THIRTEEN
SHEBBEAR, DEVON, 2023 AD
From the depths of his armchair, Jake responded blearily to Alice’s anxiety, her fruitless attempts at coaxing him to recall what had happened. In her opinion, her concern for his safety had been well placed. They could, she thought, be relieved that he had been lucky this time. She was too sensible to fuss around him, so, in an attempt to glean more information, she rang Claire Dawson, keeping her call disguised as a chatty one between friends. From it, she learnt that the sergeant had not called his wife for a couple of days, so she was the one who shared the news, telling Claire that Jake had seen her husband that very day and that he was well and cheerful. She had drawn a blank, but when she ended the call, she saw Jake staring at a piece of paper in
