‘Jade?’ Cummings sounded surprised when he answered the phone. ‘What’s happening, babe? Where are you?’ He sounded caring – as if he gave a damn in reality. The man was a chauvinistic Neanderthal of the worst kind, to whom women existed only to satiate his perverted appetites. He hadn’t needed much persuading to play games in the bedroom, throwing himself into his role with gusto. Oh, how Jade would have enjoyed bringing this sadistic little prick down. Her plans regarding the delightful Cummings, however, had changed.

‘Babe? Talk to me,’ he urged her, an impatient edge to his voice now. ‘You need to let me know where you are. You know we have people out looking for you?’

‘Looking for me… Why?’ Jade made sure to sound puzzled.

‘Cain’s kid.’ Cummings hesitated, as if he might be having an actual thought about anyone but himself. ‘She’s gone missing. You need to come in and—’

‘Poppy?’ Jade cut over him, alarmed. ‘Missing?’

‘Not Poppy. The baby,’ Cummings went on. ‘We need to know what time you last saw her. Whether you saw anyone prowling—’

‘Evie? Oh God, no.’ Jade squeezed her eyes closed, getting into the role as she emitted a heartfelt sob. ‘When? How?’

‘This morning,’ Cummings supplied. ‘We need to know what time you last saw her. Whether she was—’

‘I haven’t. I didn’t,’ Jade cut in quickly. ‘Not this morning. I… left. Suddenly,’ she said cautiously, as if not quite sure how much to disclose. ‘Last night. I had to get out. I didn’t want to leave the children, but I was scared and I didn’t know what else to do, and—’

‘Whoa – scared? Why?’

Jade gulped back a huge breath and sniffled for effect. ‘They had a row,’ she continued, after a second. ‘A dreadful argument.’

‘About?’

‘I’m not sure. What started it, I mean, but I think…’ Again, Jade paused, not wanting to appear keen to divulge.

‘It’s okay, Jade. Take your time,’ Cummings said, attempting to be sympathetic. ‘You know you can confide in me.’

Jade rolled her eyes at that. Yes, right. Hurry up and dish the dirt, you silly bitch, was more likely what he was thinking, desperate as he was to get something on Mark.

‘Melissa,’ Jade went on falteringly, ‘I think she had an affair. Mark… He’d been drinking, heavily. He was shouting. Really angry. I was upstairs, with the children. I couldn’t help but overhear.’

‘Overhear what, sweetheart?’

‘He was calling her names, awful names. He…’ Jade paused for another timely sniffle. ‘He thinks the children might not even be his.’

‘Bloody hell!’ Cummings gasped, astonished. ‘Well, well, that explains a lot. Poor bastard,’ he commiserated – and then chuckled. Clearly, he was highly amused.

Excuse me, distraught victim of crime on the line here, Jade thought, disgusted.

‘He turned on me,’ said Jade, cutting his merriment short. ‘When I came downstairs. Melissa had gone out. I’m not sure where, and he… He turned into an absolute monster. I tried to run, to fight him off but he’s so much heavier than me. I… I didn’t have any choice, Pete. Honestly, I didn’t. He…’

Jade trailed off, waited, and sure enough…

‘Are you telling me he raped you?’ Cummings asked, his tone a mixture of utter disbelief, outrage… and excitement. Definitely excitement. He would be orgasmic, Jade had no doubt, revelling at the prospect of using the information to destroy Mark Cain.

Result, she thought. Then, ‘Yes,’ she cried, emitting a wretched sob.

‘You need to come in,’ Cummings said brusquely. ‘I’ll come and fetch you.’

‘No, I’m… with a girlfriend. I’ll come to the station.’

‘As soon as possible,’ Cummings instructed. ‘We can’t let the bastard get away with this. Don’t wash away any evidence, babe,’ he said, tempering his tone to something near concern. ‘And keep this between you and me for now, will you? I don’t want him getting wind we’re onto him before we can bring him in. Okay?’

‘Uh-huh,’ Jade said timidly.

Perfect, she thought, ending the call and turning her attention to the police exiting Mark’s property.

The timing would be crucial. She had to get Melissa alone. Which she soon would, it seemed. Jade smiled as one of the officers turned at the squad car to ask Melissa whether she was sure she would be all right on her own, informing her that the family liaison officer would be with her soon.

Jade waited as the squad car drove off and then, checking the road was clear, took a step towards the house, cursing as her phone vibrated. It was Dylan calling, again.

‘What?’ Jade hissed, moving back under cover of the trees.

‘What do I do if she wakes up?’ Dylan asked. ‘Her little cheeks are still all flushed. I’m worried she might start crying again and I—’

‘For God’s sake, Dylan, she won’t wake up. I’ve given her some Calpol,’ Jade snapped. She was anxious to get back into the house while there was a lull in police activity. With Dylan fussing and clucking about like a mother hen, thinking Angel looked a bit peaky, she’d miss her opportunity. He’d even suggested he take her out in her stroller for some fresh air. Moron. Jade had paid cash for the room, but the last thing she wanted drippy Dylan doing was perambulating about the Travelodge car park, which would be bound to draw attention. ‘I’ll be back soon, my love,’ she assured him, softening her tone.

Once she’d filled Melissa in about her deceitful bastard of a husband, that was. Which she would need to do soon, before Mark gave anyone his version of events. Clearly, knowing he’d be dropping himself in it if he confessed why he’d thrown her out like so much rubbish, he’d decided to keep that information to himself.

She had to get to Melissa now. There was no other time. Having carelessly endangered her child while she pissed about with her stupid clay statues, Melissa would be teetering dangerously near to the edge. Her grip on reality would be fragile, and she would be susceptible, ready to believe her husband capable of anything. And once she’d seen the indisputable evidence of his perverted sexual preferences, then the weak, self-obsessed woman would fall, and so would Mark Cain.

Letting herself quietly in through the back door, Jade found the kitchen was empty. Poor Melissa must be having a little lie down, she deduced. And no wonder, if she’d popped a few of these little beauties. Seeing the sedatives, Zopiclone, at the back of one of the work surfaces, Jade hummed contentedly and turned for the hall.

Mark’s laptop was there. Oh, deary me. He really was careless. Though it was only his personal PC, one really would think that, as a policeman, he might have it better protected. Quickly plugging in her phone, she uploaded the desired photo to his desktop. Most of the pictures she’d taken were innocent enough, but the one of him in Poppy’s bedroom, the dreadful day her poor little goldfish had died, that could easily be wildly misinterpreted. Mark half naked, removing Poppy’s nightie? That would certainly look suspect, particularly in combination with a few of the more risqué sites she quickly saved to his bookmarks – definitely extreme, most definitely illegal, and enough to have Melissa and his colleagues reeling with shock.

Job done, Jade replaced the laptop in its usual position and turned for the stairs, humming silently as she went. Hush, little baby…

Hearing a sound from the nursery, she guessed that’s where she’d find Melissa, no doubt regretting having neglected her baby. Jade was heading that way when Poppy’s door squeaked open and the girl peered out to stare at her like a startled sparrow.

Smiling languidly, Jade pressed her finger to her lips, which was enough to have the brat backing back in and closing the door in a flash. Presumably the dog was in there with her. And it had better stay in there too, or the next noise it emitted in Jade’s presence would be a gurgle.

In the nursery, Melissa was standing with her arms wrapped about her in the protective stance she’d adopted since her perfect little world had started falling apart. Rolling her eyes at the woman’s complete inability to do anything other than feel sorry for herself, Jade tapped lightly on the door. ‘Mel?’ she said, her voice loaded with fake concern.