“Arrest her,” Harper managed to shout while wading as fast as possible towards the slowly sinking stroller. Mud pulled at her ankles, slowing her, slowing time itself.

There was no crying. Her heart dropped—what if the stroller was empty, what if she had found evidence that the babies were no more? She rushed to look inside the top seat and the baby in yellow looked steadily at her, and she said, “Oh thank fuck,” but the fear remained. One baby safe, what about the other? She looked into the bottom seat, the water gathering at its lip and there was the baby in green, with a matching watchful gaze. She seized the handle of the stroller and pulled it towards the shallows, the wheels sticking just as her feet had done but she was strong, and soon they were safely ashore.

The rain-wet male officer, a tall young rugby fan called Wright, held the upper arm of the handcuffed woman who’d been in the river with the babies. The woman was young, with smooth skin and long dark hair, mascara running down her face and dripping off her chin. Harper knew her. She’d been in the car park with Patrick, on the day she’d followed him—the day she’d been complained about, and benched as a result. The rain kept falling in curtains on their heads, so that they hunched up their shoulders and wiped at the water running down their faces.

“What’s your name?” said Harper.

“This is not what you think,” said the woman. “I was bringing them back.”

Harper shook her head, “Sorry madam, that doesn’t make it any better, I’m afraid. Abduction is a serious offence.”

“No, you don’t understand. I found them. I didn’t take them.”

“State your name, please.”

The woman said nothing.

Harper addressed PC Wright. “Get her to the station, get her processed. I can easily find out who she is. She knows the father.”

Mention of Patrick seemed to cause the woman physical pain. She made a small moaning sound and tried to crumple but her thin frame was held up by the officer.

Wright said, “The babies OK?”

“They’re here. They’re alive. We did good.” The two officers grinned at each other.

“You want me to call it in?” asked Wright. “Or do you want the pleasure?”

“What do you think?” she said, still grinning.

Wright pulled the woman in the other direction, back the way he’d come. He must have parked his patrol car further up the road, not at the cafe with the others. Harper set off with the boys towards the cafe. They still weren’t crying. She stopped and checked them again. The babies stared back, each with an identical unwavering gaze.