Both constables laughed. ‘What, babies?’ Izzy said. ‘What did you expect?’

‘I know they’re small, but not this small. Look at the fingers. They’re like real fingers just . . . littler.’

‘They’re still real fingers,’ Izzy pointed out. ‘They’re not glued on.’

Jessica realised she couldn’t think of a sensible way of putting it. She had seen babies before but rarely like this. ‘So what do they do when they’re this young?’ she asked, thinking it was a reasonable question. She looked up to see Izzy staring at her, eyebrows arched, as if she were the child. ‘What?’ Jessica asked.

‘She’s a baby. She eats, she sleeps, she poos. She absorbs everything that’s going on around her. Then one day, she’ll be in her thirties and be able to ask stupid questions about other babies.’

‘All right, forget it,’ Jessica said as Rowlands continued to laugh. She wanted to ask how long it would be before Amber would be walking but decided against it.

‘You’re thinking about the size of her eyes, aren’t you?’ Izzy said with a grin.

Jessica looked at the baby and then her friend. ‘I’ve told you about that?’

‘Lots of times. Apparently you reckoned one of your friends’ babies looked like an alien. And said it out loud.’

‘Er, yeah. That was a while ago.’ Jessica didn’t remember telling that story.

‘So what do you think?’ Izzy added.

‘Very nice. Very baby-like. Pretty much what I’d expected,’ Jessica said.

Izzy laughed. ‘I’m glad you said that. Everyone keeps saying she’s gorgeous and looks just like me and all that. She is gorgeous of course but I know people have to say that.’

‘So how are you, Iz?’ Rowlands asked.

‘I’m all right. I thought I’d have Amber and want to be back at work straight away but I’m getting used to it now. It’s a full-time job with more poo and less money. If you’re not directly looking after her, then you’re dealing with her clothes, or her food, or people are coming around to see her and so on.’

Amber gurgled slightly and Jessica peeked down at her, hoping she wasn’t going to be sick. Instead, the child continued to sleep peacefully. ‘How’s Mal?’ Jessica asked, referring to Izzy’s husband.

Izzy smiled widely. Her long hair was usually dyed a bright red. It clearly hadn’t been done in a while as the sharp crimson colour was now more of a faded auburn. ‘Ha! I think you’re the first person to ask about him in ages – and he’s not even here to appreciate it. He was half-moaning, half-joking about it last night. Even when his own mum came around, all she wanted to do was fuss over Amber. I think he’s feeling a bit left out because everyone asks about me and the baby. He’s stuck making tea.’

Jessica looked at Rowlands and raised her eyebrows, being careful to support Amber’s head. ‘Are you taking notes? You’re the tea-maker.’

‘I don’t know why you’re telling me,’ he replied. ‘You’re going to be up the duff long before Chloe.’

‘Get out.’

‘You’re engaged and everything. What do you think is going to happen after that? One minute it’s church bells, the next it’s cribs and pushchairs. That’s the way it goes.’

Jessica looked at Izzy, who shrugged. ‘I didn’t think I’d want kids. It was all Mal, my parents, his mum and so on who kept going on about it. But it’s nice . . .’

Jessica thought about how things were going with Adam and her own unspoken concerns about marriage. Was her real worry not about getting married, but more about everything that would come after?

She looked up to see Izzy staring at her with a small smile on her face, almost as if the constable had read her mind. ‘It’s all right, Jess,’ she said. ‘I’m sure you’ll do your own thing. You always do.’

The new mother crouched next to Jessica and took Amber back before returning to her recliner. ‘So how are things at the station without me? I’ve noticed that society hasn’t collapsed yet, which is slightly disappointing.’

Jessica was somewhat relieved to not be holding the baby any longer. She loosened her shoulders. ‘Dave spent two days moaning last week because I gave him a list of names to compile and cross-check, so he’s definitely missing you.’

Rowlands was scowling. ‘I knew you two would gang up on me if I came along. I wasn’t moaning – it’s just that you do it so much . . . better, Iz.’

Izzy gently rocked her child, nodding in acknowledgement. ‘At least me being here means you actually have to do something, you lazy sod.’

‘Is bullying really something you want to be teaching Amber?’ he replied.

‘If she grows up to pick on you, then yes,’ Izzy said with a grin. After a moment, she turned to face Jessica. ‘I’ve seen bits and pieces on the news and so on. Is there really a suicide ring out there?’

Jessica rolled her eyes. ‘Of course there’s not. We’re looking into it all but there’s nothing to suggest it.’

‘What about the fires? Are you on that too?’

‘Sort of. Jason has been dealing with it really. I just float around annoying him. I don’t know how much you’ve been following it but everything has come so quick. I was escorting Martin Chadwick out of prison one minute and now we have had two fires and a close call.’

Izzy looked down at Amber. ‘Where was the attempted one?’

‘Anthony Thompson’s – the guy whose son died. Everything seems to be connected to everything else but I can’t figure out exactly how.’

‘Do you think Martin’s involved then?’

Jessica sighed. ‘I wish I knew. Jason says there’s something in Chadwick’s past where his old school burned down but we don’t have anything to suggest it might be him. It was years ago but it all builds a picture. I guess we’re just watching and waiting for something else to happen.’

‘You know how to pick ’em, don’t you?’ Izzy said.

Jessica laughed. ‘I’m thinking of retiring early to a sleepy little village in the back end of nowhere. My mum and dad took me for tea to this little place called Martindale in the Lake District the other week. Not much seemed to be going on there.’

Rowlands snorted. ‘You’d be bored within a week.’

‘I know . . .’

‘What I don’t get is what someone gains,’ Izzy said. ‘I only know what you’ve told me and what I’ve seen on TV and so on. With most things we get involved with, there’s always a clear motive, even if we haven’t quite figured it all out. Usually it’s revenge or something like that. But who gains from this? Houses burning down, all the suspicion being pointed from Martin to Anthony and back again. No one’s winning here.’

Jessica didn’t know how to reply because her friend was right. If it was Martin or Ryan who was involved – or even Anthony – they were each ultimately going to lose. Sienna and Molly’s parents had already lost.

‘We should probably go,’ Jessica said, standing up. Izzy started to get up but Jessica motioned for her to remain sitting. ‘You stay there. We’ll let ourselves out and come back soon.’

Jessica kissed the constable on the forehead and Rowlands gave her a peck on the cheek. ‘See ya, Iz,’ he said.

As they walked out of the house, Jessica felt her phone begin to vibrate in her pocket. She didn’t need to answer it to know it was going to be bad news.

21

When she first met him, Jessica thought Martin’s wrinkles and thinning hair made him look older than his fifty years. For some reason, the large dark bruises around his eye and bandaged wound on his forehead seemed to de-age him. As he sat up in his hospital bed and tried to smile, Jessica could see the muscles twitching in his face as he forced himself not to wince.

‘We can leave you and come back if you’d prefer?’ Jessica offered.

Martin shook his head slightly. ‘I’d rather do it now so I can get some sleep.’