TOYL

Lizzy gave the performance of her life. There was no denying that she was fantastic. The voice, the acting, and the overall look – it was flawless. After all those hours of stressing over the script, and all those doubts, everything had come right. And despite what Emma had just learnt, she still felt pleased for her best friend. But as the cast returned to the stage for the last time, taking their final bow, a knot tightened in her stomach. It wouldn’t be long before the night would take a very different turn.

    ***

    ‘Emma!’ Lizzy shouted, rushing up to her friend and embracing her in a full-body hug. ‘What did you think?’ She moved away but still held onto both of Emma’s hands.
    ‘I thought you were fantastic.’ Emma smiled. ‘Absolutely fantastic.’
    ‘Really?’ Lizzy’s eyes glazed over and her face broke out into a wide smile. ‘You don’t know how much that means to me. That’s why I wanted to speak with you now, before I see the others. I don’t mind what anyone else thinks, as long as you liked it.’
    Shortly after the end of the show, as the group had been waiting in the theatre foyer, a message had come through from Lizzy inviting Emma backstage into her dressing room.
    ‘Well, I did,’ Emma said, noticing the bouquet of flowers in the corner of the room.
    ‘Someone sent them to me,’ Lizzy explained, noticing Emma glance at the flowers. ‘They’re really expensive as well.’
    ‘You don’t know who sent them?’ Emma asked.
    ‘No.’
    ‘No note?’
    ‘There is a note.’ Lizzy moved towards the flowers and picked up a small piece of cardboard. ‘But all it says is “Good Luck”.’ She handed it to Emma. ‘Doesn’t give away very much.’
    But it did.
    ‘What’s the matter?’ said Lizzy, concerned, as Emma stared at the note. ‘You think you know who they’re from?’
    ‘I went back to the flat this afternoon,’ Emma said. ‘There was a letter from Dan.’
    ‘Really? You should have told me. I wouldn’t have minded being interrupted.’
    Emma closed her eyes briefly, searching for the right words. ‘The letter was about you,’ she said, looking away.
    ‘What?’ Lizzy said. ‘I don’t understand. Why would it be about me?’
    ‘Promise you’ll be honest with me,’ Emma said, turning to face her friend. ‘No matter what, promise you’ll tell me the truth about this.’
    ‘Em, I don’t understand what you’re on about. Just tell me what’s going on, please.’
    ‘Dan said that you two have been having an affair,’ Emma said.
    ‘What?’ Lizzy said, aghast. ‘But that’s rubbish. I’d never do that, Em. Never. Why would he say something like that?’
    ‘So it’s not true,’ Emma said, her voice faltering with emotion.
    ‘It’s complete bullshit,’ Lizzy said, her face reddening. ‘What else did he say?’
    ‘He said that you’d been having a relationship for a few months,’ Emma said. ‘And that Richard and he fought because Richard found out about it and was threatening to tell me the truth.’
    ‘He’s lying,’ Lizzy protested. ‘Em, I don’t know why he’s saying this, but it’s not true. I wouldn’t do it to you. You know how much you mean to me. I can’t believe he’d say that.’
    Emma looked down again at the note. ‘This note, with the flowers. It was written by Dan. It’s his handwriting.’
    Lizzy was speechless.
    ‘He said in the letter that he had proof that you two were having a relationship,’ Emma stated.
    ‘He can’t have,’ Lizzy countered, ‘because it’s not true. You do believe me, don’t you? You can’t think I’d do that to you?’
    ‘I want to believe you. But I don’t know if I can.’
    Their eyes met, tears glistening.
    ‘Please, believe me,’ Lizzy begged.
    ‘I don’t know what to believe anymore,’ Emma admitted. ‘One of the two people I trusted the most is lying, and I’ve got to decide who.’
    ‘Maybe you’d better go,’ Lizzy said sadly, ‘while you decide.’
    Emma turned and walked out of the dressing room. As she slipped out of the theatre and weaved her way through the night-time revellers of central London she had never felt so alone.
    But the problem was, she wasn’t alone at all.

41

    Nurse Mary Donahue had been keeping her eye on the visitor in the private room for some time now. He had seemed harmless enough at first, but when she’d come in to check on Richard Carlton, something felt wrong. It was as if she’d just interrupted a conversation –