My best friends secret, p.29
My Best Friend's Secret, page 29
‘She no doubt got it from your iPhone.’
There were countless times I had left my phone charging in the kitchen or my bedroom.
‘But how would she access it without my six-digit passcode?’ I asked.
‘Believe it or not, there is a way to access anyone’s iPhone without their passcode,’ Zain stated.
‘How?’ I sceptically questioned.
Zain smiled at me. ‘I had the same reaction, but it was one of our IT guys who showed me this trick. Give me your phone.’
I picked up my phone and handed it to Zain.
I watched as he held down the home button until Siri appeared.
‘Siri, what time is it?’ he asked.
I stared at my phone as it displayed the time.
‘Click on the image of the clock,’ he explained. ‘It now brings up the world clock, alarm, stopwatch and timer screen. Click on the time option and select “when timer ends”. Now scroll to the top of the ringtone list and select “buy more tones”.’
I gasped as it took him to the Apple Store.
‘Watch this,’ he continued. ‘If I click the home button again, it should bring up the main phone screen with full access to your phone, including all your contacts.’
Shocked, I shook my head in disbelief.
Zain handed me my phone back.
‘When I couldn’t find my laptop, I assumed I had left it at work on Friday, but Riley had taken it – why?’
‘You said that Jacob texted you to meet him at the old clock tower.’
I nodded.
‘Check your phone.’
‘Sorry?’
‘Open up the message from Jacob.’
Confused, I did as he instructed.
‘Scroll up past Jacob’s text message to you,’ Zain instructed.
I did.
‘Further,’ insisted Zain.
‘What?’ Shocked, I turned to him.
‘She sent that from your Apple laptop.’
I stared at my iPhone. I wouldn’t have even realised unless I had scrolled up through the texts.
I really need to talk to you.
I recognised the text as I had sent it to Jacob yesterday morning. However, the text had been copied and pasted below another message – one that I hadn’t sent. I scanned over all three texts. The original one I had sent, then the message Riley had sent Jacob pretending to be me in between, followed by a copy of my original text. I assumed it was so I wouldn’t realise what she had done, as a cursory glance would only show my last text to him. It was utterly Machiavellian.
I really need to talk to you.
Will you meet me at the clock tower at my old boarding school? I’m already here. I came here because of what this place means to us. I’m pregnant and it’s yours. My phone is nearly out of battery so don’t bother replying. C x
I really need to talk to you.
I was shocked.
‘I sent that first message late yesterday morning when I woke up,’ I explained to Zain. ‘Riley then sent that next text shortly afterwards at 11.55 a.m. asking Jacob to meet me at the clocktower. And she told him I was pregnant?’
Zain nodded. ‘Jacob’s crazy about you. She knew that. She tried to seduce him that night when he acted as a good Samaritan, and she failed. But she added in the pregnancy revelation to ensure he would turn up.’
I looked at him. His eyes, which were so dark that they appeared black, were filled with sincerity.
‘But how did she know what significance the clock tower held for Jacob and me?’ I questioned.
‘Maybe your journals? Or your engagement announcement online?’
‘Oh,’ I muttered. ‘You’re right. I posted that Jacob had proposed to me in the clock tower at my old boarding school. I even added a photo of it. God!’
‘Riley Harrison wanted to destroy you. Your career, your marriage and ultimately your life. And she very nearly succeeded,’ Zain stated.
I dropped my gaze to my fingers, which were absentmindedly touching Jacob’s wedding ring. It struck me that he had never taken it off. I hadn’t noticed before. Or maybe I had chosen not to see it?
Why didn’t you believe him when he said he hadn’t cheated on you?
Why did you let Riley Harrison – Rebecca Spencer – come between you?
Why, Claudia? WHY?
41
We sat in silence for what felt like an eternity watching Jacob, each of us consumed by our thoughts.
‘You said my career. That she wanted to destroy it,’ I said, turning to Zain.
I had no idea how Riley believed she could sabotage my career. I was aware that she was Helena’s research student. But that was all – a student, and crucially, not my student. So, it wasn’t as if she could make an allegation against me.
‘Earlier, I talked to Dr Ramirez, Riley Harrison’s PhD supervisor,’ Zain answered. ‘She mentioned the two of you were friends.’
I nodded, resisting the compulsion to add that ‘were’ was the operative word.
‘Dr Ramirez is worried about you. She said she’s called you but you’re not answering.’
I shrugged. I knew that she had called multiple times and left a voice message. Not that I had listened to it. I had too much going on to answer her calls. I planned on calling her back when I knew Jacob was going to be all right.
‘She said she’s sorry.’
I looked at Zain. ‘For what? Riley?’
‘She said she accused you of something and that she got it wrong. That she feels bad. Do you know what Dr Ramirez meant?’ Zain asked.
I nodded. Not that I was going to tell Zain that my colleague, who was also a close friend, had days ago accused me of having sex with her then-partner in their bathroom at their New Year’s Eve party two years back.
‘Why do you think she would apologise for Riley?’ Zain asked, curious.
‘Because it was Helena’s idea that I rent the guest room to Riley. She was her new research student and alleged she needed a place for a couple of months.’
Zain cleared his throat. He looked awkward as hell. ‘Look, Dr Ramirez said that Riley caused a lot of trouble for you at work.’
I was taken aback. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘She said that there were rumours about you and a…’ Embarrassed, Zain cleared his throat again. ‘A colleague at work?’
I nodded, feeling my cheeks burn with the admission.
‘Well, Dr Ramirez discovered the source of the rumours.’
‘She did?’
‘It seems that Riley was the person who started them.’
‘What?’ I stared, open-mouthed, at Zain.
‘She talked to a fellow research student by the name of Cassie Williams. Riley told her that you had slept with Dr Novak to get back at your husband because he had cheated on you.’
I slowly breathed out. ‘How would she have found out?’ Then I realised: ‘My journals.’
‘She told Cassie that she had overheard you talking to your friend about it,’ explained Zain.
‘The night Riley moved in. Issie had turned up. I ended up telling Issie about Ethan. Riley must have overheard our conversation.’
‘I suspect so,’ Zain said. ‘Riley also told Cassie Williams that you were badmouthing your colleagues.’
I was struggling to comprehend Riley’s hatred for me. She had set out to destroy every aspect of my life. I had even ended a lecture early because of her. She had thrown me when I saw her in the lecture theatre, more so when she had suddenly disappeared. I assumed that I was suffering from paranoia and was starting to fall apart, believing everyone was whispering about me. But the reality was, my students and colleagues were talking about me because of the rumours Riley had started.
I shook my head again. ‘I lost all my work on my laptop. I assumed I had inadvertently wiped all my files, but…’ I faltered as it dawned on me that Riley had no doubt accessed it. ‘I keep all my passwords on a piece of paper in the study desk in the living room. She could have sabotaged all my lecture and seminar notes to make my professional life even more difficult.’
‘I wouldn’t be surprised,’ answered Zain.
I looked back at Jacob. Rebecca Spencer, aka Riley Harrison, had gone to staggering lengths to enact her revenge on me. Including attempting to kill my husband.
I then realised that the police had said that Rebecca Spencer wasn’t in the UK. And yet, she had been here stalking Jaz, Issie, Willow, Ava and myself for months. How was that possible?
‘Rebecca Spencer,’ I said, turning to Zain. ‘You said that she hadn’t been back to the UK since her mother relocated, with her, to New York when she was eleven. So, how was she here? Or had she never left?’
‘She did move to New York City with her mother, who went on to marry an American property tycoon, Robert William Harrison. He adopted Riley when she was twelve, and she became a naturalised American citizen with an American passport. When Harrison adopted her, she took his surname. At the same time, she legally changed her Christian name. To all intents and purposes, she is Riley Harrison. She has been since she was twelve years old.’
‘Why change her name at the age of twelve? Doesn’t that seem odd to you?’
‘There was a reason that her mother relocated to America.’
‘Because of what happened to Riley at my boarding school?’
Zain shook his head. ‘No. I talked to your old headmistress, Simone Anstruther, again. She gave me some new information about Rebecca Spencer. She had been sent to the boarding school so her biological father wouldn’t find her. There were fears around her safety where he was concerned. He was convicted of the attempted murder of her mother when she was seven years old, witnessed by Rebecca. Her mother sent her to your boarding school when she found out that he was due to be released. He had threatened her that he would take Rebecca from her, and she would never see her again. So, she enrolled her at the school in the assumption she would be safe there.’
I shook my head at the reality. ‘Instead, she was coerced into mutilating herself in some depraved initiation ceremony and then attempted to take her own life. And to think that the school’s response was to accuse her of lying and have her removed.’
‘Remember, she accused you of being the instigator of the initiation ceremony. But you were ill in hospital. Simone Anstruther had no idea it was Charlotte Hambleton. So, she did what she thought was in the best interests of Rebecca Spencer. She recommended her mother remove her from the school and seek medical and psychiatric help. As far as your headmistress was concerned, Rebecca Spencer was a traumatised young child and now she was making what were perceived to be wild accusations about you. When Simone Anstruther questioned Ava, Jaz, Issie and Willow, they all refuted Rebecca Spencer’s claims, saying they were in the dormitory together asleep. It was four against one. Or five, as Lottie Hambleton stated that they never left the dormitory.’
I found myself feeling sorry for Rebecca Spencer.
‘So, her mother went to America to escape from her husband?’ I asked.
‘Ex-husband by then, and yes. She had met Robert William Harrison here in London, and they began dating. When he returned to New York, she followed with her daughter.’
‘And her biological father never found her?’
‘No. When Robert Harrison and her mother married, Harrison adopted Rebecca, changing both her Christian and surname because of safety concerns. Riley Harrison became an American citizen with a social security number, a passport and later a driver’s licence.’
‘Rebecca Spencer became Riley Harrison? Why not renew her British passport and have dual nationality? Surely, she could have changed her name with the UK government?’
‘At the risk of her biological father finding her?’ Zain stated.
I looked at him as I tried to comprehend the fear that had driven her mother to flee to another country to protect her daughter. Then the hatred that had fuelled Riley to return to the UK for retribution despite the fear of her biological father.
‘Her accent? There was no trace of an American accent,’ I pointed out, surprised.
Zain shrugged. ‘I moved to London from Glasgow when I was thirteen and never lost my Glaswegian accent.’
‘And Riley was there when her biological father tried to murder her mother when she was seven?’
‘Yep.’
‘She had one messed-up life. I can’t even begin to imagine how you would process that,’ I replied.
‘Some people don’t,’ stated Zain.
We sat for a moment as the constant bleeping machines punctuated our thoughts. I stared at Jacob, willing him to wake up. To dispel the crippling fear that he would never recover that consumed me.
‘Why now, after all these years?’ I asked, breaking the heavy silence. I turned to Zain. ‘I mean, why not when she reached eighteen? Why wait?’
‘Because her mother died four months ago. Suicide. Her husband, Riley’s adoptive father, passed away after a cardiac arrest a month earlier, and she never recovered. Riley had no other family, so, ultimately, nothing to hold her back.’
‘That’s still one giant leap to make, surely. From loving daughter to murderer,’ I pointed out.
Zain nodded. ‘The stressor of her adoptive father’s sudden death, followed by her mother’s suicide, appears to have given her that final impetus to seek revenge. But, obviously, the only person who can answer that is Riley. Or should I say, could have answered that? We’ll never really know what drove her to seek the five of you out after twenty-two years.’
I slowly exhaled as I thought about Riley Harrison.
‘Riley would have seen those five initials cut into her skin every time she showered. She would never have been able to forget what happened that night at the clock tower.’
I shuddered at the realisation that I now shared the same fate. However, mine was only one initial – RS – those of a dead woman.
A dead woman who had tried to kill me and had killed two of my dearest childhood friends. I considered how easily Riley Harrison had inveigled her way into Jaz’s life – then into my own.
‘She registered as a PhD student. How was that possible?’ I questioned, suddenly remembering.
‘She had the money to pay the fees. Also, she was an international student, so she was a lucrative prospect considering your university’s international fees. And she had a BA and MA from Yale. So, she had the entry qualifications.’
‘Was she registered at Bristol University before transferring to my department at UCL?’
Zain shook his head.
‘So she made it all up?’
‘Yes.’
‘You said she had a penthouse apartment. How could she afford that?’
‘It was originally owned by Robert Harrison – he was an extremely successful property entrepreneur – and Riley inherited everything when her mother died.’
I shook my head. ‘She held onto the desire for revenge for twenty-two years. Even though she had a new life, a new name and a new father. She never let go of what happened to her that night in the clock tower,’ I muttered.
‘Would you?’ he asked.
Zain’s question caught me off guard. I thought about the Friends List, as Riley had called it, permanently etched on her stomach. Then the scars on her wrist from when she tried to kill herself shortly after the initiation ceremony. It was tragic that her mother had sent her daughter away to protect her, only for the converse to happen.
I didn’t answer Zain. I couldn’t.
Instead, I watched Jacob, willing him to wake up. To be all right. For us to be all right.
Without him…
I stopped myself. I wiped the tears that had started to fall again.
I didn’t know whether I would ever be okay again.
‘What will happen to Riley’s body?’ I asked as the thought came to me.
‘When it’s released, her body will be flown back to New York City. Her adoptive father’s lawyers will be making the arrangements for her burial in the family plot.’
‘Is anyone attending the funeral?’
‘I can’t say for certain, but I doubt it.’
‘Oh…’ I muttered, overwhelmed by sadness for her despite everything that had happened.
‘Look, I need to get going. Will you be all right?’
I nodded.
He gave me a concerned look as he stood up. ‘You really should get some sleep.’
‘I can’t leave Jacob,’ I stated. ‘I need to be here when he wakes up.’
He nodded.
‘Zain?’
He stopped by the doorway and looked back at me.
‘Jasper. Was he poisoned? That’s what Issie suspected. That was why she didn’t meet us at The Queen Charlotte the night…’ I stopped myself, unable to repeat what had happened to Willow.
Zain stopped in the doorway and looked back at me. ‘We can’t conclusively say it was her, but the vet confirmed that Jasper had been poisoned. Issie refused to go home while the vet fought to save Jasper’s life.’
I couldn’t imagine what Issie must have gone through on Friday evening with Jasper and then Riley turning up to confront her.
‘But Jasper’s all right?’
Zain smiled. ‘Yeah, he’s fine.’
Tears started to fall as I thought of Issie. She would want me to look after Jasper. Especially with Darcy gone.
‘Where is he?’
‘Still at the vets until they find a home for him.’
‘His home’s with me and Jacob.’
‘Sure.’ Zain nodded. He turned to leave, then stopped. ‘Maybe you’ll still find Darcy? It’s not unheard of for cats to be returned to their owners months after they disappear.’
‘Maybe,’ I agreed. But I didn’t hold out any hope.
A few seconds later, I heard him talking to someone in the corridor.
I froze when I recognised the voice.
I didn’t know if I was ready to talk to her.
Will there ever be a right time, Claudia?
