By the time Eli left for school, Jack had already made up his mind. He waited until the house was empty. Then he went to the hall cupboard and pulled down the old storage box he hadn’t opened in years. Sarah’s things. He found the hairbrush near the bottom, wrapped in an old scarf he hadn’t had the heart to throw away. A few dark strands were still caught in the bristles.
Jack stared at it for a second longer than necessary. Then he closed the box and made the call. Adrian picked up on the third ring. He and Jack had known each other long before the promotions and the greying at the temples and the exhaustion that seemed to settle permanently into men who stayed too long in difficult jobs.