Ripples (The Blake Harte Mystery Book 3) by Robert Innes

Author:Robert Innes [Innes, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-05-07T05:00:00+00:00

A few hours later, Blake was sitting in the bar, cradling a glass of vodka and coke, far stronger than the one he had been drinking the night before. He glanced up as Rupert approached him, brandishing the vodka bottle.

“Refill, Blake? May as well take advantage of not having Duncan breathing down my neck anymore-“ he cut himself off halfway through the sentence, possibly feeling like he had come across as harsh or heartless. “I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t know why I said that.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Blake said, holding his glass up. “If anybody is entitled to say whatever they want, I would say it’s you. You knew your brother better than anybody else after all.”

Rupert filled Blake’s glass up and sat down opposite him, looking exhausted. “Three hours I was talking to that inspector. Not exactly the most compassionate man I’ve ever met.”

“No,” Blake replied. “He isn’t.”

“Somebody said you used to work with him?” Rupert asked wearily. “I can’t remember who, sorry.”

Blake nodded. “We’ve got history. Anyway, that doesn’t matter now. How are you? Stupid question, I know.”

Rupert shook his head and looked up at the ceiling, perhaps in an attempt to stop himself from bursting into tears. “Numb. I think that’s the only word I could possibly use at the minute. You could throw anything else at me right now and I don’t think it would make one iota of difference to how I’m feeling.”

Blake didn’t reply, instead choosing to take a long sip from his glass.

“Rupert was the most unreasonable, selfish and bullying bloke you could ever meet. I grew up with him, mostly in fear. He was always my parents’ favourite. I don’t care what they said. Duncan was the go-getter. The one out of the two of us they could trust to bring good reputation to the family name.” He shrugged, looking slightly childish as he did so. “What was I supposed to do? I could only just get on with my own life whilst Saint Duncan did no wrong.”

“Must have been difficult,” Blake said softly. “Has anybody told your mother about what’s happened yet?”

Before Rupert could reply, Polly walked into the bar, followed by Harrison.

“Finally,” Blake said as Harrison sat down beside him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m alright, I think. After Sally was done interviewing me about what had happened, your old boss then pulled me aside and asked me exactly the same questions all over again. But whenever I told him anything, he was acting like he didn’t believe me. He’s only just let me go!”

Blake rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that sounds like Gresham. He thinks it’s the best way to get the most honest account out of his witnesses, to try and chip them down till they think they’re a suspect. Don’t let him get to you, he’s just an arsehole.”

“You need to tell her, Rupert,” Polly said soothingly to Rupert as they pulled apart. “You can’t let that inspector be the one to tell her.”

Rupert ran his hands through his hair.

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