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CHAPTER NINE

SUSAN WRIGHT

Ellie didn't understand why both Alec and Bonnie were silent the entire drive back to Broadchurch but didn't say anything as they reached the courthouse. Ellie looked Alec in the side of his face, watching him walk forward with Bonnie by his side.

"I've just driven through the night and you've not said a word. What's bothering you?"

"Ricky Gillespie," he snarled into the air. "Why would a father not want an investigation to restart into the death of his own daughter?" He looked at her as they walked up to the courthouse. "What if Lee Ashworth didn't do it? What if he's been telling the truth? What if I've been wrong?"

Ellie was quiet for a moment before something occurred to her and she gasped, "Oh, my God, I meant to tell you. When Claire and I went out drinking, I checked her phone – the one you gave her."

"Yeah?" his interest piqued.

"Well, firstly, all the Internet searches are about Lee: 'Lee Ashworth killer.' Bit odd," she mentioned.

"Second?" he prompted as they walked through the door and started through security.

"And she only had two numbers in her phone. First one was yours. The other I didn't recognize. Oh, I've put it in my phone, hang on." She pulled out her phone and dialed the number, holding it to her ear as they made through the security checks. "No, it's just ringing out."

"Right, come on, we're late," he waved her on. Bonnie walked ahead of them up the stairs and gave Alec a kiss on the cheek before walking over to sit next to Nige behind Mark and Beth.

Beth was greeting her with a smile when Bonnie heard a voice call her name. She froze when she saw Marge waving at her with excitement from the general seating area closer to the door. "Bloody hell."

"Who's that?" Nige asked, nudging her with his elbow.

"My mother," she answered. "Oh God, she's going to ruin everything."

"Your mum?" Beth questioned quietly. "I thought you didn't speak? I thought she didn't even know where you lived?"

"My nosy Aunt told her, and she just showed up," Bonnie explained quickly. "Don't humor her."

"All rise!" the clerk announced, prompting them all to stand.

"The defense calls Susan Wright."

Everyone was surprised to see the woman who lived at the caravan park – who hadn't been seen since Joe had been arrested – walk into the courtroom from the side door opened by the bailiff.

Bonnie felt Nigel freeze next to her and whispered, "You all right?"

"Let's just say we're in the same boat right now," he whispered back.

"Would you please give your full name to the court?"

"Susan Wright," the blonde woman drawled from her place on the stand.

"And you were living at Tides Caravan Park on July 18th, 2013?" Sharon questioned.

"I was," she answered nonchalantly.

"Miss Wright, where were you in the early hours of the morning...?" Sharon asked.

"I was walking my dog Vince on the beach at Broadchurch. I've a caravan nearby," Susan said.

"And did you see anything significant on the beach that morning?"

Bonnie felt like she saw something ticking in the woman's eyes. "I saw a boat come in... and a man carrying the body of a young boy. Then he laid it on the beach."

"Did you recognize the man carrying the body?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah, I did."

"Oh no," Bonnie whispered. Could this be what Lucy wanted to do? It would jeopardize the whole case.

"And can you name that man for the court?" Sharon requested.

"Nigel Carter," Susan said without remorse, without hesitation. It wasn't like Lucy's plan. It was much worse. Susan pointed a finger at Nigel next to Bonnie, "He's my son... and he's sitting over there."

After Bishop got through with Susan they were dismissed for the day, given the out-of-left-field testimony she'd given, incriminating Nigel. Bonnie walked out with him and the Latimers, remarking incredulously, "That's your birth mother? Can't believe it."

"She's crazy!" he hissed.

"Magpie!"

Bonnie completely lost all patience when she heard that old nickname. She groaned out loud when she saw her mother excitedly approaching her and the Latimers. The woman had that ever-present serene smile on her face as she looked at Beth, extending her hand, "Oh, you must be Beth Latimer. I was so sorry to hear about your boy. I truly believe that if Joe Miller doesn't see justice in this life, he will see justice in the next." Bonnie reluctantly agreed with that sentiment. She had seen what happened with bad souls that didn't get to move on. They faded into oblivion. But she hated that little smile her mother got that was supposed to be comforting, as she clasped one of Beth's hands in one of her own, "I'm Marge, Marjorie's mother."

"My name is Bonnie," Bonnie cut her off.

Marge ignored her, "I don't know if she's told you what I do for a living. I'm a medium. If you need further closure, I can contact Danny for you. He's still with you..."

Bonnie was disgusted at her mother. They both knew that Danny wasn't around anymore. He'd already moved on. Beth looked gutted at the mention of contacting Danny and Mark and Nige looked outraged. As outraged as she felt. Bonnie stepped forward and said, "That's enough. You leave them alone."

"I'm only trying to help-" her mother tried to protest but Bonnie had already grabbed her arm and was leading her away towards the stairs.

"I don't want to see your face around here ever again," Bonnie hissed in her ear as they walked down the stairs. "I have a good life here. A great life, great future, and none of it involves you. I know that you've never cared about me and what I want—"

"I'm your mother and I love you!" Marge protested loudly. Bonnie was glad they were near one of the doors as she pushed the woman outside. "Of course, I care about what you want. But we are mother and daughter, we need to make peace!"

"No, we don't!" Bonnie yelled. "We really don't. I have never bought that bullshit about how family members absolutely have to maintain relationships with each other and let go of the past and make nice just because they share blood. Toxic is toxic, and you have to get toxic people out of your life, family or not. You-" she jabbed a finger at Marge's face, "are toxic. And I've cut myself free of you in everything and name. I don't want you in my life. And if you really care about me or what I want at all – you'll respect that and go back to Richmond."

With her piece said, she walked away quickly made her way to the front of the courthouse where Beth and Mark were sitting. "I am so sorry about her. I knew she was mental, but I didn't think she was bold enough to show up here and – and offer her services."

"Yeah, what was that?" Mark demanded. "Your mum sees dead people? She thinks she can talk to Danny?"

"Her mother is a con artist," Beth said, taking her friend's hand. "Bon told me during the investigation, when that phone engineer approached me and claimed he got messages from Danny. It's all a lie. She ran away from her mum when she moved here."

Mark slightly relaxed, "I don't want to see her hanging around saying she's talking to Danny."

"I've told her time and time again to leave," Bonnie sighed, feeling a little pent up. "I've told her to leave you all alone and I hope that she listens. But if she harasses you, feel free to report her, whatever, don't worry about how it will affect me. I've already reissued the restraining order from Virginia here."

Mark looked at her, "You have a restraining order against your mum?"

"If you knew how she was raising me, pitting me against my dad, trying to force me into her medium bullshit," Bonnie listed off, "then you'd understand why I needed one."

"We just walk away if she shows up," Beth broke in. "We can't waste time thinking about her, we've got the trial to worry about."

"He's going away," Bonnie said, hugging the other woman's shoulders.

"That Susan Wright woman is trying to get them to put Nige away," Mark complained.

"The jury will see through it hopefully," Bonnie sighed. "But it's probably Christmas for that Bishop bitch."

"Let's shove off," Beth said as Alec approached, looking at Bonnie. "Take care of this one, yeah?"

"Of course," Alec agreed as Beth and Mark said their goodbyes and walked off. He took Bonnie's shoulders into his hands and asked, "I saw you having an argument with a woman. Your mother?"

Bonnie sighed and nodded, "I can't believe she came here of all places. She won't take a hint, or a very clear declaration of my desire not to see her."

"Sometimes people get blinded by their own desires," he said as he weaved her arm through his elbow and started leading them towards where Ellie was parked. "Hopefully, she'll get tired of fighting and leave you alone."

"I'm already tired of fighting," she lamented, laying her head on his shoulder. "I'm tired of fighting her. I was happy before, without her." She poked her head up to look at him, "With you."

"It'll be okay," he remarked, giving her a forehead kiss.

She playfully narrowed her eyes at him, "When did you get to be the optimistic one?"

"Just channeling you, sweetheart," he teased.

Bonnie felt a killing migraine setting into her brain in the early hours of the morning. It was still dark out, Alec was sleeping soundly next to her, facing her. She felt fear spiking in her heart, and surprise, and felt someone's hands on her head, holding it tightly and smacking it into something hard. She felt like her skull was split open. It was excruciating.

When she woke, it was with a scream. She shot up like a bullet, clutching her head and sobbing in pain.

"Bonnie?" Alec's sleepy voice asked as he started waking. When he saw her state, he quickly sat up and closed his arms around her. "What's wrong? What happened? Nightmare?"

She sagged into his chest, whining deep in her throat and chest and holding her head from the side and the back of it. "They were smacking my head into the wall or something. It feels like it's cracked open."

"Who?" he questioned, cradling her head and feeling around for any kind of evidence that she was physically hurt. When she had felt Danny's death, she had bruises on her neck for days. When he felt something wet when he brushed his fingers through her hair at the back of her head, he felt the chill she usually described feeling when being visited by people like Danny and Lisa. "Shit!" he cursed, scrambling off the bed to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit.

Bonnie looked up after him and saw a tearful Lisa standing by the door to the bathroom. She looked scared and apologetic. She was rapidly speaking but no words were coming out.

"It's okay," Bonnie whispered, the words coming out with visible breath in the colder air.

"You're bleeding," Alec answered her, not seeing Lisa as he rushed back in with the little first aid kit that Bonnie had gotten when he got the house. He knelt by her on the bed again and separated her hair, seeing only a small cut on top of a purple bump. It only slightly comforted him that it wasn't fatal looking. He couldn't take her to the ER with what looked like another ghost injury. He pushed her hair over her shoulders and started cleaning the wound. "This will sting."

"It's okay," she just repeated, looking right at Lisa.

"I guess I finally get to take care of you for once," he remarked, kissing her head.

"Oh," she turned to him, catching his lips, but flinched at the pain erupted in her skull. "Ow!"

"Another invisible friend?" he asked lightly, taping a gauze bandage to her small wound and carefully brushing her hair over it so it couldn't be seen.

She nodded, "Lisa. I think this is how she died."

"By someone smashing her head in?" he asked, looking around the empty spot of the room Bonnie was staring at. "What in the bloody hell went on that night?"

Bonnie shook her head as Lisa disappeared. She laid her head on Alec's chest and wrapped her arms around his waist, letting him embrace her, "I hope you figure it out because she won't be around much longer."

"What do you mean?" he asked, pulling them up from the bed and walking her into the kitchen. He sat her at the table while he fished for a glass of water.

"They don't hang around being seen forever," she explained, still holding her head in pain. "First thing they lose is speech, then feel, then even I can't see them anymore, but they're still hanging around, completely out of touch. If they don't move on first. It usually only happens to the bad ones – I've called it obscurity, like Hell on Earth for those that don't deserve the good place. But sometimes... if someone can't move on for whatever reason, it could happen to them to."

Alec sighed as he set down some pain pills and the glass of water on the table for her. She thanked him quietly and took the pills in one sip but drained the entire glass in nearly one sitting.

"We can't let that happen to her," Alec stated, sitting across from her and leaning his elbows on the table. "I have to solve this – I have to put it away."

"You and Ellie will," she reached across the table to take his hand. "You caught Joe."

"Yeah, and he might walk the way things are going in that bloody circus of a trial," he snarled to the air.

"He won't," Bonnie tried to assure him. "The confession's back in. The jury can't ignore that."

"But that bloody Susan Wright woman is going to mess everything up," he remarked. "The woman is a pathological liar – was even during questioning about Danny. Trying to incriminate Nigel Carter, thinks he's somehow like his father, or she just wants to get back at him for not wanting anything to do with her."

"What is the situation there?" she asked. "Nige said she's his birth mother, and he clearly doesn't like her. And he didn't seem surprised that she accused him in court – like she's done it before. I knew he was a person of interest towards the end of the investigation. Was that because of her?"

Alec nodded, "She claimed he was the one on the beach that night back then too. He said she was harassing him since she came to Broadchurch. She used to be called Elaine Jones, had a husband and two daughters..."

"What happened?" she prompted him.

"Her husband was having a sexual relationship with the older girl," he revealed. Bonnie's other hand flew to her mouth in shock, but she let him continue. "He killed her when she got between him and the younger sister, and supposedly told Wright that she went traveling. Police found her body, arrested him. He said she'd known the whole time. There was an investigation into her but no prison time." He paused, stroking the back of Bonnie's hand with his thumb. "She was pregnant with Nigel at the time of the investigation. But Social Services took him, and he got adopted here. Once the law changed, and birth parents could make contact, she tracked him down. It's all a bloody mess."

"We just have to stay positive," she told him. "You've done your job, made your arrest, and provided all you need to provide to the prosecutor. It's in the jury's hands now with Joe Miller. You get to focus on Sandbrook and closing that case."

"You should stay in today and rest," he replied, squeezing her hand then. "You don't need to be in court, they're not going to call you up again."

"I don't know about that, I saw the wheels turning in Bishop's eyes," she remarked. "She'll probably want to discredit me, so she doesn't look like the bitch who attacked a nice girl like me on the stand during the murder trial of an eleven-year-old boy." After a pause, she stood up with a sigh, "But I have to go. Be there for Nige while his mother accuses him of murder. Be there for Beth and Mark after the show my mom put on yesterday. But I'll rest up a bit before I have to show. You and Ellie are checking into the bridesmaid Cate said Ricky was with at the wedding, right?"

He nodded, "Yeah. We need to figure out where Ricky really was while he daughter and niece were being murdered."

She bent over him to give the top of his head a kiss, "You will. You both will."

"You don't have to come with me to question this woman," Alec told Ellie as he met her at her old house.

"No, I want to," she insisted, leaning limply against the front window. She had just seen Tom for the first time in weeks due to Lucy's insistence and it hadn't gone well. He was convinced that his dad was innocent and refused to come back to live with her. "My life has all gone to shit. At least fixing your mess gives me a distraction."

"Are you going to move back in here?" he asked, looking around the practically abandoned house.

"Only when I've got Tom back. Are we going or not?" she asked, wanting to get out of the house.

"Right," he said, heading towards the door. He paused at the doorway and told her, "Listen, remember those bruises Bonnie got from reliving Danny's death?"

Ellie flinched at the pain she and Danny had both gone through due to her husband's actions. "Yes, I remember."

"Well, the same happened with Lisa this morning," he told her. "She's okay, I patched her up and gave her something for the pain. She woke up before it got too bad. But now we know how Lisa Newbury was killed."

"How then?" Ellie asked.

"Her head was smashed into a wall – repeatedly," he revealed.

Tiffany the Bridesmaid was surprised and bit wary when Ellie and Alec approached her at the florist place she worked at. But she didn't run, just asking, "Where did you say you were from?"

"South Mercia police. We're looking at an old case," Alec lied calmly.

Ellie interview her, "On 14 April 2012, were you the bridesmaid for Martin and Esther Kelly's wedding at Longthorne Hotel?"

Tiffany twisted her lips in thought, "I don't know if that was the date, but I was at the wedding."

"Did you have sex with a man called Ricky Gillespie that night?" Alec asked bluntly.

She gaped at him, completely taken aback, "Wow, you don't mess about!" She shifted on her other foot, "You mean Ricky whose girl was killed?" They both nodded, and she went on to explained what happened that night, "Yeah. No, I didn't. I mean, he tried it on. He was after me all night. He even followed me to my room when I went to change my shoes, cos my heels were killing me, and he had this little silver hip flask. He kept trying to make me have a drink with him, but I threw him out. A bit much. He was there with his wife. The last I saw, he was heading back through the car park."

"How long was he in your room for?" Alec asked.

She shrugged, "Five or ten minutes. I didn't see him for the rest of the evening."

Later once they got back to Broadchurch, Ellie and Alec discussed the case, trekking down the cliffs before they had to go to court.

"Cate Gillespie was wrong. Ricky wasn't with another woman," Alec asked.

Ellie speculated aloud, "Nobody saw him for two hours. Where was he? And who takes a hip flask to a wedding? Do you think he was going to drug her?"

"I haven't heard any reports of him trying that sort of thing," he remarked.

"Claire said that's what Lee used to do to her," Ellie referenced her late-night conversation with Claire. "Do think it's something all four of them used to do?"

"I don't know. When we're done in court today, we'll talk to her," he decided.

Bonnie sat next to Nige in the stands, hand weaved through his arm to support him while his birth mother got on the stand to defend her accusations against him. She was glad to see that Jocelyn didn't seem worried in the least.

"When was the last time you had your eyesight tested? What about your night vision? Ever had that tested?"

"Never had a test," Susan answered, adopting this smug smart-arse attitude from the very beginning. "But I eat a lot of carrots."

"So, you have no idea how far you can see either in the daytime or at night?" Jocelyn posited.

"I can see the moon and that's a fair distance," she shot back.

"Very good. Can we turn to your son, Mr. Carter?" Jocelyn waved towards the stand where Nige and Bonnie were sitting with Mark and Beth. "You hadn't seen him for 28 years, had you?"

"I know what he looks like, if that's what you're getting at," Susan snarled with a curl in her lip.

"In Mr. Carter's sworn statement to the police he says, 'I don't even know who she is.' 'I don't want anything to do with her,'" Jocelyn read out from her papers on the case transcripts.

"Police got it wrong," Susan retorted with an unearned authority. "Police get it wrong all the time. It's a fact."

The Judge interceded then, taking off her glasses and looking at Susan, completely unimpressed, "It's not, actually. Stick to answering the questions you've been asked, Miss Wright."

Bonnie noticed with glee Miss Bishop and her junior hissing at each other. They didn't expect Susan to be like this on the stand and knew she would be hurting their case.

Susan rolled her eyes at the Judge, "Okay!"

"When you first saw Danny's body on the beach, why didn't you call for an ambulance?" Jocelyn carried on.

Susan scoffed, "A bit late by then."

"You seem very certain," Jocelyn remarked. "Did you check? Are you medically qualified?"

"It was obvious what had happened," Susan said.

"Why didn't you call the police?" Jocelyn asked.

After a pause, and maybe some reluctance, Susan answered, "I didn't want to dump Nigel in it."

"How do you explain police forensics finding four cigarette butts with your DNA on them next to Danny's body?" Jocelyn asked, consorting with her notes.

"I've smoked a lot of cigarettes on that beach," she excused it off.

"Why did you take the skateboard?" Jocelyn asked.

"I thought it might get nicked," she explained nonchalantly.

"It did get nicked, didn't it?" Jocelyn pointed out with a small laugh in her voice. "By you!"

With a glare, Susan said, "I thought the family would want it back."

Nige scoffed next to her and Bonnie squeezed his arm. She whispered, "She's a train wreck. The defense is going to be scrambling."

"Do you know who Maggie Radcliffe is?" Jocelyn asked Susan.

Susan immediately answered, "No."

Jocelyn looked at her notes and responded, "The editor of the Broadchurch Echo. Whose office you broke into around 11.37pm on 24 July 2013 and whom you threatened by saying, and I quote, 'I know men who would rape you.'"

Bonnie and Beth both gasped and looked between Susan and Maggie, completely shocked at that. They hadn't known. Bonnie noticed that the defense hadn't known either, angered by this new revelation.

"Not true," Susan denied without blinking, resting her weight on one foot, relaxed. Like she didn't even care what happened at this point, digging her heels in.

"What's not true?" Jocelyn asked. "You don't know men like that or you do?"

"I never said it!" she denied again.

"Why would she lie?" Jocelyn posited.

She shrugged, stating, "She's a journalist," like she was the devil.

"Right!" Jocelyn laughed aloud, gesturing around the courtroom. "Journalists and police lie and you're the only honest woman here."

Susan smirked, "If you like."

"Isn't it true that every word you have told this court since you stood up in the witness box is a lie?" Jocelyn asked, knowing she was right.

"No," Susan droned.

"You didn't see Nigel Carter. You saw Joe Miller," Jocelyn insisted.

"No!" Susan denied.

"But you want to pin the blame on the son who's rejected you," Jocelyn said.

"No!" Susan almost shouted.

"You've lied to this court time and again, just as you've lied to the police!" Jocelyn retorted.

"No!" Susan yelled.

"Why should the jury believe a single word you say?" Jocelyn asked, exasperated.

Susan paused, anger in her smug features as she jutted her jaw forward and snarled at Jocelyn, "You ain't all that."

Bonnie gave the Latimers and Nige a smile and cheek kisses before walking over to Alec and Ellie on their way out of the courtroom. Alec immediately asked, "How's the head?" as he took her hand and interlaced their fingers.

"Still throbbing a bit," she answered honestly. "I don't think I'm going into work today. Going to rest up at home for a bit."

"Good," he murmured.

"Home," Ellie chuckled. "So domestic. It's nice."

Bonnie smiled, "What's your guys' next move?"

"Talk to Claire," Alec said. "She's been lying so much, we have to get to the truth."

Their conversation was interrupted when Ellie suddenly scowled, seeing Susan walking out. She marched over to the other woman, demanding to know, "Did you enjoy yourself, lying in there?"

Susan just smirked at her, "It's not my husband in the dock. I suppose you knew all along."

"No!" Ellie immediately denied, disgusted at the woman in front of her.

Susan remained smug, "Of course you did. We all know. We all turn a blind eye."

Ellie shook her head, "Not me – that's not what happened."

"Of course not!" Susan retorted sarcastically. "You just keep telling yourself that." As she walked away, Ellie felt eyes on her and looked up to see Beth, Mark, and Nige watching from the second floor, and Lucy watching from halfway down the stairs. She couldn't take the eyes boring into her, assuming and judging or pitying – and she didn't know which was worse. So, she walked off towards the doors.

Alec sighed and looked down at Bonnie, "You going to be all right getting home? No dizziness or nausea?"

She smiled at his concern and shook her head, "No, just a headache. I'll be fine."

"Let me see that it's not bled through," he murmured, twisting around to look at the back of her head and check the bandage. Luckily, it was still white. "Good, good. I won't be long then, I don't think."

"Take your time, this is important," she assured him. "I'll be fine. I won't even go to sleep, I'll just lay around and read or something. I'll see you at home."

"All right," he accepted, giving her a quick kiss before following after Ellie.

After he had gone, Bonnie heard Beth's voice behind her, "What's that on your head, Bon?"

Bonnie turned to see her angry and confused friends standing there. "Huh?"

"Did he do that to you?" Mark demanded protectively, pointing after Alec.

"You tell us he did, and we'll take him in for ya," Nige promised, lip turned up angrily.

"Oh God, no!" Bonnie quickly cut them off. "That's not what happened at all. Alec wouldn't hurt me."

"You don't have to protect him, Bonnie," Beth said, taking her friend's hands.

Bonnie smiled, she was lucky to have them as friends. "Thank you, but I'm not. You remember how I testified that Alec and I kissed after I injured myself during a panic attack? He thought I was in trouble and broke in to save me?"

"Yeah, why?" Mark asked.

"Well, last night I had another panic attack, another nightmare," she embellished the truth for them. "I thrashed around so much that I hit my head on the nightstand. Nearly gave poor Alec a heart attack thinking I'd fatally wounded myself. But it's just a bump and little cut. I'm fine."

Beth seemed relieved, while Mark and Nige still seemed wary. Nige asked, "You'd tell us if he was hurting you, yeah?"

"I wouldn't stay in that kind of situation," Bonnie assured them. "But I will go home and rest – as Alec made me promise to do so, so he didn't rush me to the hospital this morning. I'll see you all later?"

"Right," Beth nodded, squeezing her hands before letting go as they all left the courthouse and dispersed.

As they drove to Claire's house, Ellie was obviously still gutted about what transpired at the courthouse, staring ahead at the road.

"Are you all right?" Alec asked.

"They'll always think I knew," she muttered. "No matter what the verdict, they'll always think I was in on it."

"Just give them time," he said.

"Oh, brilliant!" she lamented sarcastically. "Thanks for that shitty platitude. That's fixed everything!" After a pause, she asked, "Does Claire know we're coming?

"No."

When they arrived, they skipped pleasantries and sat Claire down at the kitchen table. "I want you to tell me what you told Miller about that night."

Claire gave Ellie a betrayed look, "That was supposed to be between us."

Ellie shook her head, "There are no secrets between him and me."

Claire now gave Alec a loaded look, "Oh! Is that right?"

"Claire, I don't care what you've said before. I want the truth now," Alec demanded. He was tired of the lies dragging this case out. Families needed closure. Lisa's spirit needed closure.

Claire let out a big sigh. "That night I went to see a friend, Marie, like I told you before. Except... I didn't stay over. I came home, and I had a drink with Lee. I think he spiked my drink with Rohypnol. I was out for a long time and when I woke, it was morning. He was cleaning."

"What sort of cleaning?" he questioned her.

"Bathroom. Washing linen. Hoovering. Washing floors," she described. "He said he fancied a spring clean."

Ellie chimed in, "So, he's drugged you, now he's cleaning the house and the next morning two girls get reported missing from next door, but you don't think to tell anyone?"

"I didn't want to think it was possible," Claire told her.

"What about now? Do you think he could have killed those girls?" Ellie asked her.

"No," she insisted.

Alec looked at her, "This is now the third version of that night you've come up with. Why couldn't you tell me this before?"

"I didn't want you knowing what he used to do," Claire justified herself. Alec suddenly reached across the table and grabbed the mobile he'd gotten her. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

He clicked through her outgoing calls until he got to the unknown number and showed her, "Whose number's that?"

"I don't know. It was an incoming call. It was a wrong number," she answered.

"It was an outgoing call," he pointed out.

"Because I called it back to check and it just rang and-" she babbled.

But he cut her off, "This area code, that's where you lived with Lee."

"Now I feel I'm being questioned!" she accused them, looking between them like they were ganging up on an innocent woman.

"Too bloody right!" Alec agreed with her. "You were my key witness and now you say you're lying all along."

"I'm not lying!" she insisted.

"What, then?" he asked.

"Trying to protect him," she folded her arms.

"Him or yourself?" he retorted.

She glared at him, "That's not fair!"

"So, this is now definitively, this is what happened that night?" he questioned her, not taking his eyes off of her face.

"Yes," she drawled out.

"Really?" he asked. They just stared at each other for a moment. "Claire?"

She averted her eyes. "There is erm... He was here when you went away, and we had sex upstairs."

Ellie groaned, "What, Claire?!"

"You left me alone, Alec," Claire blamed him before looking at Ellie, "I've told you, he's like a drug. I can't stop myself! I can't!"

Alec suddenly stood and started making his way out, "Come on, Miller."

"Are you going? I don't want to be on my own," Claire begged.

"Child care. Sorry," Ellie stood.

"What happens now, then?" Claire asked her.

"Miller!" Alec called from the door, prompting her to follow him out of the house.

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