I slept surprisingly well that night. Not that I felt particularly calm or rested, quite the opposite in fact, but some good hot food and several glasses of my favourite red and I was soon drifting off into the land of nod. I only opened my eyes as the curtains were pulled back and, a moment later, a familiar hand squeezed my shoulder.
‘How are you feeling now?’ Jenny asked, her voice still showing concern.
‘OK … it’s almost like yesterday was all a bit of a dream,’ I mumbled in response.
‘You snored all night, nearly,’ she smiled as she handed me a large mug of tea.
Dazzled by the morning light, I focussed hard on the clock near the bed. It was already nine o’clock. ‘Anything on the news about Kevin?’ I asked.
‘And you talked in your sleep as well,’ Jenny replied, tapping my nose playfully. ‘Just as well it was his name you were calling out and not some woman’s.’
‘What was I saying?’ I sipped at the hot liquid, enjoying the sense of relief as it eased the dryness in my throat.
‘Nothing I could make out apart from the name Kevin. What have you got planned for today?’
‘I haven’t really. But, after yesterday, I guess I’ll just take it easy. So, what about the news? Anything being said?’
‘Nothing at all. And, if you’re going to be home, you can drive me to the shops. Make a nice change to have someone carry Charlie while I load up the trolley.’
I showered while Jenny drove Becky to the pre-school group she now went to every weekday morning. I could hear our second daughter stirring as I emerged from the bathroom and, as I opened her bedroom door to check on her, a recognisable smell hit my nostrils.
I suppose it’s just a question of practice, but if you’re like me and will do virtually anything to avoid changing a nappy, those occasions when it’s impossible to duck the responsibility become all the more challenging. Ten minutes later, a very amused baby girl – who had no idea as to the meaning of the strange four-letter words her father had been uttering – giggled and smiled, now cosily wrapped up in a clean babygro. I sat back exhausted, wondering how on earth her mother managed to do the job so often and with such speed and dexterity. As I gazed into the deep-blue eyes of my second child, I forgot for a moment all the problems, issues and niggles that had been so dominating my thoughts.
‘None of it matters to you does it, Charlie?’ I said, as I watched her face light up in response to my gently tweaking her nose. And it didn’t. Just as her elder sister had demonstrated at a similar age, all my little girl cared about was being warm, well fed and cared for. In many ways, I envied her.
Jenny was soon back and, after a quick slice of toast, we loaded up the car and headed into the local town. After finding a parking space, I stood still as Jenny attached the baby carrier to me, adjusted the buckles and then popped Charlie against my chest. As I took in that unique, delicious scent of new baby, our daughter promptly closed her eyes and fell asleep.
We had just collected one of the trolleys outside the supermarket and were heading in through the entrance when Jenny’s phone rang. It was Toni Fellowes.
After a few moments, she passed the phone to me.
Toni got straight to the point. ‘Will you be in the office tomorrow? We need to speak about Kevin’s arrest.’
‘Yes,’ I said quietly, careful not to wake Charlie. ‘I expect so. Is it something urgent? I’ve been given a strong warning to keep away from the enquiry team.’
‘Nothing that can’t wait until the morning. I’ll be at the Yard at about nine, if that suits?’
‘Sure, see you then.’
As I ended the call, Jenny was dropping a milk container into the trolley. ‘More problems?’ she asked.
‘Story of my life at the moment. She wants to talk about Kevin.’