She Wasn't You

Chapter 23

Guilt ravaged my entire body as the story broke across the nation. I was in my own little world, surrounded by a bubble that I can't really explain. I couldn't quite believe my eyes or my eyes as I watched on, a face I had seen on that fateful night now staring back at me, only this time he was in handcuffs being ushered into the back of a police van.

It was the homeless guy I had given my jacket to.

"Police have now named the suspect as Alan Prince, a 42 year old homeless man. Who has since admitted to the murder of Philippa Knowles."

The bubble around me still not bursting as the report continued.

"We understand that Mr Prince will please guilty to the murder charge when in front of the magistrates court tomorrow morning. Police are no longer searching for any other suspects, this case of the young NHS nurse seems to be coming to an end and we hope that Philippa's family can now mourn her knowing her killer has been apprehended and is safely locked up behind bars."

Beads of sweat trickled down my back as my head was full of questions but mainly relief. Could I really allow this man to take the fall for my actions? Why would he plead guilty?

Whatever the reason he gave or whatever evidence they had on him, this now meant I was in the clear for one of my crimes. I just had to make sure that the lengths I went to for Nicola was enough for the police to sniff on the scent I had left pointing elsewhere.

"Wow! They tracked him down pretty quickly, didn't they?"

Ellie's words soon shook me from my own world, my head still scrambled but I turned towards her and nodded. "Yeah, very quick. I wonder what they had on him? I mean I'm glad he has been found. We can't have women scared to walk the streets because of scum like him."

What else was I meant to say?

                                 ~~~

The following few days passed without much drama, I had carried on messaging you as Bradley without raising too many suspicions.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't falling in love with you again, it was so nice having you back in my life again but I needed to push a little harder on the fact as to why you blocked the real me.

Ellie was at another one of her classes and mentioned that she was meeting a friend after the gym for a few glasses of wine which meant I had the evening to myself so what better chance than to get into a full flowing conversation with you.

'Do you still hear from Tommy? I know you two had a thing on and off for years. I haven't spoken to him for ages now, so just wondering if he is okay?'

It took you a good half an hour to respond but when you did, your response didn't surprise me in the slightest and deep down I knew the reason and it wasn't my fault.

'No, I haven't heard from him in quite a while now. Mainly because I had to block him. I heard a few stories about him from Caroline.'

Caroline! Of course. My ex. We all went to school together and she was in your year. I despised her in school but for some reason that October night in 2003 in our local pub, just 18 months after leaving school, I saw her in a different light. Both underage to be drinking but we all knew the landlady who would turn a blind eye and serve us anyway. There was something attractive about her that night and we just clicked. I still to this day look back on that night with regret.

'She told me a few things he had said to her about me and my family while they were together. All lies and it made me see him in a different light. A desperate man who still refused to let me go. So I had to block him and push him as far away from me as possible. I hear he is married with kids now so hopefully I'm so far out of his mind now that he hasn't realised I've blocked him.'

They often say when hearing news it's like taking a punch to the gut but reading that message was more than one punch, it felt like the entire nation had taken it in turns to punch and kick me in the guts, one by one.

I was devastated but not surprised. Caroline was fully aware of our relationship during our school years and brought you up in every argument we ever had. She knew how much I cared for you and how much I loved you. Throughout our relationship, I continued to hold a torch for you and she hated it, hated you for it, Katie. She was jealous of you but it would appear she had played us both very well and obviously once we broke up, she made sure I wouldn't go running to you. It all made sense now.

'No way! What did he say about you? That doesn't seem like Tommy at all. I'm in shock.'

I had the opportunity to turn the tables back in my favour in the strangest of ways.

'Apparently, he told Caroline that we lost our virginity to one another. Which you know, is a lie! She also told me that he had said to her that he had slept with Hayley and wait for it...my own Mother!!! Can you believe that? What a dick. And to think I spent years chasing him. Looks like I dodged a bullet with that psycho!'

I almost threw my phone across the room. I couldn't believe what I was reading, lie after lie after lie. I think what bothered me most Katie, was the fact that you believed her. What on earth was going on in your head to believe any of that was true?

'Tommy? Really? You honestly think he would say those things? He loved you, Katie. And you know what Caroline is like, you must remember how much of a bitch she was in school. I'm sorry but I've known Tommy for years and spent so much time with him. I would bet my house on the fact that those words never came out of his mouth.'

Was that enough for you to believe me? Would those words from Bradley be enough for you to come back into my life without having to hide behind behind a catfish profile? I promise you, those words never came out of my mouth.

'I don't know, Bradley. I didn't want to believe her but she swore to me that he did and she was often scared by how obsessed he was with me and from what I found out the other day, it makes sense.'

What did you hear the other day? Don't leave the message with that hanging in the air like that.

My fingers typed away so quickly, I'm surprised there wasn't smoke coming from my screen.

'What did you hear? You can't leave me hanging like that, Katie! Lol'

My heart thumped as I waited for your reply.

'Well, apparently, the day Nicola went missing. She was supposedly meeting up with him for a catch up. A catch up? Those two despised each other! Something doesn't sit right with me about that.'

Shit! Shit! Shit! How did you know about that?!

But before I could reply, another message came through and the walls were beginning to close in around me now.

'OMG!!! They've just found Nicola's body! She's been found dead. I can't believe it! 😱😥'

***