Gareth’s, was it? – so that she could pick him
up at Mousehole after his walk, compare notes, then leave him in Penzance to
catch a train home, safely separate from her and Jaden. James changed into
Gareth’s jacket and distinctive red woolly hat and turned to Amanda, spreading
his arms, waiting for her comment. For a moment she couldn’t speak. With his
hair – slightly shorter than Gareth’s – covered, the only major difference
between the two men was the eye colour. How she wished Gareth’s grey eyes were
looking at her from under his red hat. But they weren’t.
She nodded, noticing James’ pallor. He was finding this hard
too. Amanda tried to breathe her nausea away. She swallowed one of the
anti-morning sickness pills left over from her first pregnancy, and got on with
the preparations for their trip. Her hands packing the nappy bag were freezing
and unsteady; she had never been this unhappy. She was living in her worst
nightmare.
‘Okay,’ said James, when they were ready to go. ‘I’ll run
round into the car, and if anyone sees me we’ll have to hope they think I’m
Gareth.’ He picked up Gareth’s blue rucksack, packed with James’ own clothes.
‘You drive, and I’ll hide behind a map till we’re out of town.’
Amanda opened her mouth to say Gareth would never have done
this, then closed it again. Nobody who might see them knew that either. ‘Have
you got his phone?’
James patted the rucksack. ‘That’s all, isn’t it?’ he said,
frowning. ‘There’s nothing we haven’t thought of?’
Amanda was past caring. If a policeman popped up in front of
her now she’d have said, ‘Excuse me please, can you help? I killed my husband
by mistake.’ She pushed Jaden into his jacket and handed James the car key.
‘Let’s do this,’ he said grimly. He opened the front door
and ten seconds later was sitting in the front passenger seat.
Amanda locked up, and glanced up and down the street. As far
as she could see no one was watching. Good. She belted Jaden into his car seat,
hoping he would fall asleep for a while.
It was a pretty drive to Lamorna but Amanda was oblivious to
the scenery. Her mind was buzzing. What if they were found out? Jaden, poor
sweetie – what would happen to him? She stopped to let an elderly woman pushing
a rollator cross the road, the panic surging inside her making it impossible to
keep a steady hand – or foot. The car kangarooed away from the zebra crossing
and Jaden gurgled in the back. James was slumped in the passenger seat,
fiddling with his phone.
‘Was it okay for you to take the day off work?’ said Amanda,
when they were about halfway there and the silence had become unnerving.
He started, then glared at her as if she was an errant
child. ‘It had to be, didn’t it?’ He went back to his phone.
If she hadn’t been driving Amanda would have burst into
tears. Was it really too late to stop all this? She could drive to a police
station and lay out the whole sorry tale. And be on the front page of all the
red tops tomorrow. And have Jaden taken away – they would give him to Susie to
take care of. In Scotland. Amanda bit her lip, blinking hard. They had started
this, and they had to continue.
‘What did you do with Gareth?’ she blurted out, and he
glared again.
‘Keep your cool, Amanda. We’ve made our plan and we’re going
to stick to it.’
Nothing more was said until they reached Lamorna Cove, the
starting point of Gareth’s walk. Amanda buckled Jaden into his buggy and stared
around. There were no cliffs as such here; the land sloped down to the sea,
green, grey and brown alternating as grass and scrubland gave way to rocks and
the ocean. The coastal path towards Mousehole began here, and Gareth should
have done all this yesterday. The place wasn’t as deserted as she’d imagined;
several hiker-types were stamping around as well as some locals, going about
their business, cheerful in the warm spring sunshine. Amanda closed her
up at Mousehole after his walk, compare notes, then leave him in Penzance to
catch a train home, safely separate from her and Jaden. James changed into
Gareth’s jacket and distinctive red woolly hat and turned to Amanda, spreading
his arms, waiting for her comment. For a moment she couldn’t speak. With his
hair – slightly shorter than Gareth’s – covered, the only major difference
between the two men was the eye colour. How she wished Gareth’s grey eyes were
looking at her from under his red hat. But they weren’t.
She nodded, noticing James’ pallor. He was finding this hard
too. Amanda tried to breathe her nausea away. She swallowed one of the
anti-morning sickness pills left over from her first pregnancy, and got on with
the preparations for their trip. Her hands packing the nappy bag were freezing
and unsteady; she had never been this unhappy. She was living in her worst
nightmare.
‘Okay,’ said James, when they were ready to go. ‘I’ll run
round into the car, and if anyone sees me we’ll have to hope they think I’m
Gareth.’ He picked up Gareth’s blue rucksack, packed with James’ own clothes.
‘You drive, and I’ll hide behind a map till we’re out of town.’
Amanda opened her mouth to say Gareth would never have done
this, then closed it again. Nobody who might see them knew that either. ‘Have
you got his phone?’
James patted the rucksack. ‘That’s all, isn’t it?’ he said,
frowning. ‘There’s nothing we haven’t thought of?’
Amanda was past caring. If a policeman popped up in front of
her now she’d have said, ‘Excuse me please, can you help? I killed my husband
by mistake.’ She pushed Jaden into his jacket and handed James the car key.
‘Let’s do this,’ he said grimly. He opened the front door
and ten seconds later was sitting in the front passenger seat.
Amanda locked up, and glanced up and down the street. As far
as she could see no one was watching. Good. She belted Jaden into his car seat,
hoping he would fall asleep for a while.
It was a pretty drive to Lamorna but Amanda was oblivious to
the scenery. Her mind was buzzing. What if they were found out? Jaden, poor
sweetie – what would happen to him? She stopped to let an elderly woman pushing
a rollator cross the road, the panic surging inside her making it impossible to
keep a steady hand – or foot. The car kangarooed away from the zebra crossing
and Jaden gurgled in the back. James was slumped in the passenger seat,
fiddling with his phone.
‘Was it okay for you to take the day off work?’ said Amanda,
when they were about halfway there and the silence had become unnerving.
He started, then glared at her as if she was an errant
child. ‘It had to be, didn’t it?’ He went back to his phone.
If she hadn’t been driving Amanda would have burst into
tears. Was it really too late to stop all this? She could drive to a police
station and lay out the whole sorry tale. And be on the front page of all the
red tops tomorrow. And have Jaden taken away – they would give him to Susie to
take care of. In Scotland. Amanda bit her lip, blinking hard. They had started
this, and they had to continue.
‘What did you do with Gareth?’ she blurted out, and he
glared again.
‘Keep your cool, Amanda. We’ve made our plan and we’re going
to stick to it.’
Nothing more was said until they reached Lamorna Cove, the
starting point of Gareth’s walk. Amanda buckled Jaden into his buggy and stared
around. There were no cliffs as such here; the land sloped down to the sea,
green, grey and brown alternating as grass and scrubland gave way to rocks and
the ocean. The coastal path towards Mousehole began here, and Gareth should
have done all this yesterday. The place wasn’t as deserted as she’d imagined;
several hiker-types were stamping around as well as some locals, going about
their business, cheerful in the warm spring sunshine. Amanda closed her
Similar Books
