Page 61 of The Soulmate

AMANDA

AFTER

Max has only just got the heating going when his phone rings. He takes a seat in an armchair before answering the call.

‘Max Cameron,’ he says.

Gabe is at home, pacing the living room. Pippa is sitting on the couch watching him. Her hands are steepled in the prayer position. I wonder if she’s actually praying.

‘Max. It’s Gabe.’

Max is as impressed as I am by how quickly Gabe called, but he waits several moments before responding. It is, I assume, a strategy designed to unnerve the other man. Judging by the look on Gabe’s face, it is successful. ‘Gabe. Thank you for calling.’

‘Pippa said you wanted to talk to me.’

A number of emotions are evident in Gabe’s voice. There is the hot tone of protectiveness for his wife. Irritation that he has been put into the position of having to make a call he doesn’t want to make. Also, fear. Max holds the cards here, and Gabe knows it.

‘Pippa is correct,’ Max says. ‘I want to know what happened to Amanda.’

Gabe stops pacing. He looks through the glass sliding doors out to The Drop. ‘I assumed the police would have told you.’

‘They did.’ Max’s voice is slow and careful. ‘But it’s extraordinary what the police don’t know.’

He lets that hang there for a moment. I’d forgotten how good Max was at creating an air of tension to give himself the upper hand.

‘Look,’ Gabe says. ‘I’m really sorry about Amanda. I can’t even imagine what you are feeling. But I don’t have any information that you don’t already know.’

‘You’ll forgive me if I don’t believe you.’

‘It’s true. Honestly, it was as much of a surprise to me as it was to you that Amanda came here. I didn’t evenrecogniseher at first.’ Gabe pauses, changes tack. ‘She told me she knew what had happened between you and Pippa. She’d found a video on your computer. There was nothing I could do.’

Max rubs his temple with two fingers and drags in a breath. ‘All right,’ he says. ‘Now tell me what really happened.’

‘That is what really happened,’ Gabe says, but with a little less conviction.

‘Bullshit.’ Max’s voice is strained. Powerful, and yet threaded with something vulnerable. His chin, I notice, wobbles. ‘My wife wasn’t suicidal, Gabe. She would never have taken her own life. She knew how much suicide has taken from me already.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Gabe says.

‘Fine,’ Max says through gritted teeth. ‘I’ll take my questions to the police. I’m sure the fact that you and Amanda were previously acquainted – and that you are a former employee of mine – will be very helpful to their inquiry.’

Now Gabe is silent. It is a strangely intense war between two strangely vulnerable men. A frightening prospect given that, in my experience, vulnerable men are the most dangerous.

‘You could,’ Gabe says. ‘But you haven’t. Which makes me think you don’twantthe police to look too closely into what happened. Why might that be, Max?’

Pippa stands up, moving closer to Gabe. Her hands remain steepled. Gabe doesn’t look at her. He looks like he’s almost enjoying himself now.

‘You have no idea what I want,’ Max says coldly.

‘Then tell me,’ Gabe says. ‘You’re the one who asked me to call. What do you want?’

‘I told you: I want to know what happened tomy wife,’ Max snaps, his emotions betraying him. He stops, takes a deep breath. When he continues, his voice is more controlled: ‘But since you seem reluctant to enlighten me, let’s talk about something else . . . I know she had a USB with her – why don’t you tell me about that?’

Gabe sinks into the armchair. ‘Not much to say. The USB had the footage of you and Pippa in your office. Amanda brought it to show me because she didn’t think I’d believe her.’

Max closes his eyes. ‘Then what happened?’

Gabe rubs his forehead. ‘She was upset. She talked about how important fidelity was to her. Then . . . she jumped.’