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Chapters (60)
  1. CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR LEIGH RUSSELL
  2. Glossary of acronyms
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. Acknowledgements

‘Not at all,’ Ariadne said, moving her tray aside to make room for him at the table.

Geraldine nodded and smiled happily at him.

‘So,’ Ian said, as he stabbed at his food, ‘I read your report, Geraldine. You didn’t get very far with Anne Armstrong, did you?’

Geraldine shook her head. ‘I’m inclined to think Jessica believed Jason was Daisy’s father. There was no reason why either of her parents would have suspected otherwise. Anne did seem genuinely shocked when I told her Jason wasn’t Daisy’s father.’

They chatted about the case, but until they came up with some new leads, there was nothing much more to say. Back at her desk, Geraldine scanned through some reports of women Jessica might have encountered. There was a list of women who had attended the same antenatal class as her. All of them had been questioned, but not one had kept in touch with her. Geraldine glanced through a list of mother and baby classes in the area. Jessica’s name did not appear on any of the lists. She looked at the names of women who were looked after by the same health visitor. Without holding out much hope of learning anything new, she decided to speak to her the next day. But first, she had an evening with Ian to enjoy. The aroma from the kitchen was making her mouth water and she realised she was ravenous.

‘This must be how normal people live,’ she said, when Ian served her a steak he had cooked.

He raised a quizzical eyebrow. ‘Normal people? What the hell does that mean?’

She laughed, embarrassed to admit that she had always felt isolated from other people. The sensation of living behind a glass wall probably had something to do with her subconscious sense of distance from her mother. Growing up, she had been aware that her fair-haired sister closely resembled their mother, while she herself had looked and felt different to them. Learning of her adoption had helped to explain her feelings of alienation from her mother, but she had discovered the truth too late to try to change their relationship. Since her mother’s death, Geraldine had at least been able to strengthen her bond with her adopted sister, Celia, but she felt closer to Ian than she had ever done with anyone else. The feeling was almost too precious, so that sometimes she woke in the night, caught up in her terror of his leaving her again.

‘I don’t know what I mean by normal,’ she prevaricated. ‘But I can tell you this steak looks perfect.’

42

42

Geraldine was determined to investigate Jessica’s contacts further, so with that in mind she went to see the health visitor again. Mary Spinner was at home that evening, and she invited Geraldine into her house and offered her some tea.