‘Are you okay?’ Izzy asked.
Jessica picked up her pint of lemonade, holding it in front of her face as a shield.
‘I’m not married,’ she said quietly. ‘I should have told you before.’
Izzy and Dave glanced at each other, confused.
‘But you did go to Vegas?’ Izzy said.
Jessica nodded, remembering. ‘We went there wanting to get married and we sort of did. We were checking out of the hotel at the end when a police officer stopped us and said they had arrested the chapel owner because his licence had run out. Everything happened: the ceremony, the holiday, our wedding night . . . but it was taken away because he wasn’t legally allowed to marry us. The officer said they’d arrested the guy – apparently it’s a scam that has been building out there, they take your money and by the time you know anything’s wrong, your holiday is over. He said they’d help us find somewhere to get it done legally but we had to go. We’d already exchanged rings and got used to it. We’re married in every way other than the one that matters – legally.’
For a moment, neither of the constables spoke. Eventually Dave broke the silence. ‘What are you going to do?’
Jessica knew they would have an understanding from now on. Things might not be exactly as they were before but they were both adults – and she still wanted to be his friend. She could feel Izzy watching her, asking silently what she was going to do about the other thing.
‘We’ll probably talk about it tonight,’ Jessica added, answering both of their questions. ‘But first we’ve got something else to sort out.’
Jessica put the stick from the pregnancy test on the coffee table and sat next to Adam on the sofa. He snaked a protective arm around her.
‘Did you wee on that?’ he asked.
‘What else would I have done with it?’
‘I was just wondering who’s going to clean the pee-stain off the table.’
Jessica nestled her head on his shoulder, forcing him to hold her tightly. She could feel his heart beating quickly through his clothes.
‘So you finally told them what really happened in America,’ Adam said.
‘It took me long enough. I suppose I liked the idea that everyone thought I was married.’
‘What do you want to do about it? Shall we try again?’
Jessica wrapped her arms around him tightly, squeezing until he grunted. She didn’t answer, not knowing what she wanted. Jessica counted every beat of his heart, wondering how many times it was going to pulse before the three minutes were up. Eventually, he tapped her gently on the shoulder, saying it was time.
Jessica released him but could feel her own heart pounding as she reached forward and picked up the stick, deliberately holding the indicator bar downwards.
‘Well?’ Adam asked.
‘Well what?’
‘What does it say?’
‘What do you want it to say?’
Adam grinned. ‘I’m not sure the world’s ready for another mini-you.’
Jessica smiled back. ‘But . . . ?’
‘. . . But, it would be pretty fun inflicting another you on everyone.’
Jessica took a deep breath and could feel her hand trembling. She knew her life could change based on what was on the other side of the stick. A lifetime of being scared of children had suddenly been replaced by a surprising feeling of being comfortable with one of her own.
She pressed her thumb across the result and turned it over. ‘Are you ready?’
Adam grinned. ‘For you? Always.’
Afterword
If you’ve not finished the book then you should probably go back to wherever you were, because there are spoilers ahead.
I always say that, because I’m one of those people who flick to the end first. I don’t know what’s wrong with me: it’s like a disease.
Anyway, here’s a conversation:
Me (talking to my wife): ‘You know this book I’m writing? I kind of feel that to make it as authentic as possible I’m going to have to do a little more close-up research than usual.’
My wife: ‘Okay . . .’
Me: ‘Large parts are set in a strip club, so I think I’m going to have to spend six or seven months undercover. I’ll probably need to visit two or three times a week just to make sure I get the feel of it right.’
My wife: ‘Er . . .’
Hands up – how many people have ever had the above conversation?
No, me neither, but I’m sure it would have been interesting.
The idea for Thicker than Water came from various smaller ideas. A few years ago, I had a very minor operation on my leg to remove a piece of grit or something that had become caught under the skin and created a lump. It was simple enough – in–out, go home and watch the telly. Except that it didn’t stop bleeding for three days.
With that, I started looking for reasons why it wouldn’t stop and stumbled across von Willebrand disease. On the third day, my cut healed itself and I’ve never had anything like that since but something about the condition stuck with me.
Another aspect of the story is something I should now confess to. When I was at school, a kid I knew showed me how to get through a closed fire escape in much the same way as I describe in this book. Our classroom used to be locked at lunchtimes but we would sneak in, move a few things around, sketch symbols on the board, and then leave. The key is to be subtle: small changes, nothing big. Because the room was locked, no one ever figured out how it happened, with theories of ghosts and poltergeists abounding. Twenty-odd years later and it’s time to hold my hand up. It was me and the other person who will remain nameless. Sorry. It was funny at the time though.
There are, as ever, a bunch of people to thank for getting the book to you. My agent, Nicola, of course. I’ve seen her little office with its wonderful view of a brick wall and a roof. There’s a car park if you squint. It’s what dreams are made of but she whiles away there, haranguing people to make sure I can continue to write these things and that they get into your hands in as good a state as possible.
Then there is the Macmillan crew: Trisha, Natasha, Andy, Jodie, Sandra, Susan, Tom and a few others I’ve hopefully not forgotten. Imagine having me email you every day to ask what’s going on with this or that, or to nitpick about stuff. That’s what they have to put up with.
Lastly, as I’ve said before, thanks to my wife. No Louise = no Jessica. Book 7 is set on a Caribbean island1 so I’m off for my six months’ research. See you soon.
Kerry Wilkinson
Endnote
1. It’s not really.
Despite two national newspaper reports to the contrary, Kerry Wilkinson is male. Honestly.
His debut, Locked In, the first title in the Detective Jessica Daniel series, was written as a challenge to himself but became a UK Number One Kindle bestseller within three months of release.
His three initial Jessica Daniel books made him Amazon UK’s top-selling author for the final quarter of 2011. When Think of the Children followed in 2013, he became the first formerly self-published British author to have an ebook Number One and reach the top 20 of the UK paperback chart.
Kerry has a degree in journalism, plays cricket badly and complains about the weather a lot. He was born in Somerset but now lives in Lancashire, thus explaining the climate gripes.