With the boys dropped off at school, Mark headed to the fridge to grab a bite to eat. As soon as he opened it, he noticed the distinctive white carrier bag on the middle shelf and sighed. He could tell Caroline had something on her mind that morning. She often did — but it was never usually enough to make her forget her lunch. Realising he could do with the walk anyway, he took the bag out of the fridge, slipped on his shoes and walked down Ashwell Road, towards the police station. It was a sunny day, and he’d reward himself by having a quick mooch around town and a bite to eat in one of the cafes before heading home to work.

As he reached the gates on Station Road, he saw a familiar figure walking to his car.

‘Dexter!’ he called, holding the white carrier bag up in the air.

Dexter walked over to him, only realising who he was once he was a few feet away. ‘Oh! Mark, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah. We met a few weeks back. Sorry. I just wanted to drop this in while I was walking past. It’s Caroline’s lunch. She left it in the fridge.’

‘Oh right,’ Dexter said, holding out a tentative hand.

‘What?’ There was a tone in Dexter’s voice that made Mark feel uneasy.

‘No, nothing. It’s just… Well, she’s not in today. Maybe there’s been some confusion or something.’

‘What do you mean she’s not in?’

‘She’s got the day off. She’s back tomorrow.’

‘Day off? No, she said she was going to work. She made a packed lunch. She even had her bag for the gym, and said she was going to go after work.’

‘Gym?’ Dexter said, trying to stifle his laughter. ‘Caroline? Are you sure you didn’t dream all this?’

Mark swallowed and forced a smile. He very much hoped he had.

20

She always felt numb afterwards. The natural physiological response was to feel elated and exhilarated — almost as if her body was preparing her for the inevitable crash and burn — but it had since adapted into skipping that whole charade and going straight to sheer guilt and exhaustion. All she wanted in that moment was to open up and tell Mark, but she couldn’t. She needed to protect him, protect the boys. The time would come when she’d have to open up and admit it, but she wasn’t ready yet.

Back in her work clothes, she stepped into the house and walked straight through to the utility room, putting her casual clothes in the washing machine and setting the cycle. Mark knew Caroline wasn’t exactly a gym bunny, but even that wouldn’t explain her coming home with the clothes worn, but still clean.

‘Good day?’ he asked, appearing behind her.

‘Yeah, not bad,’ she said, forcing a smile.

‘You left your lunch here.’

‘Yeah, I know. Sorry.’