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card for my sister’s wedding anniversary. It’s at the weekend.’
    ‘See anyone you knew?’
    ‘Like who?’
    ‘I was only asking. I wasn’t interrogating you.’
    ‘Good. I don’t want to go over all that again, Frank.’
    ‘You were the one who had the affair, Gina, not me.’
    ‘Why did you have to bring that up now?’
    ‘I’m not bringing it up.’
    ‘Yes you are. You mentioned it. That’s bringing it up.’
    ‘Do you blame me?’
    ‘Look, we talked about it at the time. We sorted things out.’
    ‘I know but that doesn’t stop me thinking about what happened.’
    ‘We said we wouldn’t mention it again. You said you’d forget about it.’
    ‘I’ve been trying.’
    ‘Well, try harder,’ she snapped.
    There was a long pause, finally broken by Gina
.
    ‘I want to go home at the weekend and see my sister,’ she said. ‘Take her some flowers or something. They’ve been married for fifteen years this year.’
    ‘I’ll probably be working.’
    ‘I know that. I’ll take Laura. She hasn’t seen her cousins for ages. She’ll enjoy it.’
    ‘Is your sister having a party for their anniversary?’
    ‘No, just a few friends to the house, that sort of thing.’
    Hacket nodded, held the phone a little away from his face and exhaled wearily.
    ‘Did you get your prescription while you were in town?‘ he wanted to know.
    ‘I’ve got to make an appointment,’ Gina told him. ‘They won’t give out anti-depressants on a repeat prescription.’
    There was a moment’s silence
.
    ‘You could get some from the hospital pharmacy,’ Gina insisted.
    ‘No,’ he told her. ‘I’m not doing that again, Gina. I nearly got caught last time. They check these things, you know. They know who’s got access to the pharmacy. I can’t risk it.’
    ‘I only need enough until the end of the week.’
    ‘I daren’t. If I get caught that’ll be it. I’ll get sacked and I’ll probably get prosecuted, too.’
    Another silence.
    ‘Don’t forget the milk and my cigarettes when you come home,’ Gina reminded him coldly. ‘What time will you be home?’
    ‘They’re a bit short of staff. I might have to do some overtime.’
    ‘Good, we need the money.’
    ‘I’ll ring you if I get the chance, let you know what time I’ll be home.’
    ‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll expect you when I see you.’
    ‘Give Laura a kiss from me,’ he asked. ‘See you later.’
    ‘See you.’
    He ended the call and stuffed his mobile back into his pocket.

12
     
    ‘Can you hear me?’
    Paul Crane raised his voice, trying to shout over the hissing static.
    ‘Amy?’
    Her voice finally broke through the barrage of interference.
    ‘Paul, I can hear you,’ she said. ‘I’m still here.’
    ‘I thought we’d been cut off,’ he told her.
    There was another silence then Amy spoke once again.
    ‘I can fly home tomorrow if you want me to,’ she informed him.
    ‘No, there’s no point. There’s nothing you can do anyway. Besides, if you do that you might get in trouble. You might lose your job, too.’
    ‘I’ll come if you want me to.’
    ‘No. Stay there. Enjoy yourself. Have a look around the city. Go out and have a meal. Do your shopping.’
    ‘I’ll bring you something nice back.’
    ‘Unless you can bring back a job then forget it.’
    He wanted her to go now. Wanted her to hang up. Although he liked hearing her voice, at this precise moment in time he just wanted to put the phone down.
    And do what? Wallow in self-pity?
    He didn’t want to talk about how he was feeling because no matter how much he talked it wouldn’t help. Nothing would help unless she was going to offer him a job and that wasn’t going to happen, was it? All this aimless chat and pointless offers of solace were lost on him. If she was here with him now then he might hold her in his arms, he might kiss her and it might make him feel better for a fleeting second. Just a little human contact might relieve the pain he was so immersed in,