Chapters (27)
His ankle twisted beneath him and he buckled to the ground. The tarmac scratched layers of skin off his palms and knees. His breathed against the tarmac as his body burned with the impact, but he could barely feel it from the fear.
I’m fine. x
James had never sent a text with a kiss in the nine months they had been having an affair. Amber did.
Richard pushed himself up and ran as fast as he could. His ankle burning with each step.
Amber was capable of murder, and Richard had left James alone with her.
He ran until his ankle gave way and he cried out. The sound echoed up the lane and across the open fields. He limped the rest of the way, hissing for breath between his teeth. He snatched his phone from his pocket and called James’ number.
No answer.
He called again.
Straight to voicemail.
He limped through the night until he turned the bend in the lane and stopped.
Flashes of blue lights lit up the lane in quick bursts – the lights of a police car or an ambulance.
The light was coming from his house or the house next door.
He limped as fast as he could. The hedges lining the lane blocked his view. He ran the rest of the way and stopped at the sight.
An ambulance was parked on James’ driveway, with a police car parked beside the hedge. The front door was open and men and women in florescent jackets moved around inside.
‘No…’ He stumbled forwards. ‘Amber, what have you done?’
When he saw the body bag, he stopped to a halt.
The medics carried the stretcher with the black body bag towards the back of the ambulance. A policewoman followed behind and spotted him on the drive.
‘Sir, you can’t be here.’
He could barely hear her. He couldn’t take his eyes off the bag.
‘Sir? Did you hear what I said?’
‘I…’ He watched as the body bag was secured inside ambulance. The medic slammed the door shut. ‘I live next door.’
‘Mr Jenkins?’
He looked at her then and felt the wind cool the tears on his cheeks. She was short with a kind face, with cropped hair poking out beneath her hat. He nodded.
‘Your wife is OK,’ she began, but he didn’t hear the rest. If Amber was alive, it meant James was zipped up in the body bag. His legs threatened to buckle.
Richard looked at the door and saw Amber standing in the doorway with James’ dog in her arms. A blanket had been draped over her shoulders and tears shimmered on her cheeks. Their eyes met. Even through the dark, he could see that she was smiling.
TWENTY
