The Deception by Gillian Jackson

Author:Gillian Jackson [Jackson, Gillian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
Published: 2022-03-27T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Five

Rosie was unsure when they would next hear from either the Merseyside or Bedale police. It wasn’t as if they were going to keep her in the loop, so they were entirely in the dark about how either investigation was going. When Mike left for work the following morning, she decided to take Noah for a long walk; they would call into the village mini-market for a few items she needed and perhaps even stop for a latte in the bakery coffee shop. It was too easy and possibly cowardly to avoid the village. Rosie dreaded meeting people whom she would usually seek out, but why shouldn’t she get out and about – she’d done nothing wrong, nothing to be ashamed of.

On leaving the cottage Rosie’s eyes drifted to the woodland at the bottom of the hill. The crime scene tape was gone and the familiar much-loved view was restored. If only her peaceful life could be returned as readily, she thought steering the buggy in the direction of the village. Lifting her face to the sun, Rosie allowed its warmth to permeate her body and breathed in the pleasant scented air. Although still warm there was a subtle change in the atmosphere. It was the beginning of September and the meadow was dry, parched from the glorious summer weather and thirsty for rain. Was it the approaching autumnal feel she sensed or simply the change in her mood? A dose of fresh air and exercise would do them both good and as she pushed her son down the path towards Thursdale, Noah played his favourite game of waving his legs in the air, trying to catch his toes and making his mother smile.

Passing the village school, Rosie paused to watch the children play in the yard, their happy laughter a delight to hear. Two girls turned a skipping rope while another jumped over it and Rosie was transported back to her childhood when she and Ali spent hours skipping together, one end of the rope tied to a tree while they took turns turning the rope and skipping. Today’s chants and rhymes were almost the same … there’s somebody under the bed, there’s somebody under the bed … she could picture herself and Ali at six, gap-toothed and smiling, their long fair plaits bouncing down their backs as they skipped.

Would Noah still attend this school, Rosie wondered, or had recent events changed their future? She certainly hoped he would become a pupil here, together with a little brother or sister perhaps? A small family school was precisely the place she wanted for Noah. It was one of the reasons they’d chosen Thursdale to settle in.

Rosie dragged the buggy backwards into the mini-market, picked up a basket and carefully manoeuvred her way around the narrow aisles, collecting nappies, milk and eggs. At the counter Helen Parker smiled as she rang the purchases through the till.

‘How are you, Rosie?’ The older woman’s smile was warm and genuine.

‘Fine thanks, and you?’

‘Can’t complain.

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