Obesssion (14 page)

“Suki…”

I pulled together the semblance of a smile.
“I think I have the flu.”

She hugged Mindy a little closer.
“We bumped into Gabe at the airport—he said you were taking some time off. Have you got a temperature?”

I frowned as I processed her rapid words. My brain was barely in first gear. Touching my forehead with my fingertips, I considered her question.
“No. No temperature. I just feel, well, tired.” Linda watched me carefully. I’ve no idea what she thought I was going to do.

“
How long are you taking off work?”

“
Huh?” I raised my head to meet her gaze. She looked far more concerned than Linda, but my mother-in-law thought I was crazy. I tried to focus on Anita. “I, uh, don’t know. A few days.”

“
Would you like to come back home with me? I’ve just taken Mindy to see Jon’s parents. We’re free to go now that duty’s done. If our men are away together, you might as well come with me. It saves you being on your own, especially if you don’t have to work.” She gave me a brilliant smile. I looked across at Linda.

“
I do have other things to do today,” my mother-in-law hesitated, obviously tempted by her own escape. I wondered if I should tell Anita the truth. She might not be so keen to take a madwoman with her.

“
You will remember to take your pills.” Linda’s voice held a note of warning.

“
Yes.”

“
She has to take them twice daily. The next will be this afternoon.” She handed Anita a small pill bottle, holding on to them a moment longer. “It’s important that she takes these.”

“
Okay.” My friend stuffed the bottle into her jeans pocket and smiled again. “Why don’t you go and get dressed. Do you want some help packing an overnight bag?”

The prospect of not having to go in the dressing room glimmered before me and I grabbed Anita’s offer.
“Yes, please help.”

Upstairs, I sagged on the bed while Anita collected some clothes for me, Mindy toddling in her wake. I opened my eyes to see her staring at me.
“Suki, these pills—do you know what they are?”

With a great deal of effort, I pushed myself upright.
“Anti-depressants, I think.”

The gap in our conversation yawned and stretched.
“You don’t have the flu.”

“
No. I had another panic attack. Like on the beach.” I slowly held out my hands for her to see. She gasped in horror, sinking to the mattress to sit next to me.

“
Suki… I don’t know what to say. What happened?”

I just shook my head. I wasn’t ready to go back there again.

“Do you still want to come and stay?”

I met her eyes.
“Do you still want me to?”

“
Of course.” She completely surprised me then, throwing her arms around me and hugging hard. It was unexpected and so very welcome. I let her rock me for a moment. “I wouldn’t leave you here by yourself, not like this. And I don’t mean to be rude, but Gabe’s Mum, well, she’s a bit scary.”

She thought Linda was scary, but not me. I found that amusing. I let Anita pack a bag for me, chatting the whole time, her gossip and banter washing over me like warm water. I refused to think about what Gabe would say when he heard where I’d gone.

7.5 Josh

Everything about Gabriel Bridgewater made my skin crawl. I couldn’t find a single redeeming feature. What the hell had Suki seen in him? Common sense reminded me they’d been married for almost ten years and she would’ve been barely eighteen when they wed, little more than a child when they first met. It was conceivable that he’d swept her off her feet. Forcing Gabriel from my mind, I focused on my chance to spend some time with her. First, I checked out of my city centre hotel. It made more sense to take up residence in Wilmslow and I headed back to the quiet suburb to do another drive-by of their house.

Gabriel’s words rang in my head, a deafening chorus I couldn’t shut out. Paranoia. Panic attacks. Going off the rails. Medication.

A small black Audi was parked outside their house, along with a familiar looking Jeep—Anita’s car? I pulled onto the kerb and killed the engine, pretending to make a phone call while I watched the house. Sure enough, it
was
Anita. She appeared at the door carrying a holdall over one shoulder and a laptop bag over the other, and stuffed them both into the Jeep. A statuesque middle-aged woman followed her, a set of car keys dangling from a manicured hand, long nails flashing in the sunlight. She claimed the Audi, reversing neatly out of the gate, one hand waved in farewell. That was my cue.

My feet crunched on the gravel and Anita turned to face me as she emerged from the back of her car. Her pretty face scowled at me.
“Mr. Summers again. I’m beginning to think you’re following me—looking for some more pictures perhaps?” She folded her arms and glared. “I just saw Gabe and guess what? He called you a
journo
. Just like we thought.”

Anger and frustration simmered around her, but I could sense anxiety, too. I held up my hands to placate her.
“I’m a
features
writer and I’ve got the opportunity to write a piece on the Bridgewaters. I told you, I didn’t take those pictures.”

Her lips set in a firm line.
“So what
are
you doing here?”

I smiled. Even when fierce she still looked cute and impossibly young.
“Hoping to talk to Suki.”

“
You’re out of luck.” A toss of her head sent her long corn coloured plait flying. “She’s coming to stay with me for a few days.” She flashed a little smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “And we’re just about to leave.”

“
Hey, can I just talk to her first? Maybe make an appointment to come back?” I tried a forlorn look, but Anita seemed impervious. “Or maybe I could come back to your parents if they’ve got a room, and talk to her there?”

She gave me a long, considering look.
“I guess it’s Suki’s call,” she conceded, closing the back of her car. “I don’t trust you, though. I think you should know that.”

Shrugging, I followed her into the house, walking down a long hallway into a bright sunny kitchen. Suki sat with her back to me, hunched over the table. Her pain hit me hard. It felt as though my head had been trapped in a vice and I gasped as I walked in, Anita turning to stare at me.

“Suki, you’ve got a visitor.” Her voice was gentle. I stepped up to the table, close enough to touch her and waited for her to look up.

Surprise flashed across her face, a hint of confusion. I tried to smile, to cover my horror. It wasn’t just the angry graze slashed over her cheek or the livid bite on her neck, she was… missing. The very essence of Suki, her life and vitality had vanished. Apart from the physical pain she felt, I could not read anything from her. Without thinking, I reached out to touch her arm where it lay on the table. She flinched. Still nothing. My stomach clenched and I swallowed hard, unable to believe the difference in just a few days. What had happened to the beautiful Suki to reduce her to this
shell?

“
Mr. Summers.” Her voice sounded slurred. Had she been drinking?
Medication
taunted my little devil.
She’s doped up on something
.

“
Hello, Suki. How are you?”

Brown eyes gazed back at me, deep and sad.
“My head, it hurts.” It was a whisper, a cry for help. I suddenly remembered how I’d taken her pain away last time. Could I do it again? It was worth a try. I crouched beside her chair.

“
Can I hold you?”

Behind me, I heard Anita suck in a breath at my audacity, but I ignored her. Slowly, as though every movement hurt, Suki turned in her seat and leaned forward into my outstretched arms, a little sigh escaping as she turned her face into my shoulder. I glanced up to see Anita opening her mouth to speak, a furious look on her face and I held up a warning finger behind Suki’s back, asking her to wait a moment. Closing my eyes, I held Suki close, feeling the pain intensify in the back of my head, just like before. It sharpened, tightened, squeezed my synapses in a hot burst and then dissipated. I took a deep breath waiting for it to recede, and then opened my eyes to Anita’s suspicious face.

“It’s gone.” Suki murmured, her voice muffled and Anita’s expression changed to surprise.

“
What did you do? How did you do that?”

Tempted though I was to crouch there with Suki in my arms, I eased her back into the seat, her eyes blinking and puzzled.
“I guess I’m good with headaches. I don’t know how it works.”

While I had Suki’s attention, I kept one hand on her arm and spoke clearly, loud enough for Anita to hear me.
“I’m doing some work for your husband. I’m writing a feature on you both, and he wanted me to see you to get all the background information. I know you’re going away right now. I wondered if I could tag along and spend a little time with you?”

Her brows knitted together.
“Gabe sent you?” She glanced across at Anita. Her friend nodded. “Yes, if it’s okay with Anita.”

“
He can stay at Mum’s. You only need to see him as much as you want to.”

At last, Suki offered a hint of a smile. She moved her hands and I saw her fingers. I couldn’t drag my eyes away. Had she been in a fight? Been attacked? My mind whirled and I recalled the overwhelming terror I’d felt yesterday.

I’d find out who was responsible for this. And when I did, it wouldn’t be pretty.

7.6 Suki

Hours later, we sat around Anita’s kitchen table—from one kitchen to another I thought, amused—and Joe had joined us. He sat across from me, looking tired and worried. I failed to understand why Gabe would have sent him to me. Seeing him here felt unreal, more like a dream. My mind wandered briefly as I realised that, yet again, his presence made me feel better.

“How long have you been taking those pills?” Anita set mugs of steaming coffee before us, turning to Mindy with a cold drink and then looking back at me.

I thought hard.
“Yesterday. That’s when it happened. Since then.”

“
Do you really need them?” Joe held the little glass bottle in his palm, spinning it round with his fingertips. I watched the hypnotic motion of the brown glass, forgetting to answer him at first. “Suki?”

“
Oh.” I pulled myself back to the moment. Slowly, I extended my hands to lie flat on the table, showing the wrecked nails and bruising. “I must. What normal person would do this?”

“
A very frightened one.” Joe’s voice was calm, gentle on the surface but with an undercurrent of steel. “Can you tell us what happened?”

My breath quickened and I wrapped my arms around myself.
“I’m scared to think about it.”

“
Was it like on the beach? Do you remember what I did then?”

I looked up. He leaned forwards, the pills abandoned. Anita watched from Mindy’s highchair, staying quiet, almost hypnotized by his smooth voice. I gave a short laugh; this was embarrassing.
“It makes me sound even more crazy if I say it.”

“
Suki, you’re not crazy.” His voice made me think of caramel, sweet, soft and so warm.

“
On the beach,” I spoke, haltingly, “I was having a panic attack, but when you came to stand next to me, it went away.”

“
So let’s try that again.” He smiled at me. Little lines crinkled around his eyes, the corners of his mouth turned up and I wanted to smile back. “I’ll hold your hands while you tell us what happened. I’ll be here for you, Suki. I won’t let you have another attack.”

Shaking my head, I moved back, but he reached out for me, closing his hands over mine, avoiding the painful areas. I saw a flash of a wristband underneath his sleeve.
“Suki, I won’t let anything bad happen. Do you trust me?”

The roaring in my ears began to fade. Little amber glints in his eyes sparkled at me; possibly the most unusual eyes I’ve ever seen. Maybe he was hypnotizing me? I didn’t feel scared any more. I took a deep breath and looked at the table. Large thumbs brushed against the backs of my hands.
“Look at me, Suki.”

I met his eyes again. He nodded to me… and I told him.

“The door jammed on the dressing room, I was shut inside and the light went out and it was dark and…” My breathing quickened, I could start to hear my pulse, the rasp of my breathing. Joe gave the tiniest of squeezes to my hands.

“
Shush. Stop there for a minute.” The thumb brushing continued, I never wanted him to stop, and then like before, my lungs eased and I could breathe again.

“
I’m not good in the dark. I panicked. I remember screaming for Gabe, I lost my voice I shouted so much. And then I just attacked the door. I had to get out. I thought…” I paused, pulled in a deep breath, then another. Joe smiled at me. “I thought I’d died, I couldn’t breathe any more. I gave up.”