Maddie felt the phone drop from her hand. It bounced on the countertop, landing face-up. The caller ID photo attached to Gemma’s contact taunted her. It was a photo of Gemma and Greg when she was pregnant, all bulging bellies and wide smiles.
She picked up the phone again, both to talk to Gemma and to not have to look at the photo again. ‘What happened? He was fine the other day.’
‘He ate some cake and the doctor thinks it had nuts in it.’
‘But he’s so careful with that.’ But was he? Maddie had been the careful one. She was the one who had made sure his epinephrine was in date, checked the ingredients on food labels, alerted waiters in restaurants. Then her mind made a leap she wasn’t expecting. Had Gemma done this? Because she had found out about them? No, she couldn’t have, surely. Maybe she only meant to frighten him, but hadn’t appreciated how fatal his allergy was.
‘It’s all because I put him on a diet,’ Gemma was saying around her tears. ‘If I had just left him alone, he wouldn’t have bought the cakes.’
‘No, you can’t blame yourself, Gemma. He is – was – a grown man. He knew he was allergic.’
‘What am I going to do without him?’ Her breath was coming in gulps now, like she was having a panic attack.
‘Gemma, you’ll be ok. Just breathe. It’s the shock. Where are you? Shall I come over? Where’s Jemima?’
At the mention of her daughter’s name, Gemma seemed to pull herself together a little. ‘She’s fine, she’s with my mother. We’ve just got back from the hospital. I just thought you should know.’
‘Please call me if I can help with anything.’
‘I will, thank you, Maddie. Goodbye.’
The line cut dead.
Maddie sat, staring at the phone in her hand but not seeing it.
Greg.
Gone.
How much more could she be expected to take?
*
Jade swigged from the can, her eyes on the television but not seeing. Maddie had aired her.
How dare she? Anger fizzed and roiled in her stomach with the beer, acidic and bitter. She drained the can and opened another.
Maybe she should go down there, confront her.
But Maddie had started putting the chain on all the time, so she couldn’t get in with the key. She was smarter than she looked.
Jade would have to bide her time. Maddie would come knocking soon enough.
Mere minutes later and Jade was smiling into the tin still clasped in her hand. Someone was knocking on the door.
She got up, adjusted the smugness from her face and opened the door a crack, keeping the chain on.
Maddie looked bereft. Her hair was tied into a messy ponytail, her eyes were streaming and there was a vivid red line on her cheek, where a pillow was still indented on her face. ‘Oh God, Jade, I’ve just had awful news. I can’t be alone right now.’
Jade adopted a look of sympathy and opened the door wide for Maddie.
‘Sit, I’ll put the kettle on for you. It’s the shock, I think. You’ll be ok in a minute.’
‘I feel like I’ll never be ok again.’ She blew her nose loudly in a tissue clamped in her fist.
Jade frowned into the sink as she filled the kettle. She had expected Maddie to be upset, but this seemed a bit over the top. ‘You will. Give it a few days and the shock will wear off. It’s for the best.’
Maddie looked up sharply.
‘It was what we planned,’ Jade said. She pulled a bottle of milk from the fridge, unscrewed the lid and sniffed it. On the turn, but it would do. Just to be sure, she took a swig from the bottle. It tasted fine.
Maddie launched from the couch. ‘What do you mean, Jade?’ Her voice was like a slap.
Jade looked over at her, the milk bottle still poised in her hand. ‘You know what I mean.’ She nonchalantly finished making the tea, left the milk on the counter to sour even further and brought the mugs over to where Maddie was standing stiff and upright.
Jade handed her a mug, but Maddie didn’t take it from her. Jade shrugged and put it on the coffee table.
‘What do you mean, Jade?’ Maddie repeated.
Jade sighed dramatically and flopped onto the couch. ‘I sorted it for you. Our deal? I did my bit. Now it’s your turn.’ She put her sock-clad feet up on the table.
Maddie sank down next to her, the colour completely drained from her face. ‘What did you do?’
‘I may or may not have delivered some cakes to his house today. And those cakes may or may not have been laced with sesame oil. Just a little, mind.’ She smiled at Maddie wickedly. ‘From your reaction, I’m guessing it worked. You’re good, I’ll give you that. But don’t overwork it. You want people to believe you are bereft, but too much will make them suspicious.’ She lifted her mug to her lips.
Maddie’s hand shot out and slapped the mug of hot tea into Jade’s lap. She shot to her feet, crying out in pain. ‘What the fuck? That’s hot!’
Then Maddie was on her, grappling at Jade’s throat, throwing random slaps and punches, most of which were not connecting at all. Jade slapped back and flung her off. Maddie landed on her back on the floor, blood trickling from her nose.
Jade loomed over her. ‘I’ll give you that one, but you won’t get another punch in, I promise you that.’ Jade’s eyes glinted with red-hot anger.
Maddie sat up slowly and wiped at the blood. ‘You killed him,’ she said.
‘Yes – but you didn’t.’
Maddie sat back on the edge of the couch, putting as much space between them as she could, and put her head in her hands.
Jade swore under her breath, then went to grab a tea towel from the kitchen to mop up the spilled tea. When she was done, Maddie was still sitting, unmoving, her head still clasped in her hands.
‘The deal was that I would get
