The Sixth Window

by Rachel Abbott

  Scarlett choked back a sob. Did he mean what she thought he did? Surely there weren’t any hidden in here?

  Her eyes searched the room for any signs of a camera, and she heard a low chuckle from Lewis. She was certain now that the faint glimpse of nipple through fabric was nothing. And she didn’t have to think back far to know that she had lost all sense of her usual modesty. After the first session in the white playsuit she had stripped off to put on the next outfit, but with a strange new awareness that maybe her body was less hideous than she had always thought, she had paraded naked, posing in front of a full-length mirror, feeling safe behind the locked door.

  She hadn’t been safe at all.

  58

  Natalie had given up trying to understand why Bernie knew the address of this apartment. She could think of no possible explanation. She scrolled back through her calls to find the number of the agent who had offered it to her and tried to call him – maybe if she found out who owned the flat that might explain it. All she got was an automated voice saying the number wasn’t recognised. Perhaps the man had changed mobiles or left the company in the last week. She checked the rental agreement, but that only gave the agent’s name and address, and they weren’t local so she couldn’t pop round.

  It was eating away at the back of her mind, and she wished Scarlett would come home to distract her. She needed to keep busy, and had just gathered up the laundry and was about to switch the washing machine on when she received a text: Coming to see you. Right round the corner. Be with you in 5.

  It was Megan.

  Natalie had no idea what had made Megan decide to visit her. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to see her, but it didn’t seem like she was going to be given any choice. Megan had a way of wheedling information out of people, and if she asked a direct question Natalie was going to struggle to avoid telling the truth. She may have warned Natalie against moving in with Ed, but she was one of his best friends, and the reason Natalie had given for her abrupt departure from Ed’s house had been treated with derision.

  Megan was short and bolshie, and didn’t take any nonsense from anyone, almost as if compensating for her lack of height. Bernie had always said she was a firecracker, and Natalie could remember one time when he had come in from work, unable to stop laughing.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ she had said.

  ‘Megan. Bloody priceless. We were called out because of two idiots who were well pissed and causing no end of bother. I grabbed one of them, who was built like a prizefighter, and left Megan to the other one, who didn’t seem quite so threatening. He made some remark about how no girl was going to arrest him, particularly a short, ugly girl. Well, he didn’t actually call her a girl the second time, but I’ll leave his word choice to your imagination.’

  Natalie had turned her nose up in disgust, but she suspected this was nothing out of the ordinary for Megan.

  ‘Anyway, Megan said, “You may have a dick. You may even be a dick.” And then she pulled out her baton, flicked it to full length and waved it in the air. “But my dick’s bigger than yours, and I would bet my life on it being a damn sight harder.” Made my day.’

  ‘God, is she always like that?’ Natalie had asked.

  ‘She doesn’t take any prisoners, that’s for sure,’ Bernie said, still chuckling.

  ‘Isn’t that a bit of a drawback for a police officer?’ Natalie responded with a grin.

  They had spent the rest of the evening laughing at Megan’s other antics over the years, and at some point Ed had called round and joined in. It had been a good evening.

  She had no sooner had that thought than the bell went. It had taken Megan two minutes, not five. Natalie pressed the intercom button to open the main entrance.

  ‘Megan, what a surprise,’ she said as she opened the apartment door.

  Megan was dressed in a yellow vest and black Lycra running shorts that ended mid-thigh, revealing solid-looking knees. Despite her well-defined leg and arm muscles, Megan had a slim waist; she worked hard at keeping up her strength to compensate for her lack of height and her love of food.

  ‘It wasn’t you I was coming to see, really. I told Scarlett I’d come round on my next day off, but she’s not answering her phone. I was on my way by then, so decided to carry on.’

  ‘What did you do, run here?’ Natalie said, pointing to Megan’s outfit.

  ‘Well it’s only about fifteen miles, so I might well have done,’ she said, a smile spreading over her face. ‘No, I’m joking. I’m doing a charity fun run on Saturday, and I came straight from checking out the course.’

  ‘How did you know I was in?’

  Megan gave her a withering look. ‘Because I’m a police officer.’

  Natalie raised her eyebrows.

  ‘Okay, because I called your office with the intention of asking you where Scarlett was hiding herself.’

  ‘The answer is, I don’t know. But I can’t expect her to sit around here all day, so she’s probably gone for a mooch around the shops. Do you want a cup of tea?’

  ‘I’d rather have a beer, if you’ve got one. And then perhaps you’d like to tell me what the hell’s going on with you and Ed? And don’t give me that cock-and-bull story about him grubbing around in Bernie’s boxes. The poor man’s distraught.’

  Natalie turned away from her friend’s probing gaze and walked over to the fridge. ‘Why do you care? You didn’t want me to move in with him in the first place, if I remember correctly.’

  ‘You do, and I didn’t. But that was for no other reason than I didn’t think it was healthy to move on to someone else so soon – Ed or any other man – until you’d got your idealised image of Bernie out of your head.‘

  Natalie spun round to stare at Megan, who could always be relied on to call a spade a spade. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  ‘Oh come on, Nat. Bernie was my mate – I absolutely adored him – but he was just like the rest of us. He was fallible.’

  Natalie groped around in a drawer, trying to find a bottle opener, unable to look at Megan for a moment. Without lifting her head, she asked the question: ‘What do you mean, Megan? In what way was he fallible?’

  She heard Megan sigh. ‘Look, forget I said that. But you idolised the man, and that’s not very realistic. I also suspect it’s bloody hard to deal with – always living in fear of falling short of someone else’s expectations.’

  Natalie lifted her head and glared at Megan. ‘Are you suggesting that Bernie was unhappy with me? You are, aren’t you? What a dreadful thing to say!’

  ‘Of course he wasn’t unhappy with you. He just didn’t want you to know that sometimes he had feet of clay. Life isn’t a fairy tale, and you’ve always been a romantic who prefers to believe everything’s perfect. You hide from the truth rather than face it head-on.’

  Natalie was quiet for a moment. She wanted to shout at Megan, but given the woman’s inclination towards blunt honesty, there was one question that Natalie could ask her, and she might just get a straight answer.

  ‘Is that why he was having an affair, then?’ She looked Megan straight in the eye and was surprised when she looked away.

  ‘Who told you that?’

  ‘That’s not an answer. Come on, Megan. If anyone knows if my husband had a mistress, it would be you. He wouldn’t have told Ed, because Ed would probably have punched him in the teeth for hurting me. What do you know?’

  Natalie saw what looked like relief on Megan’s face as they both heard a key turning in the lock. Scarlett was back.

  59

  Natalie knew the minute Scarlett walked through the door that something was wrong. Her daughter’s face was even paler than usual, with two dots of high colour on her cheeks. Her eyes were pink as if she had been crying, and all thoughts of her conversation with Megan vanished.

  ‘Scarlett? What’s up, sweetheart?’ Natalie stepped towards her daughter and reached out to hug her, but Scarlett pushed her away.

  ‘Nothing’s up. Why should there
be something up?’ She glanced across at Megan and did her best to give her a big smile that fooled nobody. ‘Hi, Megan. When did you get here?’

  ‘I came to see you, kid. But you weren’t answering your phone. It’s usually glued to your right hand, so what’s the deal? Or was it just me you were ignoring?’

  Scarlett wouldn’t meet Megan’s eyes, or Natalie’s. She seemed to be fixated on the bottle of beer Natalie was passing to Megan.

  ‘Course I wasn’t ignoring you. I mustn’t have heard it, that’s all. It’s noisy in Manchester, in case you hadn’t noticed.’

  ‘Scarlett!’ Natalie was shocked. Her daughter might have moments of teenage rebellion, but she was rarely rude to anyone.

  ‘Sorry,’ she said, giving her mother a black look. ‘I could hear you arguing from outside the door so I’m obviously interrupting. I’ll go in the bedroom and leave you to it, if that’s okay.’

  Natalie watched her daughter’s back, knowing that asking her to sit down and join them wasn’t going to work. She turned to look at Megan, whose eyebrows were gathered in a frown.

  Scarlett closed the door quietly, and Natalie turned to her friend. ‘I’m sorry, Megan. Scarlett really likes you – I know that. I’ve no idea what’s got into her. I’ll give her a moment and then go and have a word with her.’

  ‘Leave her, Nat. She’s a teenager – they’re meant to be stroppy. I’ll pop in and see her before I go, but let’s change the subject. I don’t suppose these walls are that thick.’

  Natalie knew she was unlikely to get any more out of Megan. Not today, and perhaps not ever. She wouldn’t lie, but if anyone could stonewall, it was Megan. And perhaps it was better that Natalie didn’t know the truth. If she discovered that Bernie really had been having an affair she would never know why. He wasn’t here to explain himself. Maybe Megan was right and she did have an idealised vision of her husband, but that was the version she wanted to keep. She didn’t want to discover now that he wasn’t who she thought he had been.

  *

  The low hum of voices from the sitting room sounded far less heated than it had when Scarlett had arrived at the door. If she hadn’t already put her key in the lock, she would probably have retreated for an hour or two until Megan had left. And she had been rude, she knew that. But Scarlett didn’t think she could deal with anyone at the moment and had come home expecting the apartment to be empty. What the hell were the pair of them doing there anyway in the middle of the day?

  She had seriously considered admitting to her mum what an idiot she had been, but the thought of her charging over to the south wing for a screaming match with Lewis, or even worse, phoning the police to do it for her, scared Scarlett rigid. She knew that Lewis only had to press a button and the whole world would see a picture of her – naked.

  Her pride in her reflection in the mirror had disappeared in a flash, and now all she could think of was how long and white her body was, how flat her chest was, and how she would be the laughing stock of the school. She would never live it down. Had he threatened the girl yesterday too – the one she had heard through the wall?

  If there was one person who might understand about Lewis, it was Megan. She would probably go round and kick the shit out of him, as her dad had always promised to do if anyone laid a finger on her. But she couldn’t risk telling her. She would die if any of those photos were made public. There was one boy at school she had liked for a while, and he had been messaging her quite a bit since she had been in Manchester. What if he saw them? He would never look at her again.

  She lay on the bed, her hands clasped behind her head, and felt tears escaping from the sides of her eyes, leaving cold trails on her hot cheeks as they ran into her hair. What a mess.

  She didn’t know how long she had been lying there when the knock came – a soft tap – and the door opened.

  ‘Hey, kid. Are you okay?’

  Megan. Scarlett should have known she wouldn’t let things rest. Her tears had long since dried, but she knew Megan wouldn’t be fooled.

  ‘Do you want to tell me what’s up, or should I go away?’

  Scarlett sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees.

  ‘I’m okay. I’m bored, that’s all, and I’ve got too much time to think. Dad always said that was bad for the soul, and that it’s better to keep busy. But doing what?’

  ‘Well, I’ve got an idea, if it helps.’

  Scarlett looked at Megan for the first time and saw her enthusiastic smile. It reminded her that her dad sometimes used to call Megan a human dynamo.

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘I’ve just been down to the running track – it’s at a big arena where all sorts of events are held. They’re doing lots of activities for disadvantaged kids over the summer. I thought of you being at a loose end and asked if they wanted volunteers to help out. They do.’

  Scarlett didn’t know what to say. She had never done anything like it before.

  ‘Do you think I’d be any good?’ she asked.

  ‘Scarlett, some of these kids can’t walk. Others are blind. Others come from children’s homes because no bugger wants them. All you have to do is be kind to them, care about them and help them have some fun. Surely you can do that?’

  Scarlett felt a tiny flutter of excitement and relief that she might be able to get out of the flat and away from Lewis. ‘When can I start?’

  ‘I’ll talk to your mum on the way out. If you can hang on till next Monday, I’ll come with you and introduce you to a few people. I’ll set it all up before then, but that’s the first free day I’ve got. You’ll be brilliant.’

  Megan reached over and rubbed her hand roughly up and down Scarlett’s arm. She turned to leave, but Scarlett called her back.

  ‘Megan, what were you and Mum arguing about?’

  Megan stopped and turned. ‘We weren’t arguing. I annoyed her, that’s all.’

  ‘I heard her say something about a mistress. Did she tell you that Alison had been questioned?’

  Scarlett saw Megan’s face drop. ‘What’s this got to do with Alison?’

  ‘It’s my fault. I feel so bad. I never wanted Mum to know. The police said they would try to keep it from her, but Alison told her.’

  Megan came back over to the bed and sat down, resting her arm across Scarlett’s shoulders. ‘Tell me what you mean, Scarlett. Come on, kid. I’m not going to be mad at you and I won’t tell your mum. Just talk to me.’

  Scarlett dropped her chin back onto her knees. There was something so solid and reassuring about Megan. She seemed unflappable, as if nothing would shock her.

  ‘I told the police that I thought Dad was having an affair before he died. At first I thought it was Alison, but she said she could prove it wasn’t. I guess the police spoke to her because they wanted to see the proof.’

  ‘What on earth made you think your dad was having an affair at all, never mind with Alison?’ Megan asked.

  ‘I saw a text on his phone. The number was withheld, but there was stuff about love.’

  Scarlett felt Megan’s body tense and wondered if she had said something wrong.

  ‘Tell me exactly what it said and when you saw it.’

  And so Scarlett did. She told her about finding her dad’s phone, and about the argument she’d had with him the morning he died. She was sobbing now.

  ‘Shit,’ Megan whispered before reaching out her other arm to pull Scarlett into a hug.

  60

  ‘What the fuck are you doing here?’

  Lewis opened the door wide and ushered his visitor in as he spoke, leaning out to check the corridor was empty. This was not good.

  ‘I was in town, so I decided to come to find out what in God’s name you’re up to.’

  ‘And what if you’re seen?’

  ‘Oh ye of little faith. I had my excuse at the ready, don’t you worry. More to the point, why the hell are you still using the studio? What’s going on, Lewis?’

  Lewis d
idn’t know whether he should admit what had happened with Scarlett, but now it was down to damage limitation.

  ‘The girl knows.’

  ‘She what?’

  ‘She discovered the door behind the bookcase. She pinched the key to the apartment from Fat Martin when he was snoring away in his room, the stupid twat. I found her in the studio.’

  ‘Martin’s a bloody moron. What did you do?’

  ‘I did what I do to all the girls. I sucked her in and got some photos. I had to be sure she didn’t blab to her mum.’

  The gasp told Lewis that he was now in deep shit.

  ‘Jesus! She’s not like the other kids. They’re chosen because they come from dysfunctional families and they’re shit-scared of the repercussions if they talk. Scarlett might be frightened of what you’ll do, but she’s not stupid and she’s not scared of her mum.’

  ‘No, but I had her phone for a bit while she was getting changed, and there’s a boy she seems to have the hots for. If I get wind that she’s going to say anything, he might just get a pic or two. She knows I can do that. I made sure of it.’

  ‘Keep away from her, Lewis. I’m warning you – it can’t end well.’

  ‘I didn’t bloody invite her round for tea, you know. She’s a nosy little cow.’

  ‘So don’t give her any reason to come back. And whatever you do, don’t let it slip that you know whose daughter she is. There’s no way that you should have a clue who she is, so don’t fuck it up.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll protect the sacrosanct Bernie’s anonymity.’

  ‘Don’t take the piss, Lewis. And no more activity until September – you could blow the whole thing wide open.’

  Lewis was tempted to tell the truth – that he had one girl who was good to go and it would be stupid to call a halt to it now. And they needed to up their game. Photos were great, but if they wanted to catch the big fish, they needed to offer more. But he said nothing about that. Better to go on the attack.