But he didn’t get a chance to wonder why she was dressed so oddly. Her Mercedes came to life and he quickly emerged from the bushes, keeping close to the wall and away from the lampposts as he walked the few steps to his own car. He could already see the white reverse lights on Claire’s car as she inched her way out of the driveway and he cursed as he fumbled for his car key, hoping she hadn’t spotted him.

Just then, several cars passed on the road in front of her house forcing Claire to wait to let them pass and giving him some much-needed cover. Shoving the key in the lock, he swung open the door and sank low into the driver’s seat as he put the key in the ignition. The Mercedes was now reversing out onto the road and Paul shoved the gearstick into first and followed behind her.

*

He trailed Claire for about thirty minutes, his old Renault often struggling to keep up with the speed of the Mercedes, but he managed to keep her within sight. It didn’t matter where she was going. He’d seen her and that was enough. He was curious about the state of her marriage as he recalled the twisted look on Chris’s face. It reminded him of the time he was watching the family, a few years ago now, at a summer carnival.

Jamie had been a baby and Joshua was still young enough to enjoy such a family event. The crowd was dense which is the only reason he’d felt safe enough to attend. He knew Claire was there because she’d checked in on Facebook. By sheer luck, he’d managed to find them, guessing correctly that with a baby, they would head for a quieter area where families were picnicking on the grass.

He’d observed them, his presence camouflaged by the crowd and the trees. To anyone passing by, they were the perfect family enjoying a picnic. Joshua was playing with his football a few metres away and the baby was gurgling happily in his mother’s arms. So only Paul saw Claire’s forehead crease in annoyance as Chris had abruptly got up from the grass and walked off without a word. He saw her eyes trail after him, and the baby, perhaps sensing his mother’s tension, started to cry. Joshua looked up just at that moment and Claire was left to play a solo performance. Daddy’s just gone for a walk, he’ll be back soon, he imagined her saying in a sing-song voice. And she would jostle the baby and wave to Joshua and her smile would never leave her face.