One Mistake: A totally unputdownable gripping psychological thriller

by Rona Halsall

  ‘Okay, if you think it’ll help. And if Matt comes back, I’ll be ready for him. I won’t let him just come in and press a few buttons and delete everything, all right?’

  Sara’s jaw tightened. ‘Sounds like a plan.’

  James was in the Airedale General Hospital, situated in the next valley. After a quick conversation with the help desk, Sara followed the directions she’d been given through the maze of corridors. Eventually she arrived in the right place and was shown to a side ward with four beds, all of them occupied. Two of the other patients had visitors and it felt a little cramped – no privacy at all with the curtains drawn back. She hovered in the doorway, heart sinking as she realised there was going to be little opportunity for a confidential conversation. Still, she was here now, and even a snippet of information would be progress.

  James was dozing, his head bandaged, left arm in a plaster cast, lying on top of the covers. She spoke softly as she sat by the bed.

  ‘James, are you awake?’

  His eyes flicked open and he blinked a few times as if unable to believe she was real. He glanced around, clearly unsettled. ‘You can’t be here,’ he whispered.

  Sara frowned. ‘I asked at the desk and they said—’

  ‘No. No, I can’t speak to you.’ He looked… frightened.

  Sara glanced over her shoulder, but there was nobody there and the other people in the ward were more interested in their own conversations.

  She leant towards him, her voice a low murmur. ‘I’ll go in a minute. But I need to know what you were going to tell me last night.’

  He stared at her but didn’t speak, so she carried on.

  ‘I found out what Matt’s been up to and I think I understand what happened to me at the hotel. But I need to find out who’s behind it all.’ She studied his face. ‘You know, don’t you?’

  There was a wild look in his eyes, sweat beading his brow. ‘I can’t tell you anything. I can’t.’ He pressed his lips shut, clutched the blanket that covered him closer to his chest.

  ‘I think you’re involved,’ she hissed at him. ‘I think you took me to those men. It was all prearranged, wasn’t it? What was in it for you, eh? Was it money?’ Her anger was building, and she had to clasp her hands together to stop herself from slapping him.

  James leaned his head away from her, his voice an agitated stammer. ‘No, no, no… you’re wrong. I had no idea what was going on at the hotel. Honestly I didn’t.’ His face flushed red. ‘I was given the weekend tickets as a sweetener, from the network, and I wasn’t… I wasn’t going to go. But they said I’d be doing them a favour if I did and took you with me.’

  People were glancing at them, frowning, James’s body language giving out clear signals that he felt under threat.

  ‘You’ve got to go, and don’t come back,’ he said, his voice suddenly much louder.

  Sara’s cheeks burned. ‘I just want to know—’

  ‘Leave me alone!’ he shouted, and she sprang to her feet, aware that she was probably about to be thrown out.

  ‘I’m going,’ she said to the nurse who hurried to the bottom of his bed. ‘I didn’t mean to upset him.’ The nurse gave her an annoyed frown and stood to one side, following her to the main door of the ward and watching as she left.

  She drove back to her house hoping that Hailey had been freed from the office by now, her thoughts on James and his reaction. He’d been asked to take her to the hotel – it wasn’t him who was behind this. He was a pawn in the whole thing, an enabler. Had he known what was going to happen to me, and still agreed to it? Or was he telling the truth when he said he knew nothing about the arrangement?

  Still struggling to work out what she knew and what she believed to be true, she parked outside the house, behind the locksmith’s van. It was only when she got out of the car that she saw the smoke pouring out of Matt’s office.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Sara ran up the drive to where Hailey was leaning against the wall of the house, staring at the office. ‘What’s going on?’ She put a hand over her mouth and nose in an attempt to stop herself from breathing in the acrid smoke that was pouring out of the office door.

  ‘I think it’s an electrical fault or… I don’t know.’ Hailey looked dazed and definitely puzzled. ‘Is it possible Matt had it wired up to destroy the hard drive if the lock was forced?’

  She coughed, and Sara pulled her away to the back garden, the breeze taking the smoke in the other direction.

  ‘The locksmith took the old lock out and put a new one in, and we were chatting on the road by his van while I sorted out payment when I noticed the smoke. Well, it wasn’t just smoke – by that time the carpet had gone up in flames. Luckily the locksmith carries a fire extinguisher, and he charged back in there.’

  As she finished speaking, a stocky middle-aged man with a shaven head came out of the office door and walked over to them. He pulled off his sooty face mask, leaving a clean triangle on the bottom half of his face. ‘It’s all out now, but there’s a bit of damage. Better get the insurance people over to have a look. All the computer equipment is ruined, and the desks and chairs.’ He gave an apologetic shrug. ‘I’m sorry, I did what I could, but those acrylic carpets without fire retardant are lethal.’ He held out a blackened phone: Sara’s. ‘I don’t suppose this is going to work now, either.’

  Sara took it off him, the case still hot to the touch, and tried to switch it on, but the shattered screen remained blank. ‘Thank you so much,’ she said, thinking that a dead phone was the least of her worries. ‘Thank goodness you were here, or it could have been much worse.’

  The man looked embarrassed and wiped a hand across his sweaty forehead, leaving a black smear above his eyebrows. ‘Happy to help.’ He looked back towards the house. ‘Home offices can be death traps if the electrics aren’t set up properly. Overloaded sockets, all sorts of problems.’

  Sara gave a tight smile, wondering if Hailey’s theory was right. ‘Well, I really appreciate your help, and thanks for getting my sister out of there. Do we owe you anything else? Let me compensate you for—’

  ‘Nah.’ He shook his head. ‘All part of the service. Anyway, I’m going to get off and get myself cleaned up.’

  Sara looked at the house – her home – and a new determination gripped her. She smiled at the man. ‘Before you go, I wonder if you could put new locks on the house for me as well? I’ve lost my keys, you see.’ She gave him a hopeful smile. ‘Only if you’ve got time. Otherwise I’ll have to break a window or something.’ She grimaced, tucked her hands in the pockets of her joggers and looked longingly at the house. ‘My husband’s away, so I’m a bit stuck.’

  He looked at her for a moment, checked his watch. ‘I’ll just have to give my next client a call, tell them I’ve been delayed. And I’ll need proof this is actually your address.’ His eyes didn’t leave hers. ‘Don’t want to be aiding and abetting any wrongdoings, do I?’

  Sara gave a strangled laugh. ‘No, you wouldn’t want to be doing that.’ She pointed to the road. ‘My bag’s in the car, I’ll just go and get it, see if there’s anything in there.’

  She hurried away, coming back a few minutes later with a reminder for a smear test, the only document she could find in her handbag with her address on it. He glanced at it, handed it back, his eyes not meeting hers.

  ‘Sorry, but I had to ask,’ he said. ‘Okay, I’ll crack on, shouldn’t take too long. I suppose you want high-security standard?’

  Sara nodded. ‘Absolutely.’

  They watched him walk back to his van, and Hailey gave Sara’s shoulder a gentle punch. ‘Nice work, sis. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that.’

  Sara could hear her teeth grinding and stretched her jaw, massaging the aching muscles. ‘It’s as much my house as Matt’s, and now I know what he’s been doing, I don’t see why he should assume possession. I need to be here for the children. This is their home, and this is where we’re going to be.’ She took a deep breath, emot
ion swelling in her chest, threatening to choke her words. ‘He’s not coming back into my family. Not after this.’

  She looked at the office, wisps of smoke still wafting out of the door.

  ‘I suppose all the evidence has been destroyed?’

  Hailey puffed out her cheeks as she followed Sara’s gaze. ‘I don’t know. Sometimes they can get information off damaged computers. Just depends how bad it is.’ Her expression wasn’t hopeful, though, and Sara wondered if they really were getting anywhere, or whether they had already lost the battle.

  They went to assess the damage, standing in the doorway as they scanned the room. The edge of one computer screen had melted, making it look like something out of a Salvador Dali painting; the desk it was sitting on was blackened, and the hard drive standing underneath had become a deformed skeleton, a mere remnant of its former self.

  ‘I wish I understood how these things worked from a technical point of view,’ Sara said, glancing at Hailey. ‘If the hard drive is ruined, does that mean all the information stored on there has gone, or does it still exist on the internet?’

  Hailey’s fingers rubbed at her lips as she thought. ‘Don’t you think he’ll have a backup?’

  ‘Oh God, you’re right.’ Sara could hear his voice in her head, telling her about it. ‘I’m pretty sure he mentioned the Cloud.’ She looked again at the ruined office. ‘He’s just made sure there’s no physical evidence, hasn’t he? Nothing that can link him directly with the site. But it’s still there somewhere.’ She sighed, despondent. ‘When he was employed, he worked on a government project to track down criminal sites on the dark web, so he knows all their software tools and how to avoid them. We’ve got to find him and make him destroy it, because I’m not sure anyone else is going to be able to. Not quickly, anyway.’

  ‘Yeah, and how are we going to do that?’ Hailey threw up her hands, frustrated. ‘We don’t know where he’s gone, or if he’s planning on coming back. And even if he said he’d destroyed it, I wouldn’t believe him.’

  Sara wiped her hands over her face, wincing when she touched the tender spot where Matt had punched her. ‘Bloody hell, Hailey. I can’t believe he’s the same man I married.’ She leant against the wall as an unwelcome thought popped into her head, another blow to her battered self-respect.

  ‘I’m just wondering about the Matt and Fiona situation.’ She looked up at the fluffy clouds drifting across the sky before focusing on her sister again. ‘I know we’re sort of friends, but she keeps her cards close to her chest. Doesn’t give out much information about what she’s up to, while she just hoovers up all the details of what’s going on in everyone else’s life. In fact, she makes it her business to know. And she does love it when you owe her a favour. It’s like…’ She stopped talking, a sudden moment of clarity illuminating her thoughts like a searchlight. ‘Oh my God, that’s it.’

  Hailey scowled at her. ‘What’s it? What are you talking about?’

  ‘Something James said earlier. I haven’t told you, have I? He was so scared when he saw me, basically had me chased out of the ward, but not before he’d let slip that the person behind this scheme persuaded him to take me with him on the weekend because it would be doing them a favour.’ She nodded, sure she’d got it right. ‘He was scared to be seen talking to me. Which makes me think he was warned off. Whatever happened to him in the quarry, I don’t think it was an accident.’

  ‘Christ, Sara.’ Hailey ran a hand through her hair, frowning. ‘What have we got ourselves into?’

  Sara chewed on her lip as little pieces of information gathered together, starting to make a clearer picture in her mind. ‘I told you James and Fiona had an affair, didn’t I? She told me to be careful of him. Said he had “evil little ways”. But James said he was the one who dumped her, so that doesn’t make sense. I wonder… What if she’s the one with the evil little ways and he wasn’t interested in playing?’

  Hailey’s mouth opened and closed. Her face crumpled into a mask of disbelief. ‘You think Fiona’s behind all this?’

  ‘It’s possible, isn’t it?’ Really, it was the only theory they had to go on, if they’d discounted James from being involved. And the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

  ‘Well, it’s pretty twisted if she is. Especially with the video of Milly in the shower being spread around.’ Hailey pulled a disgusted face. ‘That’s just sick.’

  They stood in silence for a moment, working through the implications.

  ‘Do you think he might have gone to her?’ Sara said. ‘To Center Parcs?’

  Hailey tapped her lips with her fingers as she thought. ‘Well, it’s a good place to hide. And he could just say he’d decided to surprise the girls.’

  ‘Or he might be watching us now. Waiting for us to go so he can come home.’ Sara gave a harsh laugh. ‘Not that he’ll be able to get in.’

  ‘He’s not going to stay around here now we know what he’s been doing, is he? He’ll expect the police to be after him at the very least.’

  Sara’s thoughts clashed together like a rousing finale of cymbals as her conscience was pulled in different directions. ‘I can’t deal with this. I can’t live with myself if I think all this awful stuff is out there and it’s still going on. I just need to go to the police. Take my chances.’ She caught Hailey’s eye, unsure what her sister was thinking. ‘The whole thing about me stealing the money might not even come out. I don’t think James will say anything. He’s clearly scared to death at the moment.’

  Hailey stared at her for a moment, her voice measured when she spoke. ‘Well, if he’s worried what they might do to him if he talks, don’t you think you should start to focus on what might happen to you?’

  Sara stared at her sister, fear gripping her throat as her words sank in.

  Am I in danger too? And what about my family?

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  It took a moment for Sara to find her voice, panic whipping her words away, making her heart race.

  ‘I’ve got to get the kids. Now. I’ve got to go and get them.’ She started towards her car, but Hailey put a hand on her shoulder, hauled her back.

  ‘Hey, calm down. Let’s think this through.’

  Sara tried to tug her arm from her sister’s grasp. ‘We’ll get Ezra first. Come on. Let’s go.’

  Hailey’s grip stayed firm. ‘Better if I drive,’ she said. ‘You’re in no fit state.’

  Sara stopped struggling, realising the truth in her sister’s words. She took a deep breath – an attempt to calm herself down – while Hailey continued. ‘Let’s wait until the locksmith has finished, get the place secured, then we’ll pick Ezra up.’ She checked her watch. ‘Say you’re right and Matt is heading to Center Parcs in the Lakes. How long do you reckon it’ll take?’

  ‘No idea. Why don’t you google it?’

  ‘Whinfell Forest, is that the one?’ Hailey asked, swiping at her phone. Sara nodded, thinking about her girls, so far away from her. Have I put them at risk? She’d never forgive herself if something happened to them because of her stupidity. ‘Says here it takes two hours; let’s call it three.’ Hailey sounded reassuringly calm. ‘Google’s always a bit over-optimistic with these things.’

  Sara picked up her line of thought. ‘It must be a good hour and a half since Matt left. He won’t be there yet, if that’s where he’s going.’

  The locksmith appeared then, breaking up their conversation with a cheery ‘All done.’ He handed Sara an invoice for an eye-watering amount and she forced a smile onto her face. Small price to pay to get my house back, she decided. He handed her two sets of keys, and her smile broadened as she took back control of her family’s domain. ‘Thank you so much. I’ll do a bank transfer if that’s okay?’

  ‘No problem. That’ll do nicely.’ He hitched up his trousers. ‘I’ll be off now. Got customers waiting.’ And with that, he hurried back to his van, while Sara and Hailey went into the house.

  ‘I need a couple of painkil
lers,’ Sara said. ‘My head’s throbbing so much I can’t think straight.’

  The messy familiarity pulled at her heart as she filled a glass with water and popped a couple of tablets from the packet she kept in the cupboard, the detritus of family life reminding her of what she’d lost. It would never be the same again. But do I want it to be? The thought hit her out of nowhere, and now it had appeared, she understood that although this was the death of one phase in her life, it was the birth of another; one that might have room for her needs as well as those of her family.

  She walked over to the table, where Hailey was sitting, her phone to her ear. ‘Hi, Marian. I just wanted to make sure Ezra’s okay with you for another half-hour or so.’ Her eyes widened. ‘What do you mean? When?’ She ended the call, stared at Sara. ‘Matt picked him up. He’s got Ezra.’

  Sara gasped, and the glass she was holding fell to the floor, smashing on the tiles, pieces skittering in all directions. ‘Oh my God, no.’ She clung to the back of a chair. ‘That’s it. We’ve got to call the police. This has gone too far. I’ve got to put the safety of the kids first.’

  Hailey blew out a long breath, clearly shocked. ‘How did he know where Ezra was, though?’

  To Sara, it was obvious. ‘If we’re here together, then someone must be looking after him, and your next-door neighbour is the only person he’ll stay with, isn’t she?’

  ‘Yeah, you’re right. Wouldn’t take a genius to work that one out.’ Hailey swiped at her phone, put it to her ear, her face pale but determined. ‘Let’s just check in with the girls, shall we? See what they’re up to. Then we can give the police the full picture. Matt might get cross with Ezra, but he’s not going to hurt him. He’s safe enough.’

  Sara paced the floor, too agitated to sit down, her hands buried in her hair. ‘What if he’s going to get the girls and make a run for it? What if he and Fiona have got a contingency plan worked out?’