Least Said (67 page)

I
had
taken
only
a
single
step
towards
it,
with
my
hand
already
stretched
out
to
grasp
the
key, when
the
handle
began
to
turn
very
slowly
and
I
froze
on
the
spot.
Watching
in
terrified
fascination,
I
only
moved
when
the
door
started
to
open,
and
then
it
was
to
step
back
quickly
so
that
when
the
door
was
pushed
wide
I
was
standing
behind
it.

I
acted
with
the
instinct
that
must
come
from
self-preservation
and,
lifting
the
rolling
pin
high,
I
brought
it
crashing
down
on
the
person’s
head.
Then
I
screamed
at
the
top
of
my
lungs
when
Jon
collapsed
senseless
at
my
feet.

‘I’ve
just
killed
my
husband,’
I
sobbed
to
the
999
operator
and
then
everything
seemed
to
happen
at
once.

The
house
became
full
of
people,
police,
paramedics
and,
very
weirdly,
Tina
and
Calum.
An
apparently
lifeless
Jon
was
loaded
into
an
ambulance,
but
I
wasn’t
allowed
to
go
with
him
and
all
my
pleas
to
do
so
fell
on
deaf
ears,
as
I
was
escorted
to
the
police
car
parked
outside.

Everything
became
a
blur
but
later
I
recalled
hiccoughing
and
sobbing
my
way
through
a
statement
of
what
had
happened,
stopping
to
ask
repeatedly,
‘He’s
not
dead,
is
he?’
before
breaking
down
in
tears
again.

A
solicitor
miraculously
appeared
from
somewhere
and
in
no
time
at
all
I
was
free
to
go
and
walked
out
of
the
interview
room
and
straight
into
Calum’s
strong
arms.

‘Jon?’
I
was
almost
afraid
to
ask.

‘He’s
recovering
and
will
be
fine.
Just
a
mild
case
of
concussion,’
Calum
assured
me,
taking
off
his
over-coat
and
wrapping
it
tightly
around
me.
I
hadn’t
realised
my
teeth
were
chattering
until
then,
but
whether
from
cold
or
shock
I
had
no
way
of
telling.
‘And
Tina
is
meeting
William
from
school,
so
you
don’t
need
to
worry
about
him
either.’

‘How...?
Why
are
you
both
here?’
I
managed,
feeling
more
confused
by
the
minute.
‘We
weren’t
expecting
you,
were
we?’

He
shook
his
head.
‘Tina
was
worried.
She
finally
told
me
the
whole
story,
or
as
much
as
she
knows,
and
insisted
on
coming
to
find
out
what
was
happening
between
you
and
Jon.
Needless
to
say,
she
is
blaming
herself
for
what’s
happening
now.’

I
sighed
as
I
climbed
into
Calum’s
car.
‘I
already
told
her
that
the
full
responsibility
for
this
mess
was
mine.’
I
didn’t
point
out
that
if
I
hadn’t
been
so
paranoid
about
the
Adonis
suddenly
appearing
in
my
life,
and
made
such
a
hash
of
coming
up
with
idiotic
reasons
for
his
appearance,
the
truth
would
never
have
come
out.
Was
it
so
wrong
of
me
to
wish
that
I
could
turn
back
time?
How
could
I
have
got
it
all
so
wrong?

The
house
was
empty
when
we
arrived
home.
Calum
frowned
suddenly
and
flicked
back
his
sleeve
to
check
his
watch.
‘Tina
should
surely
be
back
with
William
by
now.
I’m
just
going
to
give
her
a
ring
and
find
out
where
she
is
and
what
she’s
doing.’

‘You’re
where?’
I
heard
him
say,
as
I
went
to
hang
Calum’s
coat
in
the
cloakroom,
and
then,
‘oh,
ok.
See
you
in
a
bit
then.’

‘They
went
to
the
park?’
I
guessed,
as
I
stepped
back
into
the
hall
where
Calum
was
still
standing.

‘Not
quite.’
He
shook
his
head.
‘While
she
was
waiting
for
Will
to
come
out
of
school,
Tina
phoned
the
hospital.
She
had
to
say
she
was
Jon’s
sister
to
get
any
information,
and
was
told
he
was
insisting
on
discharging
himself,
so
she
went
straight
there
in
a
taxi
–
with
William
–
because
she
didn’t
know
what
else
to
do.
They’re
on
their
way
home
now.’

‘Oh,
God,’
I
said
with
a
shudder.
‘I’m
so
relieved
that
Jon
isn’t
dead
–
but
he’s
going
to
kill
me
when
he
gets
here.’

‘Nonsense,’
Calum
managed
a
half-hearted
laugh,
‘Jon
must
know
you
didn’t
hit
him
on
purpose
–
even
the
police
finally
accepted
that
you
hit
out
because
you
thought
he
was
an
intruder.’