‘Another half an hour,’ he said. ‘I’ll wake you when it’s ready.’

Chapter 43

Kelly woke to the sound of her daughter gurgling. She felt as though she could stay in a bed for two weeks and not emerge until this case was over. She’d slept soundly and as a result, her chest was heavy and her nose congested. She reached over for a tissue and sat up to blow her nose. Her bed was empty but ruffled where Johnny had slept. She reached out to his side and touched the sheets. She heard Lizzie giggle from along the hall and looked at her phone. It was gone seven and she got out of bed and looked out of the window, over the River Eamont and towards the lake. The snow had stopped for now, and the surrounding mountains and low-lying hills were covered in a thick white coating of perfection. It made everything look pristine and as if they lived in a world without crime and death, if only for a second. She put on a robe and went to Lizzie’s room, where Johnny was getting her up and ready, and tickling her. It wasn’t the time to question whether she’d done the right thing welcoming him back into her bed last night, and she put it to the back of her mind and told herself to enjoy the moment. She’d done that a lot in the last couple of months since she’d had room to figure things out.

The radio was on in the background and the newsreader announced that the main roads were clear. The efficiency of gritting lorries in the Lakes was impressive and they’d been working through the night to clear the main roads. If she could get her car out safely then she’d be able to get to Eden House. She knew that any work on the mountainside would have stopped, though. Zoe had told her that the fuselage had been scheduled to be lifted yesterday afternoon, but the snow had stopped that and it would lay there now until the operation could proceed safely. It would cause huge delays. She was thankful that she’d instructed the forensic team to take moulds of obvious shoe prints and tyre tracks surrounding Laurie Fell last night before she left the estate. In the snow it would have been impossible. Johnny had already told her that he wasn’t on call today, and so he could look after Lizzie all day, and she could head to work, not having to rely on Millie. It was a weight off her mind.

‘Eggs?’ she asked. ‘They’re Lizzie’s new favourite.’