Chapter 32

Daisy is standing in the doorway in my dressing gown, looking drained. On her feet are my black and white animal print faux fur cross slippers. In my haste to get here earlier, I didn't notice her wearing them. I don't remember lending them to her. I usually keep them in the bathroom. But now is not the time to question Daisy about a pair of slippers, not when I've got more pressing things on my mind, like how long was she standing there and how much did she hear?

‘Get rid of what?' Daisy repeats. A strand of red hair escapes from her messy bun and hangs loosely on the side of her face. I watch as she steps into the hallway, almost as if a slow-motion dial has been pushed. Stripped of make-up, Daisy's skin is pale but she's still stunning. I tear my eyes away from her seductive beauty as Linda's voice bellows in my ears – Does she look at Tom with those do you want to fuck me eyes?

‘Yes, um…' I begin, pushing Linda's voice out of my head, ‘we need to get rid of…'

‘We need to get rid of an old bicycle of mine that Zelda has been storing in the garage for me,' Linda interrupts, saving the day. ‘Zelda's landlord wants it gone.'

Daisy doesn't look convinced. ‘But I heard you say it's illegal.' She touches the ruby that's set in her gold crucifix, pasted against her smooth, glowing skin. ‘Is it stolen?'

Linda chews the inside of her lip, throwing me a worried glance. ‘Stolen? Don't be silly.' Linda snorts, eyes sliding back to Daisy. ‘Bella suggested dumping it, but we can't. Fly-tipping carries a hefty fine and…'

‘Oh, my God.' Our heads swivel towards Zelda, who is rifling through her handbag. ‘My debit card is missing. Frank must've taken it.' Is this true, or is she playing Daisy? I study my sister's face, but it's unreadable. ‘Come on, we've got to find him,' she urges, shouldering her bag as we gape at her. ‘He knows my PIN. We can worry about your bicycle later, Linda.'

‘Jesus, what a shit,' Daisy says, annoyed. ‘Come on. My car's outside.' Daisy gathers herself to leave with motions of urgency, and then she freezes, ‘Oh, wait.' She touches Zelda's arm. ‘You'll need to report the card missing. Ask your bank to suspend it, just in case.'

‘That's a point.' Zelda's hand shoots to her forehead, eyes on me. Her card isn't missing. She's lying. But Daisy is sharp as a whip. We're going to have to be very careful around her. ‘I should, shouldn't I?'

‘Good thinking, Daisy,' I interject. ‘Ring your bank now, Zelda.'

‘But aren't we –'

‘You two stay here,' I say to Linda and Zelda, ‘in case Frank comes back. Lock yourselves in and call me if anything happens. I'll go and look for him with Daisy.'

‘Maybe I should go with Daisy,' Linda offers, ‘someone will have to confront him and you two look like you're on the game in those negligees. The last thing you want to do is get arrested for soliciting kerb crawlers.' Daisy and I exchange glances, a small smirk on her full, pink lips. Is she wearing lip-gloss? Surely not.

‘Just stay here, please, Linda,' I say firmly, tying the belt of Tom's dressing gown around me tightly. ‘I've got this.' I sniff the air. ‘Is that bleach?' I ask, hoping they'll take the hint and clean the place up, get rid of any traces of blood. ‘Or gas?'

Daisy takes a lungful of air, curling a loose strand of hair behind her ear as if it'll intensify her smelling senses. ‘I can't smell anything.'

Linda, taking the bait, says, ‘I can smell it too. A slight whiff.'

‘Relax,' Zelda breathes. ‘I bleached the kitchen floor earlier.' My sister's getting good at this. ‘Phone me if there's any news, Bella.'

I tell her that I will as I usher a very whiny Daisy through the front door – she can smell something now – a hint of gas – they must call out an emergency plumber, google one now – the house might blow up. Over my shoulder, I tell the girls to make sure it's not a gas leak, just to keep Daisy happy.

Closing the door behind me, I make my way along the path, Daisy in my wake, and just then I swear I see a flash of Mrs Anderson in her green Mini Cooper, crawling outside Zelda's flat before accelerating into the darkness.