The Doll House: A gripping debut psychological thriller with a killer twist!

It looked really good, everyone said so, even that boy Toby who is mean to me. So that means it really was good. The teacher asked me if that was my house and I said yes, yes, it is my house, and then I had to go to the toilet and I felt a bit sick because I knew I had told a lie. Mummy says lies are what adults say and I felt scared then because I thought I must be becoming an adult. I don’t think I want to be an adult. They’re not very nice to each other. I wrote down a story to go with the picture, but then when the teacher saw it, she crossed it all out with a big red pen, she said I had to learn the difference between making something up and telling the truth. I was telling the truth though. It’s just that no one believed me.

I told Mummy what had happened and she was cross, she told me that what we do is our special secret and that I haven’t to tell anyone ever again. She didn’t hit me or anything, she never does that, but she looked at me like what I had done was really serious and so I felt frightened. I turned my face against the wall but she spun me round, her hands digging into my shoulders, and she put her face all close to mine and she said that I must never tell anybody because if I do we will get into big trouble, both of us, and especially her and if she is taken away then nobody will look after me at all, because she’s sure as hell the only one doing it now.

‘Sure as hell’ is what she said. I’ve never heard anyone say that before but I don’t like the sound of it. I kept my mouth zipped shut the rest of the night, zip zip zip. Nothing came out of my mouth at all. Next time at school I’m going to say we went to the beach, because that’s what Natasha next to me always does. The teacher will think we’re friends, which is another lie. But at least that won’t make Mummy cross.

Sometimes I think it is all my fault, that I’m not a good enough child for Mummy. That she wants a different one, a better one, a daughter with longer hair or a nicer face. I feel all sad when I think that, and I try extra hard to be good. I don’t complain when we visit the house three nights running, I don’t cry when she forgets to sign my reading book, I don’t make a fuss when the dinner is cold fish fingers again. But none of it makes a difference, she still talks about it all the time, about how badly her life has turned out. She asks the air sometimes, she says, what did I do to deserve this?

Once I asked her if she meant me, deserve me, and then she looked a bit sorry and she gave me a cuddle. She smelled a bit funny but for once I didn’t mind.

‘No,’ she said, ‘That’s not what I mean. I just wanted better for you, that’s all. For both of us. I still do.

I want that too, but I don’t know how we’re going to get it.

10

Kent

Corinne

I don’t know why my mother lied, but I do know that the doll house isn’t in the attic. I keep looking at her, trying to catch her eye, but it’s as though she is avoiding me; she is constantly doing something, talking to Ashley, playing games with Benji.

I can’t shake the kernel of worry in my mind, the possibility that the things I’ve found – the chimney and tiny door – really are from the house. That someone has left them both for me to find. What I don’t know is why. It makes no sense. I don’t know why someone would do it, I don’t know who would do it, or what on earth it would mean.

Did Mum throw Dad’s things away without telling us? Maybe they made her too sad. Has she forgotten where they are, is that it? I try to think of the last time I saw his stuff. I remember packing everything away after the funeral, but it is all a bit of a blur. Ashley guided me through most of it, her stomach stretching out before her, walked me past the row of well-wishers as though I was a zombie. It was just before Holly was born. I close my eyes for a second, remembering the sadness of the day. Dad had a mahogany coffin, a wreath of yellow daffodils. Lots of people came – people from the architectural scene, designers, all of them singing his praises. ‘Highest of the high-flyers, your old man,’ one guy said to me, and I felt the praise warm on my skin in spite of my grief.

Mum really struggled; I think of her face, almost hidden by her big black hat. She had been almost completely silent for the whole day. Maybe she did find it too hard keeping his things. Even as I try to rationalise, I can’t shake the feeling that she knows more than she said last night.

‘Corinneeeeee!’ Benji is tapping his fork against my arm. There’s a smear of mashed potato on it but I don’t mind. I ruffle his hair and feel Dominic watching me from across the table. I catch his eye and smile. His cheeks are red from the cold outside and his hair’s a bit messy. He looks gorgeous.

We’re at a pub in the Kent countryside having lunch; it’s all very rural, surrounded by open fields. I keep seeing burly men who look like they’ve come straight from a hunt; it’s a far cry from our tangle of streets in Crouch End.

James arrived about an hour ago. He seems a bit strained and he’s been sipping at the same pint for ages. I watch him lean over to prise Lucy’s fingers away from her mobile phone. I need to remember to thank him for the money.

I spot my chance when he eventually goes to the bar to get more wine for Mum and Ashley.

‘I’ll get you a lemonade, Luce,’ I say. ‘You can Instagram the bubbles.’ I smile at her, ignore her scowl and follow James up to the bar. The barman isn’t looking at us, his attention caught by a pretty blonde girl who’s asking him to mix her a drink. She’s twirling her plait flirtatiously, putting the end to her lips, confident in that way I have never understood or mastered. Her tinkling laugh travels. I touch my own hair self-consciously.

‘James,’ I start, and he turns towards me. His eyes look a bit bloodshot and I smile. ‘Late night?’

‘Me? God no, no, just working, you know how it is. I wanted to come up yesterday but I was just swamped.’

‘Oh, poor you,’ I say. ‘Ashley’s told me great things about the digital world, though, seems like it’s all really taking off. eBooks are all the rage right now.’

He’s not really listening to me; his eyes are scanning the bottles of whisky behind the bar. The barman has finally spotted us and stands waiting, PDQ machine in hand.

‘Pint of Amstel, please, and a bottle of the Merlot,’ James says.

‘And a lemonade,’ I add and the barman nods.

‘Listen, James, I just wanted to say thank you,’ I say quickly. I can feel the heat rising in my face. ‘It’s so kind of you to help us, and I want you to know that we will pay you back, and we are so grateful. It means such a lot to me and it’s our last hope.’

He turns to face me, looks confused. ‘Sorry, Cor . . . you’ve lost me.’

I lower my voice. ‘Well, we went to the hospital last week. For the last round of IVF. And I wanted to thank you for the money you lent us.’ I swallow, praying that I don’t have to repeat myself again.

The barman places a dripping pint in front of us.

‘The money . . . oh right, sorry, Corinne, of course,’ James says, and he reaches out and touches my hand. Thank God for that.

I smile, relieved, and pick up Lucy’s lemonade. As I walk back to the table I think I can feel his eyes on my back, watching me as I weave through the people, past the dwindling fire. I wonder what he is thinking, whether there is any truth in Ashley’s worries. When I look back at the bar though, unable to bear the sensation any more, James has gone, his pint still sitting on the wet wood. I scan the pub, feeling jumpy, but all I see are families engaged in conversation. No one is remotely near me.

I sit down next to Dom, take a big bite of my roast and try to relax. ‘So, Dominic,’ Mum says, ‘tell me, how is the paper going? I’ve been trying to read the online version but our internet wire is terrible here.’

‘You don’t need a wire, Grandma,’ Lucy says, rolling her eyes. ‘I showed you before.’

‘I’m sorry, darling, forgive an old lady,’ Mathilde says. ‘Perhaps you’ll show me again when we’re home?’

Dominic smiles. ‘It’s fine, thanks, going really well,’ he says. ‘I’ve just started work on a property piece – a big Georgian house on the outskirts of London. Massive place! Corinne came to see it with me, didn’t you, Cor?’

I nod. The image of Carlington comes to my mind, the strange atmosphere, the way my hand felt against the stone. The dark windows. The empty rooms. The face at the window. I shiver.

Dominic is still talking.

‘We’re featuring it in the spring property round up. Got the tip-off from a company called Wells and Duggan. Impressive building, or it will be anyway.’ There is a clatter; water spills from Mum’s upturned glass out over the table.

‘Wells and Duggan, did you say?’

Dom nods. ‘Yep, that’s right. Here, let me get you a napkin.’ He reaches out, starts to blot the table.

Ashley leans forward, her wedding ring tapping against the wine glass in her hand. ‘Ooh, sounds wonderful. I love Georgian buildings.’

James reappears suddenly, slides in beside Ashley at the long table. He picks up his beer and takes a long drink, the tendons in his neck stiff. He looks very pale. My sister’s eyes follow his movements, track the liquid as it slides from hand to throat. The blonde girl at the bar laughs again and I see James look at her, see my sister notice.

*

Dominic squeezes my hand as we walk back out to the car park. I’ve just put hand cream on and he laughs.

‘You use too much of that stuff!’

He’s probably right, but I like it. It calms my nerves a bit.

‘OK? Enjoy your chicken?’ he says, and I nod and squeeze him back, his hand warm in my own. I am so lucky to have him. I know he’d never hurt me. But then, I still don’t think James would hurt Ashley.

‘Time for a quick walk? Burn off those roasts?’ Ashley suggests and I nod yes, say I’ll just grab my hat and gloves from out of the car.

‘Can you get me my scarf, please?’ Dom asks, fastened to the spot by Benji, who has hold of his leg and is talking about aliens, and I laugh and catch the keys from him as he throws them across the gravel.

I’m about to open the passenger side when something catches my eye. At first I can’t work out what it is, I think it’s a piece of clothing lying on the bonnet, but when I lean closer it hits me. The shock of it is awful; I recoil from the car, bile rising in my throat.

‘Dominic!’ I shout. ‘Dominic!’

I look over to the group frantically, they’re not paying attention to me. I cry out again, backing away from the car, and Dominic looks up, sees me and begins to come over, breaking into a run when he sees my face.

‘What is it?’ he says. ‘What’s the matter?’

I’m covering my mouth now, I can see passers-by staring at me, families emerging from the pub, making their way to their cars.

‘Look,’ I say. ‘Look!’

Dom steps forward, swears loudly when he sees what is lying on the bonnet of our car.

It is a rabbit. Dead, one of its eyes hanging slightly out of its skull, its mouth open in a frozen scream. The underside of it is matted with blood, its paws lie limply against the bonnet. It looks like it has been hit by a car.

‘Jesus,’ Dominic says. ‘Why the hell is this on the bonnet?’

‘I don’t know!’ I say. ‘I don’t know! I just came to the car and it was here, someone’s put it on our car! It’s horrible, oh God, it’s so horrible.’

‘Slow coaches slow coaches!’ Benji is running towards us, eager to begin the walk, and Dominic puts out an arm to stop him seeing the car. But it is too late.

‘Yuck! What’s happened to that bunny?’ Benji asks, screwing up his face and sticking out his tongue. ‘It’s dead like in science.’

‘Yep, yep it is, mate, OK, but not to worry, be a good lad and run back to your mum now,’ Dominic says. ‘You guys start without us, we’ll catch you up.’

Benji pulls another face, rolls his eyes. ‘Can I look at it?’

Dominic shakes his head. ‘No, mate, come on, go back to Grandma. We’ll be along in a bit. Do us a favour will you and tell them we’re just having a quick chat.’

Benji runs off, skidding his shoes along the gravel of the car park as he goes, making racing car noises. Dominic sighs.

‘What a sick thing to do, put it on the car like that. Poor creature. Leave it to me, I’ll get this cleared up. What a bloody mess.’

I am shaking, my eyes fixed on the poor rabbit’s face, half squashed by the force of whatever hit it.

‘Why our car, Dominic? Why this?’

He shrugs, shakes his head slowly. I don’t know how he can be so calm. ‘I don’t know,’ he says. ‘You didn’t see anyone?’

‘Nobody.’

He grimaces. ‘Could be a practical joke, I suppose, or more likely some local weirdo.’ He glances around the car park. There are a group of men coming towards us, all clad in wellies and waterproof coats, laughing and jostling each other as they make their way into the pub. ‘Or someone protesting – people in the countryside are always against something – the badger cull, fox hunting. The amount of roadkill.’ He puts an arm around me, I am shaking.

‘It’s all right, my love. It won’t be anything personal – think about it, who do we know living out in deepest darkest Kent? No one. Except your mum of course, and somehow I don’t think she’s behind this.’ He smiles at me, trying to make me laugh. ‘Whoever did it was probably too scared to pick one of the fancy BMWs round here. Chose the scruffy car that looked as though its owners weren’t bothered!’ He sniffs. ‘You go on, join your family. Don’t let it upset you, my love. I’ll speak to the landlord of the pub too, report it. I bet you’ll find there’s been a spate of this kind of thing.’

My eyes flit across the car park. There are a couple of other cars: James’s Golf, a little red Mini and a dirty white camper van with the number plate loose. One of the waitresses is emptying a big barrel of bottles in the alley by the pub, the green glass smashing loudly. As I watch, two women come out of the restaurant area, both groaning and holding their stomachs as though they’ve eaten too much. A man with a little terrier holds the door open for them, smiling broadly. They look like mother and daughter.

My heart is beating fast through the thickness of my coat and I try to be logical, keep my gaze away from the poor bunny lying on the car. The sight of its bloodied fur makes my legs feel weak. Dominic is right – nobody knows us in Kent, nobody even knows we’re here.

Dominic has opened up the car, is looking for a plastic bag. The rabbit lies prone in front of us, its stiffening body a dark shape just in front of the windscreen. We used to have rabbits in Hampstead, two pet bunnies. Bertie and Nosie. They belonged to me and Ash.

I put my arms around Dominic, wanting his warmth and security. I don’t want to go on the walk without him. I look back at the car, at the bunny’s splayed legs, the way its skull has smashed in on itself. The poor thing wouldn’t have stood a chance.

11

Kent

Ashley

They are walking down the hill from the pub when James pulls Ashley over to one side. They lag back so that the group edge in front of them, Mathilde pushing the pram. Corinne and Dom are still by the pub; Ashley doesn’t know what is taking them so long. James grabs her sleeve and says he’s got to talk to her. Now.

‘Well all right,’ she says, in a joking sort of voice because the Merlot has gone to her head a bit and she’s just happy that he’s here, and they are all together, the five of them; she isn’t on her own, watching TV and waiting for the silent phone to ring.

Ashley tucks her hand inside the pocket of James’s jacket to join his own and puts her face close to his like a mock detective. Perhaps if she pretends as though everything is OK it really will be.

‘What’s up, mister?’ The look on his face is very serious and suddenly she feels a tiny bit sick. She pushes her tongue over her teeth, hoping they’re not stained from the red wine. Her heart begins to thud. Is he going to tell her? Is he going to tell her there’s another woman? Not now. Surely he wouldn’t do it here, in front of the children. Would he?

‘Did you give Corinne and Dominic money?’

There is a pause. Ashley blinks.

‘Well, yes, I lent her money for their final round of IVF. You know they’d run out. I told you, and I wanted to help. Sorry, I should have mentioned it but you’ve been so busy and I didn’t think you’d mind. You don’t, do you?’

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