01 The Murderer's Son by Joy Ellis

Author:Joy Ellis
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: Fiction, Women Sleuths, Mystery & Detective
ISBN: 9781911021797
Publisher: Joffe Books
Published: 2016-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Skye watched Daniel as he sat on the floor cradling the cat. His shoulders were hunched and his knees were drawn up to his chest. Skye felt her world begin to disintegrate.

Daniel needed help, and if he didn’t get it soon, he’d finish up being sectioned. How could he have gone from being an intelligent young man with a brilliant future to . . . this? He had become an unreachable and tragic stranger. She could only guess that his long-time obsession with a sick killer had been somehow exacerbated by the death of Alison Fleet, and it was too much for his mind to cope with.

But what should she do? It was all very well to say that they’d work with the police shrink — and she was mightily relieved that Daniel had gone along with that suggestion — but it would be an hour a day, if they were lucky. Then, when the novelty had worn off, it would be an hour a week, then once a month.

She sank down onto the floor next to him and hugged him. They must have stayed that way, without speaking, for a very long time, because when the doorbell rang and she moved to get up, her arms and legs were stiff.

Daniel seemed not to have heard the bell. Indeed he hardly seemed to notice that her warm embrace had slipped away. Skye felt a pang of fear as she went to answer the door. What would it be this time? Whose sombre face would she find on her doorstep? What awful news would she hear? Skye wondered if she could take much more.

‘I’m so sorry to intrude.’ Lisa Hurley looked eaten up with concern. ‘But you left your phone at my place when you hurried off earlier.’

Skye stared at the dark red mobile phone in the outstretched hand, and almost laughed out loud. The person at the door was just a friend with a bit of lost property. She smiled, but felt tears escaping from the corners of her eyes. ‘Thank you so much. I didn’t even know I’d left it.’

Lisa Hurley looked on the verge of tears herself. ‘Skye, you need some help. You can’t deal with all this alone. You’re making yourself ill.’

Skye bit back the tears, drew in a shaky breath, then beckoned Lisa inside.

They walked slowly down the hall and halted in the doorway to the lounge. Skye pointed to the still form sitting on the floor, like a stone Buddha. ‘Look at him. Look at my Daniel, Lisa. I love him, but I just don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t know how to help him.’

Lisa Hurley stared at Daniel, then turned away and went to Skye’s kitchen. Without a word she filled the kettle and turned it on, then took three mugs from the dresser. ‘How long has he been like that?’

Skye, grateful to be doing something mundane, opened a new jar of coffee. ‘An hour? When I got back he was edgy, nervy.

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