Free The Missing Husband by Amanda Brooke

could have happened. But I can tell you this much, Jo, he’ll be getting a piece of my mind when he does come home.’ Irene sighed and shook her head. ‘But right now I’d—’
    ‘Forgive him anything?’ Jo offered in complete agreement.
    ‘Are they sending someone round?’
    ‘Yes, later on this evening, assuming we still haven’t heard anything, and I’ve got a number to ring if David does show up.’
    ‘Right,’ Irene said, nodding her head, letting the news sink in.
    Jo had been dreading the call, afraid that the police would simply dismiss her concerns but terrified that they would convince her that something bad had happened. What DS Baxter had actually told her was that they would be taking David’s disappearance seriously, but to hold out hope that the call had been unnecessary. She should have felt relieved but instead she felt a crushing sense of anti-climax. What was she meant to do now? David was still missing, now it was simply official. She couldn’t move forwards and she couldn’t travel back in time; she was caught in limbo.
    Irene took Jo by the arm and led her back into the kitchen. ‘I’ll make us another cuppa,’ she said.
    Jo didn’t argue when Irene yanked a half-full mug of tea from her grasp – her mother-in-law clearly needed to keep busy, and if making a fresh brew that no one wanted was Irene’s way of coping then so be it. They would all have to find their own ways of coping over the next hours, days or, God forbid, longer.
    Turning her attention to another of Irene’s errant sons, Jo asked, ‘Where’s Steve?’
    ‘I heard him go upstairs; he probably nipped to the loo.’
    When Jo stepped into the hallway, she stopped to listen. There were no signs of life and judging from the grey light glancing off the walls on the landing the bathroom door was ajar. There was only a slight hesitation before she began to climb the stairs. She might have to accept that very soon every inch of her life would be scrutinized but this was still her house and no one, especially Steve, had the right to poke his nose in her life.
    Jo didn’t trust her brother-in-law at the best of times. Steve had relied on his charm a little too much to get him through life. The twinkle in his eye which said ‘I know you want me,’ had fooled some women but not Jo. She preferred the brother with the mischievous smile and eyes that simply said, ‘want me.’ And she had wanted him. She still did.
    However, despite their differences, the two brothers were as thick as thieves, as David had proved some five and a half months ago. A picture formed in her mind of David in the living room. April sunshine streamed through the window, warming his face and softening the frown furrowing his brow.
    ‘I can’t believe you’ve just done that,’ she had stammered, looking from her husband’s face to the phone still in his hand.
    He ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. ‘What did you expect me to say?’
    ‘I don’t know, David. Perhaps tell Sally the truth?’
    ‘He’s my brother, Jo.’
    ‘And I suppose Sally is only his wife,’ Jo concluded.
    ‘She phoned on the pretext of offering me and Steve a lift on Saturday but you know as well as I do that she was only checking up on him. And I didn’t lie; I will be with Steve and I’m happy to be the designated driver.’
    ‘But unless I’m very much mistaken, you’ve been designated to drive to the races, not the golf course,’ Jo said as she continued to glare. ‘Why the lie?’
    ‘You know what Sally’s like. She’s counting the pennies and wouldn’t approve of him throwing money away on the horses.’
    ‘Counting the pennies so she’s not left destitute when Steve leaves her high and dry,’ Jo countered. She watched David draw a breath and knew what he was going to say so added, ‘And yes, he would do that. You know it’s only a matter of time before their marriage disintegrates and you’re not helping.’
    ‘He’s my brother,