One Mistake: A totally unputdownable gripping psychological thriller

by Rona Halsall

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, before she could think about it any more, a tacit acceptance of his offer.

  He gave her a smile. ‘Here’s the deal. I’ll pay back what you stole.’ The word ‘stole’ loomed large in her mind, and she understood then that whatever the deal was, she’d readily accept. ‘You can pay me back as and when you have the money.’

  She chewed at her lip, unable to believe she’d got away with her misdemeanour quite so easily.

  ‘And in the meantime, while you’re in my debt, you can do me a little favour.’

  Chapter Eleven

  Sara couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, couldn’t do anything but stare at James, who still had that gentle smile on his face. Then he laughed. ‘Don’t look so worried. It won’t be anything horrible. It gets you out of trouble and it helps me out too.’

  A favour?

  She swallowed, her voice wavering. ‘I’ve no idea what you’re suggesting.’ It doesn’t matter. Do anything, whatever it takes, a voice in her head was shouting at her. It sounded like her mother. He’s letting you off! You’ve escaped.

  She remembered whispered conversations in the kitchen at home, when she’d been back there with her mum: ‘Sometimes you’ve got to do unsavoury things. Just grin and bear it if it helps you get through another day or week.’ Her mother was pragmatic, a woman whose dreams had come to nothing and had learnt that life had a seedy underbelly when you ran out of money and had two kids to look after. She’d drifted from man to man, becoming a hollow shell of the cheerful mum Sara liked to remember, the essence of her more faded every time her daughters were allowed to see her. Until the day she overdosed. Accidental or intentional, it was never clear, but Sara hoped she was finally at peace.

  Now Sara was older, with her own family, she understood what a struggle life had been for her mum. Yes, she’d made bad choices, but at the time she’d made them, she’d been doing her best.

  I’ve got to do what’s right for my family, and going to prison isn’t an option.

  She looked at James and steeled herself. His eyes were very blue, she noticed, with a navy ring round the edge, the first time it had really registered with her. Kind eyes, she thought.

  He’s doing me a favour, she reassured herself. Getting me out of trouble. Being nice. But then a more unsettling thought wormed its way into her head. Does he want sex? Is that what he means? She could feel herself squirming inside, a nest of snakes in the pit of her belly. I can’t. I can’t do that. Apart from the fact the idea of it appalled her, it would be the end of her marriage if Matt found out.

  James laughed, his eyes sparkling with amusement. ‘You look like you think I’m going to eat you alive. I’m not proposing anything illegal or immoral. I just need an occasional companion.’ He folded his arms across his chest. ‘Nothing romantic, I promise. It’s just embarrassing turning up to business events on my own, and to be honest, it would be nice to have some company. Dad can’t do these things any more, so I need someone who can help me sweet-talk people into giving me good deals. Suppliers, buyers, clubs. That sort of thing.’

  Her body sagged with relief and she leant back in her chair, head spinning. She tried to smooth her panic into some semblance of calm. It didn’t sound onerous, what he was suggesting. Her hands gripped each other more tightly as she thought it through. I can wangle the odd night out without Matt knowing. Doesn’t sound too bad, does it? The voice in her head made it sound like the logical thing to do.

  She nodded, glanced up at him. ‘Okay.’

  He put out his hand and they shook on the deal, his clasp firm, his palm dry against her sweaty skin.

  There, I’ve done it. Whatever happens, it’ll be worth it.

  And the truth was, she believed it.

  Her giving Matt the money had energised him, and he’d set about organising his new business with a focus and commitment she hadn’t known he possessed. In fact, in the last couple of weeks, she’d hardly seen him. As soon as she came home, they’d eat and then he’d head off into his office and work all evening, having had to pick up Ezra from nursery and look after him for the afternoon. The pattern of their life was like a game of tag, but he was happy and that was the important thing, their argument a thing of the past while he was focused on their future.

  He won’t even notice if I go out for the evening, she thought, as she scurried out of the office on the pretext of making coffee while she let the ramifications percolate through her mind. Hailey would be happy to come and keep an eye on the kids for a few hours, and she made a mental note to ring her, prime her for babysitting duties. Shall I tell her? she wondered as she spooned coffee into cups and filled them from the water heater. No, she decided, shocked that she’d even considered it. No way could she tell her sister what she’d done. She could hear her now, shouting at her, disgust in her voice. ‘Have you learned nothing from our childhood? From what Mum went through?’

  It appeared that in some ways she hadn’t. In fact, she could understand why her mum had made some of the decisions that had led her into trouble, always trying to do what was best for her children, even if it was illegal, or had horrible consequences. She’d done it for them, and although it had backfired on more than one occasion, she’d always felt the risk was worth taking. Or maybe she’d found herself backed into a corner and her choices had narrowed down to one? Her mum used to say she was the unluckiest person on earth. Hailey thought she was reckless, lacking something in her make-up that alerted her to unacceptable risk. She and Sara had talked about it many a time, promising each other they wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

  It’s not the same, Sara told herself as she stirred milk into the steaming coffee. I’m just doing a lonely guy a favour, that’s all. She replayed James’s words in her mind and nodded to herself. A couple of nights out at business dos. No harm in that, and it was certainly better than the alternative. It’s only temporary, she reminded herself, until I can pay him back.

  By the time she returned to the office, James’s offer didn’t sound too bad. The occasional night out might even be quite nice, mixing with movers and shakers. It would lift her out of her humdrum existence, and James could be quite funny, so spending a bit of time with him might not be such a terrible thing. It wasn’t like a blind date or anything; wouldn’t be awkward in that way. And if she’d read it wrong and he started making moves on her, then she’d tell him the deal was off and accept the consequences.

  She pushed the office door open with her bottom and swung into the room. That’s it. Set boundaries and make sure he knows what they are.

  He glanced up when she put his mug on the desk, and she drew herself up to her full height. ‘Right, I’ve been thinking about your deal. I can manage the odd night out, and I’m fine about helping you with your family business, but I need plenty of notice so I can arrange babysitting.’

  He pursed his lips, looked puzzled. ‘Aren’t the girls old enough to babysit?’

  She gave a wry smile. ‘Oh yes. Technically they are. But Ezra won’t let them put him to bed. He makes a right fuss. We’ve had to come home from nights out a few times, and in the end we stopped trying. Then we discovered that he doesn’t object to my sister, Hailey, because apparently she smells like me and she sounds like me and she reads stories just like me. And that,’ she said with a smile in her voice, as she thought about her little boy, ‘makes it all okay.’

  James laughed. ‘Kids. They’re all so different, aren’t they?’

  ‘They are that. You’ve never said, but… have you got children?’ There was so much she didn’t know about James; their conversations were generally about work-related things.

  He looked down at the desk. ‘I do. I have a daughter. But I don’t see her because her mother…’ He stopped and picked up his mug, took a sip and put it back down.

  Sara blushed, embarrassed that she’d asked, making a mental note to avoid talking about families when they went out. Boundaries, she reminded herself. Tell him about boundaries.

/>   She cleared her throat. His eyes met hers. ‘I just… I need to make it clear that nothing romantic is involved in this agreement. I love my husband, we’re very happy together and I’m not going to do anything to put our relationship in danger.’

  He looked slightly horrified. ‘Of course, of course,’ he spluttered. ‘Please, don’t worry about that. This really is all above board, although I understand that your husband might not be too happy about you spending evenings with another man. I can assure you, though, that any events I invite you to will be out of town, not local.’

  Events, she registered. Plural. More than one. And she wondered just how many times she would have to accompany him before she could find the money to repay the debt. Realistically, it could take a while for her to get nine thousand pounds together, and in the meantime…

  ‘Right,’ she said, in an over-bright voice as she headed for the door. ‘Things to do. The U3A group will be here for armchair aerobics any minute, and I haven’t sorted out the room yet.’

  Chapter Twelve

  Sara arrived home to find Hailey building a Lego fortress with Ezra, and Matt nowhere to be seen. She frowned. ‘I didn’t know you were coming round. Something wrong?’

  Hailey looked at her for a moment before continuing the crenellations she was putting together for the top of the walls. ‘Lovely welcome,’ she said sarcastically. ‘“Thanks for entertaining my son while my husband works” might have been more appropriate.’

  Sara cringed. ‘Christ, I’m sorry. Is that what happened? Did he call you?’

  Hailey pressed the Lego into place, then got to her feet and stretched, her spine clicking. She wriggled and massaged her lower back. ‘You get out of practice with this stuff, don’t you? Not that Cassie was ever into Lego; more of a dolls and unicorns sort of girl.’ She looked fondly at Ezra as he started putting his Power Rangers into their places in the fort. ‘I feel like I missed out.’ Finally she met Sara’s eye. ‘A cuppa would be nice if you’re putting the kettle on.’

  They went through into the kitchen, where Amelia and Sophia were doing their homework on the kitchen table. They looked up, said, ‘Hey, Mum,’ in disconcerting unison, and went back to their work.

  ‘How’s it going?’ Sara said, walking over to them and giving them each a hug and a kiss.

  The girls looked at each other. Sophia shrugged. Amelia rolled her eyes and said, ‘Maths. Jeez, it’s horrible.’

  Sophia gave a rueful smile. ‘Calculus, Mum. It’s the work of the devil.’

  Sara and Hailey laughed, neither of them having excelled in the subject.

  ‘Know what you mean.’ Sara filled the kettle. ‘I’m sorry, but I won’t be much help with that. If you’re stuck, you’ll have to ask your dad. He’s the maths expert in this house.’

  Amelia scowled. ‘Yeah, well, he’s never here to help now, is he? Too much work to do. I wish he’d never started that stupid business.’

  Sophia nodded. ‘Can’t you tell him to have a break, Mum? He just told us he won’t have time to come to football on Thursdays for a few weeks.’

  Sara’s heart went out to her girls. They had such a strong bond with their father, so strong she’d felt pangs of jealousy at times, when they got all the attention and she felt forgotten, taken for granted. Until she reminded herself that he was everything she’d ever wanted in a father; she should be happy that her girls would grow up with a stronger sense of self-worth than she’d ever had and be in a position to make good decisions when it came to relationships.

  ‘It won’t be forever,’ she said as she made the tea. ‘It’s just temporary. Anyway, I can come and watch if you’d like.’

  The girls looked at each other, an unspoken message passing between them. ‘But you don’t even like football, Mum, so what would be the point?’ Sophia said. ‘You don’t understand it, do you?’

  Sara reeled, stung by the way her suggestion had been so quickly dismissed.

  ‘I can come if you like,’ Hailey said with a grin. ‘One of my service users goes every week now, so I usually go to support her.’

  Sara turned to look at her sister, blindsided by this turn of events. It was unusual for Hailey to volunteer her time for anything, due to her unpredictable hours.

  The twins looked at each other, eyes wide. ‘Would you?’ Sophia said, clearly delighted by the idea.

  Hailey knew all about football. She’d been captain of the Ilkley women’s team until she’d ruined a ligament in her knee and couldn’t play any more. ‘Me and your mum can come together,’ Hailey said, glancing at the girls, then back at Sara, giving her a wink. ‘And we’ll train her up – educate her on the ins and outs of football – how about that?’

  The girls grinned, gave each other a fist bump. ‘That would be so cool.’ Amelia pointed at Hailey, then Sara. ‘We’re going to hold you to that, aren’t we, Soph?’

  ‘Oh yeah.’ Her sister nodded. ‘And we’ll have to teach you about post-practice rituals too, won’t we?’ Sara caught the sneaky look she flashed at Amelia. ‘Like milkshakes. That’s right, isn’t it, Milly? We always have milkshakes afterwards.’

  Amelia’s eyes widened. ‘That’s right, we do. And a McDonald’s. Have to replace all those calories we’ve used up.’

  Sara shook her head, laughing, playing along with them. ‘Seems I have a lot to learn. I’ll have to ask your dad for the details.’

  The girls glanced at each other in sudden alarm. ‘Oh, you don’t want to bother him,’ Sophia said with a dismissive wave of her hand. ‘He’s too busy doing important stuff.’

  ‘Yes, he is,’ Sara said, a note of weariness in her voice.

  The girls started packing up their books. ‘We’ll go upstairs,’ Amelia said. ‘Let you two have a gossip.’

  Hailey pretended to be appalled. ‘Gossip? We don’t gossip.’

  The girls gave her a knowing look, and Sara saw Amelia whisper something in Hailey’s ear as she walked past. ‘Thanks, Auntie Hailey,’ Sophia said. ‘And for the chat—’

  Amelia cut her off with a sharp dig in the ribs before pulling her into the hall. Sara listened to them thundering up the stairs, heard the bedroom door bang.

  She turned to Hailey, puzzled. ‘What chat would that be?’

  Hailey gave a quick shake of the head, picked up her mug of tea and went over to sit at the table. She’s stalling, Sara thought, aware that her sister was avoiding eye contact.

  ‘Oh, it was just about some kids at school playing up in class. You know, coping with a bit of bad behaviour, that sort of thing.’

  Sara wasn’t sure she believed her and made a mental note to talk to Sophia later, see if she could get to the truth. If there was anything bothering her girls, she’d sort it out herself. Her jaw clenched. She didn’t need Hailey butting in and taking over, however experienced she was with difficult kids.

  Calm down, she told herself, taking a deep breath. You’re overreacting. A bit wound-up. She blew on her tea and took a sip before going over to join her sister. It was good the girls felt comfortable talking to Hailey about things that mattered, she decided as she pulled out a chair. It doesn’t mean they think any less of me, does it? She was here, I wasn’t.

  Hailey had always been part of the family’s lives and Sara counted herself lucky to have her support – an older sister to guide her through the tribulations of parenting. She was glad that Hailey’s relationship with her nieces was so close because if anything happened to Sara, she knew her children would be in good hands. Not that Matt wasn’t a good father; it was just he didn’t see what needed to be done around the house, didn’t understand how much organising she did to make things run smoothly, and if she wasn’t there, Sara knew the household would descend into chaos in the space of a few days.

  I’m not planning on going anywhere, she thought, nerves swirling in her belly as the events of the day flooded back into her mind. The discovery and cover-up of her crime. The transfer of debt from money to the currency of favours.

  Jame
s had been true to his word and done the bank transfer straight away, showing her the internet bank account so she could be sure the money was back where it should be.

  ‘Nothing to worry about,’ he’d said with a reassuring smile that had made her palms greasy, because now she was committed to his deal. Committed to attending more than one event with him. Committed to lying to Matt at least twice.

  He hadn’t elaborated any further on how many events constituted interest on nine thousand pounds, and she hadn’t wanted to ask, because then she might have to agree to a specific number. A large number, one that would stoke her anxiety to even higher levels. Better to wait and see how it goes, she decided. There was still a chance that eagle-eyed Julia would spot the two transfers and then it would be game over for both of them. Straight to prison. She shuddered at the thought, but at least if that happened, she’d have Hailey to step in to look after the children. One less thing to worry about – her contingency plan already in place.

  Would the kids even miss me? she wondered. Or Matt? She remembered the mug of tea she’d made for her husband, still sitting on the worktop and put her own mug down, pushed her chair back. ‘I’ll just take Matt his tea,’ she said to Hailey as she stood. ‘Then he’ll know I’m home and I’ve not forgotten him.’

  She opened the back door and walked the few steps to the garage, knocked on the door and waited. No answer, but she could hear voices and wasn’t sure if he was on the phone, doing a video chat, or if there was someone in there with him. She knocked again. ‘I made you a cup of tea,’ she called, her ear to the door. The voices didn’t stop. One of them sounded like a woman.

  She listened, heard a tinkling laugh. Definitely a woman. Her scalp prickled and she knocked again, harder this time, a proper rapetty-rap-rap-rap! The voices went quiet and she tensed, remembering how annoyed he’d been the last time she’d interrupted with a drink a couple of days ago.