Free An Astronaut's Life by Sonja Dechian Page A

I stood up.
    ‘I’m sorry. Oh shit, why didn’t I text you?’ I said, although I could not yet see
her.
    ‘I don’t know, I came up the road and—Lucas, are you okay?’
    She went over and held his face in her hands. He twisted to get free, but she planted
a kiss on him anyway.
    ‘He’s fine. They knocked at the door, I was asleep.’
    I was going to try to explain it all, but she interrupted.
    ‘I saw the cars, I thought something had happened.’ Her voice was still light, airy.
    I put my arms around her.
    ‘Those dogs are looking for objects, Mum.’
    ‘Are they, sweetie?’
    Gina leant forward, against me. She was exhausted, of course—she’d just worked through
the night. Out in the yard a dog barked.
    ‘Objects!’ he said.
    ‘I thought something happened,’ Gina said again.
    ‘I know, I thought the same. A car crash, or—’ I couldn’t think of what else I’d
thought. ‘Did they explain to you yet?’
    ‘No, I just freaked. They said you were inside.’
    There was a knock at our door.
    ‘Here we go,’ I said.
    Gina went to answer and Lucas climbed up in his chair. I found my phone and convinced
him to stay put with it, then I closed him in the kitchen and followed.
    Gina wasn’t as understanding.
    ‘Can I see some ID?’
    ‘Certainly, ma’am.’
    ‘Gina,’ I said, but Victor took out his ID and she looked it over, as if she knew
how police ID was supposed to look.
    ‘What evidence?’ she said.
    ‘I’m afraid we can’t go into details, as I’ve explained to your—?’
    ‘Partner.’
    ‘Of course. What’s taking place here is a search for key evidence in a long-running
investigation. I understand the inconvenience to you is great, but we have no option
but to search this area thoroughly.’
    ‘But how long will it take?’
    ‘I’m afraid we can’t say.’
    ‘Oh, well great.’
    ‘It depends what we find.’
    ‘And what do you expect to?’ Gina was never at her most patient after a night shift.
    Victor gave her a stiff smile.
    ‘We understand, detective,’ I said. ‘If there’s any way we can help?’
    He nodded and turned away. I shut the front door and waited for him to leave.
    ‘We’re just letting them dig up our lawn?’ Gina said.
    ‘Not letting. We don’t get any choice.’
    ‘What, we’re suspects?’
    I turned up my palms. ‘If there’s bodies in the yard.’
    I could tell from the look on her face she hadn’t thought of this yet. Bodies.
    ‘What did you think?’ I said.
    ‘I don’t know, drugs? Or a knife?’
    I saw again how tired she was. It was my fault she was tired, because it was my fault
she had to work so hard, and I resolved to be more supportive now that this was happening
too.
    ‘I think I saw a metal detector, so maybe. But they’re homicide squad, they told
me.’
    I pulled the curtain over and we looked out. I motioned for Gina to step back so
she wouldn’t draw their attention. She came in beside me and I kissed the top of
her head.
    ‘I’m glad you’re okay,’ I said.
    ‘Me too. All of us.’
    We looked for a while but it felt weird to be glad or loving if cops were searching
our property for a body.
    ‘Why don’t you get changed? I’ll get you something to eat,’ I said.
    Gina dropped Lucas at school, and then she slept most of the afternoon. Or tried
to, anyway, while I sat at my desk and did not try all that hard to distract myself
from what was going on outside. I had work to do: the business I’d mentioned to the
two young cops was not so much a business yet as an excuse for having taken so long
to find a job after I’d been laid off a year earlier.
    After almost twelve years in the same government department, I’d at least received
a decent pay out. Forty-five of us were made redundant across the country, as well
as some others on contracts that were never renewed. While I was better off than
some, this was just six months after we’d bought the house—without my income we were
in over our heads.
    Gina