Free The Cold Cold Sea by Linda Huber Page A

lying on her side with one arm dangling over the edge of the bed. Jennifer stood for a moment gazing down at the sleeping child.
    Such a miracle. For a moment Jennifer felt exactly like she had when the midwife laid baby Hailey in her arms. She crouched beside the bed and pushed the half pill to the back of the sleeping child’s tongue, following it up with a mouthful of water. Hailey opened her eyes and choked, and Jennifer smiled encouragingly.
    ‘Time for your medicine, Hailey darling. Swallow it down and have a lovely sleep,’ she said, and the little girl closed her eyes again.
    Jennifer sat on the edge of the bed, stroking the suntanned little face. She’d done this for nearly all of the previous night too; Hailey had been restless and weepy for some reason, and Jennifer hadn’t dared give her more medication so soon after the first dose.
    The half pill worked its magic as she had known it would, and Hailey was soon in a deep sleep. Jennifer wiped a little trickle of saliva from the little girl’s chin. Medication had its uses, but those doctors had given her far too much of it during the Black Patch. It had muddled her thoughts; she no longer remembered everything that had happened back then. Something had happened to Hailey, but here she was asleep in bed, so she wasn’t hurt. Something had changed, though, but Jennifer couldn’t remember what.
    Thinking about it was unsettling, and Jennifer stood up, tucking the duvet round Hailey’s neck. Sound asleep. And thank goodness there were plenty more pills.
    Downstairs, she made fresh tea and put the television on again. The babies started kicking as soon as she sat down and Jennifer smiled happily. Life was going to be so good now. In a few weeks’ time the new house in Polpayne would be ready and the two of them would go there to wait for Phillip... and when he came home they would all be together again.
    Her mobile buzzed in her handbag and Jennifer hesitated. It was Phillip again; he often called at this time but she really didn’t have the energy to talk to him tonight. Quickly, she rejected the call and switched her mobile off. She would call him tomorrow and say she’d been at the theatre; a good night’s sleep before she spoke to him was an absolute necessity or she’d ruin the surprise.
    The news was starting and Jennifer watched idly as the usual mixture of politics, suicide bombings and knife crime in London flashed in front of her. The fourth report jolted her awake, however, and she stared in horror as a child’s face filled the screen, followed by a view of a deserted beach beneath high, threatening cliffs. The newsreader’s voice was grave.
    ‘There is still no sign of the three-year-old girl who vanished from a Newquay beach yesterday morning, and it appears increasingly likely that she has drowned. Police have - ’
    Jennifer stumbled back upstairs and fell to her knees by the bed. Thank God, thank God, her baby was right here, breathing beautifully and looking so peaceful. Jennifer covered the child’s face with kisses and then leaned back, still trembling, her heart beating frantically in her throat.
    It was as if a distant memory was fighting its way to the surface, but remaining tantalisingly out of reach. What had happened? Was it something to do with the beach? Had Hailey been lost? Yes she had, hadn’t she, but here she was back in bed again. Everything was alright.
    Jennifer watched the child for a few more minutes and then crept to the other side of the bed and slid under the duvet. The best way to keep Hailey safe was to stay right here with her.

Chapter Two
Mid August
    Long Farm Cottage was centuries old. Battleship grey stone walls supported a darker roof of slate, and the whole building was dwarfed by three enormous oak trees whose roots were making the old stone floors even more uneven. Inside, solid wooden beams traversed low ceilings and the whitewashed internal walls were at least a foot thick. Thea was an Aga-user, so