Roses Are Red - Miranda Rijks Page 0,82

was that severely damaged in the accident, is the chassis really safe? I know that all my thoughts are out of control at the moment, that I’m probably worrying about nothing, but even so…

‘But I’ll be leaving it overnight in the station car park. And won’t you need it?’

‘I’m not going anywhere, and if I have to, I’ll take the Bentley.’

‘Thanks, love. Get better soon, and I’ll call you tonight.’ He blows me a kiss and leaves. A moment later Mia and Oliver appear in the doorway.

‘Have a good day, kids,’ I say, trying to force a smile.

After several more hours of sleep, I wake feeling marginally better. I have a shower and put on some old clothes. It’s a relief that no one turns up at the house and the phone doesn’t ring. By the time Cassie brings the children back from school, I have defrosted some fishcakes and, drugged up on Lemsip, am just about functioning.

Cassie offers to stay and help, but I send her on her way. I don’t want her catching my lurgy.

Later on, after they have both done their homework, the three of us watch a catch-up episode of The Apprentice on television.

‘They’re so thick!’ Mia exclaims. The candidates are running around Amsterdam like headless chickens, trying to find items at the lowest possible cost. They haven’t got a clue what most of the products are.

‘And aggressive. I can assure you it’s not like that in the real world,’ I chip in.

There’s a crash.

From outside.

It sounds like the lid of a metal dustbin landing on tarmac. We don’t have a metal dustbin.

‘What was that?’ Oliver sits bolt upright.

‘I don’t know.’ I press the pause button on the television remote.

‘Sounded like it came from outside,’ Mia says.

‘It’s probably just a fox, or a branch that fell down.’ I stand up and walk out of the room. I don’t want the kids to see the look of sheer terror on my face. ‘Carry on watching. I’ll just go and investigate.’

‘No, Mum!’ Mia jumps up from the sofa.

‘It’s fine, darlings. Just stay here. I won’t be two ticks.’

I stride to the hallway, but don’t switch the light on. I have a good view of the driveway from the window next to the front door, but I stand back and hopefully can’t be seen. My eyes take a few moments to adjust to the darkness, and then I see it. A dark figure creeping near the magnolia tree.

Or have I imagined it? Is it really a figure? It’s windy outside, and the trees are swaying. I switch on the outside lights, flooding the front of the house with a pale-yellow glow. I stare wildly. Yes, the branches are moving, but I can’t see a person. Perhaps it was a fox, or a deer, even. We have plenty of wildlife visiting our garden. But no. I was right the first time. There is a car, the slamming of a car door. I make a small involuntary whimper and immediately hate myself for my weakness. The rear lights of the car flicker on and it drives away at speed.

I know that car.

It’s a maroon-red Mercedes.

The only person I know who drives a maroon-red Mercedes is Ajay. Not again.

I lean against the wall. Shit. He came back. What the hell is he trying to do?

‘Is everything ok, Mum?’ Mia says as she walks along the corridor towards me, her Ugg boots making a squelching sound on the flagstone floor.

‘All fine,’ I say as brightly as I can manage, bearing in mind my hoarse voice and the terror still coursing through my veins. ‘Just a fox. I saw the damn thing slinking off into the bushes. It must have been trying to get into the rubbish bins.’ Mia wrinkles her nose and walks back to the living room. When I have eased my breathing, I follow her.

But I can’t concentrate. It is absolutely not acceptable for Ajay to turn up at my house at night and to slink around the outside. What if he put a firebomb through the letter box? And now I have to jump up and check the doormat at the back door.

I am being stupid.

There is nothing there.

As I try to control my racing heart, I remember my promise to Patrick. Call the police. This is harassment. I don’t bother calling DI Cornish’s team but ring 999. The officer is very gentle with me and promises that she will log everything I tell her. She explains that due to