Текст книги "Jessica Daniel: Think of the Children / Playing with Fire / Thicker Than Water"

Автор книги: Kerry Wilkinson

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Текущая страница: 34 (всего у книги 56 страниц)

As she reached the final number, she opened her eyes as wide as they could go, and the blue rotating lights of the fire engines appeared at the bottom of their small front garden. Jessica thought she could see people moving but her vision was hazy around the edges. Focusing all her effort on the lock, she pushed the key in and turned it, before wrenching the handle up and shoving the window outwards.

The tears she had been desperate to cry finally erupted as Jessica gulped in the clear night air. It was cold and hurt her throat but she had never felt anything as refreshing in her life. She leant out of the window, drinking in the oxygen, tears streaming down her face.

The ground below her was a mix of bright blue and a dim orange and she could hear voices. Their words all blended into one but someone appeared to be shouting towards her. She tried to respond but the combination of the pain and dryness of her mouth along with the clean air meant she could do little more than cough.

As Jessica struggled to keep herself conscious, she felt a noise somewhere close by and realised a ladder had appeared next to where she was resting. Everything within her was telling her to allow herself to sleep but she could hear metallic vibrations of footsteps climbing the rungs. She felt an arm on her and someone telling her she was fine but, when she attempted to open her eyes, she could see only vague grey shapes.

Jessica felt a sensation of being lifted but wasn’t aware of whether she was awake. She felt a sense of weightlessness, as if she was floating, but she couldn’t decide what was real and what was in her mind. All of a sudden, there was a damp sensation on her back, quickly replaced by someone covering her with what she thought was a blanket. Jessica forced her eyes open but felt dazed by the blue light. Her feet felt warm and, as she tried to sit up, she realised she was half-lying on the lawn at the front of their house. Someone was supporting her and she could hear voices and a vehicle screeching to a halt.

She looked up at the house, taking large gulps of air as she realised someone must have carried her down the ladder. Jessica didn’t know if she had been asleep but whoever was sitting next to her was stroking her back and holding a bottle of water close to her lips.

Jessica felt someone kneel nearby but the person with the water simply said, ‘There’s one more’.

At first it didn’t register what they had said but Jessica’s mind slowly started to put together what was going on. The person who had knelt close to her was wearing a green colour and was likely a paramedic. ‘Adam,’ Jessica croaked.

‘It’s all right,’ a female said as they continued to stroke her back. ‘Drink.’ Jessica did as she was told, the liquid rushing down her throat and making her cough painfully. ‘Slowly,’ the person said. Jessica had no idea who they were but she could sense the concern in their voice. She tried sipping the fluid and it felt much better the second time, easing the ache that was throbbing through her body.

‘Adam,’ Jessica tried again. She could tell she had said it more clearly the second time. She wanted the woman to tell her everything was fine but her eyes closed involuntarily and Jessica rested her head against the paramedic.

She wanted to be able to respond to the words she heard shouted but her body refused to let her move.

Instead, the anguished cries from someone nearby of ‘he’s not breathing’ sent her off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

25

Once a week when Jessica was a child, her mum would shoo everyone out of the kitchen and thoroughly bleach everything. Because you couldn’t get to the living room without going through the kitchen – and she wasn’t allowed past – she would have to choose where to spend an hour while everything dried out. She would usually opt for her bedroom but the smell would drift through the house wherever she was. Whenever she heard anyone talking about cleaning, she could almost sense the aroma from when she was a child, its pungency as strong as ever.

Jessica knew she was awake as she breathed in the smell of disinfectant. For a moment, she thought she was a child again, sitting in her room as her mum mopped and dusted below. She knew she was lying somewhere comfortable but her eyelids seemed to have weights attached. Wherever she was, everything felt peaceful. Wondering if she would be able to fall asleep again, Jessica allowed her airways to relax, breathing in the scent that made her think of home.

And then she started coughing.

At first it was a slight tickle at the back of her throat but then it shook her entire body. She could feel the heave starting somewhere in her stomach, pains shooting through her chest as she sat up, a thick liquid being pushed upwards into her mouth. She opened her eyes, dazzled by the bright lights, but with an overwhelming sensation that she was going to be sick. She was trying to stop her body from trembling and instinctively found herself rolling over until she was on her hands and knees. The softness of the surface told her she was on a bed but it felt unfamiliar. Someone nearby was saying her name and, although she tried to swallow it, the pain was too much as Jessica spat the mucus towards the floor.

Her mouth felt disgusting; the smell of disinfectant, which once was comforting, now made her feel nauseous. Her vision began to drift into focus, the white of the lights overhead fading into the colour of the room as shapes began to form. Jessica blinked furiously and the outline of Rowlands filtered into view.

‘Dave . . .’

‘Jess, you’re awake . . .’ She felt him move before she saw him, almost as if her brain was telling her something was happening before her eyes could register what it was. Her head was spinning as the constable’s hand touched her shoulder. ‘You should lie back down,’ he said. ‘I’ll get someone.’

‘No, stay.’

Jessica’s memory was hazy but she felt a need to have someone close by.

‘Okay, okay, but you have to at least sit.’

After he pointed it out, Jessica realised she was still on her hands and knees on a bed, but it was only then she realised her arms were aching. She felt her colleague’s hands on the upper part of her back as she turned herself over and relaxed against the headrest.

‘Am I at yours?’ she asked, her words grating on her throat.

The constable didn’t answer immediately but she knew her voice hadn’t sounded right. She felt him pressing a glass into her hands. ‘Drink,’ he said gently.

Jessica first sipped the liquid but as it eased the pain in her throat, she drank more quickly, taking large gulps until she was coughing again.

‘Slowly,’ she heard his voice saying.

As her spluttering slowly evaporated, Jessica felt his warm hand on her forehead, pushing hair away from her face. ‘You should sleep,’ he said, his words soft and calming.

Jessica felt something familiar in his words but her mind wasn’t alert enough to process them. She slid down under the bed sheets and felt someone rearranging the covers around her. As they moved to draw away, she gripped their hand, holding tight before closing her eyes and allowing the tiredness to envelop her.

Jessica jolted awake as another cough ripped from her stomach. Her body contorted involuntarily into a sitting position as she struggled to catch her breath before, finally, her chest calmed. She opened her eyes gradually but the room felt darker than she remembered.

Her thoughts were sluggish as she tried to recall where she was. The silhouette of Rowlands swarmed into view, although he didn’t look quite right. Usually he had spiky hair but the shape of him was wrong. Jessica tried to work out how much wine she had drunk because she couldn’t remember being this tipsy for a while. She giggled unwillingly. ‘You look like a twat,’ she croaked.

She expected something barbed in return but instead she realised she was holding the man’s hand. ‘Jess . . .’ he said soothingly, gripping her more tightly.

‘Dave?’

‘How are you feeling?’

‘I . . . I don’t know. How much did I drink? Am I at yours?’ Her final words sent a wave of déjà vu rushing through her and then she remembered how the rest of the conversation went. He would tell her to ‘drink’, she would cough and then he would say ‘slowly’.

Then she remembered a woman’s voice saying the exact same words.

Jessica flipped herself upwards until she was sitting rigidly; her eyes were wide. ‘Adam.’

She could feel one of Rowlands’s hands gripping hers even tighter, the other on her back. ‘Jess, you should rest,’ he said.

Jessica wanted to move quickly but her body was betraying her. She thought she was swinging her legs over the edge of the bed but only her top half moved. ‘Adam . . .’ she moaned, unable to stop herself crying. She squeezed her friend’s hand as hard as she could, until she heard him squeal. ‘Where’s Adam?’ she implored.

She felt his other hand move from her back onto her face, sweeping away a strand of matted hair. Her eyes tried to focus on the man who was with her. Rowlands’s voice was restful. ‘Relax, Jess. You’ve got to focus on yourself.’

Jessica could feel tears on her cheeks, itching as they rolled down her face. Memories of what had happened fell on her in one go as, instead of recalling things bit by bit, the whole terrifying night flashed into her mind.

‘Oh God. There was a fire. There . . . Adam . . .’ The room swam into view, everything becoming visible. She could see the pale walls, the white bed linen, a closed door at the foot of her bed and Rowlands’s concerned face staring into hers. Jessica tried to speak but her throat felt hoarse. ‘Is he . . . ?’

The constable’s hand brushed tears away from her face before finally saying the words she had been crying for. ‘He’s alive, Jess.’

It was the greatest sentence Jessica had ever heard. It surged through her, the pain in her throat and stomach dissolving into a grin she didn’t want to fight, no matter how much her head was hurting.

‘He’s alive?’

Rowlands’s hand left her face and, although the second one twitched, she continued to hold it as tightly as she could manage. ‘Yes, he’s alive but you have to think about getting yourself better first. He’s got doctors and nurses and all sorts of people around him.’

Jessica thought about what she was being told and then realised what the constable hadn’t said. ‘Is he awake?’

Dave’s voice faltered. ‘He’s . . . no. Not at the moment. But he’s breathing on his own and they say he’s going to be all right.’

Jessica didn’t know how to reply. She still felt cloudy. ‘What time is it?’

Rowlands tried to withdraw his hand from hers but she wouldn’t let him, even though it felt clammy. ‘Jess . . .’ he cooed. She released him and, even though her eyes had closed again, she could sense him looking at a watch. When he took her hand again, there was less sweat and she knew he must have wiped it. ‘It’s five o’clock,’ he said.

‘In the morning?’

‘No, in the evening. You’ve slept all day.’

‘Oh . . . I’m tired . . .’ Jessica found herself giggling but didn’t know why. The laughter dissolved into a mix of tears and coughs. She didn’t know if she was happy or distraught.

‘I want to get up,’ she said, managing to move her legs in the direction she wanted second time around. She heard the constable stuttering and saying something about getting someone but she continued to hold his hand, putting her other one on his shoulder and using his body to pull herself up. He let go of her hand but used both of his to steady her hips. It was only as he held her that she realised she was wearing a gown, which she presumed must mean she was in hospital. It seemed silly that she could have missed it but it hadn’t registered that was where she was.

The material felt thin against her body and the way Rowlands held her felt slightly unnatural at first, until he pulled her towards him into a hug. His hands were on her back as she clung to his neck, at first loosely and then with all the strength she could manage. She heard him whisper her name.

Her sense of time felt warped and she didn’t know how long it was before she finally released his neck. He let go of her body, allowing her to use his upper arm to support her weight. ‘I love him so much,’ Jessica said, trying not to cry.

‘I know you do. He’s going to be fine.’

‘I want to see him.’

‘Jess, you shouldn’t . . . just wait and I’ll get someone.’

‘No . . .’ Jessica held his hand again, desperate not to be on her own.

‘Okay, okay. But let’s tidy you up a bit.’

She felt him tugging her gown, straightening it around her shoulders and then tightening it at the back after she had reluctantly let him go.

‘Have you been here all day?’ she asked.

‘I got a sandwich earlier but . . . yes.’

‘That’s nice.’

She saw him shrug. ‘It’s you,’ he replied delicately.

Jessica didn’t know exactly what he meant but figured it was because her mind still wasn’t functioning fully. He started to laugh.

‘What?’

‘You gobbed on my shoe earlier. When you first woke up. I was panicking and thinking I should get a nurse. You started coughing and I wanted to help, then you just spat this black mucus stuff onto my foot.’

Jessica began laughing herself but it soon gave way to another cough. She waved her colleague away, not wanting to sputter anything else on to him. As he stepped backwards, she knew her mind was still playing tricks as someone she knew couldn’t be Rowlands whispered that he loved her.

26

‘If you didn’t want to marry me, all you had to do was say.’ Jessica squeezed Adam’s hand, willing him to smile at her. It certainly looked as if he was trying but he motioned for the oxygen mask and took a deep breath.

‘I love you,’ he whispered hoarsely.

‘So you should. And next time, leave the key for the window next to the bloody window.’

Adam’s eyes crinkled but he again didn’t smile as she was willing him to. ‘What happened?’ he asked.

Jessica wanted to continue making jokes, knowing that, if she stopped, the tears that had felt close since she woke would return. ‘There was a fire, that’s all we know. People are looking into it.’

‘Your people?’

‘Yes.’

‘So someone did this to us?’

Jessica closed her eyes to stop herself crying. ‘To me.’

She felt Adam’s hand twitch in hers, as if he were trying to console her, but there was no strength to his grip. ‘Who?’

Jessica didn’t want to say but she could hear the pleading in his voice. ‘I don’t know. Probably the same person who has been in the news for the other fires.’

Adam took another breath from the oxygen, before Jessica took the mask and did the same herself. It felt dry on her throat but nothing except water seemed to offer any relief – and that only lasted for as long as she was drinking.

‘What happened with the window?’ he asked.

Jessica didn’t want to think about it too much but, in trying to make her joke before, she had already told him half of it. The nurse had told her she couldn’t spend too long with Adam because he needed to rest.

‘We were trapped in the bedroom. The smoke alarm woke me up. The hall was full of it. I managed to open the window and a fire guy helped us both out. But you’d put the key in one of your drawers so I had to go looking for it.’

‘Sorry.’

Jessica smiled. ‘The only reason I know where to find it is because I know how your mind works. It’s probably a good job I didn’t go hunting under the mattress on your side of the bed, isn’t it?’

He still didn’t smile.

‘What about Grandma’s house?’

Jessica had forced Rowlands to give her the story. He said he had been called by Reynolds after someone had alerted the station that she was in trouble. Apparently, Cole, Reynolds, himself and everyone who was on duty and not otherwise occupied converged on her house.

‘I’m sorry, it’s almost all gone. Everything on the bottom floor was burned. The back bedroom collapsed. We might be able to salvage some things from our front bedroom but we won’t know about smoke damage until we get to see it.’

Adam said nothing for a few moments. Jessica passed him the oxygen but he waved her away. ‘What about the attic?’

‘I . . . I don’t know. Why?’

‘It’s where all the pictures of Nan are.’

Jessica smiled and stroked his face. ‘I love you too,’ she said, finally returning his declaration.

Adam reached out towards the glass of water. She helped him to hold it as he sipped slowly. She wondered how he knew that was the right way to drink, flashing back to the moment she had gulped and ended up coughing.

‘Am I allowed to leave?’ he asked.

‘Maybe in a day or two? Didn’t the doctor tell you?’

‘Yes but I want you to tell me.’

‘Why?’

‘Your voice is all husky and sexy.’

Jessica slapped him gently on the wrist. ‘Are you really coming on to me now?’

Adam took a deep breath from the mask before replying. ‘Always.’

Jessica couldn’t do anything but laugh. ‘The oxygen mask doesn’t do it for me, sorry.’

‘So can I leave?’

Jessica rolled her eyes but kept holding his hand. ‘Not yet. You weren’t breathing when they took you out of the room but they managed to get you going again fairly quickly. I don’t know what happened.’

‘Where were you?’

‘I don’t know. An ambulance I think. They say there’s no lasting damage but that’s probably because you had such a stupid pea brain before, there wasn’t anything left to harm.’

Adam finally broke into a smile.

‘See, I knew I could crack you.’

She felt his hand twitching again. ‘What happens now?’

‘Now? Now you get better.’

‘Where are we going to live?’

Jessica realised that, in all that had happened, it hadn’t crossed her mind.

‘Just get some sleep and leave the worrying to me.’

‘Jess, I . . .’

She leant in, kissing him on the forehead and whispering softly in his ear. ‘Sleep.’

Jessica made her way back to the small side room she had been offered. Rowlands was waiting with a carrier bag, which he held towards her. ‘Chloe says you can have these. She reckons you’re about the same size.’

Jessica didn’t want to seem ungrateful but she did have a peek inside before accepting it. She had met the constable’s girlfriend a few times and some of her clothes were more revealing than she herself might ever choose to wear. She was relieved to find a sensible-looking pair of jeans, a vest top and a jumper.

‘Thanks. I’m going to go back to the house tomorrow to see what’s left. I’ll need some work stuff too.’ She noticed Rowlands narrowing his eyes. ‘What?’

‘Jess, you can’t go back to work straight after this. Even if you did, there’s no way you can work on the case. Not now. You’re a victim, a witness. You can’t investigate it too.’

It was another thought that hadn’t registered. ‘Jack’s not going to stop me,’ she said aggressively.

Rowlands put a hand on her wrist and gently eased her into the seat next to him. ‘It’s not as if it’s his decision. That’s just it. I don’t think he’ll let you come back for a while but, even when he does, you’ll be on other things. It’s not about him stopping you. It’s just what’s allowed.’

Jessica knew he was right but it didn’t change the fact that, of anything she had ever worked on, this was the most important case she needed to solve herself.

‘They tried to kill me,’ she said.

‘I know.’

‘Burn me. Burn Adam.’

‘Jess, I know.’ She felt his hand grip her more tightly and realised she was shaking with a mixture of fear and fury. Rowlands raised himself up and reached into his pocket. ‘I found it on your lawn,’ he said, handing over her phone. ‘I don’t know if you dropped it but I knew it was yours because of the way it’s scuffed.’

Jessica took it from him and put it in the bag of clothes. She wanted to change out of the gown but didn’t want to finish the conversation. ‘I don’t remember . . . I . . . was anyone else hurt?’

‘No. Your neighbour’s house has a bit of damage but everyone got out.’

‘What have we got to go on?’

‘We?’

Jessica continued to glower at him, refusing to give ground.

‘Fine,’ he eventually said. ‘Currently, not much. Jack’s there with the investigating team but it looks the same as the others. The front door is almost entirely destroyed, as are the window frames – so probably petrol or diesel.’

‘But how did they know where I lived? Was I followed? Is it someone I know?’

Dave shook his head. ‘Jess . . .’

‘What?’

‘You’ve got to slow down and let us sort this out. You have to focus on getting better.’

‘I am better.’

Jessica could see he was torn about what to say but she couldn’t stop her mind from whirring. She knew Martin Chadwick was in hospital himself, so it definitely couldn’t be him. She didn’t think it would have anything to do with Anthony Thompson – which only left Ryan. She remembered slapping him and the way he looked at her as if to say he would get her. Had he really done this as revenge?

‘I’m going to get changed,’ Jessica said.

Rowlands nodded. ‘Okay.’

‘Er, do you want to leave?’

The constable stood up, having clearly missed the point before. ‘Oh right, sorry. I’ll wait outside.’

‘Can you help me with the back before you go?’ Jessica turned around, letting him loosen the ties at the rear of the gown. His hands felt reassuringly warm on her skin as he slid them down to the base of her back.

‘Is that okay?’

‘Yeah, ta.’

As he closed the door behind him, Jessica dropped the robe to the floor and pulled out the clothes Chloe had left. They were a tiny bit too tight but would do until she could get back to the house to see if anything was salvageable. Luckily, the battered pair of black trainers at the bottom of the bag fitted perfectly.

Before she was ready to leave, Jessica turned on her phone, ignoring the ‘Switch It Off’ signs. As it connected slowly to the network, Jessica began to think of the everyday things she had lost. She wondered how she would be able to charge her phone, where they would get mail delivered to, what would happen to all the burned items. Were they hers and Adam’s responsibility, or did the council help clean things up? She realised that, now she was the victim, she knew so little when it came to what happened after crimes had taken place.

The phone screen blurred into life and, one by one, the device buzzed to announce the arrival of messages and missed calls. Most of them came from people at the station although there were none from either Caroline or her parents, which was something of a relief as it meant she could contact them herself and say she was fine. There were text messages from both Sebastian and Garry.

Ignoring Sebastian’s, Jessica called Garry, who answered before she had even heard it ring.

‘Blimey, you’re keen,’ she said.

‘Jess?’

‘Who else?’

‘I heard about . . . well, we all did. Are you all right?’

Jessica tried to sound as upbeat as she could, knowing tears would not be far away if she attempted to be serious. ‘I’m fine. Adam’s fine. I was trying to reply to your message but the predictive text kept changing the word “knob” to “know”, so I thought I’d call instead.’

It was clear from the pause and Garry’s gentle tone that he wasn’t believing the bravado. ‘I’m glad you called. I wanted to phone you but Dave said you were in hospital. I thought I should tell you about our front page tomorrow . . .’ He tailed off guiltily.

‘What are you writing?’ Jessica asked.

‘Nothing bad, we’re just saying what’s happened with you and your house and everything.’

‘Are you using my name?’

‘Yes, we have to. That’s the story. I’m sorry, Jess.’

Jessica didn’t know how to feel. It was another in her long list of things she hadn’t considered. She knew the fire would get coverage and the fact she was one of the officers investigating the series of arsons made it even more of a story.

‘What’s the headline?’

‘I didn’t write it.’

Jessica paused for a moment, wondering why she wasn’t feeling angry. ‘Just tell me, it’s fine.’

She heard Garry take a deep breath before replying. ‘“Arson nut burns down hero cop’s house”.’

Jessica thought about the words for a few moments. ‘I guess it could have been worse. How do you know they’re a “nut”?’

She heard Garry snort slightly. ‘Christ knows. I didn’t write it.’

‘And what about “cop”? We’re not in bloody New York.’

‘I know but it’s nice and short for a headline.’

‘“Hero”?’

Garry sounded pensive. ‘I suggested that bit.’

‘Why?’

‘Because you are a hero, Jess. Everyone knows the cases you’ve been on in the past. Randall, Doherty, the Marks brothers . . .’

Jessica felt a lump in her throat, embarrassed that she could solve other cases but, when it came to someone who had tried to burn her in her sleep, she either didn’t have a clue – or couldn’t pin it on the person she suspected.

‘Cheers,’ she said quietly before lurching into a cough. Again, it started deep inside her and she couldn’t control how long it lasted. She dropped the phone on one of the chairs, using both hands to cover her mouth. When she finally stopped and pulled away, there were flecks of blood and black in her palms. She winced at the sight and, in the absence of any tissues, wiped them on the underside of the seat before picking the phone back up.

‘Garry?’

‘I’m still here. Are you okay? That sounded bad.’

‘Nah, just a little tickle.’

The man paused briefly. ‘Jess, are you sure you’re all right?’

Garry was using the same concerned tone as Rowlands and it was beginning to annoy her. She ignored his question. ‘What picture of me have you used?’

The journalist clearly hadn’t anticipated her question and stumbled over his words. ‘I don’t know, a normal one.’

‘I don’t look like a moron?’

For a moment, she thought he was going to say ‘no more than usual’. She almost implored him to, wanting him to treat her normally. Instead, his reply was measured. ‘You just look like you, Jess.’

Jessica swallowed but her throat was drying out again. ‘All right. Thanks for calling anyway. I appreciate it. Don’t make a habit of it though.’

‘Okay, I was just concerned . . .’

‘I don’t mean that – I mean tipping me off about stories. If you’re nice to me too often I’m going to have to stop thinking all journalists are ambulance-chasing shits.’ Garry laughed but Jessica knew her bluster hadn’t duped him in the same way it hadn’t fooled Rowlands.

After hanging up, she dialled Andrew Hunter’s number. He sounded sleepy as he answered. ‘Er, hello?’

‘Andrew, it’s Jess. Are you going to be in your office tomorrow afternoon?’

‘Um, I guess . . .’

Before he could say anything else, Jessica cut across him. ‘Good, because I’m coming over.’

‘Okay . . .’

‘You should probably read the papers in the morning too.’

With that she hung up and called Rowlands back into the room.

‘You took a while,’ he said.

‘It takes time to look this good.’ She saw a smile crack across Dave’s face and realised she must be a mess. Her hair felt dirty and the clothes didn’t quite fit. She knew she needed a shower.

‘You should go home,’ she said. ‘It’s late and I’m feeling all right. One of the nurses said they’ll sort out a room for me so I can get some sleep and I’ll call you all tomorrow.’

‘You only just got dressed.’

Jessica didn’t want to tell him that she had put clean clothes on to feel normal – or that the reason she wanted him to leave wasn’t because she was going to sleep but because she wanted to be by herself.

‘I just wanted to make sure it all fitted,’ she said.

Dave nodded. ‘Okay, but make sure you call tomorrow.’

He turned to leave but Jessica touched his arm and pulled him towards her, resting her head on his breastbone and wrapping her arms around him. ‘Thank you for staying with me.’

At first, he seemed reluctant to reciprocate but then he put his arms completely around her, holding her and resting his chin on the top of her head.

Jessica eventually pulled away. ‘I’ll see you or talk to you tomorrow,’ she said.

She could tell he was forcing a smile as he motioned to leave for a second time. ‘Don’t come anywhere near work or Jack will go mental.’

‘Okay.’

Jessica watched him leave and then found one of the nurses. They allowed her to look around the door of Adam’s room but he was asleep. For a moment she stood transfixed by his chest rising and falling before the nurse brushed her arm and brought her back to reality.

She led Jessica to a small ward just along the corridor from Adam’s, where they said she would be able to stay the night. The smell of disinfectant was strong and, after she had been left alone, Jessica found it hard not to gag. Her mind was a mixture of things she definitely knew had happened and flashes of those she wasn’t so sure about.

Jessica removed Chloe’s clothes and entered the shower cubicle adjacent to the room. She turned on the water, adjusting the temperature until it was so hot that even holding her hand underneath it made her wince. Jessica closed her eyes and held her breath, stepping under the cascading water. She jumped as the heat burned the back of her neck but stayed underneath the jet, opening her eyes and staring at the plughole. As the black water swirled and descended through the holes in the floor, Jessica couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. They had been close ever since her senses had returned but now, finally, she let go.

She crouched and then sat under the spray, watching the water slowly turn from black to grey and eventually run clear as the enormity of what had happened dawned on her.

Someone had tried to kill her.