‘Yeah, you weirdo. Why do you want to live in the same place as those skanks?’
‘Never mind that for a minute. I moved into Harville Hall and found that I had a lodger. A lodger I didn’t know about.’
‘What? Sounds like something out of a horror movie. How can you have a lodger you don’t know about?’
‘He was hiding in the attic. Turns out he was wanted for various crimes. He’s been found and arrested and I’m accused of harbouring him.’
‘Yeah, but it’s not your fault if … I mean, did you know he was there?’
‘I don’t want to get into the ins and outs of it. The point is, there’s going to be lots of shit about it in the papers tomorrow and I thought I ought to warn you. That’s all.’
‘That’s all? You’ve been arrested and … You’re my wife, Jen.’
‘Until the divorce papers come through.’
‘But, babe, are you OK?’
She swallowed, touched by his unexpected concern.
‘I’m good, Deano. Honestly.’
‘’Cause I can come and be with you, if you want. Support you. You know, like a husband’s meant to do.’
‘Oh, Deano, really, that’s so kind but, no, it’s OK. You can’t just drop everything for a silly blip. That’s all it’ll be. It’ll work out. Penny’s on the case and you know how shit-hot she is.’
I’ll instruct her for Jason. She can take on his case. She’ll win it for him.
The little bubble of much-needed optimism this plan engendered cheered her up just enough to keep Deano sweet.
‘Yeah, she’s good,’ he agreed. ‘Are you sure, though? I can drop everything if I want – that’s the thing about being Deano Diamond. People will fall in line for me.’
‘I know, but they don’t need to. Get on with your life, Deano. I’ll be fine.’
‘You’re still as fucking stubborn as you were when I met you.’
He sounded so fond and exasperated that she was reminded of those early days, that all-absorbing love and that tireless belief in his talent she’d had.
And now she had both of those for Jason. How would he react if he knew that?
‘That’s me, D. Stubborn to the end. Listen, I’ll keep you in the loop, OK? If anything happens, I’ll call you.’
‘You do that. And remember – my offer still stands. Yeah, all right, I’m coming.’ This last was to somebody in the background. Somebody female-sounding. ‘Bye, then, Jen. Keep the faith, babe.’
‘I will. Bye, Deano.’
She held the phone to her cheek, wondering how he would react when the full story came out. When he knew that the arrested man was her lover.
She lay back down with the tracksuit, then Bowyer came to join her and rested by her head, purring and nuzzling as if he understood how desperate her affairs were now.
She lay like that, in the dark, until her stomach rumbled and, even then, she couldn’t bring herself to get up. Jason was gone. Jason was in a police cell, in a paper suit, with the laces taken out of his shoes. Jason was in Nottingham nick, in a cell with God knows who, lying on his bunk, alone in the world.
‘You’re not alone,’ she whispered into the tracksuit. ‘I’ll do anything for you.’
Then she sat up, catching her breath, at the sound of feet on the stairs.
‘Who’s that?’ she whispered to Bowyer.
She crawled across the attic boards and bent close to the trap door, looking down on to the landing. Jason had left a craft knife in his tracksuit pocket and she gripped it tightly, just in case.