Chapter 39

HEIDI COLE

Heidi was aware that millions of eyes were now upon her; the public and jurors all on tenterhooks waiting to see how she would react.

She began slowly, with a shake of her head. ‘No, you’re a liar,’ she told the Hacker. ‘I don’t believe you.’

‘I have no reason to lie to you, Heidi,’ he replied, his voice infused with phony sympathy. ‘Of the nine years you have spent married to your husband, for eight of them, he has also been married to another woman.

And in that time, they have had two children together.’

‘Am I just supposed to take your word for it?’ she hit back. ‘You’ve made accusations about us all but you never offer any proof. I don’t take anyone’s word for anything without seeing evidence first.’

‘Spoken like a true officer of the law, DS Cole.’

A ten-minute countdown clock appeared in the corner of her screen along with a video clip. It was of Sam playing with two children, around the same age as her own, in a theme park. He was with a blonde-haired boy and a red-haired girl travelling inside a log flume. Suddenly it dropped down a steep section, drenching them with water. They exited the carriage giggling and wringing water from their clothes. ‘Daddy, you’re soaked,’ the girl directed towards Sam as he rubbed her wet matted hair. Whoever was holding the camera turned it on themselves. It was a woman with short, dark hair and pale skin. ‘Oh, Daddy is going to regret his soggy bottom on the journey home,’ she laughed before the screen faded to black.

The next clip had been recorded at a restaurant with the same children and a group of men and women Heidi didn’t recognise. The woman from the last clip approached Sam with a cake and two burning candles numbered 4 and 0 as everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’. Heidi recalled offering to organise him a party but he had turned her down. Now she knew why. Responding to everyone’s requests for a speech, Sam rose to his feet.

‘I’d like to thank everyone for coming,’ he began, ‘and for my beautiful wife and kids for keeping this from me as a surprise. I had no idea she could be so secretive.’

‘Turn it off,’ Heidi spat and the Hacker obliged. Her face remained devoid of emotion as she looked to Sam’s screen. He may have held his head down but the guilt was written across his face.

‘Who are they?’ she asked.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ the Hacker replied. ‘All that matters is that they exist.’

‘If you are telling me that my marriage has been based on lies then it matters to me. Who are they?’

‘His son is called James and his daughter is called Beccy.’

‘That’s what we called our children.’

‘He used the same names.’

‘And her?’

‘His wife’s name is Josie.’

‘Don’t call her his wife,’ Heidi snapped. ‘If he married me first then legally I am his wife, not her.’

A camera picked out Matthew. He took it as his cue to begin talking to her.

‘I’m sorry, Heidi,’ he began. ‘This is not how I envisaged our conversation would begin.’ When Heidi didn’t reply, Matthew filled the space of her silence. ‘I’m not sure what’s worse – a partner who has started another family behind their first family’s back or one who has affairs throughout their marriage. And I speak about this from experience.’

Heidi thawed ever so slightly at his words. ‘You do?’ she asked.

He nodded. ‘A careless text message she’d forgotten to delete. I’m not just paying you lip service when I tell you that you have my sympathy.’

Heidi offered Matthew an appreciative half-smile and directed her attention to her husband. ‘I don’t even have to ask you if it’s true, do I, Sam? Look at you.’ She saw his leg bouncing up and down as he shuffled awkwardly in his seat. ‘How could you?’ she continued, her voice becoming emboldened. ‘What kind of man marries someone else when they already have a wife? Did I slip your mind? Did you just forget? Does she know about me, about our family?’

Sam opened his mouth, but with his microphone switched off he was unable to give her the answers she craved. ‘Turn his volume up!’ Heidi ordered but her demands were ignored. ‘You heard me! I have a right to know! If I’m going to die in this car, at least give me the truth first.’

‘I don’t think you are going to get it, Heidi,’ said Matthew calmly. ‘The Hacker isn’t interested in giving you answers; he gains more satisfaction from playing with you … playing with all of us. So why don’t you tell us about yourself instead? Let the people know who you are away from Sam.

Don’t allow what he has done to define you in their eyes.’

‘But I trusted him. How could he do this to me?’

‘How would you describe yourself as a mum?’ Matthew persevered.

‘Unlike my husband, I’m there for my children,’ she replied. ‘During his interview, Sam was keen to point out just how unfair it was that only women are thought of as nurturers. Well, Sam, that’s because I had no choice but to take on that role by myself. You failed to mention how you kept accepting contracts that took you away from us four days a week, and it’s only now I realise that it’s because it meant you got to spend time with this other family. I also work full-time but it’s me who plays both mum and dad to our kids, who takes Beccy to singing lessons and ferries James around the county for rugby tournaments. And even when you are with us, it’s like you’re not there. You’re always too tired to engage. But I suppose you’ve been too busy giving your attention to your other children to care.’

‘Why do you think you should survive this process?’ Matthew continued.

Heidi shook her head. ‘You know what? I don’t mean to be rude but I’m done playing this game. I’ve given the last ten years to raising my children, being a success in my career and to my marriage. And this is my reward for trying to be a good person. So to hell with you all. I’m not answering any more questions.’

Heidi rubbed at her eyes with her fingertips and looked out from the window and to the opposite side of the road where traffic had come to a complete standstill. A queue of drivers and Passengers lined up to watch her car pass them. Some pointed cameras at her, others waved and many applauded. She took a sharp intake of breath, worried that she might share Shabana’s fate if anyone broke ranks and tried to bring her car to a halt. But they retained a respectful distance.

The Hacker was the next person to speak.

‘Are you alright, Heidi?’ he asked.

‘If you cared we wouldn’t be trapped inside these cars being stared at like animals in a zoo. I’d be home with my children and not publicly humiliated for your entertainment.’

‘You still have three minutes left.’

‘Keep them, give them to someone else, shove them up your arse, I don’t care. If I’m only able to teach my kids one more lesson then it’s to face up to bullies; to stand their ground and not to allow anyone like you or their father to take advantage of me.’

The Hacker let the camera remain on a defiant Heidi for several moments before he spoke again.

‘Cadman, would you care to keep us up to speed with how the public are reacting with their hashtags to Heidi’s and Sam’s situation?’

‘Heidi has already overtaken Sam, and he’s actually dropped to below even Claire’s ranking. Apparently living a double life with two wives and two families is worse than driving around with your dead husband in the car.’

‘While the public never fails to fascinate me, neither do our Passengers,’ said the Hacker. ‘I find you particularly interesting, Heidi.

Bringing your ten minutes to an early halt was a very risky move.’

‘It wasn’t a move because I’m not playing a game.’

‘That’s not true, is it?

Heidi’s heart sank. For a moment, she thought she had got away with it.

As long as she was winning sympathy as the wronged wife, she would take Sam’s support and show him how it felt to be thrown under the bus. But the Hacker had known exactly what she was doing. And now everyone else was about to as well.

‘You’ve known about your husband’s second family for quite some time now, haven’t you?’ the Hacker continued. ‘And to get your revenge, you’ve been blackmailing him ever since.’