Page 76 of You Are Mine

What had happened? It was the shock of seeing the note, of seeing her photo, of the words: Missing Bitch.

The tone was so aggressive, so nasty, and she had suddenly become aware that this was serious. It was not random, not a prank. That had been obvious for a while, but she had told herself it would be OK. Now, though – along with the note from the fridge – it was escalating.

It was turning nasty, and she still had no idea why.

Have You Seen It?

Ryan sat next to her on the couch, his arms around her. He had arrived to pick her up, and after Tanya had left he had helped her to her feet and guided her to the car. Mary felt like an old woman, unsteady and infirm, and had started to cry.

What happened?

She showed him the note. She could see he was trying not to react so as not to disturb her, but, for a moment, his eyes widened and he was unable to hide the alarm the note caused.

Hmm, he said. That’s a step up.

They drove home in silence. Mary didn’t want to talk; she just wanted to get back. When they’d arrived, she’d gone to the couch and gestured for him to join her.

‘So,’ he said, after a few minutes. ‘What do we do?’

‘I don’t know,’ Mary said. ‘I don’t know what we can do. We don’t know what’s going on. We don’t know what this person’ – she nodded at her bag, which contained the note – ‘wants. Or what they’re planning.’ A sob caught in her throat. ‘I don’t know why me.’

‘Well, we do know now that this isn’t random,’ Ryan said. ‘So if it’s you, there has to be a reason. And if there’s a reason, it has to be someone who knows you.’ He paused. ‘Which brings us to Carl.’

‘Or Trent,’ Mary said.

‘Trent?’

‘He’s always’ – she made air quotes – ‘bumping into me. And he asked me if I wanted to go out for coffee—’

‘He what?’

‘Earlier. I was having lunch with Rona, and after she left – that’s another story – he stopped by my table and suggested we have coffee.’

‘What a creep.’

‘I said I was married and he acted all offended. And then, a few hours later I find the note.’

‘What about the other stuff ?’

‘I don’t know. But there’s something about him that’s off-putting.’

‘OK, so maybe him. But I still think Carl is the most likely.’

Mary nodded. She couldn’t imagine Carl doing this, but it made a kind of sense. It didn’t make much, but at least it somehow held together: he was in love with her from their high-school days, still angry that they had broken up, and he wanted to unsettle her, drive a wedge between her and Ryan so he could step into the breach. He was smart and had means and was here.

That was the part that added up. What didn’t was what he thought would actually happen when she found out it was him.

‘If it is him,’ she said. ‘He’s not going to get what he wants. Whatever his grand plan is, when he reveals it I’m going to have nothing to do with him, ever again. He must know that. So why do it?’

Ryan shrugged. ‘Maybe that’s a chance he’s prepared to take.’

‘I don’t know. What if it’s not him? What if it’s someone who just wants to mess with me? Someone who hates me.’

‘Who?’ Ryan said. ‘No one hates you.’

She didn’t think there was anyone who did, but who knew for sure? Maybe she had upset a client, or maybe there was someone who harboured a deep resentment of her, a resentment she knew nothing about.

‘I hate this,’ she said. ‘I feel powerless. It’s like all of a sudden there’s this giant, well-planned thing out there. I have no idea what it is and I’m wholly unprepared to do anything about it. It’s like an army has showed up outside some medieval city and the city is undefended. No matter what they do it’s too late.’