The Magpies A Psychological Thriller - By Mark Edwards Page 0,94

said in a hushed tone, her eyes wide. ‘Jamie, they’ve got a baby – Lucy and Chris – they’ve got a baby.’

Jamie knelt beside her, leant forward and put his ear to the floor. He tried to think: how long was it since he had seen Lucy? Had she had a bump? Could she have been pregnant?

No – it didn’t make sense.

‘It’s a recording,’ he said. ‘That’s what it is. It’s a fucking recording.’

‘No!’ Even now, after all this time, Kirsty acted as if she was shocked by the lengths Lucy and Chris would go to. She pummelled the carpet with her fists, weak blows which would have been barely audible downstairs, especially over the cries of the baby. She punched and punched, until she collapsed on her front and lay still.

The recording stopped. Halfway through a cry of distress, the baby was hushed. Jamie pressed his ear to the floor again. His whole body was tense, like a spring, waiting for the crying to begin again.

He didn’t know how long he knelt in that position for. Eventually, he became aware of a pain in his neck – a muscular spasm – and he sat up and rubbed it, tried to ease the ache. Kirsty was still lying on the carpet, her face turned away from him. He stroked her hair, pressed his face against the back of her head, whispered in her ear, ‘It’s alright.’

She didn’t move. He leant over so he could see her face. She was just lying there, staring into space, unblinking. She looked lifeless, like a mannequin. It scared him.

‘Kirsty.’ He touched her cheek. ‘Kirsty, talk to me.’

For a horrible, irrational moment, he thought she was dead – for the second time in twenty-four hours. But then she stirred. She blinked and looked up at him. But she still she didn’t speak.

‘Come on,’ he said. ‘Let’s get you back into bed. Come on, sweetheart.’

She allowed herself to be helped up. He walked her over to the bed and she crawled beneath the covers, burying her head beneath the quilt. He got in behind her and lay with his arm over her, holding her hand. They lay like that all night, neither of them falling fully into sleep. At one point Jamie heard a bird cry outside, and he felt Kirsty flinch. He shushed her and kissed her. The pain and hatred swelled up in him.

They got up as soon as it was light. Kirsty had a bath and Jamie made breakfast. They sat on the sofa and ate, although neither of them had an appetite. Upstairs, Mary had her radio on, and every so often a muffled snatch of recognisable music would break through. The volume must have been up loud.

‘How long do you think it will be before we can move out?’ Kirsty asked. ‘What did the estate agent say?’

‘He said he was sure he could get a quick sale.’ He felt sick. He hated lying to her, even when it was necessary. Actually, he only lied to her when it was necessary.

‘Good. Because I don’t care about the price. I just want to get out.’

‘They’ll have to come round to do a valuation.’

‘When?’

‘I don’t know He said it could take a week – or two.’

‘Jamie, that’s not good enough. I’ll call them today, tell them they’ve got to make it sooner.’

He felt a flutter of panic in his gut. ‘No – I’ll do it. Don’t you worry.’

‘Don’t forget.’

He put down his coffee before she could see his hand was shaking.

‘Are you going in to work today?’ she asked.

‘Yes. I think I’d better. Just to show my face. What about you?’

‘I’m not staying here on my own in the flat. Not with them downstairs.’

‘Well, I could call in sick again and stay at home with you.’

‘No. No, it’s better if we both go to work. We can’t hide away. We have to get on with our lives, Jamie.’ She shook her head. ‘God, I feel so pitiful. I hadn’t even had the baby. Every day I see people whose children are ill. Some of them are dying; some of them do die. Those people have given birth; they’ve seen their children grow, seen them speak and walk.’

‘But you’ve had a miscarriage. That’s like…’ He couldn’t say it.

‘It’s not exactly the same, Jamie. My whole life with this baby was imagined. It was something in the future. A promise – a promise that has been broken.’ She looked up at him. ‘We can have another