34 Days: A gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist

by Anita Waller

  Anna wandered around her new home, making notes of things she needed. The main item was the sofa bed; if Mark and Jenny wanted to come for a few days, she would need somewhere for the children to sleep. Adam could sleep on the sofa bed, and Grace could sleep in with her, leaving the middle bedroom for Jenny and Mark.

  The time was definitely not right to bring Michael into the equation. She actually wondered if it would ever be right to bring him into it; he had a beautiful detached home in Lincoln, and she doubted he would want to move to Sheffield and leave that behind.

  The weather was turning cooler now, and Anna put on a jacket before heading for John Lewis to look at sofa beds. She found one almost straight away, with deep blue upholstery; she would decorate the room around this colour. She paid for it and organised a delivery time, then walked back down towards home.

  Her life was good.

  Anna was an accomplice to murder. It was like a thud on the back of her head as the thought hit her. The sudden shock recurrence of the thought overwhelmed her, and she sat on one of the stone seats in Fargate. Her hands were trembling, and she felt hot, almost ill.

  Anna stayed where she was for ten minutes and then stood. She went to a nearby coffee shop and ordered a black coffee. Drinking it calmed her down somewhat, and when her mobile phone rang out, she answered it quickly. Caroline was reporting in, checking that everything was okay in Sheffield, and to confirm her mum was happy.

  ‘Are you happy?’ was Anna’s response.

  ‘Very.’

  ‘How is your little apartment?’

  ‘Little. I love it. Luc stays over occasionally, but it’s mine. And we’re happy. The relationship with its set parameters works well for us. Maybe one day, it will grow into more, but for the moment, it’s good as it is.’

  ‘And the job?’

  ‘Fab. I’m so glad I said yes to it.’

  ‘Well, that’s three of us settled into new homes! I just need your brother to return from foreign parts, and I’ll be complete,’ she said with a laugh.

  ‘Huh. That’s not going to happen is it? Would you leave Florida for England?’

  ‘No, I wouldn’t.’

  They ended the conversation, and Anna felt better. She continued her walk back down to her new home, and after taking off her jacket, laid down on the sofa. She woke two hours later, and it was as if nothing had happened to upset her. But, she needed Michael.

  Within ten minutes of Anna’s phone call to him, Michael had packed a small holdall and set off for Sheffield. He was getting used to the journey now and found it to be quite a pleasant one. He sang along to the radio, and the journey time seemed shorter than normal. He needed to be with her.

  That night, the talk turned to the future. Anna said that maybe in two years’ time they could formalise their relationship, but until then, they couldn’t. As she pointed out, the police didn’t know she had walked out on Ray for good, and it would drag Michael into the equation as a possible suspect, if they revealed they were now together.

  He looked serious. ‘Anna, you know I’ve always loved you, don’t you? Since the first day you arrived with your yellow Marigolds and your hair tied up in a ponytail, I’ve loved you. Give me hope.’

  ‘Hope? What do you mean?’

  ‘I want to marry you. I want to live out what remains of my life with you. Will you marry me, Anna?’

  She laughed. ‘You need to ask? Of course I’ll marry you. In two and a half years.’

  He groaned. ‘So long. That’s going to test my patience. Why can’t we marry now and keep us hidden?’

  ‘Because you know that wouldn’t work. And why is it so important to be married? I love you, surely that’s enough.’

  ‘No, it’s not enough. Body and soul I want you, Anna Carbrook. It’s time you became Anna Groves.’

  She stood. ‘If you’re going to make daft suggestions, Michael Groves, I’m going to make us a cup of tea.’

  He grinned at her. ‘I never make daft suggestions, Anna. I’m always deadly serious. Just think about it, that’s all I ask.’

  Chapter 39

  Jenny felt worried. She was sure Anna was hiding something, and whatever it was could potentially bring the whole sorry mess collapsing around everyone’s ears.

  For the first time, she began to wonder if Anna had left Ray for a reason different to the one she had allowed to leak out of her. Had she had another man in the background? She had certainly been adamant she wouldn’t return to Ray. Had she played right into Anna’s hands by killing off the man she had just left?

  There had been no indication of anyone else in her life, not at any point, until very recently. It just seemed strange her return to Sheffield after being in Lincoln never really happened on the same day.

  Staring out of the window, Jenny tried to come up with answers. Only one seemed feasible. Next time Anna came over, she would give her two hours to get back home and then ring her landline. If there was no answer, she would ring her mobile and see if she said she was at home. The pattern so far had been Anna said she was home, so Jenny decided the following day she would go straight to Sheffield after dropping the children at their schools, on the pretext of a sudden whim for a shopping trip to Meadowhall. She could also take the photographs they had found in the office; photographs of an earlier time in Anna’s life.

  She now had the key and entry code to get in. She would first press the button for Anna’s apartment, and if there was no response, she would let herself in. And wait.

  *****

  Jenny had no option but to park her car in the car park. She parked it beside a huge 4 x 4 vehicle, blessing the day she’d bought a small car. It was pretty much hidden by the behemoth beside it.

  She walked quickly across to the door and pressed for Anna’s apartment; there was no response. She pressed again and waited.

  She keyed in the code sent her by her mother-in-law and heard the satisfying sound as the door clicked to allow her entry. She hefted the cardboard box of photographs she was carrying, so they were a little more comfortable, and moved into the vestibule.

  The lift was already on the ground floor, and within seconds she was outside Anna’s door. She double-checked in her mobile phone for the burglar alarm code and inserted her key.

  Jenny’s relief was palpable as she handled everything without difficulty; she put the cardboard box down by the side of the sofa, made herself a drink, and sat down to wait for Anna’s return.

  Thirty-five minutes later, Jenny heard a key in the door. Anna looked startled as she spotted Jenny stand to move towards her.

  ‘Jenny? Is something wrong?’

  ‘No, I fancied a day shopping, spur of the minute. I was going to go on my own, but then decided to come here first. I let myself in, hope you don’t mind.’

  ‘Not at all. Meadowhall?’

  ‘That would be good.’

  ‘Right, just give me five minutes to put flat shoes on and change into trousers, and I’ll be with you. I’ve just been for breakfast.’ Anna was thinking on her feet. She moved into her bedroom and called to Jenny to make her a quick cup of tea, and she pulled out her mobile phone. She texted the word, Stop, and sent it to Michael. She quickly pressed the silent switch and waited until he returned the text with, OK.

  Anna exhaled slowly. Problem averted.

  She changed her clothes and shoes quickly, then went back to Jenny. ‘We’d better take both cars, then you can shoot straight off for the children whenever you need to. This is good. A surprise shopping trip!’

  ‘That’s what I thought,’ Jenny agreed. ‘The children commandeer you when you come over, so I thought it would be nice to spend time together, just us. I miss you, Anna.’

  Anna took a sip of her tea and carried it to the kitchen area. ‘Come on, I don’t need this. We’ll get a coffee when we get there. Let’s go spend.’

  They went to the lift, and as they were descending, Anna took out her purse.

  ‘Damn,’ she said. ‘I’ve not got
my credit card with me.’

  The lift halted, and the doors opened. Jenny stepped out.

  ‘’You go to your car, Jenny. I’ll nip back up and get it. I can’t possibly go to Meadowhall without a credit card!’ Anna laughed.

  She pressed the button for her floor, and the doors began to close. She took out her phone and rapidly texted Michael to tell him to come to her apartment and let himself in; Jenny wouldn’t be back. She would be back mid-afternoon, and Jenny would be on her way to Lincoln.

  He texted back Ok, have a good time, and she released the lift doors she was holding back, pressing the button for the bottom floor.

  Jenny sat in her car and watched for Anna coming out of the door. She stood on the step and looked around puzzled; Jenny got out of her car and waved. So Anna hadn’t known she was here...

  Anna acknowledged where she was and went to her own car. This day was proving to be a little bit different to the day she had planned, but she enjoyed a good shopping trip.

  Jenny set off for Lincoln just after 1.30pm, none the wiser. They had enjoyed a lovely day, bought new clothes, new cushions, new curtains, and Jenny paid for lunch at one of the Italian restaurants in Meadowhall.

  They talked about everything under the sun, but Anna spoke only of a solitary life. She said she was happy, happier than she had been for many years, but confessed she was struggling to come to terms with Ray’s death.

  ‘I’m not,’ Jenny said. ‘Did he care about me when he pushed me down on to that floor and dragged that towel off me? He was a brute, Anna, an absolute brute. And he knew I would do nothing about it. He was wrong about that, wasn’t he?’

  The waiter came over with their bill, and Anna reached across to touch Jenny’s hand. ‘Sssh, waiter approaching with a demand for money.’

  ‘My treat,’ Jenny said.

  They walked back to their cars together, and Anna kissed Jenny. She watched as she pulled out of her parking space then waved before getting into her own car.

  She then took out her mobile phone and rang Michael.

  ‘Hi, I’m on my way home. It’s been good, but I’m not sure why she came.’

  ‘Maybe it was to drop this box of photographs off, Anna.’ He sounded strange. ‘Photographs. In a cardboard box, by the side of the sofa. Photos of you and your family.’

  Anna went cold. ‘I’ll be home in about quarter of an hour,’ she said. ‘Love you.’

  ‘Love you,’ he replied and disconnected.

  She drove home at some speed.

  Chapter 40

  There was a photograph frame on the middle of the coffee table. It held a picture of Mark and Tim on their eighteenth birthday. There was no denying they were twins.

  There was also no denying their parentage.

  Michael stood and walked across to her, pulling her towards him. He kissed her gently and then said, ‘We need to talk.’

  He led her to the sofa, and she sat down. She stared at the photograph and knew what he was seeing.

  ‘They are my boys, aren’t they?’

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘Anna! It doesn’t need a bloody DNA test to prove it to me!’

  ‘Until recently, I didn’t know for sure...’ Anna stopped talking, suddenly aware of where the conversation was leading. She couldn’t tell him about the DNA test activated by Jenny; it wouldn’t take a genius to put two and two together.

  ‘And why do you know for sure now?’

  She hesitated. Thin ground here. ‘I walked into your arms in that cafe in Newark after all these years, and I saw how like you they are, and how totally unlike Ray they were.’ She hoped she’d got away with it.

  ‘Anna, I would have wanted to be part of their lives. You know I would.’

  ‘You couldn’t be, Michael. We both had responsibilities. And they can’t know now, not when they’ve lost the man who brought them up, believing he was their father.’

  ‘Anna, the first time they meet me, they’ll know.’

  ‘No! They won’t. They don’t need to know I’ve known you for all these years. I can tell them I met you in a café or something...’ Her voice trailed miserably away.

  ‘Anna,’ he said gently. ‘They’re my boys. You seem to be forgetting I might want to get to know my sons better, to be part of their lives. Knowing this changes everything. Can’t you see that?’

  She nodded, defeated. ‘I can, but I don’t know how to handle it. What on Earth do we do about this? If we tell them, if I introduce you to them, they’re going to think... oh, I don’t know, I paid to have Ray bumped off so I could have you and have Ray’s money. It would all make sense.’

  He looked at her with one eyebrow raised. ‘You didn’t, did you?’

  ‘See! That’s exactly what I mean! And, no, I didn’t. If I’d wanted him dead, I’d have done it myself.’

  Michael pulled Anna into his arms; she was close to tears. ‘Hey, come on, we’ll work something out. I’m not sure what yet, but we will. Now, tell me about my sons.’

  Anna began to talk, slowly at first, about their early years. Mark had been the studious one, Tim had been a devil-may-care child, who tolerated school because he had to, not because he enjoyed learning. Mark was the one for that.

  She told him about the day Tim had told them he was gay, introducing Steve as his partner. She didn’t mention the beating she had taken; Michael knew nothing of this side of her life, and she could see no reason why he should.

  She spoke of Mark meeting Jenny, and talked of her love for Adam and Grace. Again, there were complications in that Grace was his granddaughter, but Adam was Ray’s son. She wondered if she would ever be able to tell him the truth, this man she was learning to love. And to trust.

  ‘Mark was with me on Crimewatch. Didn’t you see the similarity there?’

  He shook his head. ‘I couldn’t watch it. I couldn’t bear to see you upset and not be there for you, so I deliberately didn’t watch it. I wish now that I had; I would have seen what sort of young man he had become.’

  Anna laughed. ‘You don’t need to worry about either of them. They’re both happy, and I think Mark has really found his niche now he’s taken over the business; I always felt he was like a fish out of water before, working for the sake of working, but he’s now hands on, learning skills from the lads we employ, and hopefully increasing profits as well. Tim works in IT – don’t ask me to tell you what he does, because I really don’t know, but whatever it is, both he and Steve work together. I understand it’s their own company, and they employ a fair number of people, but that’s as much as I know. They live in Florida, unfortunately.’

  ‘You’d rather he was here?’

  She sighed. ‘Yes, he was mine, and Mark was Ray’s. I miss him so much. And he was on my side from the beginning of all of this...’

  Michael looked puzzled. ‘Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything, Anna? What don’t I know?’

  ‘If there’s anything you don’t know, it’s only because I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Maybe one day – but it doesn’t affect us in any way.’ Anna felt sick inside. Being arrested as an accomplice to murder might affect them just a little bit.

  Michael inclined his head. ‘I’ll have to accept that, I suppose. You will tell me before we marry, though? No secrets after that?’

  She smiled. ‘Yes. I’ll tell you before we marry.’

  ‘Good. We’ll be married in, oh...four weeks?’

  ‘It’ll take Lissy longer than that to make my wedding dress. And what I’ll tell her it’s for, I have no idea. If we got married in four weeks, we’d have to live a life of lies, and you’ve just said you don’t want that. I cannot tell my children I’ve remarried this quickly. I can’t.’

  ‘Then let’s put our thinking caps on and work something out. I don’t want to be without you, Anna. I’m sure Erin will welcome you with open arms.’

  ‘Tell me about her. She’s very attractive.’ She had seen photographs of Erin all over his home.


  ‘Well, she’s grown up somewhat from when you last saw her. She’s 39, was married so her surname is now Jameson, but she divorced him. He hit her, once. That was enough. She’s a pretty strong-minded woman, and she wasn’t going to give him the chance to do it again. She’s never taken up with anyone else that I know of, but, hey, I’m just her father. She’s a sales administrator in charge of a team, and loves it. She lives and works in Newark, so I see her fairly regularly when she’s not travelling around the world to some convention or another. She looks very much like Patricia, nothing like me.’

  ‘So, no grandchildren then?’

  ‘Yes, I have two. Adam and Grace,’ he answered with a smile.

  Anna pulled the box of photographs towards her. ‘Did you see their pictures in here?’

  ‘No.’ He looked puzzled. ‘I didn’t look. It’s private to you.’

  ‘Then how...?’ She waved her hand at the frame still standing on the coffee table.

  ‘It’s an open box, and that was the top picture. I sat down and saw it. It was like looking at a picture of me in my younger days. It’s the only one I’ve looked at.’

  Anna delved further down and found her favourite one of the children. She showed it to him, and he smiled. ‘Grace looks like you. Adam doesn’t. Is he like Ray?’

  ‘Yes.’ Her reply was stilted.

  He felt he’d touched on an open wound, so said nothing further. She would tell him one day. Her life, it seemed, had been complicated.

  Her phone vibrated then rang, and she saw it was Jenny calling. She placed a finger on his lips and answered it.

  ‘Hi, Jenny. You home safe?’

  ‘Yes. And I was in plenty of time for the children. I just wanted to thank you for a lovely day. We must do it again. Next time, I’ll give you advance warning,’ she chuckled. ‘Oh, and the kids are delighted with the stuff you’ve bought them. Grace thinks it’s wonderful to have an adult colouring book.’

  ‘They’re very welcome. It’s lovely to be able to spoil them. It’s what Nans do, you know. See you soon, Jenny. Love you.’ She disconnected. ‘She’s safe.’