“They said these things happen frequently. The doctor says we should get some tests done though. Getting pregnant in the first place was hard enough, so they want to see if anything is wrong.”
“Fine by me, darling. But you’ve been through enough the last twenty-four hours. Let’s go away for a few days. My only condition is that we fly.”
“I’d love that. So you said the case is closed?”
“I left Dewar to finish the reports and tidy everything up.” He caught her hand in his and gently stroked her warm, soft flesh. “I know I’ve been distant and not supportive enough. I do know it. It’s in my nature to focus too much on the job. I’ll work on it, I promise you.”
Her voice was tinged with weariness. “I know, darling, I know. It’s one of those things. I guess what upset me the most was being given a teaser, a tiny glimpse of what life could be like as a family, and it was taken away from us. It really bloody hurt.” She snuggled into him, laid her head on his chest. “But I’m okay. I love you and will be happy for the rest of my life as long as we have each other. Life has been a bit shitty the last few years, but we’ve weathered it. I know we can survive anything. I can survive not having children, but I can’t do without you, Jack. You are everything to me.”
He held her gaze, didn’t say a word, as he slowly reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out the leaflets he’d picked up on the way home and handed them to her. “I got these for us to read through. I completely agree with you. I only need you, but being pregnant set us on a different path, and it got me thinking differently.”
She looked down at the cheerfully coloured information sheets, the title in bold letters: IVF—FAQ. He held her hand tight in his. “I’m up for looking into it if you are.”
There was a cautious look in her eyes. “Are you sure? You always said you didn’t want to go down that route.”
“I know, but I want to give this our best shot. I want to know that if we don’t have a baby, it’s not because we didn’t try everything we could.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m not there yet, but I will be. Oh, Jack, I do love you.”
“And I love you. While you sort that out, I’ll look into mortgages. See what kind of house we can afford and get our life fully back on track. I’ll go and give Gareth a call. He was trying to call me earlier and left a message for me to get back to him. Fingers crossed it’s good news about the hearing.”
“Let’s hope. I meant to say that Facebook has been lighting up about the girl from the fish stall. Somehow it’s leaked that she is a refugee. Everyone has an opinion, but there is a lot of support for her. They’re saying she should be allowed to stay as an exception.”
“She’s a sweet kid, but that’s a political powder keg. We should leave it to the powers that be to decide what to do.”
The landline rang, and Sasha disentangled herself from him and grabbed the handset. “Hello?”
He looked at her as she listened to the caller. Her eyes were shadowed with a delicate purple, and he wanted to erase the sadness in her gaze. Her voice was polite. “Of course, may I ask who is calling?”
She handed the handset over. “He says he’s an old friend from the Met.”
“This is Jack Le Claire. Who’s this?”
“An old friend, Jackie-boy. How are you doing? That wife of yours sounds like a pretty little thing. Pity, she’s a bit old for me.”
His heart was hammering as he clutched the phone tighter. “Who is this?”
The laugh was a snicker. “Oh, Jack, you know who I am. I’m the one who got away, but I’ll see you soon.”
As the call disconnected, he sat in frozen silence with the words fouling his mind. Chapman. The caller had been Colin Chapman.
THE END
About the Author
Kelly Clayton lives in the Channel Island of Jersey with her husband and several cats. An avid storyteller, Kelly has been writing for over twenty years but was driven to finish her first novel, Blood In The Sand, for a dear friend. Once finished Kelly realised she couldn’t stop writing. Kelly’s second novel, Blood Ties, was published in 2016, with Blood On The Rock following in 2017.
If you have enjoyed reading Blood On The Rock, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. It helps other readers discover authors, who may be new to them. Kelly would be immensely grateful for your taking the time to do so.
Please also visit www.kellyclaytonbooks.com for updates on Kelly’s books and for posts on starting, writing and finishing your novel.
Kelly is one of The Blonde Plotters, together with fellow authors Gwyn GB and Georgina Troy. You can find them at www.theblondeplotters.com
Acknowledgements
No writer is an island, and I am certainly no exception.
Many people have helped me with this novel and been so incredibly supportive.
Jennifer Quinlan (Jenny Q of Historical Editorial) is, as always, my first set of “eyes” and her keen sense of story development keeps me firmly on track and opens up new possibilities. Jenny is also a fabulous copy-editor and always goes the extra mile in everything she does.
Many thanks to Angela Francey, whose generous bid at The Red Cross charity ball resulted in a character in this book being named after her.
To Claire, Ann, Elaine, Pam and Suzie C, Suzie L, Kris, Simon, Kath and Liz – my fabulous beta readers. Thank you for taking the time to read, to comment and to help me shape and improve Blood On The Rock.
Many thanks also go to Sally Edwards for helping me out on various legal points.
I am hugely grateful to Kit Foster Design for yet again designing a fabulous cover and to Polgarus Studios for beautiful, stress-free formatting and layouts.
Many thanks to the wonderful readers of my first two books, Blood In The Sand and Blood Ties. Thank you for your support.
Much love to Drena and Clem, who offer unconditional love and support.
As always, my deepest gratitude belongs to my husband, Grant, who is my biggest champion.
Blood On The Rock: Treachery, desire, jealousy and murder (A Jack Le Claire Mystery) Page 28