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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

But his voice was barely audible, and the words he uttered were no more than an incoherent mumble. He could not lie there waiting to pass out. Before he lost the power to move or speak at all, he had to summon help. He could hardly believe that he hadn’t thought to use his phone straight away. His hand shook as he felt for it in his pocket. It wasn’t there. Dismayed, he recalled taking it out of his pocket to check his emails while he was in the car. He must have left it lying on the passenger seat. He was alone and helpless, barely a foot away from his own front door, and no one was going to come to his aid. As though to complete his misery, it began to rain.

Painstakingly, he began to drag himself along the ground in what he thought must be the right direction, although he could no longer remember where he was going. In the darkness, and the rain, he squirmed his way along the path. Faint light from a street lamp was suddenly blotted out and in the dim light of the moon he vaguely made out a figure standing above him.

‘Help,’ he whispered. ‘Help me.’

With a groan, he watched the other person lean over him, closer and closer, before vanishing into the darkness that was consuming everything. After that he felt nothing at all, only a coldness creeping over his limbs and body, dragging him down, down, into terrifying blackness.

‘No, no,’ he cried out, ‘I’m not ready to die,’ but his voice made no sound in the silence closing in around him.

16

16

Having wept helplessly for half an hour, Geraldine pulled herself together, showered, and made herself some dinner. By the time she finished eating, she was feeling calmer. On reflection, it seemed to her that the odds were stacked against Ian taking Bev back. For a start, the baby was probably not his. It was far more likely that the real father was Bev’s boyfriend in Kent, and that he had only been interested in a casual affair. Not ready for any serious commitment, he had most likely tired of being saddled with a crying baby, and either he had asked Bev to leave, or else she had stormed off in a rage. Whatever the reason for the break-up, she had gone running back to Ian, hoping to find refuge with him. Geraldine couldn’t blame Bev for seeking a secure home for herself and her baby, but she should never have lied to Ian over something as important as the identity of her baby’s father. That level of deceit was unforgivable.