The One You Fear (13 page)

‘Only on the security chain, don’t open it fully.’

They both moved back to the door.

Emma spoke. ‘Who’s there?’

She looked through the spyhole, recognising the visitor just as he replied. ‘My name’s Scott Goulding. I’m here to explain, and apologise.’

Emma and Dan looked at each another, asking the same question with their eyes. Again, Emma looked through the spyhole. Now Scott was standing further back from the door, his hands on his hips, looking towards the floor. ‘Let’s open it,’ she whispered to Dan. After a second, he nodded.

‘Thanks, thanks,’ Scott said, as Emma opened the door. ‘I really need to explain everything.’

Dan stepped across his path as Emma retreated into the apartment. ‘Wait a second. If we let you in here, you don’t try anything, okay?’

‘Of course I won’t.’ Scott held up his hands. ‘I’m here to make peace, not cause any more trouble.’

They let him inside and into the kitchen. ‘Take a seat,’ Dan said. Scott sat down at the table, but Emma and Dan remained standing. ‘Go on then,’ said Dan. ‘You said you wanted to explain things.’

‘I’m… well, you know, my name is Scott Goulding, and I’m… an actor.’

Emma watched on, her back against the sink, as Scott seemed to struggle for the right words. He looked genuinely embarrassed, maybe even a little scared. So much so that her fear of him dissipated immediately – she felt sorry for him.

He looked up at her. ‘I’ve been following you for the past couple of weeks.’

‘Pretending to be Stephen Myers,’ Emma said. ‘Why?’

He shook his head, as if lamenting his actions. ‘I did it because someone asked me to.’

Emma hadn’t expected that. ‘What?’

‘Somebody asked me to follow you, and pretend to be Stephen Myers.’

‘Who? Who asked you to do this?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘You must know.’

‘I don’t, I don’t. They contacted me via my website at first, and then through an anonymous email account. They’ve never told me their name.’

‘But why did they want you to do it?’ Dan asked.

‘They said they were auditioning people for a production about you,’ he said to Emma. ‘And they wanted me to act out the part of Stephen Myers, to see if I was suitable.’

Dan and Emma exchanged glances. They both knew what the other was thinking.

‘So you went along with it, pretending to be Stephen Myers, following me around, scaring me at the Minack. That was you, wasn’t it, in the toilets, standing outside the cubicle?’

‘I’m really sorry. It all got out of hand.’

‘You dressed like him – you even had the scar.’

‘I know a make-up artist. And the people who contacted me, they gave me details of what to wear, how to look. I looked just like him. I even went to see his mother, and she thought I was him – she actually thought I was Stephen Myers. I really regret it now.’

Emma thought about Margaret Myers. The poor woman was already delusional. Something like that could tip her over the edge. It was so cruel. ‘How did you know where we were?’ she asked, turning her attention back to his actions against them. ‘How did you know we were in Cornwall, staying at those apartments?’

‘They told me. They told me exactly where to go.’

‘But how did they know?’

‘I don’t know, honestly. They would just send me an email, with the instructions and the script.’

‘The script?’ This was getting even more bizarre.

‘Yes, there was a script. I acted out the script. I’m really sorry; this has all got totally out of hand. It’s just been so difficult for me for the past few years, struggling to get work, going from one bit part to another. I’ve had to do bar jobs just to pay the rent. They were offering me a chance, and I took it, but then it all became much more serious than I wanted. And now the police are involved. Please, I’m so sorry. Can you just let it drop?’

‘As long as you leave Emma alone,’ Dan said.

‘Yes, of course I will. I promise this is the end of it.’

‘It had better be,’ Dan replied. ‘Otherwise the police are definitely going to want to speak with you again.’

‘I know, I know. But I swear, no more. I’m really sorry.’

She didn’t know why, but Emma believed him.

After Scott Goulding left, Emma paced up and down in the hallway, thinking about what had just been said. ‘Making a production about me, auditioning for the part of Stephen Myers, using a script – it’s got to be them, surely.’

Dan nodded. Emma could see he was angry. ‘Firework Films.’

15

‘Do you want me to call in sick?’ Dan asked. ‘I will do, if you want me to be around today. The guys can do without me for a day.’

Emma shook her head. ‘No, you go in. I’ll be okay, honestly.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Definitely.’

Dan didn’t look convinced. ‘Okay, but if anything happens, you’ve got to call me right away.’

‘I will. ’

After Dan had left for the office, Emma called Lizzy and Will and explained what had happened. Will was preparing for the parachute jump, but Lizzy had a free day, so promised to call over later that morning.

‘How about we go to Firework Films, and have it out with them,’ Lizzy said during the call.

But Emma explained that she and Dan had decided the best thing to do was walk away from the situation and move on.

Emma changed into her jogging gear. She hadn’t been for a run since the trip to Cornwall, and now she longed to stretch her legs and push her body physically. The air was cooler than it had been lately, although it was still sunny. As she pounded down Marylebone High Street towards Regent’s Park, she considered the current situation. It did feel as if she had finally reached the light at the tunnel’s end. They had successfully smoked out the stalker, and revealed him to be far less threatening than they had all feared. And they’d uncovered the plot against them by the production company. They had taken these people on, and won. It felt good.

Once in the park she stepped up the pace, powering past the other joggers and dog walkers, feeling her legs burn as she reached the summit of Primrose Hill. There she stopped and admired the view. It seemed a lifetime ago that David Sherborn, masquerading as Eric, had approached her at that very spot. Yet it was only a matter of weeks. Hands on her hips, she caught her breath. As she gazed at the London skyline, her thoughts turned to her father. He was out there, somewhere. She had every right to be angry with him, but she just felt sad. She pulled out her mobile and dialled his number once again. As with the other times, it went straight through to the answer service. ‘Dad, please come home. We’re not mad at you about anything. We just want you back here. I need you. The wedding is next week. I really want you to be there to give me away. You have to be there.’

The lie about the wedding had been a spur-of-the-moment act designed to succeed where her past pleas had failed. But now she had said it, she longed for it to be true.

Maybe once the wedding happened, the dream would stop.

You really need to read this.

Stuart Harris’s letter – it was still in her sock drawer. She exhaled and looked up towards the sky. Maybe she should read it. Setting off back down the hill, now running even faster than before, she was unable to shake the letter from her thoughts.

***

‘Hey,’ Lizzy smiled, as Emma answered the door. They hugged and Lizzy followed Emma through into the apartment. ‘I hope you’ve got the kettle on, because I’m parched.’

‘Just boiling now.’

‘So, how are you?’

‘I’m fine.’

‘I can’t believe Scott Goulding just turned up like that. Dan’s fake police call must have really spooked him.’

‘It did.’ Emma poured the boiling water into the teapot.

‘You think this is the end of it?’

Emma nodded. ‘I think so. I think Scott’s days as a Stephen Myers impersonator are over. It sounds like he got caught up in something that got more serious than he expected. I believed him when he said he was sorry.’

‘To be honest, Em, I was so relieved when you told me who had been doing this, and why. It just made it all feel so much less sinister.’

‘I agree.’

‘You sure you’re okay?’ Lizzy quizzed. ‘You look like you’re worrying about something.’

Emma smiled ruefully. ‘You know me too well. I nearly opened Stuart’s letter before.’

‘Oh, right. What stopped you?’

‘I don’t know. I guess maybe I’m scared of what it’s going to say.’

‘I can totally understand that. But you do want to open it, don’t you?’

‘Why do you say that?’

‘Because I know that you did care about Stuart, and you wouldn’t want to deny him his chance to say goodbye.’

Emma closed her eyes. ‘I feel as though if I do open it, I’d be cheating on Dan.’

‘But it wouldn’t be like that, Em.’

‘I know, but that’s how it feels.’

‘Then don’t open it. Let me do it. Where is it?’

‘On our bed.’

Lizzy got up from the table.

‘Lizzy!’

But she was already heading for the bedroom. ‘Now,’ she said, returning with the letter, ‘shall I open it?’

After a second, Emma nodded.

‘This will be part of moving on,’ Lizzy said, sliding her finger under the seal. ‘Closing that chapter in your life and starting afresh.’

Emma didn’t feel anything like certain about this. But Lizzy was right – if she didn’t open the letter, how would she ever truly be able to move on? There would always be that thought – what had Stuart said? And yes, deep down she did want to give Stuart his opportunity to say what he wanted to.

Lizzy opened the envelope and pulled out a photograph. As she examined it, her forehead creasing, Emma read the handwritten message on the back.

I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist! Just wanted to show you how happy my brother was with his fiancée Sally before you came back on the scene and ruined it all.

Fiancée? Stuart hadn’t told her about that.

‘I don’t believe it,’ Lizzy said, still examining the photo. ‘Tell me that’s not who I think it is.’ She passed it to Emma. Stuart was smiling at the camera, his arm around a girl, who was also smiling broadly.

It was Sally – Stuart’s fiancée.

But they knew her under a different name: Amy, Will’s new girlfriend.

PART FOUR

16

Will took a gulp from his second coffee of the day, before walking into the bathroom and looking in the mirror. ‘You can do this, you can do it.’ He didn’t feel entirely convinced. In fact, first thing that morning he had nearly called Amy to postpone the jump. He’d thought up some pathetic excuse – he was feeling slightly unwell, so it was best to wait until he was a hundred percent. But ultimately he’d resisted calling her, and instead tried some self-motivational techniques he’d once read in a magazine in the dentist’s waiting room. It was now twelve thirty. Amy would be arriving in half an hour to drive them to the airfield. Then there would be no going back. Amy would offer him a get-out, that was certain, but he wouldn’t be able to take it. He spent the next twenty-five minutes listening to his favourite rock tracks, turning the volume up so loud that at first he didn’t hear Amy’s knock. When he realised, he scrambled for the volume control and raced towards the door.

‘Hey,’ Amy said with a smile. ‘I thought you were ignoring me.’

‘No, no, of course not.’ Will felt much more out of breath than he should have been.

‘So, are you ready?’

He swallowed his nerves. ‘Yes, I’m ready.’

***

‘I don’t understand this,’ Emma said, staring at the photograph. ‘The girl Will is going out with was Stuart’s fiancée? And she’s pretending to be someone else?’

‘Are we sure it’s the same person?’

The question had to be asked, but it was clear – the girl in the photograph was the same girl whom Will was dating. Although Amy had been going out with Will for only a few weeks, Emma had met her on three occasions, and Lizzy had seen her twice. And there was no mistaking her. ‘We both know it’s her, don’t we?’

Lizzy nodded. ‘Then what do we do?’

Emma shook her head.
What was all this about?
‘Well, we’ve got to tell Will, of course. But I’ve got to tell him in the right way. You know how he feels about her – he’s in love. The other day he told me she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him. So it’s going to devastate him when he finds out who she really is, and that she’s been lying.’