Shallow Breath

52

Rebecca




The call comes while Rebecca is strolling on the beach with her family.

‘Am I speaking to Rick Carlisle’s daughter?’

She sighs. ‘Yes.’

‘Mr Carlisle has been brought in this morning – he’s done something strange with his tablets, and taken too many of the wrong ones before he realised. I’m afraid he was ranting about being poisoned, so we’ve had to sedate him.’

Theo is looking at her, his expression concerned. Rebecca pulls a frustrated face at him as she watches Caitlin running ahead, racing in and out of the surging water.

Suddenly she cannot look away. To her delight, she realises there’s no sign of her daughter’s limp.

‘Mrs Bell? Are you still there? I have you here as his next of kin – is that right?’

As Rebecca listens, she stares off beyond Caitlin towards the ocean. It is tranquil and so pretty today, just one lacework line of breakers flickering delicately a long way offshore.

‘I’m afraid we’re not on speaking terms any more,’ she says. ‘Tell him to find somebody else.’ And she hangs up.

Theo puts his arm around her and pulls her in to kiss her forehead. ‘Well done, sweetheart,’ he murmurs into her hair. ‘Well done.’