“Passports?
“Check.”
“Money?”
“Check.”
“Flight details?”
“Check.”
“Credit cards?”
He felt his back pocket, and then nodded. “Check.”
“That’s everything then. Let’s go.”
They headed along the hallway. Nicky grabbed her handbag and a set of car keys from the stairs, and Richard wheeled out two suitcases from the living room doorway. “Ready?” Richard asked, excitedly.
Nodding, she followed him to the front door. “Who was at the door earlier?”
He hesitated for a moment, contemplating keeping Carl’s visit from her, but then reconsidered. “It was Carl Jones.”
Nicky turned to him, trying not to show any concern on her face. She failed miserably. “Oh, right. Was he okay?”
“Yeah, he just came to thank me.”
She nodded sympathetically. “Oh, right. That’s nice of him. And the baby? Is he all right?”
Richard beamed. “He’s great. Really cute.”
Returning a grin, she checked her watch. “We better get a move on, babe. Might be a lot of traffic on the road today. Tell me about it on the way.”
“Yeah, okay,” he replied, and then lowered the suitcases out onto the pavement.
Richard took one last glance at the smoke detector. Stay quiet, he thought. He closed the front door, locking it behind him.
Stay bloody quiet…
- The End -