Sally ends the call, leaving Amber in a daze. She doesn’t want to see George. She doesn’t care about him. He’s a violent monster. A sexual predator. A hypocrite. But the police are coming. They’re expecting her to help. And they already know about his reputation anyway. Oh, the shame of it …
She puts on her thickest jumper and double-layered socks, then washes her face and combs her hair, tucking it under a woollen beanie. Going downstairs, she takes her winter coat off the peg and stuffs her arms into the sleeves. The jumper is so bulky she can only just do up the buttons, and she struggles to bend down as she pulls on her boots. Next, she slips on the knitted gloves George put in her stocking last Christmas. They’re soft and beautiful, the perfect match for the emerald-green coat. What a bastard …
Sonya wasn’t the only one, that was what Polly said. If that’s true, how long has he been cheating on her? Was it going on at sports college? Is this a new thing, or has he behaved like this at every gym he’s worked at? Have they all been one-night stands, or have there been more serious relationships? Who are these women – has she met them? She wants names, addresses, full details.
Sally’s five minutes become ten. Amber sweats as she waits. She feels faint, partly due to the fact that she hasn’t eaten all day. Her thoughts turn to Lewis. How is he doing? She hopes to God he doesn’t die.
The doorbell rings. She takes a deep breath and waddles downstairs. Sally is wearing a large padded anorak and a hat with ear flaps.
‘Ready?’ she asks.
Amber nods automatically and follows her to the waiting patrol car. She heaves herself onto the back seat. Sally gets in next to her and the driver speeds off.
‘Okay, here’s the situation,’ says Sally. ‘George was spotted over an hour ago. When an officer approached, he waded into the water and refused to come out. He’s threatening to drown himself.’
Amber flinches. ‘Jesus …’ she murmurs.
‘Obviously we’re not going to put you in any physical danger. But if you could talk to him …’
‘Why would he listen to me?’
‘Because you’re his wife, and although he’s very angry and hurting, he loves you. That’s why he attacked Lewis.’
A week ago, she would have agreed, but now George’s love for her holds no meaning. She turns her thoughts away from him and towards the man lying in hospital. ‘How is he? Lewis, I mean.’
Sally pulls a face. ‘He’s been put into an induced coma,’ she says. ‘I gather it’s touch and go.’
‘And my sister?’
‘She’s at his side.’
Amber raises her brows. Yet why is she surprised? Ruby is the most generous-spirited person she knows. Of course she would set aside her anger with Lewis and support him in his darkest hour.
Amber really wants to see her sister – to explain, to apologise, to beg forgiveness. Maybe when Mabel comes back – if she does come back … She sinks back in the seat, feeling defeated.
‘All this, this shit,’ she says. ‘It gets in the way, doesn’t it? Stops you finding her.’
‘Not at all. Mabel is still our primary focus.’
‘Has anyone interviewed George’s colleagues at the gym?’
‘Um, yes, I believe so. Why do you ask?’
Amber stares out of the window at the flitting scenery. ‘A sort of friend came round today. She told me George had …’ the words catch in her throat, ‘a fling with Sonya. Do you already know that?’
There’s a short pause, then Sally takes a breath and speaks. ‘A couple of female colleagues mentioned it, yes. It’s been a line of enquiry. At one stage we thought he might have been the father of Sonya’s child, but she said not. Said the timing didn’t tally.’
‘You knew but you didn’t tell me.’
‘George begged us not to. Just as you begged us not to tell him.’
‘You must think we’re both utterly appalling.’
‘Everyone has complicated lives,’ Sally replies. ‘I don’t judge.’
They’ve reached the reservoir. The car slows and turns down a service road, reserved for maintenance workers. It’s a narrow, bumpy track swathed in darkness. From her side, all Amber can see is a tall, thick hedge. Beyond that, she knows there is a large expanse of murky, swirling water – an angler’s paradise during the day, but treacherous at night.
The driver pulls up behind three other vehicles – two police cars and an ambulance. DI Benedict