Roses Are Red - Miranda Rijks Page 0,92

that?’ I sit up in bed and automatically reach to switch on my light. Nothing happens. My breath is shallow and frantic.

‘I don’t know.’ I hear Patrick fumbling around and then there’s another noise. It sounds like something has been dropped on the stone floor. ‘Perhaps it’s one of the kids gone downstairs for a glass of water?’ He switches on the torch on his phone.

‘Did you put the alarm on?’ I ask.

‘No. You told me not to have the alarm on when we’re all at home, in case Mia or Oliver go downstairs in the night and forget to switch it off.’

He’s right; I did tell him that. He swings his legs out of bed and pulls on his boxer shorts and the shirt he was wearing today, the light from the phone jiggling up and down.

‘I’m going down to have a look.’

‘No!’ I say, clutching the edge of the duvet. ‘We need to check the children’s rooms first.’

‘You’re not going anywhere. Stay in bed and I’ll have a look in on them.’

I watch as he opens the door, the flickering light throwing ghostly shadows across the walls. My heart is thumping and I shiver underneath the duvet, listening for any more untoward sounds. A few moments later he returns.

‘They’re both in bed, fast asleep.’

‘Oh God,’ I murmur. If it wasn’t one of the kids, there must be an intruder inside the house. ‘I’m calling the police.’ I reach for my phone, but I can’t find it and knock my alarm clock off my bedside table.

‘That’s a bit premature, Lydia. Let me go and have a look. It might have been nothing.’

‘No! Please don’t go. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.’

‘Nothing is going to happen to me,’ he says, turning on his heel.

‘Please, Patrick! Remember what happened to Adam, and someone tried to kill me this morning!’

‘Don’t worry. I’m strong. I’ll be back in a tick.’

I sit rigid on the bed, straining my ears to listen out for any more unexplained sounds, but I hear nothing. Not even Patrick’s footsteps downstairs. I suppose he’s walking barefoot. I make silent prayers to God. Please look after Patrick. I know I was mistaken to suspect him of anything. I love this man. Please keep us all safe.

A minute later the lights switch on, and the old house creaks back to life. And then Patrick pads back into the bedroom.

‘Something must have fused,’ he says. ‘One of the fuses was switched down in the box, and there’s no one in the house. I had a good look outside and I can’t see anything. Must be just one of those things.’

‘I can’t take it,’ I say, clutching my side.

He strips his shirt off and gets into bed. His freezing foot touches mine and I shiver melodramatically.

‘Chill, Lydia. There’s nothing to worry about. I’ve switched the alarm on downstairs just in case. Try to get some sleep now.’

‘I think Ajay is going to kill me.’

‘Hey,’ he says, pulling me towards him. ‘I’m here to look after you. We’ll be moving house soon, and everything will be fine.’

I wish I could believe him. But Patrick never saw Adam’s body; he never went through the horrors that the kids and I experienced. That terrible, shocking loss. The police should have Ajay in custody, and they should be patrolling outside our house. I want to call DI Cornish, to find out what they’re doing about Ajay, but it’s now shortly after midnight and I know he’s not on duty until tomorrow.

‘I’m scared, Patrick.’

‘Have you checked out security systems yet?’

‘No. I haven’t felt up to it.’

‘Just as well I have, then,’ he says. My neck feels uncomfortable on his muscly arm, but I don’t want to pull away. ‘I’ve got a mate who can put a top-of-the-range system in, with night vision and alarm monitoring, top-notch sensors, backup to the cloud, and the whole malarkey, for around fifteen grand.’

‘That’s a lot of money.’

‘Still worth it. We can’t put a price on security and safety.’

‘But we’re likely to be moving soon.’

‘Even so, I want to make sure you’re safe. This is a big old house, and I’m still going to be away a lot. Sleep on it and let me know what you think tomorrow. We can’t rely on the police to look out for us; we’ll need to protect ourselves.’

‘Ok,’ I say reluctantly, shifting my neck so it’s off his arm. ‘I still can’t believe that Ajay would do something so evil. I’ve known him