The Wild Coast - Rhona MacLeod Series 07 (2023) by Anderson Lin

Author:Anderson, Lin [Anderson, Lin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

43

Loch Lomond

Day seven

It was still raining. She’d heard the continuous beat of it on the cottage roof during the long hours of the night as she’d lain, wide-eyed, staring at the ceiling.

Unlike her, the kids had slept soundly. She’d risen at least three times to check on them. As she gazed down on their tousled heads and heard the easy breath of their untroubled sleep, she knew she’d done the right thing in bringing them here.

It wasn’t getting away from the city that had done it, but leaving Derek behind – or, if she was honest, going into hiding from him – that had relieved their anxiety. That, plus their conversation with Dr MacLeod. Whatever they’d told her seemed to have unburdened them.

The watchful looks they’d observed her with back in Glasgow had dissipated. They were children again. Lying laughing in bed last night, as though not even torrential rain could spoil their holiday. Or their freedom from their father.

She, of course, had not been set free by the journey here.

The calls from Derek remained unanswered. The stream of texts that followed too.

She had told herself not to listen to the voicemails he left, or read the texts. Although she had found herself unable to follow her own advice.

The first voicemail had sounded genuinely worried and puzzled. After which they became, like Derek often was, strident and demanding. The final voicemail blamed her for him having to report to the police station first thing tomorrow morning . . . this morning, in fact.

‘You bitch. What lies did you tell them about me?’

She thought of the T-shirt with blood on it. Fish blood, he’d told her with a smile. She hadn’t believed him. Nor did she now.

So why didn’t you hand it in to the police? she asked herself again. If it was a match for the blood in Callie’s van, then he would have to explain himself to them.

Then a thought occurred. If he wouldn’t leave her alone, could she use the T-shirt as collateral?

She imagined his reaction to her possible blackmail and it frightened her even more. No. The last thing she wanted was to antagonize him any further.

She reminded herself she no longer cared what happened to him, because she no longer lived with him. She was here now and the school holidays had only just begun. Since she worked as a classroom assistant during term time, she too was free for as long as the children were.

She allowed herself a moment’s pleasure at that thought before the nagging doubt returned. And after that, what?

Derek was unlikely to give up easily. Plus he had friends who would support him. The men he now went fishing with. The boys, he called them, like they were twelve and not grown men.

She’d never met them in person. Hadn’t been permitted to. They definitely weren’t the pals he’d had when he’d first met her. The ones who’d been at their wedding, including Josh, his best man, who seemed to have been discarded.

She’d

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