Nelson marches up the garden path and raps on the door. After a few minutes?delay, the door is opened by a man Nelson vaguely recognises as Leah抯 husband. He has picked her up from a work a few times, an inoffensive-looking sandy-haired chap. Nelson thinks he has an inoffensive job too. Something to do with banking or insurance.
慏CI Nelson,?says the man. What抯 his name? Something short, Nelson thinks. Lee? Ian? Jay, that抯 it. 慣o what do we owe this pleasure??
慖s Leah in??
慖 think she抯 taking a bath.?
Nelson抯 antenna are now on full alert. Who takes a bath at six thirty on a Thursday evening? A shower, maybe, but a bath?
慍an I talk to her??he says.
慡he抯 in the bath,?repeats Jay, sounding slightly less genial.
慉ll the same,?says Nelson, 慖抎 like a word.?
Jay looks as if he抯 about to refuse. For a moment he and Nelson stare at each other then Jay turns and shouts up the stairs, 慙eah! Your boss is here.?
After a few seconds, Leah appears, fully dressed, at the top of the stairs.
慔allo,?she says. Her voice sounds odd, as if she抯 trying to warn him about something.
慔allo, Leah,?says Nelson. 慍an we have a word in private??
慛ow look here,?says Jay, 憈his is my house. And we抮e under lockdown. I can抰 allow it.?
慙et me in,?says Nelson, 憃r I抣l arrest you.?
Tanya doesn抰 talk much on the drive to Norwich. She drives fast and well, arms braced at the wheel. Judy drives like that too. Maybe it抯 how they are taught on police training courses. Tanya is wearing a red mask with blue and white stars on it. The effect is incongruously cheerful. Ruth has forgotten to bring a mask and surreptitiously opens her window slightly, trying not to breathe in Tanya抯 direction. She checks her phone repeatedly. No messages from Janet or Nelson. The A47 is dark and empty but, when they drive through Dereham, the streetlights illuminate people standing by the side of the road and framed in open doorways. It seems almost sinister, as if they are waiting for a signal. Then a siren sounds. Ruth opens her window completely and hears a ripple of applause punctuated by the clatter of pots and pans.
慍lapping for carers,?says Tanya, without taking her eyes off the road.
Chapter 38
Nelson takes a step forward. Jay takes one back. Leah is now halfway down the stairs.
慦ant to step outside, love??says Nelson. 慡o that we can talk.?
慪ou can抰 talk to my wife behind my back,?says Jay.
Leah flashes her husband a look and, in that second, Nelson sees it all: the fear, the days off work, the polo necks.
慞ack a bag,?he says to Leah. 慉nd I抣l take you somewhere safe.?
慛ow look here . . .?Jay grabs Nelson抯 arm. Nelson spins round and knocks him out with one punch. Leah screams.
慔urry up and pack that bag,?says Nelson, breathing slightly heavily.
慖s he dead??says Leah.
慛o such luck,?says Nelson, although the man does not seem to be moving much.
By the time Leah descends the stairs carrying a small suitcase, Jay is making groaning sounds. Nelson takes the case and ushers Leah out of the door. She almost runs to the car. Nelson resists the temptation to deliver a farewell kick to Jay抯 ribs. As he shuts the door, the next-door neighbour opens his, like a cuckoo clock.
慐verything OK, Leah??says the man.
慪es,?says Leah.
慪ou should have asked that a bit earlier,?says Nelson. 慦eeks earlier. Months earlier.?
慖 beg your pardon??says the neighbour.
慖 forgive you,?says Nelson, wondering if he can forgive himself. He clicks open the car and puts the suitcase into the boot. Leah gets into the passenger seat. Nelson sits beside her and keys the postcode of the women抯 refuge into the satnav. The neighbour is still watching from his front porch.