Before he got home, he came to the decision not to pass on to Annie what Leo had told him. It would serve no purpose other than to make her far more anxious.

But he did make a point of having a word with the surveillance team outside their house. He explained the situation and asked them to be even more on their guard.

‘It’s still extremely unlikely that Sullivan will turn up here,’ he said to them. ‘But the man’s a psycho, so you can never be sure what he’ll do, even if it’s something the rest of us would consider totally stupid and reckless.’

As soon as James walked into the kitchen and saw Annie standing there, he could tell she’d had a bad day. Her face was pale against her dark hair and the muscles around her eyes were tight.

‘Is everything okay?’ he asked her.

‘Not really,’ she replied, her voice flat. ‘I have chronic indigestion and painful constipation, and I’ve been sick no less than three times this afternoon.’

‘Should I take you to the hospital?’

She forced out a smile and shook her head. ‘No, it’s all part of the pregnancy process. I’ve spent hours reading up on it again. Some women suffer much more than others and it appears that I’m one of the unlucky ones.’

‘You poor thing,’ James said as he took her in his arms. ‘Why don’t you go and relax in a hot bath? I’m sure it will make you feel better.’

‘I doubt that. What I need is a good night’s sleep.’

‘Then go to bed now.’

‘It’s too early, and besides I want to hear what you’ve been up to today. I’ve heard from two people who said that something happened in the village and one of them saw you in a car with the siren blaring. There’s a cottage pie in the oven. You can tell me all about it while you get stuck in.’

At least what he had to tell her took her mind off her own problems for a while. But alarm flashed across her face as he described how they pursued William Nash before he drove his van into the dry-stone wall.

‘My God, that’s awful,’ she said, her hand over her mouth. ‘Did he survive?’

James nodded. ‘He’s in hospital, battered and bruised but alive. I’m hoping to be able to question him tomorrow.’

‘I feel guilty now for being so pathetic,’ she reacted. ‘You’ve had a much worse day than I have.’

‘Don’t be daft. I’d rather have the adrenaline rush of a car chase than suffer the discomfort and indignity of not being able to poo.’

She laughed out loud and stretched across the table to tap the back of his hand.