As she sipped her wine, Jessica made a decision. She would go to that school tomorrow and have a quiet word with the headmaster. She wouldn’t tell Frankie and Joey her plans. They were typical teenagers and they’d get all embarrassed. She wouldn’t even tell Eddie, he’d say she was being a drama queen. Jessica smiled as she topped up her glass. She was a good mum and good mums were protective of their brood. Joey and Frankie were only fifteen and they shouldn’t be working like Trojans, bless them.

EIGHTEEN

‘Good morning sleepyhead.’

Jessica opened her eyes and smiled. She had slept like a log and wasn’t even aware that Eddie had been lying beside her. ‘What time did you get in? I didn’t hear you come to bed,’ she asked him.

‘I got back about two, but I sat up for an hour. I was watching all the news programmes. That fire at King’s Cross station was fucking terrible, wasn’t it?’ Eddie said.

Jessica propped herself up on one elbow. ‘Mum rang and said something about a fire. To be honest, Vicki came round last night and we had a few glasses of wine. Doug was away on business, so she didn’t leave till twelve. We sat in the kitchen playing tapes. I was gonna put the telly on, but by the time she left, I forgot all about it. What happened then? Did anybody get hurt?’

Eddie sighed and kissed Jessica on the forehead. His wife rarely watched or listened to the news and she didn’t have a clue about current affairs. In fact, half the country could collapse in an earthquake and Jessica wouldn’t be any the wiser.

‘The escalator went up in flames. It was just after rush hour, so a lot of people got caught up in it. I think the death toll is about twenty-seven or something. They reckon it might turn out to be more, though, there are still a lot of people classed as critical.’

Jessica’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Oh Ed, that’s awful! I feel so sorry for the poor people that died. How must their families feel, knowing they’ve been burned alive?’

Eddie held her tightly. ‘Don’t upset yourself, Jess. These things happen.’

Jessica wiped her eyes and changed the subject. ‘How did you get on up north? Did you find that man and get your money back?’

Eddie nodded. ‘Yeah, all sorted.’

‘Did he pay you straight away?’ Jessica asked. Eddie smiled as he thought of Dickie with his brains blown out. ‘Oh yeah, he paid all right,’ he said.

Feeling himself getting hard, Eddie nibbled Jessica’s earlobe. ‘Stop it, Eddie. I’ve got to take the kids to school. What time is it?’ Jessica said giggling.

‘Sod the kids. Look what you’ve done to me,’ Eddie told her, as he placed her hand on his erection.