Chapter 67
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Jennifer was taken by ambulance to Whitby Community Hospital.
Chris and Freya went with her and sat outside the operating theatre where she was to give birth to the twins by emergency caesarean section.
Once delivered, they were sent straight to neonatal intensive care and Jennifer was sent to recovery.
In the waiting room, Freya sat in silence, a look of pure shock on her face. Chris entered with two plastic cups of orange tea from the machine in the corridor. He handed one to her. She looked at it and placed it on the table. She doubted she’d drink it.
‘I can’t believe how everything has turned so quickly,’ she said. ‘This morning, we were having our breakfast and you said you’d go to Leeds, and I’d meet you there. It was going to be a good day. Who’d have thought it would end like this?’
‘I had a feeling something like this was going to happen,’ Chris said. He took a sip of the tea and recoiled at how hot it was. ‘Bloody hell, that nearly burned my lips off.’
‘How could you possibly have known something like this was going to happen?’
‘I don’t mean exactly this. I never suspected Malcolm once.
I did think that we would know who the killer was.
To be honest, I often thought it was someone on the original team; one of Bishop’s cronies.
I never fitted in. I was never one of them.
It was far too cliquey. As soon as I found out about Bishop paying those prostitutes to lie, I thought he knew all along who the killer was and was covering up for them. ’
‘That would have made sense.’
‘But Malcolm…’
‘I know.’
‘And you say he’d been visiting prostitutes for a while?’
She nodded. ‘In his interview with us at the station he said he liked the risk, the excitement of potentially getting caught and even being watched. Jennifer wasn’t into anything like that, so he went elsewhere.’
‘It’s the fact that, all along, he’s been in the background, knowing everything that’s happened to Anthony in prison and he’s done nothing about it that I can’t understand,’ Chris said, fuming.
‘He’s a … what’s the word for people who only think of themselves and don’t care about the feelings of others around them?’
‘Narcissist.’
‘That’s it. He’s a narcissist. His political ambitions took him to a powerful position.
There’s no denying he did good as the Home Secretary.
He presented himself as a man of the people, a working-class kid made good.
He and his wife were the ultimate power couple.
Yet, there was a darkness inside him, and he thought he’d managed to cover it up. ’
‘He’d probably have gotten away with it too, if it hadn’t been for getting caught driving through the level crossing. What will happen to him?’
‘Life in prison. I think the judge may even make an example of him. You know, nobody is above the law, that kind of thing. I think he’ll get a hefty minimum sentence.’
‘What will that do to poor Jennifer?’
Freya took a deep breath and sighed. ‘I’ve no idea. She was finally at a place in her life where she wanted to take a step back from work and have a family, and look how it turned out.’
‘She’s going to need a lot of help.’
‘We can help.’ She looked at him, hopefully.
‘Of course,’ he smiled. ‘It might be nice to look after a couple of babies.’
Freya snuggled up next to Chris, linking her arm with his. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a baby.’
‘Don’t be silly.’ He put his arm around her. ‘You make it sound like I wanted one for Christmas.’
They sat in silence for a moment and watched hospital life pass them by.
‘I’ve been offered a promotion,’ Freya said.
‘Really? DCI? That’s amazing.’
‘Do you think I should take it?’
‘Do you want to?’
‘I think so. It’ll mean more time behind a desk, but I’ll be able to delegate more, leave work earlier and give the late nights to the DIs. It would give us more time together.’
‘I’d like that. Bigger salary too?’
‘Of course.’
‘A more luxurious holiday next summer.’
‘Now, I definitely like the sound of that,’ Freya said.
‘Are you here for Mrs Ripley?’ a doctor in red scrubs said, approaching them. She looked tired. Her black hair was a mess and the bun she’d tied it up in was on the verge of falling apart.
‘Yes,’ Freya said, sitting up.
‘The babies are fine. They’re a little small and they’re going to be in intensive care for a few days to monitor their breathing. However, there are no complications,’ she said with a smile.
‘Oh, that’s a relief,’ Freya said. ‘And Jennifer?’
‘She’s unconscious at present, but the operation went without a hitch. Would it be possible for you to bring some of her personal things in for when she wakes up at some point tomorrow?’
‘Of course.’
‘Good. I suggest you come back around mid-morning. She should be awake by then.’
‘Thank you so much, doctor,’ Freya beamed.
‘You’re welcome.’
She walked away, leaving Freya and Chris on the hard plastic chairs.
‘Shall we make a move?’ Chris asked.
She nodded.
They turned and headed down the corridor arm in arm.