Heathen/Nemesis

Nine

She awoke with a start for the second time that day, sitting bolt upright, her head spinning.

Donna looked round to see Jackie standing by her bedside, a tray in her hand. On the tray was a bowl of soup, some bread and two mugs of tea. Donna smiled thinly and sank back onto her pillows, pulling the sheet round her breasts. She glanced across at the clock on the bedside table and saw that it was almost two-thirty. A watery afternoon sun was trying to fight its way out from behind a bank of thin, high cloud.

‘You should have woken me earlier,’ she said, rubbing her eyes.

‘You needed the sleep,’ Jackie told her, setting the tray down on the bed. ‘You need food, too.’

‘Jackie, I can’t,’ Donna murmured wearily.

‘I don’t care whether you can or can’t, you need to eat. Take it.’ She pushed the tray towards her friend and perched on the edge of the bed. Donna looked so tired, so drained. Normally, the two women were not dissimilar in appearance. Both were blonde and about the same height, Jackie perhaps a little bigger around the hips and bust, but they shared the same well-defined features; on more than one occasion they had been mistaken for sisters. At the moment, Jackie thought, Donna could have passed for her mother.

Reluctantly Donna reached for the soup and began sipping it.

‘The doctor will be here at about four,’ Jackie announced, raising a hand to silence the protest she saw forming on Donna’s lips. ‘I don’t care how much you complain, it’s better he looks at you. He might give you some tranquillisers or something.’

‘I don’t need bloody tranquillisers,’ Donna said irritably.

‘You need something to help you through this, Donna. They’ll do you good. Our doctor prescribed them for my mum when my dad died.’

‘What are you trying to do, turn me into a junkie?’

‘He’ll probably give you valium, not cocaine.’

Donna managed a smile. She reached out and squeezed Jackie’s hand.

‘Thanks for what you’ve done, Jackie. I appreciate it. I’m sorry if I’ve put you to any trouble ...’

‘Don’t be so stupid. What was I supposed to do this morning, just turn around and walk away? What would you have done if you’d found me the same way?’

‘Exactly what you’ve done. But I’m still grateful.’

She sipped more of the soup, then some of her tea.

‘Do you want to talk about it?’ Jackie asked quietly.

‘No, not really, but I suppose I’m going to have to eventually. People will have to be told.’ She sighed and rubbed a hand across her face.

‘Chris didn’t have any family, did he?’

Donna shook her head.

‘Neither of us did, but there’s my sister. I’ll have to let Julie know.’

‘It’s all taken care of. I phoned her before I phoned the doctor. She said she’ll be here tomorrow morning. She’s taking time off work.’

Donna looked blankly at Jackie.

‘She’s your sister, Donna; she should be with you. You shouldn’t be alone. Not now.’

‘Thank you,’ Donna said softly.

‘So, do you want to talk?’

Donna nodded.

‘It was a car crash, somewhere in Central London as far as I know. He was working there for a couple of days, researching a new book. He’d been using the British Museum Library a lot. So he said.’ She repeated the sequence of events which led up to the identification of her husband’s body the previous night.

‘It must have been terrible for you. I’m sorry, Donna.’

‘Jackie ...’

I think he was having an affair.

The words were there but Donna could not bring herself to say them.

‘What?’ Jackie wanted to know.

Donna shook her head.

‘It’s all right,’ she lied. Then, trying to change the subject: ‘Did anyone ring while I was asleep?’

‘Two or three people rang. They wanted to speak to Chris. I just told them he wasn’t available.’ Jackie shrugged. ‘I didn’t think it was my place to tell them the truth. You’re not mad, are you? I suppose if I had done it would have saved you the trouble. Perhaps I should ...’

‘You were right,’ Donna said. ‘As usual.’

It was Jackie’s turn to smile.

‘The police rang,’ she said after a moment or two, the smile fading. ‘They said that you could pick up Chris’s belongings whenever you wanted to. Some bloke called Mackenzie. He said he wanted to speak to you when you felt better.’

‘He was there last night,’ Donna said. Then she frowned. ‘I wonder why they need to speak to me again? I identified Chris.’ She swallowed hard. ‘What more could they want to know?’

Some details about Suzanne Regan, perhaps?

Could you tell us how long your husband had been having an affair, Mrs Ward?

She wiped a tear from her eye and sniffed, pushing the tray away.

‘I can’t eat any more,’ she announced apologetically.

‘There’s some stuff in your fridge, I checked. I’ll warm it up for you later. Chops, that kind of thing.’

‘I can’t eat anything, Jackie, I told you. Anyway, you can’t stay here all the time. Dave gets home at about six, doesn’t he?’

‘Dave is on a training course for a couple of nights in Southampton. I’ve got nothing to rush back for, anyway.’

Are you sure that’s where he is, Jackie? Are you certain he’s not driving around with another woman? Positive he isn’t involved?

That word again.

‘If you want me to stay the night with you I will,’ Jackie said.

‘I appreciate it, really, but I’ve got to face things sooner or later.’

‘It’s only the day after, Donna; be fair to yourself. Don’t try to be too strong.’

‘I’ll be okay.’

‘I’ll stay until the doctor’s been, how’s that?’

Donna smiled and nodded, watching Jackie pick up the tray and head for the door. She heard her footfalls on the stairs and lay down, eyes closed for long moments.

A car crash in Central London. He was working there.

Was he? Was he really working?

On a book or on Suzanne Regan?

Donna opened her eyes, felt the moisture there.

Had it been an affair?

Somehow she had to find out.