Eighteen Kisses

She opened the photo application and clicked on one photo so that it zoomed out, taking up the entire screen. It was a picture of Hazel kissing some guy.

‘Why are you showing me th-’ I suddenly recognized who it was… Matt Lawlor. Detective Sergeant Lawlor.

‘I don’t think Matt’d like his boss to see this,’ she said. ‘Or his partner, for that matter.’

Oh my god. What had he done? I couldn’t believe it. No wonder Matt had wanted me on the case. It wasn’t only my ability to communicate with the dead that he needed – he knew he’d compromised the integrity of the investigation and he needed someone untainted – like me – to finish what he had started. I thought back to how he’d seemed reluctant to commit to any further cases. He’d said, ‘We’ll see what happens.’ He must have known this might come out. He knew that this might mean the end of his career if Hazel decided to blackmail him.

‘You won’t get away with it,’ I said.

‘The case has been jeopardized,’ said Hazel. ‘I’m sure the police will agree to step back on the condition that I keep this under wraps.’

‘No. Detective Sergeant Lawlor -’ I stopped. I didn’t want Hazel knowing Matt was probably prepared to sacrifice himself for the good of this investigation. I needed her to think she was going to get away with it.

‘If this gets out, the case is jeopardized and Matt loses his job. If this doesn’t get out, the case still doesn’t get solved, but Matt doesn’t lose his job. Everybody wins.’

I was getting angrier by the second.

‘This was a last resort, of course,’ she said. ‘But you just wouldn’t go away. I did what I needed to do. Anyone would have done the same.’ She pointed to the photo, her sleeve falling back, exposing her tattoo. ‘I got there in the end.’

‘You have her name on your arm,’ I said again in disbelief.

‘I still love her, you know. But I love Libby more.’

I couldn’t believe she’d done this. With Amy and Lauren, there was panic in their voices, and regret. Sure, they’d done deceitful things, but they were ashamed. Hazel just stood there with this smug look on her face. I know she wanted to protect her sister, but I think she enjoyed doing it. I think she got some sort of sick thrill out of this, ripping apart people’s lives and watching the world decay around her. She must have seen what this did to Amy, what it did to Lauren. She’d handed me that necklace, knowing it could have killed me.

‘I’m going to get away with this, Jacki. You just have to accept it. I know it’s frustrating. Here, take a copy,’ she said, ejecting the disc and handing it to me. ‘I’ve got plenty.’

I took it from her and then I flung it across the floor. I wanted to pick up the laptop and fling it across the floor too. I wanted to scream and tear the frames off the walls, smash her perfectly constructed face in, but what was the point?

‘Open the door,’ I said.

She swung it open lazily. ‘I’m sorry it had to end like this. But I had no choice.’

‘You’re not sorry.’

‘No, you’re right. Perhaps I will be in the next life,’ said Hazel as I walked away. ‘But not in this one.’

Chapter 25

That night I went to sleep in my bed at Gran’s, but I didn’t dream about the car and the Polaroid camera and the barbed-wire fence. Instead I saw what happened to Kayla.

I watched her go into her room. Libby was bending down on the floor beside the doll’s house, its tiny wooden furniture all sprawled across the carpet. She was wearing a tight black dress and her hair was styled in loose curls. Her shoes were silver and sky high. She turned round and held up a small plastic packet of pills.

‘I knew you hid them,’ she said. ‘What the hell is your problem?’

‘You shouldn’t take those,’ said Kayla, sounding upset. ‘You don’t need to.’

‘What I don’t need is you poking around in my business,’ said Libby, standing up and adjusting her dress. ‘Stay out of it! And stay away from Rob too. Stop flirting with him. It just makes you look pathetic; you’re never going to have him.’

‘I wasn’t flirting with him,’ said Kayla. ‘I told him ages ago that I wasn’t interested. I don’t like him at all.’

‘You’re a liar,’ said Libby.

‘I don’t want to talk about this any more,’ said Kayla, pushing past Libby to get to her mirror. ‘I don’t want to steal him, but just so you know, I could if I wanted to.’

Libby shoved her hard. Kayla was unsteady on her stilettos, then she stumbled backwards. Libby suddenly looked scared and reached out her hand to try and grab Kayla, but it was too late. She went toppling down the spiral staircase. Then I heard a crack.

‘Oh my god,’ whispered Libby in horror.

She rushed down after Kayla, holding on to both banisters to steady herself.

‘Kayla, are you OK?’ she asked frantically. She shook her, but Kayla didn’t move. Libby hunched down on the ground and just kept muttering, ‘Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.’

I could see Hazel walking down the corridor towards them. She was wearing ripped black jeans, a purple top and black leather ankle boots. She spotted Libby first.

‘Get up, you drunken mess,’ she said with a laugh, but stopped dead when she saw Kayla. She hurried over and knelt beside her, the colour draining slowly from her face.

‘What did you do?’ said Hazel.

‘I’m so sorry,’ whimpered Libby. ‘It was an accident. I didn’t mean to -’

‘What happened?’

‘I… I pushed her,’ she said, ‘… down the stairs.’

Hazel’s eyes widened.

‘We were having a fight because I was in her room. She pushed me first, but I… I pushed her too hard. I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry.’

‘Did anybody else see this?’ asked Hazel.

‘No,’ said Libby.

Hazel grabbed Kayla’s arms and dragged her body into one of the bedrooms. Then she came back out, closing the door quietly behind her.

‘Go into your room, fix your make-up and pretend nothing happened,’ she said. ‘Do you hear me?’

‘What are you talking about?’ said Libby, suddenly snapping out of her trance. ‘We have to call an ambulance.’

‘She’s dead, Libby.’

‘No… she, she can’t be, we need to call an ambulance!’

‘I told Mum I’d look after you,’ said Hazel. ‘Do you want to go to jail?’

‘Hazel, we have to call somebody!’

‘Libby, do you want to go to jail?’

‘No,’ she sobbed.

‘Then go put on your make-up.’

The scene quickly changed and then rain was crashing against the windscreen. A guy was driving and Hazel was sitting in the passenger seat.

‘Here?’ he said.

‘No. It has to be somewhere really secluded.’

‘Do you think anybody saw us?’

‘Nobody saw us. Can we just concentrate on finding a place to bury her?’

There was silence then, apart from the weather report on the radio, forecasting more rain.

‘Do you even know where we’re going?’ he said.

‘Away from any houses.’

They drove for a few more minutes, neither of them talking. Hazel turned up the radio.