I hug my husband so he doesn’t have to finish his sentence. ‘It’s fine, I’m fine,’ I soothe, saying the reassuring platitudes out loud for my own benefit as much as his.
‘It’s late, Janine. Where were you?’
‘I was… I was out.’
‘Out where?’
I could lie, I realise. Lie to protect Kamal from further worry and myself from further questions. But as I look at my husband’stired eyes, I’m suddenly exhausted by the thought of more lies. The truth about Alexa’s cash withdrawals has already left a bitter taste in my mouth.
‘I was with Otis Clarke,’ I admit.
Kamal pulls back, frowning. ‘The man with the missing wife?’
When I nod, Kamal studies me, waiting for more.
‘Come inside,’ I say, slipping my fingers through his. ‘I’ll explain everything.’
Kamal moves in slow, jerking steps as if afraid of what he’ll find out when he walks through the front door. His fear grows when we step inside and he sees my mud-caked shoes. Glancing at Kamal’s feet, I notice he has no shoes on. His socks are wet from rushing out to meet me on the driveway without a second thought for his comfort.
As the walls of my throat constrict, I wrap my arm around my husband and lead him to the living room.
‘Why were you with Otis Clarke?’ Kamal asks as he takes a seat on the sofa opposite to me. ‘What were you doing?’
‘It’s not how it sounds,’ I begin, but Kamal shakes his head.
‘I don’t care how it sounds, Janine. I just want you to be honest. What were you doing with Otis Clarke?’
‘We were looking for Alexa.’
Kamal blinks. ‘What? Why?’
‘Because I want to help find her. Something strange has happened there, Kamal.’
My words have the opposite effect of reassuring my husband. ‘What do you mean, strange?’
‘Otis was worried about Alexa, but he thought she was okay because her bank card was logging transactions. Only Otis and I went to Manchester today and—’
‘Wait, you’ve been in Manchester today with a man whose wife is missing?’ When I nod sheepishly, Kamal’s eyebrows dart towards his hairline. ‘Were you alone together?’
‘It’s not like that,’ I protest, but Kamal’s eyes widen as if he can’t believe what he’s hearing.
‘Janine, I’m not asking if you’re having an affair! My concern is that you’re spending time alone with a man you know nothing about. A man whose wife is missing. For all we know, he could have something to do with it.’
‘We don’t know that’s the case,’ I protest, but the question,If Otis Clarke is a good man, why was Alexa syphoning money?niggles in the back of my mind.
‘We don’t know that it’s not the case, either,’ Kamal reasons. ‘Why would you get involved in this?’
‘Otis Clarke needed help,’ I say, struggling to justify what, in the cold light of the truth, looks and sounds like absolute madness. ‘I had time to provide that.’
‘I thought you were at home, working on your book?’
‘I am,’ I reply, my cheeks firing at the lie. ‘But writing doesn’t have set hours. I had time spare to help.’
My words do little to calm Kamal. ‘You’re explaining your decision to get involved in this as if it’s rational, but it’s not. This isn’t a book you’re working on, Janine. Otis could be dangerous. You could have got yourself in real trouble.’
‘I thought you loved my ability to find a story in everyday life?’ I try to joke, but as Kamal frowns, I know my words have hurt him.
‘This isn’t about not loving you or the way your mind works. It’s about you being safe. It’s sad what’s happened to Otis Clarke, but it is not your responsibility to fix this for him.’