15
Although the detective had treated me courteously, I was shaking by the time she escorted me to the exit, and hugely relieved to be back on the street. More than anything, I was thankful that she hadn’t asked me why I hadn’t called the police as soon as Poppy found the chain, instead of waiting until the following morning to bring it to the police station. Barely glancing at the carp swimming lazily around their pond, I hurried back to the main road and the bus that would take me home. As I walked away from the intimidating atmosphere of the police station, a few trees along the road began to sway in a light breeze, and I felt my spirits lift. Hannah was not expecting me to return to work until the following morning, and I was free to do whatever I wanted for the rest of the day. Havin
