FIFTEEN
When he got back home, no one was there. He checked his watch. Amy’s playgroup was finished and Bea would be leaving her school within the hour, so he had a little time to collect his thoughts. Wandering into the kitchen, he spotted the note. Samantha had taken Amy into town to buy one or two things and would pick Bea up after school. He went over to the sink, filled the kettle and scooped in a spoonful of instant coffee in a mug. He stood with his head hanging low, fingers curled around the edge of the worktop.
The sudden click of the switch brought him back to the present. He poured hot water into his coffee and took it into the living room, still stuffed with cardboard boxes, waiting to be sorted, and he groaned at the thought of having to empty them all. There were more in th
