Alice angled her head towards Jon. ‘I want every drug they’ve got. Understand?’
‘You’ve got it.’
‘Oh God, oh God, oh God,’ the woman on the screen started repeating.
Jon saw the muscles in her thighs snap tight. ‘Oh Jesus, this is worse than that scene in Alien,’ he whispered, making Alice choke on her sip of tea.
On the screen a pair of hands reached out and grasped the top of the baby’s skull. ‘OK, push Karen. This is it. Push!’
There was no way the head could fit through, Jon thought. A nerve-shredding shriek erupted and suddenly the head popped out. A glistening blue body laced with a waxy substance quickly followed, releasing a gush of bloody fluid behind. Unable to watch any more, Jon shut his eyes and heard the health visitor say, ‘Now, as you can see, Karen is bleeding quite heavily from a tear here, but the hospital staff are waiting for the afterbirth to emerge before giving her some internal stitches.’
Jon thought of the cold can of beer on his living-room table. The film ended a few minutes later and he was able to open his eyes again.
‘So,’ said Marjorie, pulling back the curtains, ‘you’ve now seen one of the most incredible things Mother Nature has to offer. And soon you’ll be witnessing it for yourselves.’
She smiled at a room full of grey faces.
Jon took Alice’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. ‘I’ll be there for you, Ali,’ he whispered.
She looked up at him and murmured, ‘You might want to wear gardening gloves to the delivery.’
‘What do you mean?’
She sank her nails into the soft skin on the back of his injured hand. ‘If my birthing’s any where near as horrendous as that, I fully intend you to share in the pain.’
Jon tried to extricate his hand, but she dug a little deeper, the sweetest of smiles on her face.
Chapter 22
Jon was buttoning up his shirt in front of the bathroom mirror when the doorbell rang.
‘Ali! That’ll be Rick. Can you let him in?’ he called down. He heard the front door open and a man with a foreign accent started speaking.
‘Cheap videos! Latest Hollywood blockbusters! Three quid each.’
He peered down the stairs to see Rick standing on the front door step, a stack of cassettes in his arms.
‘You must be Rick.’ With a smile, Alice stepped back to let him in.
‘Hi, there,’ he said in a normal voice, adjusting the videos so he could shake her hand. ‘And you’re Alice?’ His eyes dropped momentarily to her stomach. ‘How long before the baby’s due?’
Self-consciously, Alice placed a hand over her bump. ‘Around six weeks.’
‘Well, you look great. You’ve got that lovely glow no amount of make-up and sunbeds can achieve.’
Alice’s smile widened and she glanced up at Jon. ‘Thanks. Could you give my partner a few tips about paying compliments?’
‘Yeah, mate, very smooth,’ said Jon, sounding like a stampeding elephant as he came down the stairs.
Alice rolled her eyes. ‘Right, I’ve got a train to catch. Enjoy the blockbusters,’ she said to Rick, before turning to Jon and giving him a kiss. ‘See you later.’
The door shut and Jon showed Rick towards the front room. Punch stood in the doorway, an inquisitive look on his face. Rick hesitated.
‘That’s Punch, my stupid mutt. Don’t worry, he’s soft as shite.’
Rick stepped forward and Jon watched as he gave the dog a cursory stroke with just the tips of his fingers. He moved into the front room.
‘Want a brew before we get started?’ asked Jon.
‘Yes, thanks,’ Rick said, looking at the photos of Jon, Alice and Punch in various outdoor settings. ‘Who’s she?’ Rick asked, pointing to a younger girl who shared Jon’s bright blue eyes.
‘My little sister, Ellie,’ Jon answered, watching him from the doorway.
Rick stepped across to the CD collection. The mix was fairly eclectic, including Miles Davis, Paul Weller, Radiohead and the Smiths. He searched in vain for anything more lively. ‘Don’t you have anything you can dance to?’
‘Like what?’
Rick ran a finger along the collection. ‘I don’t know. Diana
Ross, Kylie, Madonna?’
‘Oh, you mean gay stuff?’ Jon replied with an innocent smile. ‘I think Alice has got a copy of Saturday Night Fever somewhere.’ Grinning, Rick held up two fingers as he placed the videos by the machine.
When Alice got in at six they were still sitting there, dirty cups, plates and the remains of a packet of digestives on the table. Punch was stretched out next to an untidy scattering of videos on the floor.
‘Mind if I let some air in, you stinky boys?’ Alice asked, her nose wrinkling.
Rick looked mortified.
Jon hit the Stop button and stretched his legs out. ‘What a nightmare.’
Alice undid the window latch and Punch’s head was suddenly jerked up by the shift in scents as outside air blew in. ‘Any luck?’ she asked.
‘Not a glimpse,’ Jon yawned. He looked at the heap of videos beside the machine. ‘We’ve been over seven platforms. Only another six to go. If we find nothing there, we start on the recordings taken from inside the main part of the station.’
‘How about some tea? Rick, would you like to stay for some food?’
Rick glanced uncertainly at Jon, who was still staring mournfully at the pile of untouched videos. ‘Er, thanks, but I’ve got something else already arranged.’
‘No problem. How about tomorrow if you’re carrying on with this?’
‘Yeah, thanks, that would be great.’
‘Good,’ said Alice, heading off to the kitchen.
Rick turned to Jon. ‘We’re narrowing it down at least. Only platforms eight to thirteen to go.’
Jon nodded. ‘Trains for Manchester Airport leave from platform eight upwards.’
‘Yeah, but there’s no record of him on any flights from that day.’
‘And the trains out to Liverpool and up to the Lake District usually go from platform thirteen.’
‘Which would fit with your theory of him being holed up in some remote beauty spot.’
‘True,’ Jon replied. ‘But something doesn’t feel quite right.’ An image of Pete Gray popped up in his head. He’d still be on the daytime shift, due to finish at eight in the evening.
He was wondering whether to mention his visit to Stepping Hill hospital when Rick began clearing up the mess on the table.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Jon, only just noticing it. ‘I’ll take care of it.’
Rick straightened up. ‘Same time tomorrow, then?’
‘Same time tomorrow,’ Jon replied grimly.
Once Rick had left, Jon called down the corridor. ‘Alice, have I got time for a quick you-know-what?’ he said, knowing that if he uttered the word ‘run’, Punch would start leaping all over the place.
‘Whatever,’ Alice called back.
Her offhand tone of voice set off a small alarm at the back of his head as he poked his head into the front room. ‘Punch, fancy going for a run?’
The dog arched its back and seemed to bounce on to its feet in a single movement. Jon climbed the stairs, the mess on the table forgotten behind him.
They ate in silence, Jon faintly aware of the pile of plates and cups Alice had carried through from the front room and left by the sink.
He wolfed his food down, then mopped up the remains of sauce with a hunk of white bread. ‘So what did you think of Rick?’
‘Nice,’ Alice replied, sounding distracted.
Jon stopped chewing for a moment to study her. ‘Just nice? Doesn’t sound like you, Ali.’
She sighed and turned slightly in her seat. ‘How old is he?’
‘Almost thirty, I think.’
‘He’s doing well, then.’
‘Accelerated promotion scheme. Graduate and all that. This is just a stint with us at FMIT. He’ll be moved to another rotation in a few months, in between taking tests.’
He cleared their plates and carried them over to the others at the sink, noticing the time as he did so. ‘Oh shit, babe, there’s something I need to check out quickly.’