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Back A Change of Circumstance Save as PDF
Chapters (67)
  1. Cover
  2. One
  3. Two
  4. Three
  5. Four
  6. Five
  7. Six
  8. Seven
  9. Eight
  10. Nine
  11. Ten
  12. Eleven
  13. Twelve
  14. Thirteen
  15. Fourteen
  16. Fifteen
  17. Sixteen
  18. Seventeen
  19. Eighteen
  20. Nineteen
  21. Twenty
  22. Twenty-One
  23. Twenty-Two
  24. Twenty-Three
  25. Twenty-Four
  26. Twenty-Five
  27. Twenty-Six
  28. Twenty-Seven
  29. Twenty-Eight
  30. Twenty-Nine
  31. Thirty
  32. Thirty-One
  33. Thirty-Two
  34. Thirty-Three
  35. Thirty-Four
  36. Thirty-Five
  37. Thirty-Six
  38. Thirty-Seven
  39. Thirty-Eight
  40. Thirty-Nine
  41. Forty
  42. Forty-One
  43. Forty-Two
  44. Forty-Three
  45. Forty-Four
  46. Forty-Five
  47. Forty-Six
  48. Forty-Seven
  49. Forty-Eight
  50. Forty-Nine
  51. Fifty
  52. Fifty-One
  53. Fifty-Two
  54. Fifty-Three
  55. Fifty-Four
  56. Fifty-Five
  57. Fifty-Six
  58. Fifty-Seven
  59. Fifty-Eight
  60. Fifty-Nine
  61. Sixty
  62. Sixty-One
  63. Sixty-Two
  64. Sixty-Three
  65. Sixty-Four
  66. Sixty-Five
  67. Sixty-Six

‘Every last door must be closed, every last avenue explored, and every last hope is like a candle that must be allowed to run its course until it flickers out.’

‘Who said that?’

Serrailler shrugged, not wanting to tell him that it was his sister.

‘I’ll hang around . . . probably get a coffee. Here’s my number . . . call me when you can. I do need to see the parents.’

The canteen was quiet and the shutters were down on the hot-food counters. He got a coffee and went to a far corner of the Staff Only section, counting himself as that for the time being, and because it was empty. When he needed to think hard, he did so with a pocket notebook and pen, which helped him focus. He also made lists.

Sam?

Move house?

Weekend break.

R

He started a new page.

Wang. Search?

Flat. Forensics.

Roper.

Olivia Tonks.

Reasons? Parents. School. Friends. Boyfriend?

Starly.

He underlined it. Wrote it again and double underlined it.

He sat for an hour and twenty minutes, drinking coffee and water. Waiting. Thinking.

Thinking that medics could be wrong, machines could give false readings. Maybe it was all to play for.

His phone buzzed.

Forty

Everything was the same and no time had passed, but then Greta realised that there were not so many people in the room and around the bed. Olivia looked the same, but then she also realised that there were fewer wires attached to her, fewer machines humming and beeping. Why was that?

She did not look ill and there was no mark on her, though there was a sheet up to her chin now, they could no longer see the red line around her neck.

If she spoke to her, Liv she would hear and wake, open her eyes, smile. She looked as she had looked that morning, which was in another time, but she also looked as if she had nothing to do with this world and had no place in it. Certainly she did not belong here.

Jeff was crying. Now and then he wiped them away but otherwise the tears ran down his face and were followed by more which seemed to disappear before they fell, giving way to the next. He looked at Olivia helplessly, and in what seemed like bewilderment, as if he too did not understand why she was where she was or what was happening, or even if he knew her.

A nurse stood beside them. The consultant had explained everything, and guided them with great patience towards their agreement with his decision. He stood on one side of the bed, next to the machines. Olivia’s chest was lifting and falling, lifting and falling.