Fallen Idols by Neil White

Author:Neil White
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance
Publisher: Avon
Published: 2008-09-03T23:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-ONE

Glen Ross was behind his desk, sitting back and staring into space.

He glanced over to the photograph of his wife and children. He reached forward and touched the picture, enjoying his wife’s smiling face, looking proudly at the camera, his three girls wrapped around her, all in their teens. They were splashed by innocence, not aware of the compromises they would have to make as they went through life. Life wasn’t just about parties and clothes and boys. It was about choices. He’d had to make some tough ones. He had a family. He had a position. Most importantly, he had a responsibility to the town he served.

He ran his hands over his face. He felt tired. He thought about the American and his insides churned.

He had four choices.

He could go along with what the American said: tell the whole world that Bob Garrett had let Annie Paxman walk to her death, shatter his memory forever. But where would that get him? Just demand after demand, always putting himself at greater risk.

He could ignore him.

That thought made him nauseous. He didn’t doubt the stranger had the ability to kill him. He only had to think of how he’d felt when he’d looked down at Bob Garrett’s body. One shot to the head. Gun pressed up against the skin, starfish wound, scorch marks. Cold blood. The thought of it made him feel sick. One of his officers, killed on duty. He knew he couldn’t ignore him.

He could call the police in London and tell them everything he knew. That might save some lives.

He looked at the photograph of his wife and children again. He thought about his house just on the edge of town. A detached box, new-build, with a mock-Tudor front and stripes in his lawn. He had worked hard for that, and for the gleaming décor inside, and the new car on the drive. And what about the respect of his neighbours, people who looked up to him? He would lose everything. He stared at the floor. He knew he couldn’t involve the authorities.

Or he could kill the American. Then he could tell David Watts that he would sort it out his way.

That was the best option. It put him back in charge, something he hadn’t felt since he’d received that call from David Watts a couple of days before.

He put his head back and covered his eyes with his hands. He felt like screaming. He didn’t know how to resolve it, that was the problem. How could he put himself back in charge of a situation he didn’t know how to control?

There was a fifth option, another way out – a coward’s way out, but he saw again the photograph of his wife and children. He should spare them the shame. He owed them that much at least.

He looked to the room outside and saw a buzz of activity, the resources of the station running at capacity following Bob Garrett’s death.

He guessed it was time to call them together and tell them about Bob Garrett’s confession.

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