‘Hello, my little darling,’ he said, dropping his case and walking towards them. ‘You look so much better than you did this time yesterday.’

‘That’s kind of you to say, dear,’ Annie said with a smile. ‘And I’m not even wearing make-up.’

James held his arms out and she handed Bella to him.

‘We’ll let Mummy think that I was talking to her,’ he said to his daughter before giving her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

She threw her head back as though she’d been tickled and started to laugh.

‘It’s such a relief to see her back to her jolly old self,’ he said. ‘I had visions of her ending up in the hospital.’

Annie rolled her eyes at him. ‘I’m sure your colleagues have no idea that you’re such a worrier. If they did, then they’d look at you in a whole new light.’

They moved towards each other and as they kissed, Bella poked a finger into her mother’s ear.

‘Your dinner is almost ready,’ Annie said. ‘Madam here can watch you eat it, then we’ll put her down and we can have some us time before we turn in.’

They sat Bella in her highchair while James munched his way through a beef hot pot ready meal. But after only a few minutes she was struggling to keep her eyes open and she was fast asleep even before James had finished his dinner, her head lolling to one side, her mouth open.

‘She’s been awake for most of the day,’ Annie said. ‘I reckon she decided to make the most of feeling better.’

‘I’ll take her up,’ James said as he swallowed the last forkful of beef.

Bella stayed asleep as he carried her upstairs and placed her gently in her cot. He kissed her forehead, told her how much he loved her, and realised yet again just how lucky he was. Having her in his life helped him to cope with the horrors he encountered on the job.

Annie was waiting for him in the living room, her legs tucked beneath her on the sofa and her fingers wrapped around a mug of tea.

‘There’s plenty more boiled water in the kettle if you want to get yourself a hot drink,’ she said. ‘Though I don’t suppose that’s what you fancy.’

She was right. Exhausted, he succumbed to the lure of alcohol, pouring himself a large whisky. After he downed a couple of mouthfuls, he felt his cheeks warming as it spread into his bloodstream.

‘I don’t think I need to ask if you’ve had a tough day,’ Annie said. ‘You look shattered.’

‘I am.’

She patted the sofa next to her. ‘Come and tell me as much as you can then.’

He told her about his day, including how they had traced Rachel Elliott’s boyfriend to London and found Douglas Hannigan lying on the floor in his hallway. He was always mindful of police protocol but he rarely held anything back with Annie because he knew that whatever information he shared with her would go no further.