Nearest Thing to Crazy Read Online Free PDF Page A

around her neck. ‘See these – three weeks ago and you can still see where his bloody hands were.’
    ‘Oh Ellie, poor you. But why?’
    ‘Drink. And drugs. I refused to give him money and so he thought he’d show me what he thought of me. Luckily I managed to fight him off and call the police. But the worst of it is that they didn’t catch him.
I’m just praying that he’ll fall down drunk somewhere and they’ll realize who he is . . . That, or – God I can’t believe I’m saying this – he’ll find another victim.’
    I must have looked horrified because she quickly shook her head and said, ‘No, no, I promise I didn’t mean that. But I just want it all to be over, to get my life back. I can’t tell my friends where I am – my family, anyone – just in case they let it slip. It’s a complete nightmare . . . like . . . well like something you’d read in a bloody novel, not in real life. I just can’t believe it’s happening to someone like me.’
    ‘Neither can I. Sorry, but I’m finding it hard to believe.’
    ‘I know. It’s just ghastly. But you must promise me, please, not to breathe a word of any of this to anyone – even your husband. Will you promise me?’
    ‘Well, of course I will. I won’t tell a soul.’
    ‘Then you must say it.’
    ‘Say it?’
    ‘Say “I swear, Ellie, not to tell a soul”.’
    It felt vaguely childish but as she seemed so intense I repeated, ‘I
swear that I won’t tell a soul.’
    ‘Good. Thanks. He’s very clever, you see – when he’s sober. He’ll trick people into telling them the smallest thing they know. He can be very charming, obviously, which is why I fell for him in the first place. He’ll no doubt say he’s really worried about me, that he loves me, he wants to look after me . . . God only knows what he’ll come up with but I’m sure it’ll be something good. So I do feel pretty scared, to be honest. And I am so glad I’ve got you up the road.’
    ‘Anything I can do, anything at all . . . Just call me, pop in, whatever.’ I grasped her hand and gave it a giant squeeze. ‘Poor you. It all just sounds terrible.’
    ‘Thanks. You are very sweet.’ Ellie slipped her hand away from mine and stood up. ‘I’m sorry. I’d love to talk some more, but I’d better take that stupid dog for a walk seeing as she’s been shut up for so long.’ I drained my glass and realized that we hadn’t talked about her garden or next week’s tour. It all seemed rather trivial compared to what she’d just told me. But I reasoned a little trip might cheer her up a bit.
    ‘I almost forgot. I was thinking, if you were interested, I’ve got a spare ticket for a garden tour next week. Sally was coming, but now she can’t. We see three gardens, have a good lunch, these things are usually quite jolly in a gentle way, and if you were thinking about picking up some ideas, you might get inspired . . . next Tuesday?’
    ‘Tuesday?’
    ‘I could collect you, around nine.’
    ‘I’d love to. How kind of you.’ We passed through her sitting room on the way to the front door. She picked up the paperback copy of Rebecca and held the book towards me. ‘Here, scribble your number down for me on the inside cover. I’ll need to double check my diary, but if you don’t hear from me, then assume “yes please”.’
    I handed the book back to her after I’d written both my numbers down. ‘I loved it . . . I remember the brooding Maxim and the evil Mrs Danvers.’
    ‘Danny . . .’ she corrected me.
    ‘Yes. Danny. Hmm, it’s a while since I’ve read it. I always felt so sorry for the poor nameless wife, terrified she’s losing her sanity, treated like a child by her husband, haunted by the ghastly Rebecca –’
    ‘I adored Rebecca, not giving a damn what anyone thought of her, attacking life, taking what she wanted, all that sexual power . . .’
    I was taken aback. ‘Maybe that explains its enduring qualities, the way we can either relate to one or