‘Do you really think she’d do that?’
DS Rani bites her lip, weighing up how much to tell me. ‘Things have happened within the walls of that house that Otis has not shared with you. I can’t say much more than that, but we have reason to believe that Alexa was a very unhappy woman.’
‘But – but Otis said Alexa loved him,’ I stumble. ‘He said they were happy.’
‘What someone in denial says and the truth are very different things. Alexa’s internet history shows searches for divorce lawyers and properties in Denmark, suggesting an intent to leave. We have statements from Simon Brooks and Sonya West saying that she wanted out of the marriage. We have evidence, Janine. Evidence thatproves Otis’s assertion that things were okay is wrong. And last night, we got confirmation that the stain on the tennis ball we found was blood. It matches Alexa Clarke’s DNA.’ I recoil, but DS Rani reaches for me. ‘I’m not telling you this to upset you, but to help you walk away. We’ll be taking Otis to the station soon for questioning as a formal suspect. We expect him to be charged within the next twenty-four hours.’
A gust of wind howls through the trees at those words. Shivering, I let it pass over me.
DS Rani rests her hand on my arm. ‘I know you feel a connection to Alexa Clarke, but you and she are not the same. What happened in her marriage is not a blueprint of what will happen in yours. Loss might be universal, but how it shapes us is personal. Leave what has happened here behind. Focus on yourself and your future.’
‘I just… I just wanted Alexa to be okay,’ I croak.
‘We all did, Janine. We all did.’
Sniffing back tears, I look up to the sky. Thick white clouds hang overhead, blocking out any sign of sunlight, a sure sign that winter is coming. A new season, bringing the old one to an end.
A new beginning, but only for those ready to see it that way.
‘I’d like to leave now,’ I say. ‘I don’t want to be here when you take Otis away.’
‘Of course. We’ll need to speak to you again at some point, but for now I think it’s time you went home to write your next bestseller.’
DS Rani and I share a smile. Then, without looking back, I leave Otis’s police-infested driveway behind, feeling both heavier and lighter at the same time.
CHAPTER 43Alexa
Seven days gone
Fading.If Alexa Clarke had to describe herself in one word, that would be it. But if fading felt like this, then Alexa didn’t mind. Fading was far better than facing another second of the torture she had endured during her time in the white room.
Never again would Alexa Clarke look at common household items in the same naive way. Not when her time with the captor had taught her an array of different purposes they could have.
A pair of tweezers, for example, could scour skin as effectively as a blade if plunged into it hard enough. It was all about the force and depth of the cut. That ratio was something the captor had been working hard to perfect. Alexa’s smooth skin had been optimal for their experiments.
The belt of a dressing-gown might help keep the cold at bay, but it was also an excellent tool to choke someone with. Twice the captor had wrapped a flannelette cord around Alexa’s neck. Twice they had strangled her to the point she passed out.
In fact, every time the captor entered the white room, they brought a new object with them. They would hold it in the air toshow Alexa what it usually does. Then, once the innocent function was demonstrated, the captor would show Alexa their version of how best to use it. Each time, a polaroid was taken to document the occasion.
Everyday innocent items, taking on the role of something else entirely when in the captor’s hands.
Alexa Clarke, waiting for the moment her body finally surrendered completely.
A moment that was creeping closer.
A moment she hoped would hurry up.
As someone shuffled about downstairs, Alexa wondered if that meant the captor was preparing to come into the room again. She wanted to care about what they were going to do next time, but she couldn’t. There was nothing left inside her to give to those worries. No spirit, no fight, no hope. The captor had taken it all.
Fading. Yes, Alexa Clarke was fading. Fading into the darkness of sleep, where no pain and sadness could ever touch her again.
CHAPTER 44
I keep my head low as I duck under the police tape and head towards my car, but I should know better than to think that would stop me from being recognised.
‘Janine, wait!’
Sonya’s shouting hurries me along Maple Crescent, but she jogs to catch up with me.