Taylor had lost track of time. The Mickey Mouse alarm clock said 4.03am. He’d been sitting there for over an hour. He leaned into both bunks and kissed his children gently on their cheeks. Taylor often watched them sleeping when he couldn’t. He thought of Anderson’s children − without a father.
He crept back into his bedroom and slipped silently under the duvet.
‘What is it, Mark?’ His wife knew him better than anyone.
‘Nothing, go back to sleep, love.’
She flopped an arm onto his chest. ‘It’s not nothing. You’ve not slept for three nights. Now what is it?’
Taylor turned the bedside lamp on and sat up. ‘It’s the Anderson case.’
‘Not that again?’
‘Shush, you’ll wake the kids.’
In more of a whisper: ‘I thought you were finished with all that?’
‘I was. They’re appealing, asking all sorts of questions.’
She sat up. ‘And do you know the answers?’
‘No, but I think there is something to know that’s been kept from me.’
‘OK.’
‘I may be wrong but Armstrong has been acting strangely and I think he went to see someone recently, to do with this case. There was an address in his diary.’ Taylor stopped himself. It was the first time he’d aired these thoughts to anyone.
‘And?’
‘It may be nothing but if I was defending I would want to know. It goes against everything I believe in, to go and leak information to the defence, and anyway it might have absolutely no relevance,’ he said, trying to convince himself he wasn’t thinking straight. ‘But something is wrong here. I want to do the right thing.’
She stroked his forehead. ‘What is it about this man?’
‘I don’t know.’
She waited.
‘Unless he’s the world’s best liar, I think he’s innocent. A very honourable and decent man. I did a real job on him in interview.’ He shook his head. ‘As good as sent him to jail.’
‘Hush, you were only doing your job.’ After some reflection, she asked, ‘If you tell the defence this thing, will it affect your pension?’
Taylor laughed. ‘Only if I get caught.’
She leaned over and kissed him. ‘Then don’t get caught.’
That was why he loved her.