Paige stumbled backwards against a tree, slipping down it until she was sat on the forest floor. How can this be real life? she thought, beginning to sob, Tom was my dad’s friend for over twenty years, and he was married to my mum when this photo was taken... this doesn’t make any sense.
“I’m so sorry Paige,” Leo said, “But I hope you realise why I tried to warn you now. I recognised Tom as soon as I saw him that day, he picked you up.”
“I don’t... I don’t understand,” Paige choked, in between sobs, “Tom was the one who told me about the job with your dad!”
“That makes sense,” Leo said gravely, “I think he may have been involved in recruiting girls for my dad as Ella said he tried to bring women back to the hotel room while they were in Greece.”
“Oh my god...” Paige muttered. She had known Tom for so long and although their relationship had changed since her dad’s death and his marriage to her mum, he was always the same, funny and generous person in her eyes. Her entire perspective was shifting. When did he go to Greece? She tried to think back to the previous summer and couldn’t remember her mum mentioning Tom going away without her.
She tried to think back over her life – had Tom ever said anything strange to her? Had he ever disappeared with no explanation? Been protective of his phone? Or did he have a second phone? Had she ever seen him out with young women?
She searched her memories for any hint that Tom had been anything other than a plumber from the outskirts of Oxford, but she couldn’t think of anything.
Something came to mind – Tom hadn’t been in any of the pictures that Jade had uploaded to Facebook, although this photo must have been taken at the same time. So, why didn’t Jade upload all of the photos? Had Tom or Eckland threatened her? Why was the photo taken in the first place? She suddenly realised – who had taken the photos? Tom may have taken the ones of just Ella and Jade, but was there a fourth person taking the group shot?
Steadying her breath so that the sobs came less frequently, she asked, “Why did you warn me not to trust Jade? Surely she will have more information about this than anyone else?”
“You’re right, except that she and Ella fell out right before her death. The morning after Ella went to a bar with her friends, Jade left her a weird voicemail,” he gestured to the phone, “Go to the call history, you can listen.”
Paige flicked to the call tab and found Ella’s voicemails. The most recent one, marked 18th May 2019, was from Jade. Paige played the message:
Ella, I’m at my mum’s place and I’m not coming back until you’ve moved your stuff out. I don’t know what the hell you thought you were doing last night, but it isn’t funny. Hugh Eckland rang this morning to ask where the hell you are. Me and you are done.
“I don’t really know what it means, and I don’t think Ella did either. Jade must have seen her with someone from the Syndicate that night while Ella was drugged, but Ella never got a chance to speak to Jade again before she died. That’s why Jade seems suspicious to me.”
Paige looked at Leo with a little more clarity. Could he actually be telling the truth? He couldn’t have faked that message – it was definitely Jade’s voice.
“You see?” Leo said, “it came up on Ella’s Facebook when you and Jade became Facebook friends, and I knew I had to warn you. I’m not sure Jade is as innocent as she wants everyone to think.”
“Okay, let’s say I believe you,” Paige said, standing up and wiping her eyes on the sleeve on her hoodie, “What makes you think I’m in danger?”
“Because there’s a pattern occurring. There was a first year that worked with my dad before Ella. He told me she moved to Canada, but I can’t find any evidence of that. Then Ella was killed, and despite there being witnesses who saw a figure in dark clothing running from the scene and Ella’s wallet with cash in it still being on her when they found her body, the police say it was a mugging with no way to trace the killer. There’s far more to it than Ella was able to tell me. Add in the fact that Tom was your step-dad and he’s dead too and he convinced you to take a job with my dad, I’m worried the same might happen to you.” Leo really did seem sincere.
“Okay, there’s one last thing – how did you know that I would be on that bus?” Paige asked, “Even if I believe that you were following me to protect me, the fact that knew where I would be is really creepy.”
“Yes, I suppose it is,” Leo said, biting his lip nervously, “I speak to my mum on the phone quite regularly. Usually she makes no sense, going on about things she’s seen on TV or read in books. But you know how much she loves to cook, so she talks about dinners she’s made or plans to make. Well, ever since you returned after Tom’s death, she’s been talking about how you won’t stay for dinner, getting the bus back at 5pm or earlier. I needed to get you alone, somewhere we could talk, and I knew this place was on the route. I rode the route every day,
