Adam hurried down the steps, scanning the street for a cab. His car was still in the police pound, but the city’s taxi drivers haunted this stretch of road, picking up the lawyers who went in and out of CPD headquarters in a never-ending carousel. He felt uneasy – Gabrielle’s assertions spinning round his brain, even as a residual loyalty to Kassie, even a sliver of belief, fought back. Troubled, distressed and exhausted, now Adam just wanted to be home.
A cab sped by and he waved at it frantically, but it sailed serenely past. Cursing, he pulled his cell phone out and turned it on. The least he could do was tell Faith what had happened, reassure her, then call a cab. But as the phone came to life, it started buzzing feverishly. Looking down, he saw he had five voicemail messages.
Alarmed, he hit playback. The first message was from Faith, but it was hard to hear her over the traffic. She appeared to be crying and was almost whispering her words. So he skipped to the next, then the next. All of them were garbled – now Adam’s heart was pounding – so he jumped straight to the final message. This was short, but more alarming still.
‘I’m so sorry, Adam. So, sorry for everything. I love you …’
Dropping the phone, Adam started to run.
‘Faith?’
His cry echoed round the empty hallway. He had made it home in under ten minutes, hailing a cab on South Giles Avenue, throwing money at the startled cabbie as they pulled up outside their row house.
‘Faith, are you home?’
His voice sounded strained and desperate. There was no response, so he marched into the kitchen. The radio was playing, as it had been this morning, but there was no sign of his wife.
‘Faith?’
He ran down the hallway to the studio. But it too was deserted, swathed in darkness. The sight made him shiver – this place which had been so special to Faith now seemed lonely and lifeless. Turning on his heel, he hurried into their bedroom, but this too was empty.
Swiftly, he crossed the landing towards the home phone, intending to call Christine. Perhaps Faith had taken refuge with her mom? But, as he did so, he noticed something. The door to the nursery was closed, a thin strip of light creeping out from underneath it. Suddenly Adam felt short of breath. Faith had not set foot in there since …
‘Faith?’
He grasped the handle. It turned easily and the door swung open. To his surprise, the floor was covered in baby clothes – the baby clothes he’d hidden in the loft – all neatly laid out as if ready to wear.
Confused, terrified, Adam took another step forward, then suddenly stopped in his tracks. He remained frozen for a second, unable to process the sight in front of him, even as he let out an ear-splitting cry. Faith had entered the nursery and her limp body now hung from the high beam, twisting slowly back and forth.