Page 128 of The Half Sister

‘Itwasan accident,’ says Rose. ‘A terrible accident.’

‘And you’re prepared to take your husband at his word, are you?’ asks Jess. ‘The man who cheated on you, fathered a child, was going to live with someone else...you’re willing to believe his version of events?’

Rose nods. ‘Yes.’

‘Well I guess it’ll be down to the forensics now,’ says Jess, visibly relaxing, but not quite enough for Kate to feel confident to make a grab for Jude. ‘They’ll prove what really happened.’

‘Iknowwhat really happened,’ says Rose.

‘They won’t go on the hearsay of a scorned wife,’ says Jess, acerbically. ‘No matter how much she wants to believe it.’

‘Iknowwhat really happened...’ Rose says again, ‘...because I was there.’

50

One year later

‘How’s it going?’ Kate asks, as she sits down next to Lauren on the bench in Court One.

‘I didn’t think you’d come,’ says Lauren, leaning in for a kiss.

‘I had to force myself. I don’t know how I’m going to look her in the eye.’

‘It’s been a long time,’ says Lauren, rubbing her younger sister’s arm. ‘But she’ll be pleased to see you’re here.’

‘I’m not here forher,’ says Kate tightly, before offering a weak smile. ‘I’m here foryou.’

‘Well, I appreciate it,’ says Lauren, taking hold of Kate’s hand and giving it a squeeze.

‘Are you still okay for Sunday?’ asks Kate, absently swiping a photo of a beaming Matt holding their baby, Charlie, from her phone’s home screen. She checks for any last-minute texts and emails before turning it off.

‘Yes, the kids are looking forward to it. It’s supposed to be Simon’s weekend to have them, but he’s been unusually civil and agreed to swap it.’

‘Wonders will never cease.’

‘Don’t hold your breath,’ says Lauren. ‘He’s still a bastard most of the time.’

‘I was going to suggest a barbecue if the weather stays like this,’ says Kate. ‘It’ll be our first chance to use the garden since we moved in. It also means we can put Matt and Justin in charge of the grill, whilst we put our feet up with a bottle of wine.’

‘Sounds like my kind of afternoon,’ says Lauren.

The banality of the conversation jars against the seriousness of their surroundings.

‘What do you think’s going to happen?’ asks Kate, suddenly conscious.

‘Well, she’s still maintaining that Dad called her in a panic and asked her to meet him at Julia’s house. And that when she got there, he told her there’d been an accident and gave her the baby.’

Kate shakes her head. ‘Does that sound like Dad?’

‘No doubt we’ll find out. But I can see that he would have wanted to get the baby away from the scene.’

‘And she’s still claiming she left Jess at a church?’

Lauren nods. ‘She said that Dad told her to put the baby somewhere safe and the church was the first place she could think of.’

The gallery door opens and in walk Jess and Finn. Jess gives a polite nod and sits down on the back row.

‘Have you spoken to her yet?’ asks Kate.

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