Free Sleepwalk by Ros Seddon Page A

Ellie seemed to look right through her and made a bee line for her side of the bed. Like she was on auto pilot, she took off her shoes and jeans and stood for a minute in her nightie watching the empty bed while Abi looked on from the doorway, then climbed into bed and closed her eyes. Abi had gone downstairs to find the front door open and the car in the middle of the road at a funny angle with its engine running. She parked the car and came in, locking the front door behind her. What the hell was Ellie doing? Was she actually going to drive the car in her sleep? Was she asleep? Abi had never seen anyone sleep walking before; let alone sleep driving. She realised now what David had had to put up with and understood why he’d put all those locks and alarms on the windows and doors. She’d hid the car keys and the apartment keys and gone back to bed but she hadn’t slept properly. Even the slightest movement and she would look to make sure Ellie was still there. Now she began to wonder about the bloodstained clothes. Had she actually gone out in the car that night and done something; something terrible? Abi shuddered at the thought. If only she wasn’t so tired. She couldn’t even think straight right now; she felt under so much pressure to stand by Ellie; look after her; see that she came to no harm, and surely Ellie would not harm anyone else? Not her Ellie. Yet there was so much that didn’t make sense. Ellie claimed to be happier than she’d ever been since they’d moved in together; so why was she so obsessed with following David? It was as though their weekends were consumed by private investigations; the need to know Ollie’s whereabouts at all times. Ellie said that she needed to be near him and to know he was safe. So why then, during the week when David was at work, was she quite happy to fulfil her duties as a loving partner and not give Ollie a second thought? Was it David she was following and not Ollie at all? Was she still in love with David? Abi threw the wet washing into the basket; slammed the washing up bowl back into the sink then went to the balcony and hung the washing on their make-shift lines that never caught the sun.
     
    Felicity had been seeing David for three weeks now and although the loss of her tabby cat was still great it didn’t seem to hurt her nearly so much these days. She felt as though she had a new lease of life. They met at lunch times and after work quite often during the week and he had been to her little cottage and eaten in with her once or twice but always left by seven and went home to his son. The weekends were harder but this last weekend he had left Oliver with his parents on Friday night and they had had the most amazing night. He’d taken her to the Retreat again as they’d enjoyed it so much the first time and this time when he took her home he’d come in for a night cap and almost ended up staying. They had talked all evening and held hands and it wasn’t until he stood up to leave and leaned forward to kiss her that her resolve began to weaken. The tenderness of his kiss took her breath away and sent shivers down her spine and on, into the very depths of her womanhood.
    ‘Oh God, stop David please.’ She’d cried but instantly regretted her plea as he pulled back and smiled his perfect smile.
    ‘Sorry. I’m sorry Flick I…….. I get carried away with you, you’re so………’ he’d turned away from her and walked to the door, ‘y ou make me feel so bloody horny! Night babe.’
    He had disappeared into the night and then reappeared and seized her with both arms around her waist and kissed her long and passionately, then had pulled himself free leaving her in a state of temporary comatose and backed away. She’d laughed as he walked backwards along the garden path looking at her longingly, one hand waving in the air and then tripped and almost ended up in the flowerbed. Had she ever felt this happy before? She didn’t think so. As she made her way