes. She flung her arms out and hit Arthur on the head. He momentarily reeled backwards.