Every Little Breath: A Tense Psychological Thriller Full of Twists

Friday turned out to be a lot more enjoyable than Casey expected.

She hadn’t been quite sure what Finn had in mind when he had proposed a day out, but her concerns had eased this morning when he told her they were taking the dogs. She had guessed they were heading to the beach, judging from what he had brought with them, so was surprised when they pulled up in the Broads village of Wroxham, and she learnt of his plan to hire a boat for the day.

She hadn’t been out on the Broads in years. This was going to be fun.

A haven for tourists, the place was heaving with shoppers and day trippers, no one in a rush as they ambled along, most dressed in shorts and T-shirts, several of them eating ice creams.

Last night’s heavy rain had cleared to leave a dry, warm day with barely a cloud in the sky as they headed out on the boat from Wroxham passing spectacular riverbank properties onto the main waterways, Casey clinging on to both dogs’ leads, despite Finn’s assurances that they would be fine.

Phoebe would behave, Casey was sure of that, but Bert was half hanging over the edge, his big pink tongue sticking out, and looking ready for a swim. Finn might think he was in charge of his dog, but she suspected it was the other way around. Bert was going to do exactly what Bert wanted to do and Casey was fairly certain Finn was just along for the ride.

They took it in turns driving the boat, stopping at a dog-friendly pub for a long lazy lunch, Casey having fun and enjoying Finn’s company more than she cared to admit.

As the afternoon wore on and they meandered back along the river towards Wroxham, she wished she could stay out here for longer. Just with Finn and their dogs, away from the concerns of the real world, the worry about Psycho Steven, the stress about her radio show and whether she was being pushed out of her job.

As they headed back to the car, Finn’s hand slipped into hers and she didn’t feel that usual burning need to pull away. It actually felt right, just as he was starting to feel right. She wasn’t cut out for relationships and knew she couldn’t allow herself to get too close. It was okay to enjoy this for just a little bit, though, wasn’t it?

Maybe Finn was different to the other men she had dated. Perhaps it could somehow work. She liked spending time with him. Okay, like was too mild a word. When he walked into the room, her heart beat a little faster and she missed him like hell when he wasn’t about. The sex was great. Actually, better than great. But it wasn’t just that. She could really talk with him, and not just about silly stuff. He got her and it felt like he really understood what made her tick.

Or was she getting carried away? It had been one day out on the Broads. The date that he had promised wasn’t a date. She was being sappy and uncharacteristically sentimental. Yes, she knew Finn, trusted him too, but he was just one man and she didn’t know where he came from, what dark skeletons might be hiding in his family’s closet.

‘I just need to make a quick detour,’ he told her now, taking a turn-off that led back towards Norwich, instead of cutting across country to Coltishall.

‘Okay.’

Casey didn’t give it much thought, assuming it was perhaps work related, but then a few minutes later he turned off into the village of Spixworth, pulling into a residential cul-de-sac.

She glanced around warily. ‘Where exactly are we going?’

‘I want to check up on my parents.’

‘What?’ Panic bubbled in her gut.

‘I thought it would be easier to call in now rather than have to head out again.’

‘You never told me we were going to see your parents.’

‘I didn’t realise it would be an issue.’

‘I look a mess. Besides, they don’t know me. This is too weird.’ She was babbling now, excuses tumbling out, one after the other.

‘It’s not weird, you look fine, and they know who you are.’

‘They do? You’ve told them about me? Why would you do that?’

Finn pulled the car to a halt outside a modest, neatly-presented bungalow. Hanging baskets filled with pretty pink petunias hung either side of the front door and the garden looked well cared for. It seemed like a nice, unassuming but welcoming home, but still Casey didn’t want to go inside.

‘I’ll wait in the car.’

‘Don’t be stupid. You can come in with me.’

On the back seat, Bert, realising where he was, started barking and moving around excitedly, trampling on Phoebe, whose tail had also started wagging.

Finn turned off the engine and climbed out of the car. When Casey refused to move, he went round to the passenger door, opening it, and holding out his hand.

‘I said I would wait here.’

‘Stop being an idiot. Come on.’

At that point the front door opened, a woman poking her head out. Casey wasn’t quick enough to look away and they made eye contact, the woman smiling at her.

She was young, maybe around Finn’s age. His sister she guessed from the dark hair and similar angular features. And then she was stepping out of the bungalow and crossing the lawn towards them.

Oh fuck!

‘Finn, I didn’t know you were stopping by. Is this Casey?’

‘It is. She’s really looking forward to meeting you all, aren’t you, Casey?’

Casey shot a glance at Finn, didn’t miss the challenging look he gave her or the part smirk on his face.

She was going to bloody kill him.

Cheeks burning, knowing she was now backed into a corner, she got out of the car, forced a smile for the woman she assumed was his sister. ‘Hi, it’s nice to meet you.’

‘This is my sister, Niamh. She’s been staying with Mum and Dad since Dad had his fall.’

‘It’s good to meet you, Casey. Come on in. I’ve just put the kettle on. Finn has told us all about you. I know Mum and Dad are keen to meet you.’

Yes, she was definitely going to bloody kill him.

‘I have my dog with me. You really don’t want her traipsing through the house.’

Niamh waved off her protests. ‘Phoebe, isn’t it? She’ll be fine. If my parents can cope with Bert in the house, she won’t be any bother.’

With all of her excuses gone, Casey found herself following Finn and Niamh into the bungalow. Finn had taken hold of her hand again, despite her best attempts to discreetly shake him off, as if he suspected that she would bolt if he let go.

He wasn’t far wrong there. Her belly was in knots, her palms clammy, terrified she was going to have a panic attack.

But then she was in the living room being introduced to Brenda and Patrick Murphy and they were both so lovely and welcoming and kind. It was obvious they were a close family, that Finn thought the world of them, and her nerves eased while her anger began to thaw.

No, she hadn’t wanted to come, and no, he shouldn’t have forced her, but perhaps it was good that he had.

‘See, that wasn’t so bad,’ Finn told her as they drove back to Coltishall an hour later.

‘You shouldn’t have forced me to go,’ she grumbled in protest, but her anger had now completely gone. ‘Next time you want me to do something, how about you ask me instead?’

‘If I had asked you, would you have said yes?’

‘No,’ she admitted, after a pause.

‘Exactly. That’s what I thought. It was painless enough though, right? My parents are good people, my sister is too. Not all families have secrets. You don’t need to be nervous about them.’

‘I’m not. You shouldn’t have told them I was your girlfriend.’

Finn glanced her way, a teasing glint in his eyes. ‘Like you told Walsh?’

‘That was different.’

‘It was?’

‘You know it was. This isn’t a relationship, Finn.’

‘You keep telling yourself that, Casey.’

‘It isn’t.’

‘We’ll see.’

He was so infuriating and it was like trying to argue with a brick wall, as he turned the radio up, cutting off any further protests. She glowered at him, not missing his stifled smirk as he focused on the road.

As they drove the rest of the way home in silence, she mused again over this thing they had started. Finn was moving things forward at a hundred miles per hour and dragging her along for the ride, despite her protestations. All of her finely laid-out plans were thrown up in the air and she was learning there was no halfway mark with him. She was either all in or all out.

At this point she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to walk away.

That meant that she had a lot of thinking to do.

But for now it was back to reality, as she discovered, her phone pinging with a text ten minutes after she stepped back into her apartment. She wanted a shower and a change of clothes, had left Finn to take both dogs for a walk, agreeing to his suggestion to go downstairs for dinner and a movie with him later.

She had just spent the whole day with him, should really back off and put a bit of space between them, but he was like a drug and the more she had of him the more she wanted.

She had just stepped out of the shower and was walking back into her bedroom, a towel wrapped round her, when the message came through, and she sat down on her bed, grabbing her phone, expecting it to be from Ricky, Zoe or one of her brothers.

The number was unknown and she frowned at the screen as she opened it, assuming it would be a cold caller text.

It wasn’t.

I have missed listening to you on your show this week, bitch.

Have you decided to run away?

Our games haven’t finished yet, so there is no point in trying to hide from me.

I have taken another one and only you can stop me, Casey.

Are you going to try and save her this time?

Casey dropped the phone on the bed, gripped on to the edge of the mattress, sickness swirling in her gut.

Suddenly the walls of her apartment were closing in on her, her head spinning and her temperature heating up, and for a moment she was certain she was going to be sick. She drew a couple of deep breaths, willed it to pass.

He had her mobile number. That made it really personal and it also had her wondering what else he knew about her. Did he know where she lived? Had he followed her? Did he know who her friends and family were?

With shaking hands, she picked up her phone again and called Finn. As she waited for him to answer she wondered exactly what was Psycho Steven’s endgame?