Jack’s voice came from the other side of the door, making Molly jump and drop the phone with a clatter. ‘What’s keeping you?’

She stood and flushed the toilet again, raising her voice to be heard over it. ‘I’ll be down in five,’ she called. Back in their bedroom, she put her phone into her bag and held the page for a moment before crumpling it into a ball and shoving it into her underwear drawer. Tomorrow, she’d take it to work and put it into the office shredder.

It took only minutes to change from her work clothes into jeans and a jumper. She ran a brush through her hair and went downstairs, her expression carefully neutral. She needn’t have worried. Jack gave her a cursory glance before grabbing his keys and heading for the front door, leaving her to trail behind.

O’Dea’s was popular and busy, and that night was no exception, the overwhelming cacophony hitting Molly when they stepped inside. There’d be no chance to talk. Was that Jack’s plan? Maybe it was just as well. Her mind was too wrapped up in her own problems to deal with whatever was going on in his life. Anyway, before she heard his side of the conversation it would be better to be in possession of whatever information Nicole had. It would help to be forewarned.

The food was good, as it usually was. And she’d been right, there was no chance to carry on a meaningful conversation, every second word swallowed by waves of shouting and laughter. They called out hi to a few acquaintances who passed by, but she was relieved when nobody joined them. They might not be able to have an in-depth conversation, but it was nice to spend time together. She sipped her mineral water; drinking during the week was something she tried to avoid, it made her too tired the next day. Usually, Jack would have a pint, no more but tonight he had two. Plus, he’d had a bottle before they left home.

Was that the problem? She tried to pinpoint exactly when he’d started to drink so much but she couldn’t narrow it down. It wasn’t particularly excessive but more than she was used to seeing him drink. Maybe she should stop worrying.

They were quiet as they walked home, the distance between them more than simply space. In the busy streets, she felt very alone but then she thought about him and her eyes darted from left to right as they approached their house. But there was nobody on their doorstep.

‘I’m going straight up,’ she said as they took off their coats in the hallway. ‘You coming?’ There wasn’t an invitation in her words; although they hadn’t made love in a long time, she certainly wasn’t in the mood tonight, not with turquoise eyes boring through her head.