Frozen Grave

Chapter 31

Ellerman awoke to see Emily getting dressed. It was Wednesday morning and a school day for her.

The room was so dark that he could only just make out what she was doing, reaching behind, zipping up her skirt. He heard the slide of her underskirt against her legs.

‘You should have woken me, what time is it?’ he asked.

‘It’s seven. We’re going to have an archery tournament today. I can’t afford to be late.’

‘But you’re a maths teacher—’

‘Not according to my head of department – now I’m apparently the archery expert. Especially since we have an Open Day coming up.’

‘Come back to bed; I have something I need your help with.’ She giggled but it was a polite giggle rather than a heartfelt one.

‘Have to be a one-man job, sorry; they will be beginning breakfast in a min and then my duties start.’

‘Come on, miss. What about your duty to me? I need you to demonstrate square roots and top-heavy fractions to me again.’

She smiled as she came across to the side of the bed. He reached out and pulled her down on it and wrapped her in the duvet as he held her tightly and snuggled into her.

‘Same time next week?’

She didn’t answer straight away. She tried to move but he held her tightly and she relaxed again in his arms.

‘What is it, Emily? Are we okay?’

‘Yes, but… I like being with you. I like the fact that we both share a Christian faith. I don’t like the fact that you are still living in the family home when you told me that was just a formality. Sometimes I feel like you’re not really with me. You’re always looking at your phone, checking your texts. You’re always leaving the next morning. You could stay around, you know?’

‘I will next time – I promise. You’re busy anyway – Miss Archery Expert.’ He gave her a squeeze and tried to see past her curly hair to kiss her cheek but he couldn’t quite make it. ‘I’d stay but you’re working anyway.’

‘I’m only working three days a week now.’

‘I know. Well, I promise to make a special effort from now on and come and see you more.’

‘Saturday evening. You could come Saturday. We could meet some of my friends maybe – to make it worthwhile – then we could go out for a drink and grab something to eat. As much as I like seeing you, we always seem to do the same thing. I cook and we go to bed.’

‘You’re right, as always. You’re right and I’m sorry. I’ve been so bogged down with work that I just haven’t given you enough consideration; but I will, I promise. Just bear with me. This winter is tough for me. It’s the worst time to try and sell yachts and the weather is interfering with the Spanish renovations. You know I really love you, Emily. I will try to keep you happy, I promise. When the spring comes, we’ll fly over to Spain and lie in the sun. You tell me the dates of your holidays and I’ll work it all out.’

‘I gave them to you already.’

‘Are you sure you did? Well, just give them to me again and I’ll get straight on it.’

She slipped out of his reach and stood to smooth her skirt down and make herself presentable. She reached down and kissed him.

‘You wouldn’t hurt me, would you, JJ?’

‘No. Never.’

‘You know I will never let you down? I know we were meant for one another. I would do anything for you. I just want it to work between us. I want us to live happily ever after, just us. I’ve been waiting for so long now.’

He sat up in bed and held on to her hands.

‘And that’s what I want too. Have faith in me, in us. I promise you it will all be okay. You mean the world to me. You know me better than I know myself.’

‘Yes – perhaps that’s the trouble.’

Emily left for work and Ellerman looked for his phone. He reached down and patted the carpet, looking for it. He usually kept it next to him whilst he slept. He couldn’t feel it. He had been so tired the previous evening he didn’t remember coming to bed. Too many brandies had left him making mistakes. He reprimanded himself. That was sloppy. And it wasn’t the first time recently that he’d put his phone down and forgotten where.

He got out of bed and put the light on, looked through the pockets in his jeans, his jacket; he couldn’t find it. He looked under the bed, in case he had kicked it there by accident. He went out into the hallway and into the lounge and he saw it on the coffee table. He picked it up and looked at it. Across the cover was an alert that he had three messages and one missed call. He was running things through his brain – what could she have seen? Anything? He was reassured. Nothing. There was nothing she could have seen. If she had read his messages he would know, unless she’d marked them as unread. Not likely. She was a technophobe. She could barely use her own phone. That’s what she always said.

He put in his code. He must alter it again. He couldn’t be too careful. He smiled, curious, when he saw a new message from Jo Harding:

Hello, stranger.

He made himself a coffee and sat down at the kitchen table to text her back:

If I remember rightly you’re an early riser; and if you remember – so am I. Fancy meeting up? Why don’t I just come straight to you? I still have your address in my satnav.

Her text came back:

Tempting, but I’m just leaving for work. Call me later and we’ll discuss.

Ellerman didn’t reply. Today it was only Wednesday. He had two more days before he’d be heading home for the weekend. The thought didn’t fill him with joy. He preferred it on the road now. He liked to hit the floor running.

Ellerman put his phone down on the kitchen table, turning the phone over and over as he thought about the texts. He had always seen Harding as out of his league. She was more merciless than he was and she had a sex drive that far surpassed his own. Maybe when he had enjoyed life at a more relaxed pace, she would have been a good match for him but, right now, he needed to keep it simple. He needed to find himself a woman of simple character with a lot of money. He needed to up his game and forget the ten thousand here, five there. He needed to find women who didn’t question everything he did, who were grateful and kind and loaded. Harding had money. It might be worth another go. She had a brittle side to her that he might just be able to tap into. Did she know about Olivia? Was that why she was back in touch? Ellerman began to feel the heat coming to his face. He felt the sweat start to trickle down his back. What if that was it? A trick. Harding worked for the police pathology department. Was she trying to trap him? He needed to stay calm. He needed to use his wits. He logged on to his emails. He had several new messages from dating sites. He didn’t put his photo up, or if he did it was one he really couldn’t be recognized in. On one site he had a full-length shot of him standing by a river, one foot up on a rock, in shorts, backpack, hiking mode. His shoulders side-on to the camera. There was another of him skiing, his face partially obscured by goggles, wearing a hat. He stood tall and strong, ski poles in hand, squinting in the Alpine sun as he grinned into the camera. A third was an action shot of him racing down rapids in a canoe. None of the images could be made any bigger before they turned too grainy. They had served him well – Mr Action-packed. Mr Hunter-gatherer. I can afford to ski every year. He was anything between thirty-eight and forty-eight. His height ranged from five ten to six one. His preference for red wine over white stayed constant. His like of action thrillers sometimes gave way to romcoms and documentaries. He was loyal and charming and as faithful as a Labrador puppy. He always had an Aston Martin.