to it.’
That night, Emily stood at her bedroom window gazing into the clear still air. As usual, the light was on in Amit Burman’s lab, although nothing could be seen but the faint glow around the very edge of the opaque film and blinds. Ben was downstairs finishing off a report for work and she’d come up for an early night. She was tired. Exhausted. She’d worn herself out thinking about what she’d seen and learnt at Alisha’s that afternoon. How she would have liked to have confided in Ben. Share the burden of this, as she normally shared most things with him. Her thoughts were in chaos, she needed some perspective on what she’d found out, but to do so would break her promise to Alisha, and she couldn’t risk the consequences of doing that. If she told Ben, he could let it slip to Amit. They often exchanged a few words when they saw each other going in or out of the houses. Ben was as honest as they came and wasn’t good at keeping secrets or telling lies. But the fact that she was the only one apart from the Burmans who knew they had a child was a huge responsibility. At the time Alisha had explained the reasons for keeping Eva secret it had seemed rational, but now Emily wasn’t so sure.
Supposing something dreadful happened in that house and she hadn’t told anyone? Wouldn’t she be partly responsible and to blame? Parents under huge pressure, such as the Burmans were, must sometimes snap and the result could be devastating. The strain must be enormous and Alisha had admitted Amit was obsessed with finding a cure, although it was obvious that Eva could never be cured. Might there come a time when he realized this and it all became too much and he lost it? Theirs wouldn’t be the first family to be found slaughtered in their beds after a parent had suffered a breakdown and run berserk. Perhaps he was already at breaking point, Emily thought, and she was the only one who knew Eva was there. It was a confidence she wished she didn’t have.
Her mobile phone, already on her bedside cabinet for the night, began to vibrate behind her. She turned from the window. Their bedside clock showed it was after ten o’clock. It wouldn’t be her parents or friends phoning at this time. Nuisance call? She picked up the phone and saw the call was coming from a local landline number, although not one the phone recognized as a contact. Something stopped her from letting it go through to voicemail and she pressed to accept the call. ‘Hello?’
‘Emily?’ a small female voice asked tentatively. It was vaguely familiar but so slight it was impossible to place.
‘Yes. Who is it?’
‘Alisha. I am so worried.’
‘Oh Alisha. What’s the matter?’ Concern immediately kicked in, but why was she phoning when Amit was home?’
‘I’m in trouble, Emily. I’ve just realized that your visit today will all be recorded on our CCTV. If Amit sees it, he will be furious. I don’t know what to do. You must never come here again. It was wrong of me to ask you for help. I don’t know what to do.’
‘Calm down,’ Emily said and returned to the window. The light was still on the outbuilding. ‘Amit is in his shed, isn’t he?’
‘Yes, for now, but supposing he looks at the recording? He does sometimes. If he checks it, he’ll see you’ve been here.’
‘Can you delete part of the recording? We haven’t got CCTV, but I’m guessing you can.’
‘I think so, but I don’t know how.’ Emily heard the panic and desperation in her voice.
‘There must be a control box somewhere. How do you control it?’ Emily asked, watching the outbuilding for any sign that Amit might be leaving it.
‘There’s a box under the television. Amit views the recordings on our TV. I’ve seen him do it.’
‘And he hasn’t viewed it yet today?’
‘No.’
‘So delete the bit where I arrive and leave.’
‘Yes, but how?’ Alisha’s hysteria grew.
‘Calm down. It can’t be that difficult. Are you in the living room now?’
‘Yes.’
‘Have you got the remote control there?’
‘Yes. It’s on the table.’
‘Look at it now while Amit is in the lab. I’m in my bedroom. I can see him from here if he leaves.’
Alisha fell silent and Emily concentrated on the outbuilding. ‘I’ve found the channel it’s on,’ Alisha said at last.
‘Good. Can you see a main menu?’
A short pause then, ‘Yes.’
‘Click on the menu,’ Emily said. ‘I’m guessing there will be something that says device.’
Silence again. Emily hoped Ben wouldn’t choose this moment to come up. She’d have difficulty explaining what she was doing.
‘Got it,’ Alisha said.
‘Right, move the recording to the bit just before I arrive.’
‘How?’ Alisha’s panic rose again.
‘Try to stay calm. There must be a way of rewinding it. Some little arrows maybe, pointing backwards?’
Another silence. ‘Yes. Here they are. Shall I click on it?’
‘Yes.’
A second later. ‘It’s rewinding.’
‘Good.’ Emily watched the outbuilding, her mouth dry and her pulse racing. Alisha’s fear and anxiety were contagious.
A minute later, ‘I’m back to where you arrive.’
‘OK, now press delete and keep deleting until just after I’ve gone.’
‘Yes, I’m doing it.’
Emily waited. She could hear Alisha’s breath coming fast and shallow.
‘Done it.’
‘Good. If Amit finds out, just act dumb and say you don’t know anything about it. He’ll think its malfunctioning.’
‘I think I must be dumb,’ Alisha said.
‘No. You just panicked. Are you OK now?’
‘Yes.’
At that moment, the light went off in the outbuilding and the door opened. ‘Alisha, Amit’s leaving now. Is the television back to normal viewing?’
‘Yes.’
‘Try to relax and stay calm. Do what you would usually do. I’ll see you Friday. You can switch off the CCTV before I arrive and then put it back on after I’ve gone, but we’ll speak again before then.’
‘Yes. Thank you.’ The line went dead.
Emily stayed by the window and watched Amit Burman as he carefully padlocked the door of the outbuilding and then began up the path towards the house. Alisha’s fear of being discovered had unsettled Emily. She had been panic-stricken. Genuinely afraid. Emily had heard it in her voice. Why, if Amit really was looking after her, as Alisha had claimed? She had doubts now.
Emily drew the curtains and then saved Alisha’s house phone number to the list of contacts in her mobile, just in case it should ever be needed.
‘It’s off, I’ve switched it off!’ Alisha declared, having phoned Emily’s mobile at 1.55 on Friday. Emily heard her sense of achievement and the excitement in her voice.
‘Great.