‘What do you reckon?’ Caroline asked.

‘Not too bad. I’ll try it on first.’ Jessica put the dress on another nearby rail and sat down to start getting undressed. ‘Who are the two other bridesmaids?’

‘Tom’s nieces. When we told his family we were getting married it was a bit of a blur and I ended up promising the youngest one she could be a bridesmaid. The oldest one’s a typical teenage pain. I don’t think she wants to do it but, because the other one is, she doesn’t want to miss out on anything.’

Jessica couldn’t disguise her thoughts any longer. ‘Kids?’

‘Sorry, I thought I’d told you.’

‘You know what I’m like with children. I’ll end up saying “fu—” . . . using the f-word in front of them or something. Do you remember when we went out to eat that time?’ Jessica glanced sideways towards the changing room and lowered her voice. ‘We were talking about . . . downstairs bits . . . and that kid’s mother asked me to mind my language? I just know something like that’s going to happen and I’ll totally ruin your day.’

‘You’ll be fine.’

‘“Fine”? Do you remember when we went to see your workmate’s new baby? I accidentally told the woman her son looked like an alien.’

Caroline laughed. ‘That was pretty bad. It’s the kind of thing you think but don’t say. You probably shouldn’t have used the word “bug-eyed” either.’

‘Exactly! This is a recipe for disaster. I thought it was a compliment but it came out wrong. The bloody kid just kept staring at me with those freaky big eyes while he dribbled. It was like that boy from “The Omen”.’

‘At least you didn’t say that.’

‘What do you even talk to kids about? I thought it was all PlayStations and violent movies nowadays. Do they still have dolls or is it just stabby things nowadays?’

Caroline threw her arms up, grinning. ‘“Stabby things”? Yes, kids still play with dolls. You could ask what they’re interested in and take it from there.’

Jessica stood and took the dress from the rack, stepping into it then pulling it up before turning around for her friend to zip it. ‘Yeah, but what if they’re into, I don’t know, horses or something? I don’t know anything about animals. I’ll probably end up going on about glue factories.’

Caroline burst out laughing as the zip reached the top. ‘Just be yourself.’

‘That’s what I’m trying to tell you, I’m an idiot especially with children.’

‘So you can interrogate any manner of criminal but two kids scare the hell out of you?’

‘Yes, now you’re catching on. What do you do if they start acting up?’

‘I don’t know. I’ll point out their parents and you can tell them. What did your parents do when you were young?’

‘They’d threaten to send me to bed. It didn’t matter what time of day it was, Mum would tell me to stop mucking about or I’d go to bed. I’d bring that back actually. If you’re performing badly at work your boss punishes you by sending you to bed for a few hours, that’d be brilliant.’

‘Yeah, I’d rather you didn’t send my bridesmaids to bed halfway through the ceremony please.’ Jessica turned to face her friend. ‘You look great,’ Caroline added.

Jessica walked to a mirror and looked herself up and down. ‘Yeah, I am pretty hot. Now we just have to sort the scrag bag bride out.’

‘Oi, get out of it. Tom’s mum cried when she saw me in this.’ Caroline’s own parents had both died years ago, which had helped draw her and Jessica closer together. It hadn’t crossed Jessica’s mind before but she suddenly realised that created a problem.

She didn’t want to sound too insensitive or obvious so made sure she had eye contact with her friend as she spoke. ‘Who’s giving you away, Caz?’

Caroline smiled but it seemed a little forced. Being without both parents and especially her father on such a big day must be hard. ‘I’ve been meaning to ask you.’

Jessica nodded and smiled. ‘What if I want to keep you for myself?’

‘Tough luck.’

One of the other shop workers had come back into the room. ‘Ooh, that’s nice,’ she said, looking at Jessica, who wondered if the woman had ever slated a bridal party in her life. She figured that, even if the bride looked like a baby hippopotamus in her dress, the shop worker would still say she looked ‘nice’. The woman started measuring around Jessica’s body and making small statements such as, ‘need taking out a bit there’, and, ‘not quite right in this bit’ which Jessica largely ignored.

‘All right, fine,’ Jessica said. ‘I’ll give you away. I don’t get trusted with rings or anything like that, do I? If you can give me as little responsibility as possible, that would be much appreciated.’

‘His brother is best man and he’ll have the rings. Don’t you know anything?’

‘Well, yeah, but it’s not often your mate gives you away, there might be some sort of special rules or something. Do I have to make a speech?’

‘No but you do have to bring someone.’

‘A man?’

‘Yes. I’ve already got you giving me away; if you bring a female, we’re going to end up looking like a trio of predatory lesbians.’ The shop worker measuring Jessica up giggled but tried to stifle it.

‘All right, I’ll find someone but I can’t promise it won’t be some bloke off the street.’

‘As long as they’ve had a shave I don’t care. Anyway, isn’t there something else happening before the wedding anyway?’

‘No.’

‘Ooh, is that a little porky? I think it’s someone’s birthday.’

‘Not me. I stopped having birthdays when I turned twenty-five.’

The shop worker stood, indicating to Jessica she could take the dress off again. ‘We’ll get you back in a few days before the ceremony to make sure it all still fits,’ she said.

Jessica started undressing again as the worker walked over to Caroline. ‘It’s time to take this one off again too, I’m afraid.’ With the aid of the helper, the bride started to remove the dress.

‘What are you doing for your birthday then?’ Caroline asked.

‘Oh, I dunno, hopefully catching this psycho who’s leaving hands everywhere. If not that then maybe I’ll go to the pub.’

‘Rolling the boat out then?’

‘Well, thirty-three’s not a big one, is it?’

‘What are you going to do when you hit forty?’

Jessica winced as she finished taking the dress off and put it on the hanger. ‘Don’t even think about that. I’m going to go out in a blaze of sex and drugs long before then.’ The shop assistant looked over, a little confused. ‘Sorry, I’m not really. I’m a police officer, I was joking.’ Jessica caught her friend’s eye as if to indicate comments like that were exactly why she shouldn’t be trusted with children.

She sat back down and started to drink a second glass of wine that had been brought through and was in the process of putting her work suit back on when her phone rang. She picked it up off the floor, listening.

After hanging up, she hurried to get dressed. ‘Sorry, Caz, I’ve got to go, work stuff.’ She walked across to her friend and kissed her on the forehead then turned to the worker. ‘Is the front door unlocked for me to get out?’

She left the shop, walking as quickly as she could to the location the person on the phone had given her. After an enjoyable time with her friend, her police brain had kicked back in. The crowds of people finishing work had thinned and the streets were relatively empty. She quickened her pace until she was almost running as she dashed past two giant department stores and the Old Wellington pub, seeing a cordoned-off area next to the cathedral with three uniformed officers standing with their backs to it.

She rushed up to the closest one who she didn’t recognise and showed her identification. ‘What’s going on?’

‘You got here quick,’ the officer said, looking surprised.

‘I was in the area. What’s happening?’

‘A member of the public phoned 999. We came down to check things then called it in. I guess that’s why you’re here. Scene of Crime are on their way but they might be a while because there’s been a pile-up on the M60.’