CHAPTER TWO

Rowan Jackman awoke to the sound of a blackbird singing. He yawned, looked at the clock and turned towards his partner, Laura. It was five thirty but her side of the bed was empty. He sat up and looked around. Downstairs, a door closed. Rubbing his eyes, he padded down to the kitchen, where, through the window, he caught sight of her wandering around the garden in her dressing gown and slippers.

Puzzled, he opened the door and went out barefoot. ‘Laura?’

She turned, apparently surprised to see him there. She looked unusually drawn and pensive.

‘You okay, sweetheart?’ he asked, planting a kiss on her forehead. ‘You look worried.’

‘I had a bad night. Couldn’t sleep, and I’ve got a full schedule today. I thought some fresh air might help clear my head.’

‘Come back inside. You don’t need to be up for another hour yet. Go back to bed and I’ll make us some tea.’

Meekly, she allowed him to lead her back inside. Jackman was worried. He’d never seen her look so distracted. He hoped that she wasn’t ill and covering it up. She wasn’t herself at all.

Upstairs, he set down her tea and slipped back into bed beside her. ‘Something’s wrong. No secrets — remember?’

Laura sighed. ‘I’m sorry, darling. I try not to bring work home, but every so often I get a case that I can’t seem to let go of. I even dream about it.’

At least she wasn’t ill. But she was visibly anxious, and that in itself was unlike her. ‘Anything you can share?’

Laura sat up. ‘I’d love to, but this one’s complex and you know how patient privacy works.’ She gave a little shrug. ‘So it looks like I’m stuck with it at present.’

‘Well, if you need to discuss a . . . purely hypothetical situation, I’m your man.’ He took her hand and squeezed it. ‘Always.’

She snuggled into him. ‘If it becomes any more of a conundrum than it is already, I will, I promise.’

It wasn’t easy being the partner of the force psychologist. Naturally, Laura was bound by the Hippocratic Oath, whereas he could quite properly consult her on the psychological aspect of tricky cases. So, they generally kept work chat to a minimum, unless it was about friends they had in common — friends like DS Marie Evans.

‘Is she back yet?’ asked Laura, sipping her tea.

‘Back on shift this morning. She’ll be full of stories from the Welsh mountains, no doubt.’ Jackman put his mug on his bedside cabinet. ‘I’ve really missed her. It’s only been a week, but work isn’t the same without Marie.’

‘Did she go alone?’ Laura raised an eyebrow.

‘Yes, she did, Madame Matchmaker!’

Laura laughed. ‘Then I bet you’re not the only one who’s missed her. I can think of a certain detective sergeant over in Fenchester who’ll have been pining quietly in her absence.’

Laura sounded more relaxed, and Jackman felt easier. ‘You’re probably right, but they’re not an item, you know. They’ve just been out to dinner a couple of times.’