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He’d made her sit down at the kitchen table, and he’d told her that he was moving out...
‘You’re right. It’s the best thing.’ She’d agreed with him almost before he had been able to get the words out of his mouth.
‘I’ll just take my own things...’ Something inside him had been screaming that this wasn’t right, but she’d seemed so firm, so sure.
‘Take whatever you want.’ She’d shrugged as if none of it meant anything to her and then stood up, in a clear indication that the conversation was now at a close. ‘I’ve got to pop over to see Charlie.’
How could he have believed her? He should have known that her lack of emotion was just a front. But he’d struggled so agonisingly with this decision that the thought that Mimi didn’t care whether he stayed or left was almost welcome. It assuaged the guilt.
When he’d packed his things, put his bags in the car and driven away, he’d thought he was being strong, protecting her. But now he knew the truth. He’d messed up, and he’d hurt her.
The thought that she still hadn’t told him everything, that she’d given no reason for this crazy assertion that she wasn’t good enough for him, wouldn’t go away. But he’d already pushed her too far tonight.
‘Wait... Is this right?’
Yes. It was right. They might have done it in the worst way possible, but it had unquestionably been the right thing to do.
Suddenly Rafe realised that she’d actually spoken the words and that she was referring to the fork in the road a couple of hundred yards behind them, not a decision made five years ago. Occupied with his thoughts, he’d instinctively taken the same road he’d taken then, which led on to the motorway.
‘Ah... Yeah, of course. Lost my bearings for a moment.’
‘Visibility’s terrible. I nearly missed it.’
It was so easy to fall back into the pattern—Rafe driving, Mimi at his side, tactfully applying a corrective nudge from time to time. It made him feel strong to have her there, which was worrying in any number of ways.
He turned the car in the deserted road, driving back the way he’d come. It was still raining, and they still had a job to do. And Rafe was becoming increasingly certain that he couldn’t leave until he found out what it was that Mimi had refused to tell him.
As he manoeuvred around a car parked right on the corner, he heard Mimi catch her breath.
‘Oh, no!’
Water was pouring over the lock gates, spreading out in a huge pool on the other side. The lock house, converted now to make a holiday home for someone, was surrounded by three feet of water. A fire engine stood on solid ground, further up the hill.
‘There’s someone in there?’ She was peering through the rain-drenched windscreen.
‘Apparently. Must have been trapped and called for help.’ Rafe drew up beside the fire engine and got out of the car. He identified himself to the senior firefighter and they shook hands.
‘We can’t get over there with ladders; they won’t reach. We’ll have to go by dinghy. We have information that someone’s injured in there, but we don’t know how badly.’
‘Okay. We’ll come with you.’ He’d rather go alone, but leaving Mimi behind wasn’t an option at the moment.
‘Only one of you. Those guys are going and, with two of my men, that leaves only one place in the dinghy.’ The firefighter jerked his thumb towards two men standing up close to the fire truck to get what shelter they could from the rain.
‘Who are they?’
‘Plain clothes police. The place is being burgled.’
‘What?’ Rafe hadn’t been aware that Mimi was standing next to him until she spoke.
‘Yeah. The alarms went off and the security company alerted the police. When they got here they found that the place was cut off and called us.’
‘You think they’re still there?’ Mimi frowned, clearly taking stock of the situation.
‘We know they are. The alarm system in the house is state-of-the-art—heat and pressure sensors, webcams, the lot. The ones downstairs are out, but upstairs they’re still working. It looks as if there are two lads and one of them has suffered some sort of injury.’
‘And the police are keeping a low profile not to spook them.’ Rafe remembered the car, parked on the corner.
‘Yeah. If they think that it’s just the fire and ambulance services, then hopefully there’ll be less chance of trouble. I’m sending over two of my men with the police officers, so that’ll be enough to contain them if things get nasty.’ The fire officer looked around at the activity going on behind him. ‘We’ll have the dinghy ready in ten minutes. Then we’ll get you over there.’
