‘Arthur, you can’t get away with this. Your blood is all over the place. Give me the knife. Remember we’re to be married.’ I held out my left hand and showed him the ring and extended my right hand to take the knife.

‘Oh, I’m not going to be getting away with anything. Remember, you were here first. You were at the scene wielding the knife before I arrived. You’re not as clever as you are beautiful, my Rebecca. That ploy worked in your favour with Oliver. It’ll work if necessary in mine this time,’ he gloated. At this point, Arthur hunkered down in front of Amber and made a faint cut across her right wrist. Blood trickled from the wound. He made another slit to match on her left wrist.

‘Right. Rebecca, your turn now. Make it deep and meaningful,’ he leered as he handed me the knife.

The police arrived a second after I’d plunged the blade into Arthur’s shoulder. Garbled protestations about his arrival after me at the scene of the crime were the rantings of a mad man. Arthur forgot that Amber wasn’t dead. As he was led away, agonisingly grasping at his shoulder, he turned back.

‘Rebecca, wait for me. It won’t be long. I’m a very patient man. We’ll be together soon. Together forever, remember? I love you, Rebecca Carrington.’

93

Rebecca

‘You saved my life, Rebecca. I can’t begin to thank…’ Amber lay back on the hospital bed, a ghostly apparition, small and frail under crisp white bed linen. The overhead strip lighting blinked uncomfortably and seemed to magnify her paleness.

I’d gone in the ambulance with her, accompanied by two police officers. When Amber had corroborated my story, my handcuffs were removed but I’d been cautioned that there were questions to answer. For now I was allowed to sit with Amber.

‘Why did you come to my flat?’ Her small sunken eyes were questioning.

‘I needed to see you, talk to you about Mitch. I wanted to clear the air and to hear the truth. Your truth,’ I explained. I waited.

She closed her eyes as if recalling some distant memories to share with me.

‘He was always yours, Rebecca. I fell in love with him the first time we met. Oliver introduced us and he used me to give Mitch a way out. Mitch was wanted by the police for some drugs issue. I’m not sure what he was involved in but I didn’t care. I wanted to be with him.’ She lifted a glass of water from the bedside cabinet and I noticed her hand shook as water dribbled down her chin. There was a sad resignation on her face as she recounted details of those lost ten years.