Jane found sleep out of her reach. She couldn’t hear any movement from Spencer and began to toss and turn. It started to feel like a low-level panic attack. She had to force herself to breathe deeply in an attempt not only to relax but to stop the traumatic memories flooding back, but she kept on hearing Spence say to her, ‘He didn’t make it . . . he didn’t make it . . . he didn’t make it . . . ’ The words kept echoing in her head, bringing back the terrible aftermath of the explosion in the bank vault when DCI Bradfield had been killed, along with her good friend Kath.

In many ways, like Spencer, she had never really got over the tragedy. She had forced herself to suppress her true emotions, but it felt as if they were now surfacing uncontrollably and she couldn’t stop the tears. She bunched the sheet up in her hand, forcing it against her mouth, afraid that she would be heard.

Eventually, after what seemed hours of tossing and turning, she fell asleep.

Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Jane, in her eagerness to get to bed, had not set her alarm. She had never really needed it as she was always awake at 6 a.m. anyway. So she couldn’t believe it when she heard the banging on her bedroom door, and Spence shouting that it was 8 a.m. She sat bolt upright, then had to lie straight back down again as her head was thudding.

‘Is it OK if I have a shower?’ Spence asked loudly.

She cranked herself upright again. ‘Yes, go ahead.’

She had to sit on the edge of the bed for a few minutes before she was able to get herself together. She took out a suit from her wardrobe, gathered some clean tights and underwear and laid everything out on the bed. She pulled on an old terrycloth robe and headed out to the kitchen, desperate for a black coffee and a couple of aspirin. By this time it was 8:10 a.m. She was confronted by a dripping Spence, with her bath towel wrapped around his waist.

Jane realized she didn’t have time for a shower and went into the bathroom, carrying her cup of instant black coffee, to get the aspirin from the bathroom cabinet. A short while later Spencer shouted that he was going and would probably see her later.

Before brushing her teeth Jane had to wipe the steam left by Spencer from the mirror, then she quickly applied some make-up and hurriedly went back to her bedroom to get dressed.

Spencer’s head was thudding as he went down the staircase. He opened the front door as a police patrol car drew up and DCI Lucas Miller stepped out from the passenger side. He gave Spencer a cold stare. Spencer quickly pressed Jane’s doorbell to give her a warning signal.