Nicci French: Tuesday's Gone

‘Yes. But it won’t be the same.’

‘Why?’

‘Because of Waterlow Park. Because of our night-time river walk. Because you’ve shown me how water can flow underground without drying up and disappearing. Because I know you.’

‘Yes,’ said Frieda very softly. ‘You know me.’

‘Hello!’

Sandy and Frieda both looked around. A little girl was standing next to Frieda, clutching a small bunch of daffodils with her two hands. She offered them to Frieda, stretching her arms out and standing on tiptoe. Frieda took them. ‘Thank you so much,’ she said. Even though the movement hurt her, she bent over so that her face was closer to the child’s. ‘They’re beautiful.’

‘It wasn’t your time,’ said the little girl.

‘What?’ said Frieda. ‘What do you mean?’

‘It wasn’t your time.’ The little girl frowned with concentration, as if she was standing in front of her class at school. ‘It. Wasn’t. Your. Time.’

‘What does that mean?’

She looked alarmed. Frieda thought she might run away. Sandy knelt down and spoke to her in a soft voice. ‘What’s your name?’ he said.

‘Ginny.’

‘That’s a nice name. Ginny, why did you say that?’

‘’Cause he told me to.’

‘Who?’ said Sandy.

‘The man.’

Sandy looked up at Frieda, then back at the little girl. ‘Can you point to him?’

She looked around. ‘No,’ she said.

‘What did he say?’

‘He said, “Give that woman these flowers and say …”’ She paused. ‘I forgot.’

‘Ginny!’ a voice called. ‘Ginny!’

The little girl ran back along the path to her mother.

‘Well, what was that about?’ said Sandy.

‘He’s watching me,’ said Frieda, in a voice hardly louder than a whisper.

‘Who?’

‘Dean,’ she said. ‘Dean Reeve. He’s here. He’s been here all along. I’ve felt him. It was him. I know it was.’ She turned to Sandy with a fierce expression. ‘I couldn’t have cut Beth’s throat. I couldn’t have ripped her belt off to tie it round my leg. He saved me. Dean Reeve saved my life.’

She waited for him to tell her she was paranoid, crazy, but he didn’t. ‘Why?’ he asked.

‘Because he wants to be the person who has the power to destroy me.’

‘What are we going to do?’

She shrugged. ‘What can I do?’

‘I said “we”.’

‘I know. Thank you.’

Sandy put his arms around her and she leaned against him. For a moment they didn’t speak.

‘So, shall we walk up the hill together?’

Frieda shook her head. ‘We should leave now,’ she said. ‘It’s getting dark. The day’s gone.’