The One You Love (Emma Holden suspense mystery trilogy)

by Paul Pilkington

  ‘I told them pretty much straight away. Well, as soon as he started turning up outside the flat. And because he’d done that kind of thing before, the police took it pretty seriously from the outset, although when they spoke to him initially it didn’t put him off because he believed it was some kind of plot by Stuart to keep me from leaving him.’

  ‘So then what?’

  ‘We got a restraining order. The courts barred him from contacting me or speaking to me. They also banned him from loitering around outside the studio, and outside my flat.’

  ‘And it worked?’

  ‘Thankfully, it did. I didn’t see him or hear from him at all after that. But by that time Stuart and I had both decided that we needed a total change of scenery, to try and put everything behind us. The whole thing had put our relationship under pressure, and I knew that I couldn’t bear to stay around Manchester. I even seriously considered quitting acting altogether because I knew that none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been on a television show. But Stuart convinced me that doing that would only let him win, so instead I decided I would try out for some stage shows – somewhere where I was more anonymous.’

  ‘And that’s why you came down to London?’

  ‘Yes. We needed a fresh start. Plus, there was always a chance that if we stayed up there I might run into Stephen on the street. I just wanted to be somewhere where I thought there was no chance of ever seeing him again. And I haven’t seen him since – it’s been four years.’

  ‘So what makes you think that he might have attacked Richard?’ Lizzy asked. ‘After all this time?’

  ‘It was something Mrs Henderson said. I think she spoke to the person who attacked Richard. And I’m pretty sure that person was Stephen Myers. Do you think I’m jumping to conclusions?’

  ‘No, I don’t.’ Lizzy sat back in the chair. ‘It sounds like it could be him. But do you think he could be capable of doing that? Was he ever violent to you before?’

  ‘No,’ Emma admitted. ‘He never did anything physical like that – but I always had the feeling that he might be capable of doing something. In his letters he certainly threatened to do things. But who knows how he might have changed in the time since I saw him last, or what mental state he’s in?’

  ‘That’s true. But why would he suddenly reappear now, after four years?’

  ‘The wedding – maybe he found out about it and wanted to wreck things.’

  ‘He could have done. But how would he have found out?’

  ‘Who knows? Maybe he never really did stop following me. What if he’s been watching me for all these years, Lizzy?’

  ‘You really think so? Wouldn’t you have noticed something?’

  ‘Maybe. I thought I saw him outside the apartment before.’

  ‘Really?’ Lizzy looked shocked.

  ‘It’s okay, it wasn’t him,’ Emma reassured her. ‘I just imagined it. But look around this place here.’ She gestured at the packed coffee house. ‘And look outside – all those people. In London you can blend in, hide, watch people. He might be following me and I’d never notice.’

  ‘This is really freaky,’ Lizzy said. ‘How much do you know about him?’

  ‘You mean his character, his age, things like that?’

  Lizzy nodded.

  ‘Quite a bit. Mostly from what he told me in the letters he sent. I know that he’s four years younger than me, and that he was still living with his parents in a town near Manchester. I even know his parents’ address, because he always put it on the letters he sent me – probably hoping that I would reply. I never did, of course.’

  ‘What about any mental illness?’

  ‘That I don’t know. But the police told me that he was supposed to be taking medication for some kind of mental disorder. And just by talking to him you could tell that something wasn’t quite right. Some of the things he used to say didn’t really make sense.’

  ‘So you’re going to tell the police?’

  ‘I already have done. I called Inspector Gasnier straight after I’d spoken with Mrs Henderson.’

  ‘And they’re going to check him out?’

  ‘They said they would look into it.’

  ‘Well, that’s good. So I guess we’ll have to wait until they speak with Stephen then.’

  ‘I’m not sure they are going to bother. The way that Gasnier sounded on the phone, I think he was just humouring me. They’re sure Dan did it, Lizzy, and they’ve got me pegged as the delusional fiancée who’s desperate to clear her future husband’s name.’

  ‘You’re a lot of things,’ Lizzy said, ‘but I don’t think you’re delusional.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Emma replied, looking down into her now empty coffee mug.

  ‘What is it?’ Lizzy asked. ‘You’re thinking of something.’

  Emma looked up. ‘Lizzy, what are you doing tomorrow?’

  ‘Why?’ Lizzy said suspiciously. ‘Emma Holden, I know that look. What are you up to?’

  ‘I want you to come with me,’ Emma said, ‘to see Stephen Myers.’

  ‘You serious?’

  ‘Totally. If I’m right about this, Dan’s life could depend on it.’

  19

  ‘Emma, I’m not sure this is such a good idea.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Emma said, glancing across at Lizzy, who was in the front passenger seat. They had been travelling up the motorway for an hour or so now, about a quarter of the way to their destination: Stephen’s parents’ house. Lizzy had taken a great deal of persuading, believing that they should let the police get on with it, but Emma had insisted she would go alone if necessary, so finally Lizzy had agreed to accompany her.

  ‘Are you sure about seeing Stephen Myers again?’ she said now. ‘I mean, from the way you were talking about it all yesterday, about moving to London just to get away from him…’

  ‘I’ll be okay,’ said Emma, passing a slow-moving lorry before drifting back into the slow lane. Early morning wasn’t the best time for travelling halfway across the country, but so far the traffic had been okay.

  ‘It’s just… I don’t know, have you thought it through? Have you actually wondered how you’ll react if you come face to face with him after all this time? If he does have something to do with what happened, confronting him could be really dangerous. And even if he doesn’t, then you risk re-igniting his interest in you. He might start following you again.’

  ‘I’ve thought about it a lot.’ Emma kept her focus on the road ahead. ‘But I’m trying not to think about it now, in case I change my mind. I’m hoping that he won’t be living at home anymore, so we can just speak with his parents.’

  ‘But he might still live there. I just wonder whether it would be sensible just to let the police get on with it, and steer clear, that’s all.’

  ‘That’s just what Will would say,’ Emma admitted.

  ‘And that’s why you didn’t tell him that we were going to do this?’

  ‘Will would have tried to convince me not to go.’

  ‘Maybe I should have tried harder,’ said Lizzy. ‘Tried to pull you back from doing something you might regret.’

  Emma glanced across at her before turning her attention back to the road. ‘Look, Lizzy, don’t feel bad. I know this seems a bit crazy, but I have to do something. I can’t just wait around, looking at my wedding box, hoping that Dan will just call or turn up and everything will be all right again. I need to take control. Even if this turns out to be nothing, then at least I’ve tried. And if that risks inviting Stephen Myers back into my life, then it’s the chance I have to take.’

  ‘Have you thought that maybe this is just what he wants?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘For you to come looking for him. Maybe that’s exactly what he wants to happen – to get you to come to him.’

  ‘I have thought about that. But I don’t think he’s that calculating.’

  ‘Okay,’ Lizzy conceded. ‘I’ll run with it, but if things start getting out
of hand – if this Stephen guy starts following you again – we’ll call the police straight away.’

  ‘Sure,’ Emma agreed.

  ***

  ‘What’s up?’ Emma said, as they ground to a halt in a sea of brake lights just after Birmingham.

  ‘Nothing, I’m okay.’ Lizzy peered out the window as spots of rain began to splatter against the windscreen. ‘Do you think it will be like this all the way to Manchester?’

  ‘What, the traffic or the rain?’

  ‘Both.’

  ‘Probably get worse.’

  ‘The traffic or the rain?’

  ‘Both,’ joked Emma, but Lizzy’s face didn’t really register the humour. ‘Lizzy,’ she said, watching her friend staring into space. ‘I can tell when you’re brooding. What’s the matter?’

  ‘It’s nothing really,’ Lizzy said, rather unconvincingly. ‘It’s just that… oh, I don’t know…’

  ‘Spit it out.’

  The car jerked forward as the traffic began to move again, albeit painfully slowly.

  ‘I’m just surprised, really,’ Lizzy said. ‘That you’ve never mentioned anything about what happened before. I mean, we’ve been friends for three years, we’ve lived together, and you never spoke about it once. Yet from what you’ve told me it was a really significant part of your life. I even remember asking you once about why you came to London, and you didn’t say anything.’

  ‘I’ve nearly mentioned it, lots of times,’ Emma said. ‘But just the idea of talking about it felt like…’

  ‘I’m sorry, Em,’ Lizzy interrupted. ‘You don’t have to talk about it. I’m being really selfish. I can’t believe I even brought it up – you don’t have to justify anything to me.’

  ‘No, I want to explain,’ Emma said. ‘To be honest, I was scared about how I might react if I spoke about it. For years I kept it buried and I just didn’t know what would happen if I started talking about it again – I was afraid of how it might affect me.’

  ‘I can understand that.’

  ‘You don’t know how many times I’ve nearly told you. There was one time when we were out shopping, last Christmas. We were walking down Oxford Street and for a moment I thought I saw him on the other side of the road, watching us. I nearly told you then.’

  ‘But it wasn’t him?’

  ‘No, it was just someone else with a camera, taking a photo of the Christmas lights. But for that moment I was really scared, Lizzy – really scared.’

  ‘That’s terrible, Em. You shouldn’t have to go through that on your own. I could have helped.’

  ‘I know. You’re helping now.’

  Thankfully the traffic eased and for half an hour they enjoyed a good run up the motorway at a constant seventy. For a time Emma lost herself listening to the radio and concentrating on the driving. But every so often the reality of what they were doing would strike again. Emma and Lizzy hadn’t spoken in twenty minutes when Lizzy finally worked up the courage to ask her question.

  ‘Emma, you said that the thing with Stephen affected your relationship with Stuart.’

  Emma nodded.

  ‘Is that why you two split up? You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. Just tell me to butt out.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ Emma said. ‘Maybe this is the time to tell you everything. It had some effect, but it wasn’t the reason we split up. I don’t think Stuart really settled in London to be honest. When we first moved down we were both really hopeful. We’d put the bad things behind us and we thought that things were going to get better from then on. At first things were going really well. Stuart got a short-term role with the BBC and I picked up a part in a stage play. But then after Stuart’s contract ended he had real trouble getting work that he wanted. He started getting depressed and just seemed to lose interest, really.’

  ‘With you?’

  ‘With everything. He didn’t bother going for auditions and started sleeping in all the time. Then after about three months of that he just said that he thought we should split up. Said it would be for the best. He left straight away.’

  ‘Was it a surprise?’

  ‘Yes,’ Emma said. ‘I knew he hadn’t been happy, and that something had definitely been troubling him, but I didn’t think it was because he was unhappy with our relationship. It was a complete shock.’

  ‘It must have been hard.’

  ‘It was. I thought we’d end up getting married. When he left it felt like I’d never meet anyone again. But shortly afterwards I met you and moved into your place, and that really helped.’

  ‘And then you met Dan.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Emma smiled regretfully. ‘And now he’s gone.’

  ‘I’m sure everything will be all right,’ Lizzy said.

  ‘I keep telling myself that,’ Emma replied, ‘but I’m not that convinced.’

  ***

  ‘We’re only about half an hour away,’ Emma announced. ‘We’ve made good time.’

  ‘Twelve o’clock,’ Lizzy said looking at the in-car clock. ‘No wonder my stomach’s rumbling.’

  ‘Maybe we should have eaten at the last services we passed, but I was just desperate to get up there as soon as possible. That way, we can get back to London at a decent time. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.’

  ‘It all seems so unimportant,’ Lizzy said, ‘under the circumstances. Maybe I should have said no, like you did to your audition.’

  ‘Don’t you dare.’

  ‘I still feel really guilty for leaving you yesterday.’

  ‘Don’t. I was fine, Lizzy.’

  ‘Still,’ Lizzy said, remaining unconvinced, ‘I felt like crap.’

  ‘I wanted you to take the role,’ Emma said. ‘I knew if I didn’t push you out of the apartment you’d never have gone. So don’t feel bad. Let’s just focus on what we’re going to do when we get to Stephen’s parents.’

  ‘Okay. So have you thought about how you’re going to do this? What are you going to say to them?’

  ‘I’m hoping that they might be able to tell us about what Stephen has been doing recently – especially if he’s been to London.’

  ‘Do you think they’ll tell us things like that?’

  ‘Not sure, but it’s worth a try. His dad seemed quite reasonable, and I think if he suspects Stephen might have done something, then he might be willing to speak with us.’

  ‘You’ve met him before?’

  ‘I’ve never met him face-to-face. But he did send me a letter once, saying that he would speak with Stephen and try and convince him to stop following me. His dad seemed like a really nice person.’

  ‘Nothing like his son then.’

  ‘No, thank goodness.’

  ‘So you’re going to tell them why you’re asking the questions? About Richard?’

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘And what if Stephen is there?’

  ‘Then I’ll ask Stephen,’ stated Emma, ‘although I’m praying that it won’t come to that.’

  ‘Surely if he has done it then he’s not going to tell us, is he?’

  ‘Probably not, but as much as I don’t like the idea, in his own deranged way he did care for me, Lizzy. I might be able to get him to tell the truth.’

  20

  ‘Still sure you want to do this?’

  ‘Not really,’ Emma said, as they both examined the terraced home of Stephen’s parents. Moss poked through the grey brickwork in places, and the windows were smeared with a layer of grime. With the colourless house, and the dreary weather, the scene was reminiscent of a washed-out oil painting.

  ‘They might not live here anymore,’ Lizzy offered.

  ‘There’s only one way to find out,’ Emma said, as she stepped towards the door. It was wooden, with green paint that was flaking as if it was suffering from a bout of eczema. She knocked and they waited. Part of her prayed that Stephen wouldn’t open the door; she didn’t know how she would react. All those sleepless nights he had caused; what if just seeing him sent her spir
alling back into the depths of despair? But another part of her wanted to face him down. To look him in those vacant eyes and ask whether he had anything to do with this.

  She waited for a few seconds, then knocked again. As she brought her hand away from the door, she noticed that she was shaking. Flakes of green paint had stuck to her fingers.

  Still there was no answer.

  ‘Maybe they’re out,’ she said, more relieved than she was willing to admit, even to herself. Travelling back into the past like this was sending shivers down her spine, and suddenly she wanted to get back in the car and return to her normal life – except she didn’t have a normal life any more, not without Dan. She glanced down the road as an old woman crossed, pulling a shopping trolley.

  ‘No,’ Lizzy said, ‘someone’s in.’

  Emma spun around. ‘Really?’

  ‘I’ve just seen someone at the top window.’

  Emma looked up at the yellowing net curtains, but saw no one. She took a step back from the door, keeping her eyes trained on the window. ‘Did you see who it was? Was it a woman or a man?’

  ‘A woman.’

  His mother, Emma thought.

  ‘Mrs Myers?’ she shouted up at the top window. ‘Can you open the door, please?’

  Before she had even finished the sentence the door creaked open. The woman who appeared reminded Emma of one of the un-dead from a zombie movie. She was wearing a shabby nightdress and her face hung like it was being pulled down by invisible weights. Emma knew straight away it was Stephen’s mother, even though she had never seen her before. It was the eyes that gave it away – she had Stephen’s vacant yet longing eyes, and the resemblance made Emma shudder. It was like looking at an older, female version of her stalker.

  ‘Emma?’ said the woman, speaking as though she’d just woken from a deep sleep.

  Her eyes burned into Emma. She nodded, taken by surprise. She had always wondered how much Stephen had told his parents about her, but she never once imagined that after all these years his mother would actually recognise her. And that recognition had been instant.