Consequences

Prologue

To say that Elizabeth was surprised at David’s sudden appearance on the plane was putting it mildly.

Having finally accepted that her marriage was over after David at last had admitted to his long-standing affair with Christine. She knew that life’s pattern had to change. Of course, she had been painfully aware that it had been going on for years. What she found difficult to reconcile was why had she allowed herself to suffer this torture for so long? It was obvious, she still loved him and like many partners hoped that it would work out.

Her mind went back over the struggles they had been through. As divorcees they had both been awarded custody of their children. Carol and Robert were living with their father. Pip and John with her. Starting married life with a ready-made family is not always an easy agenda. After many blips they had managed to get life back on an even keel again - until David had taken a mistress. The thought of putting them through all that turmoil again was quite simply unconscionable. But here she was instigating it, how could she settle that with her own conscience? Sadly, everyone has a breaking point and she had reached hers. Quite simply she had been unable to put up with the charade their life had become and had just snapped. She still loved him but the long tortuous wait for him to come to his senses was in the end and ask too far. She had to get away.

Yet here he was on the plane, wooing her with flowers and champagne, in what seemed to be a last-ditch attempt to save their marriage. Why hadn’t he done this years ago?

When she had at last summoned up the courage to confront him, his reaction amazed her. He actually thought that he had managed to keep the affair a secret from her. Really! As the realisation of the mess and hurt he had inflicted on his family finally dawned on him, he was immediately, full of self-recrimination. His lame excuse was that he had wanted to tell her from the beginning but had never found the courage to do so. Months had just rolled into years. He had felt trapped. Knowing full well that Christine’s demands were nothing short of blackmail. He had to bring it to an end but how? He knew that she would undoubtedly cause a stink, and inflict as much damage as she possible could!

Did she believe him when he said that it was just carnal lust that had drawn him into the affair? His story did have credence, even if it made him look like a wet sock. She wrestled with herself, surely it was way too late for lame explanations? She really despaired of him.

Christine had been his secretary and had set her cap at her husband from day one. Once she had got her claws into him, she demanded that her silence could be bought if he purchased a house in her sole name. David was too good a cash cow to lose. The bitch had left the Transfer deed of a new property, which was in her sole name together with a Deed of Covenant on Elizabeth’s desk. Flabbergasted and enraged Elizabeth had no choice but to investigate further. With her heart breaking, she found the evidence she needed. David’s deposit account confirmed a large transfer of funds to their client account. It was all the proof she needed. David had paid for it Christine’s house!

Then of course there had been the terrible car crash, when she’d hit a pram with twins inside. One of them died and Elizabeth did all she could to help the mother Jean, get out of the sink estate that she was stuck in. With a violent ex-partner, a fisherman called Jack Big, she was constantly verbally and physically abused by him. Although Jean had confessed to her that she pushed the pram in front of her Porsche, in a fit of desperation with her life. She had felt nothing but pity for this lost soul. She had done everything she could to help her. The council with gentle persuasion had found her a small flat.

She simple could not fathom the trigger which turned Jean against her. Retracting her story of the crash and accusing her of causing her son’s death. By this time Jack was in prison for GBH to a fellow fisherman. He broke free and tracked Jean down. He must be obsessed with her! His one object must have been carnal lust. Jean knew that he would return one day and had made plans to try and deal with him. She slept with a knife under her pillow and when that sad day had arrived, she used it to kill him. With Jack lying dead on the floor, she was now a murderer. The shock of this must have brought her to her senses. Before she killed herself, she had to acquit Elizabeth. The letter she wrote was addressed to the Judge absolving her friend Elizabeth of any blame. She felt her mind was unbalanced. It was full of self-recrimination. Nicholas was the only good thing she had managed to achieve he had to be protected. Although she had no right to assume anything, she added a footnote. Jean had asked whether she and David would adopt Nick and bring him up. Instinctively feeling he would be safe in their hands. In the circumstances they felt it was impossible to refuse.

As if she knew this day would come, she had saved up a copious number of drugs. The two of them lay dead beside each other. Two perfectly normal people whose souls were crushed by life’

* * *

Her affair with Karl was simply that. She was lonely and felt unloved. Perhaps she had just kidded herself that she was deeply in love with Karl. The children’s happiness was always of paramount importance to her, so what on earth was she doing deserting them?

* * *

Now here she was, sitting on the British Midland flight from Teesside, the plan was for her to fly to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam where Karl would be waiting for her. She had to change planes at Heathrow to catch the direct flight. Her breath had been taken away when David had boarded the plane armed with champagne and flowers, vowing in front of all the passengers to win her back!

She now found herself sitting amongst forty-eight passengers all knowing they had marital problems – great! If that wasn’t enough, her husband was sitting beside her, grinning like a Cheshire cat. She felt she was in an emotional kettle, slowly coming to the boil and with no idea of the outcome.

David was feeling both silly and pleased with himself at the same time. The confrontation at home was both painful and levelling. He had to face the truth. He was frightened of Christine. Stupidly, it never occurred to him, in his blind arrogance, that Elizabeth might find love elsewhere. Securing the last seat on the plane seemed like a clever idea. If he could stop Elizabeth’s rapprochement with Karl, he might have some hope of persuading her to give him a second chance. But now it was dawning on him, why would she? Buying a house in Christine’s name had been pretty draconian. How could he have made such a stupid mess of his life? He knew why – because Christine had quite simply blackmailed him. Threatening to reveal all to Elizabeth.

He had no idea how things would turn out, but jumping on the plane was pure gut instinct. It was a bit like being on a first date. He felt the colour rising in his cheeks, but so what? Their glasses were refilled and he found himself looking deep into Elizabeth’s eyes!

CHAPTER ONE

Landing

‘Look,’ Elizabeth said, a hardness returning to her voice. She leant towards him and hissed in his ear, ‘this is not the time or the place for us to talk properly; I have never felt so ridiculous. It is complete and irresponsible madness. We have both abandoned five children and our law practice; we are ricocheting out of control and one of us at least has to grow up and see sense!’

David leaned as far back as was possible in his seat, as if willing it to swallow him up. Of course, everything she said was true. What had he expected to happen? He found himself nodding in quiet agreement.

The tannoy system told them to return to their seats for landing. Thud, the wheels dropped, indicating their arrival at Heathrow was imminent. They both sat stony-faced as the plane started its approach. Thanking the crew for their kindness as they left the aircraft. The hostess said sotto voce to her colleague, ‘I’m not sure that went as well as expected. I wouldn’t place money on it working out. I wonder what he’s done.’

Adjusting her hat in the mirror, ‘usual I expect,’ replied her colleague. ‘Couldn’t keep his trousers on, is my bet. Come on, let’s sign off.’

Walking across the tarmac, Elizabeth turned to David, who was trying to keep up with her swift pace. ‘I have only twenty minutes to catch my KLM flight. We cannot possibly talk now. It will all have to wait until my return!’

David’s face went ashen. ‘So, you are going ahead and leaving me. I thought you might change your mind and give the marriage a second chance, if not for me, the children?’

Without slowing her stride, Elizabeth threw the flowers in the nearest bin. ‘Charming, very gracious,’ he said.

‘You really are quite something, David. You have an affair for years, coming home late, staying away willy-nilly, telling one lie after another, and yet you have the audacity to try emotional blackmail on me over the children.’ She raised her voice a notch, and then, remembering herself, brought it back down to a whisper. ‘How, bloody dare you! I told you I need some time away to think, and I still do. I do not know what the future holds but it may not be with you, by mutual or non-mutual agreement. Now please go and leave me alone and for once take charge of the practice and the children: which is what I have done, more or less single-handed, for years!’

David stopped in his tracks. There seemed no point in chasing her, but he couldn’t stop himself calling after her. ‘Well, you are not exactly squeaky clean yourself!’

She stormed off, looking up at the departure board, without turning back.

David turned around and headed for the nearest bar.

* * *

Elizabeth continued along the concourse in a complete trance. She glanced behind her in case he was following her but there was no sign of him. ‘Well, he didn’t try very hard?" she muttered to herself. But he was right she was also guilty.

‘Stop it, Elizabeth, for God’s sake stop it, you have plenty to reproach yourself about.’ She sternly told herself. What on earth was she doing? Forcing herself to take a seat in the nearest Costa bar, she had to try and get her thoughts in some semblance of order. Sipping her piping hot cappuccino, what on earth was she to do? When she had boarded the plane at Teesside Airport that morning she was set on a definite course of action. Now her emotions were in complete turmoil. She had planned to catch the plane and run straight into the arms of Karl, but in her present mental state, was this wise? Her instincts were now screaming at her that it was not the right thing to do. She watched her plane through the panoramic windows take off without her.

For the first time in ages her brain seemed to clear. Deciding to check on the children before doing anything else, she went in search of the nearest public telephone. Maggie answered cheerily. Much to her relief she confirmed that all was well. The children seemed to have accepted that their parents had just gone away. In reality, she had no idea what Maggie thought, or how much she knew or had guessed.

Resting on the luggage trolley, she found herself walking towards the taxi rank. At least she had decided what course of action she was going to take for the next twenty-four hours. Savoy Hotel please? Leaning back in the cab she exhaled, letting the tension flow from her. This would give her a breather as no one would know where she was and just for now that felt fine. The taxi driver interrupted her thoughts. ‘Madam, there are two routes we could take. I was wondering, as the traffic is not too busy, which one you would prefer, Knightsbridge past Harrods, Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square, or through Chelsea along the Embankment past the Houses of Parliament, Whitehall that way, the choice is yours?’

Elizabeth thought, nice to see the shops. ‘I think through Knightsbridge, please.’ She knew Knightsbridge quite well, as an earlier boyfriend had lived at Barons Court near the famous Scarsdale Villa pub. The sun shone through the window onto her face, making her glance up at the beautiful clear blue skies above.

The traffic started to get more congested as Knightsbridge approached. Driving past Harrods, she was reminded that one of the best settees she had ever owned had come from there – admittedly she had bought it in a sale. It was so comfortable, she rued the day that she had got rid of it, on a whim, of course. After twenty years there was still nothing wrong with it. Reaching Hyde Park Corner, the underpass took them to Piccadilly and the famous Eros statue. Crowds of people stood around talking, looking at their maps or munching on burgers. Then down to the Haymarket, Trafalgar Square and left up the Strand to The Savoy.

She hadn’t booked a room, but hey if they couldn’t fit her in, she was quite satisfied, one of the many other hotels which graced London would. Hardly had the taxi come to a standstill, before a doorman wearing a top hat and double-breasted grey uniform stepped forward, a white gloved hand reached out to open the door. Raising his hat with the other hand, he offered his arm for her to alight. ‘Good afternoon, madam.’

Elizabeth stepped onto the wet pavement and placed a folded ten-pound note into his hand. He bowed to her. It made her feel important, just for a second, she knew he didn’t mean it, but who cares? As she crossed the marble floor towards reception, all eyes seemed to be on her, or that’s what it felt like, probably her imagination. Now, as it turned out, she was glad that she was wearing a smart pale blue suit and sensible heels. Apologising for not phoning ahead, she asked whether they had a small suite available overlooking the River Thames for a minimum of two nights. The clerk, wearing the Savoy uniform, morning suit with grey striped trousers, clicked his heels and looked at the computer. ‘Yes, madam, we can accommodate you.’ When he told her the price, she nearly fainted but nevertheless, nodded by way of acceptance. After all, it was not every day that she was in this pickle, and money was the least important thing on her mind at that moment.

A man appeared, also in tails, to show her to her room. The lift took them to the third floor where she knew the view of the Thames would be spectacular, especially when lit up at night. The river curled to the right wending its way past the Houses of Parliament. The Festival Hall stood resplendent across the river. The Savoy had been in the past a safe haven for Elizabeth who had stayed there at least twice a year. The twenty-four-hour room service really worked, you could ask for anything at any time of day or night and they would do their utmost to accommodate you. This was partly due to foreign guests. The Americans would demand breakfast at dinner time and expect to get it. For them, it was morning; if they were on a quick visit, they would eat meals as if still at home. Very sensible. There were bells by the bed and in the bathroom, together with a telephone. ‘Would you really telephone anyone sitting on the toilet,’ she wondered? A gentle knock on the door distracted her from her pose of staring out of the window. Her bags were brought in, followed by the maid to unpack for her.

She resumed gazing out of the window, enjoying the luxury of being pampered for a change. Having missed lunch she became aware that she was hungry, she rang the bell and a waiter soon appeared at the door. She ordered afternoon tea. He asked, ‘What tea would you like, madam?’

‘Earl Grey, please.’

He nodded, uttered ‘Madam’ and was gone.

The sun glistened on the gentle moving river below. For once, because the skies were so blue, the water reflected this, instead of its normal sludgy brown colour. The tea arrived, breaking into her thoughts. There was a cake stand with three tiers, tiny bite-size sandwiches, scones and jam, cakes full of cream and calories. My goodness, she thought. I can’t eat all that. The waiter poured the tea through a strainer and withdrew, silently closing the door. She added a slice of lemon and leant back. Wouldn’t it be nice to live like this, well maybe just for a little while, she thought, tucking into the sandwiches she found that she had not lost her appetite.

CHAPTER TWO

Hard Realisation

David allowed the Scotch to seep through his body; it helped to numb the pain in his heart. Shocked by the emotional turbulence he felt, which had now worked its way to his male dullard brain. He had loved her all along. The realisation of this hit him, like a brick. He had made a complete ass of himself. Feeling chastened by Elizabeth’s justifiable rebuke, he just wanted to get home to the children. He knew the next flight would not be until tomorrow morning. He couldn’t wait that long. If he hired a car, he could be home by this evening. A one-way contract would allow him to leave the rental car at their nearest garage in Scarborough – good idea.

That stiff drink had settled his nerves a bit, but must have put him over the limit. What he needed was to eat some stodge, washed down with a pot of strong coffee. He wandered along to the best eatery he could find. Ordering a large T-boned steak, chips and espresso, together with a bottle of sparkling water, he settled down to read the newspaper. Trying to relax before the long drive was important. His all-consuming thought was to get back this evening; he would then be there to greet the children in the morning. He hated himself for what he had put his family through. Typical man, he thought, full of blind selfishness. The steak was good but he couldn’t finish it, he had just lost his appetite. He pushed his plate away and finished the dregs of his coffee. He felt terribly unhappy and despondent about the future. Stopping at a café he bought more coffee and biscuits for the journey, before heading out onto the North Circular, and then the long trek up the A1.

The traffic was not too heavy so he estimated that with one or two stops, he would probably hit Scarborough about nine o’clock. There was nothing to do in the car except get lost in his own thoughts. He liked to listen to Classic FM, with the volume low. It then became background music and would not impinge on his train of thought. He found he was soon driving on auto pilot. ‘Must watch out for signs,’ he muttered. The last thing I want to do is to take the wrong turning, which would just waste time. He needed to get home and feel the security that only being surrounded with familiar things brings to one. His nerves were shot to pieces. He stopped only once on the journey to replenish his coffee and buy a burger.

He had made good time as it was 9.15 when, and with great relief, he pulled into his driveway. Home at last! As he got out of the car, he found his joints were very stiff after being stuck in the same position for so long. A good stretch was in order. Raising his hands above his head, he reached for the sky and then slowly bent double and without straining just hung there for a few moments, releasing the tension in his lower back. He shuddered as he stood up, well that felt better. Maggie smiled broadly at him as he opened the door, she was obviously very pleased to see him.

‘Good to have you back safely and thanks for the call. I have a prepared a ham salad for you with a crusty roll. I will soon have the kettle on. Was the journey good?’ she called over her shoulder as she went back into the kitchen.

‘Not bad,’ David said yawning. ‘How are the children?’

‘All in bed except for Carol. I think she is upstairs working on her thesis. Bless her.’

David climbed the stairs and put his head round her door. A beautiful smile lit up her face. She ran towards him and gave him a hug. ‘So, pleased to see you! Where’s Mum?’

David shifted uncomfortably. ‘She is staying away for a bit, but she will soon be home, I’m sure." He gave her a weak smile.

Carol stood back looking at her father. ‘You two haven’t been getting on very well lately, have you?’ She immediately hung her head afraid she had said the wrong thing. She looked at him from under her long fringe.

David shrugged his shoulders and sighed. Turning, he left the room saying, ‘I don’t know, darling. I just don’t know anymore. Good night.’

He heard Maggie clearing things in the kitchen and was probably laying for breakfast. Having changed, he felt more comfortable. Wandering into the lounge he switched on the television to catch the news. There blazed on the screen, ‘Air crash: KLM flight to Schiphol has crashed and there are no known survivors so far.’ David’s heart seemed to stop; he stifled a scream which involuntarily erupted from his mouth. Tears gushing down his cheeks, hand over his mouth he fell about the room in confusion and despair. ‘Elizabeth dead, oh my God, please, it cannot be true?’ He started beating his fists against the door. A million thoughts were racing through his mind. This was his entire fault. He had driven her away. The children, oh no, how will they cope, he sank to the floor weeping, his arms around his head. Maggie came rushing in.

‘What’s…?’ She stopped, with her mouth open, staring at the screen. ‘Oh my, was Elizabeth on that flight?’

He just nodded without lifting his head. Carol appeared at the door, ran to her dad and cradled him in her arms. They lay in same position for some time until Maggie appeared with a tray of tea and a large brandy. She eased him up from the floor and led him to the settee where he just slumped down. ‘Maybe it’s wrong, maybe she was not on the flight,’ she offered by way of some small comfort. He sat there, crushed.

‘You don’t understand, none of you understand that this is my entire fault." He took a large slug of the brandy and told them the whole sorry story. It poured out of him like a hole in a beer barrel, he couldn’t stop. It was such a relief to be honest for once and to explain to Carol, who must have been wondering about the goings-on for years. The poor girl sat there completely numb. She was not sure whether she could take any more information for one day, and whispered, ‘I will not give up hope until I know that Mummy was definitely on that flight.’ Weeping silently and clutching her teddy to her she left the room.

She felt absolutely stunned by what she had just seen on television, followed by her father’s outpouring of what she had known had been going on for some time. Her heart was pounding and she felt sick, emotions flooded over her, she felt cheated, let down, and terrified. Having been well aware of the rows, there had been a nasty tension in the house for a long time, especially when they had both spent different nights away. She loved Elizabeth and regarded her as her mother. Now, not only was she going to desert them, but she – so the reports claimed – could be dead, killed in the plane crash. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she fell into bed sobbing, eventually falling into a restless sleep.

In the morning she was supposed to be catching the train back to Sheffield uni but now leaving was unthinkable until they had more positive news.

Being rejected by her real mother had been such an emotional setback for her. In the beginning she had built up her hopes that her mother actually cared but soon realised that the custody hearing had only been brought so she could have a go at her dad and Elizabeth. Supposing she had won, she shuddered at the thought of what might have been. Luckily, her grandfather had stepped in. He had actually given evidence in court against his own daughter claiming although he loved her, he knew that she did not really want the children. She just wanted to throw her weight around with his money. The outcome had been that she and Robert saw their grandparents on a regular basis. When they visited, she never came to see them or was mentioned by their grandparents presumably they preferred to stay out of it.

Sam was also studying law at Sheffield. Phoning him from the hall phone, she started to weep.

‘What’s the matter? Are, you alright, you sound upset?’

‘Look, something awful may have happened to my mum, we are waiting for news. I won’t be coming back to uni until…’ she faltered again.

‘It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me now, it’s obvious you are upset. Tell me when we meet up, in the meantime good luck, I will be thinking of you.’

‘Thanks, I think I may need it.’ She replaced the receiver. Going back upstairs, the tears continued roll off her nose but she didn’t care.

* * *

The sound of wailing coming from the sitting room woke Pip up. Going to the top of the stairs she peered over the balcony. Her father saw her and waved her away. Feeling deeply insulted, she returned to bed. No one ever seemed to care about her she felt. She had been so upset when her mother had left that she had looked up the time of the flight. That way she could imagine being on the flight with her. She had been puzzled when her mother had phoned Maggie, because it was when she should have been in the air. So, from that she concluded excitedly that for some reason she had not caught the flight. Maths being one of her best subjects, she calculated that the timings did not add up. She was sure her mummy would not do anything to hurt her because she just knew how much she loved her, as she was always telling her, so it must be true. If Daddy had only listened to her perhaps, he would have stopped making that awful noise.

She had to admit that her parents had been fighting recently but then she thought all parents shouted. Her friend’s father had punched her mother in the face and in retaliation she had hit him on the head with a saucepan. At least her parents didn’t do that! She was thinking about herself again, but then she always did. She was repeatedly being told ‘you have to like yourself’, well she did. Anyway, when life got nasty, she would go somewhere quiet and allow herself to dream of happy things, which made her feel better.

Throwing on her school clothes, she realised she was ravenous, running down to the kitchen whilst dragging her hateful heavy satchel behind her. She stuffed fruit and biscuits in the pockets for later. Nice smell, opening the Aga, sausages brown and delicious looking-stared back. The butter oozed from the side of the hot sausage sandwich. Yummy! She drank a large glass of milk to wash it down. The house seemed empty, where was everyone? She peeped in the lounge where her dad was watching the news. Calling out ‘Goodbye!’ through the door, she left, feeling much better.

John and Rob were now in the senior school. They had heard a commotion last night but not knowing what the matter was; frightened Rob, so he had got into bed with John, and cuddling up they had fallen asleep.

At breakfast Rob pleaded, ‘can you help me with my maths homework please, John?’ He looked at him wistfully. ‘Please, I didn’t do it yesterday and Miss Booth might give me a detention.’ Without speaking, Rob slid his book towards him across the table as he ate another mouthful of cornflakes. John scribbled in his book as neatly as he could, in the time given.

‘Thanks’ said Rob. Are we in the nets after school today? I want to be picked for the team, if old Jackson lets me.’ He wiped his nose on his sleeve.

‘Don’t be disgusting, exclaimed John. ‘Look, we should both be picked but you never know. What was all that noise about last night?

‘I dunno, but I hope mum comes back today, I miss her!’

Nick entered the kitchen followed by Maggie, who then started fussing around him.

‘What’s he doing here? Why can’t we eat our breakfast in peace without him joining us, we don’t like him and we don’t want him here. He’s a horrible little snitch, whose parents were murderers. Why do we have to have him in this house?’ shouted Robert.

Nick started to cry silently. Maggie scolded Rob. ‘Now look what you have done, just wait until I tell your mother what you have just said!’

Rob was unrepentant; his reply was to glower at Nick.

‘Come on, I want you in the car in five minutes, otherwise you will be late for school.’

CHAPTER THREE

Elizabeth has doubts

Sleep eluded Elizabeth as she tossed and turned, with these mad thoughts going through her mind. She looked at her watch – it said two-thirty. Hopeless! Feeling hungry, she pressed the bell beside her bed. Within two minutes there was a light tap at her door. She ordered hot chocolate and some chips. Without raising an eyebrow, the waiter, looking a little tussled, left the room, returning twenty minutes later with her order. Waiting for him to close the door, she put on her silk dressing gown and sat by the window watching the world go by. The traffic was still moving relentlessly along the Embankment, it had eased a little but there was still a constant flow.

She munched on her chips, eating with her fingers. Staring at a chip in her hand, what on earth was she doing eating chips in the middle of the night? Climbing back into bed, she lay staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, as if waking up from a long sleep, it dawned on her that she had not told her parents what she was doing. Normally her mother was her confident. The salutary thought engulfed her; she knew that they would not have approved of her behaviour. The children were her responsibility and she should be at home with them. They gave back her love in spades, how could she be so selfish? No! She was going home. Rising early, first stop Harrods, presents for the children was a start in the right direction. The toy department there was very special. Trying to keep hold of her packages, as she was standing in the taxi rank the newspaper stand blazed, ‘KLM flight to Schiphol CRASHED NO RECORDED SURVIVORS.’ Yikes! Her heart started pounding. She hadn’t turned on the television once during her stay. Oh, my goodness the poor children and David, they must be all be going through hell.

As soon as the taxi pulled up outside The Savoy Hotel, she jumped from the cab before it had come to a standstill. The cab driver had listened to her throughout the journey, she was in a hell of a state because she felt her husband would think she was on the KLM flight. Squashing notes into the doorman’s hand to pay the fare, she ran across the reception to the lift. The doorman looked at the driver whom he knew of old. ‘Fred what’s the matter with her?’

‘Her old man thinks she was on the plane that crashed.’

‘Oh, well at least she wasn’t.’ He walked back to the door.

Heads looked up as the fast-clicking heels traversed the reception area. She paused at the reception desk. Informing them she had a problem and would have to cancel the second night stay, and would they please prepare her bill.

* * *

David had fallen into a fitful sleep on the settee with the television blaring, still clutching the phone. He lay there rubbing his eyes and feeling his forehead which was very hot. He felt he might be running a temperature, so what? The children would be asking questions soon, what was he going to tell them? As his dullard brain came into action, he was aware that the house was rather quiet – of course, they had gone to school, someone must have taken them maybe it was the neighbours’ turn to do the school run. He’d heard a muted shout of goodbye, but he couldn’t be sure who it was. It was possible that this had brought him back to reality. Thank goodness, he was off the hook for a few hours, no explanation to the children was needed - just at the moment. His head literally hurt, much worse than a headache, it was thumping. Carol had not put in an appearance, probably, still in bed, poor lamb.

The phone buzzed in his