The Babysitter(27)

Passing the lounge door, where the dog was still sleeping, which meant it at least wouldn’t growl at her, Jade paused in the hall and listened.

‘I really am sorry about losing the key,’ she heard Melissa say. God, why didn’t the silly cow just grow a pair and stop apologising, especially for something she didn’t do? It was no wonder Mark despaired of her. Well, the woman could forget offering him her body by way of recompense for her sins. She was going to be asleep before her head touched the pillow.

‘It’s me who should be apologising,’ Mark said, clearly about to take the blame. ‘I could have behaved a little less like an arsehole and slightly more sympathetically. I’m so sorry about the sculpture, Mel. I don’t suppose it was salvageable, was it? As a cast, I mean?’

He was obviously interested enough in her arty-farty endeavours to know something about the process then. Jade scowled, not sure she was very pleased about that. But then, he would be, she supposed. He had such a caring personality. He couldn’t change that about himself and nor would Jade want him to.

‘No.’ Melissa sighed. ‘But I’ve started another. Jade was great, looking after Poppy and Evie while I was in the workshop.’

Jade smiled to herself. She was all for Melissa singing her praises.

‘I’ve been thinking though,’ Melissa went on, ‘maybe I should give up working. For a while, at least.’

Oh please. Jade rolled her eyes sky-high at that blatant play of the sympathy card.

‘What?’ She heard Mark choke on his wine. And no wonder.

‘I mean, it’s not important, is it?’ Melissa continued, nauseatingly selflessly. ‘Well, obviously it is to me, but it’s not as if I couldn’t put it on hold. Devote more time to the children.’

There was a pause. Clearly Melissa was waiting for Mark to give the right response, which, Mark being Mark, of course he did.

‘It’s important to me, too, Mel,’ he said, with feeling. ‘Your art is who you are. You shouldn’t give up a fundamental part of yourself out of guilt. You’re a fantastic mother. Poppy’s a shining example of that. And apart from the blip when Evie wouldn’t settle into her routine, she’s about as content as a baby can be. This morning was nobody’s fault. Shit happens sometimes.’

Melissa drew in a breath – and yawned. ‘I know,’ she said. ‘I’m just tired, I suppose.’

‘Looks like we’ve both had a shitty sort of day,’ Mark empathised.

‘Oh God, I’m sorry, Mark,’ said Melissa – apologising, again. ‘I’m so busy thinking about me, I forgot to ask about how things went with you.’

‘Not great,’ Mark said.

Hearing him scrape his chair back, Jade was primed to bolt for the stairs, but relaxed when she heard him walk in the other direction. He must be fetching more wine from the fridge.

‘What on earth was all that about with DCI Edwards?’ Melissa asked him, over the sound of wine being poured. If that was her glass, she would definitely be sleeping tonight. Like a dead thing. Jade only wished it were that easy. ‘I couldn’t believe it when he asked me to confirm that you were driving Evie around rather than driving around on your own in the dead of night.’

Mark paused, then said, ‘You did, though, right?’

‘Of course,’ Melissa assured him. ‘I couldn’t remember specific nights, obviously, but I told him you were driving her around to try and get her to go off to sleep.’

‘Might have looked odd if you could remember specific nights,’ Mark said, sounding distracted.

‘So, why was he asking?’ Melissa urged him.

Another pause, followed by a heavy sigh. ‘Cummings,’ Mark answered tightly.

‘Your detective sergeant?’

‘Unfortunately.’ Mark sounded tense now. ‘You remember we had an… er… altercation a while back?’

‘Oh God, yes. The womaniser. I remember you told me. You hit him.’

‘Not hard enough,’ Mark replied angrily, and topped up the second glass. ‘He has a penchant for younger women, outside and inside of work. Harasses female members of staff. It’s way beyond acceptable.’

‘But… has no one brought him to task? Reported him?’ Melissa asked, disbelieving.

‘Nope.’ Mark laughed sardonically. ‘Not even the girl who he was helping himself to a grope of when I clocked the bastard. Scared of losing her job. Long story short, I was reprimanded. Psychologically evaluated, not to put too fine a point on it.’

And she didn’t know all this? Jade gawped at the kitchen door. What an uncaring, self-centred bitch.

Melissa gasped. ‘What? Oh no…’

‘It was just after Jacob. My emotions were all over the place.’ Mark sighed audibly.

‘Precisely because you had just lost your son! They must have known that. They must have known that you wouldn’t attack someone, however emotional you were, without provocation.’

‘He didn’t exactly provoke me, Mel,’ Mark said, less passionately. ‘Pissed me off, severely, but in the eyes of my superiors, that wasn’t provocation.’

‘Idiots,’ Melissa seethed. ‘DCI Edwards is well aware of how losing Jacob affected you. He knows that you would do anything for your children, including driving endlessly around at night to try to get your baby to sleep. I honestly can’t believe someone could be so vindictive as to try to make that into anything but what it is.’