A Stranger in the Family by Jane Casey

Author:Jane Casey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: null
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers Ltd
Published: 2024-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

29

Because of the car, and because he was still a suspect in the disappearance of Rosalie Marshall, and therefore a person of interest to our enquiry, I went to Brighton the next day to search Paul Lavender’s flat. In the passenger seat: Georgia, who was wildly over-excited to be getting a trip out of the office. It was just the two of us, because Una Burt was playing a constant numbers game to try to cover our workload. I had hoped for Liv but she turned me down, preferring to stay in central London in case Sonny needed her.

‘Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to show you still love the job?’ I whispered. ‘Didn’t you want to prove yourself?’

Her eyes narrowed and she stood very straight, as if that would add enough inches to let her look me in the eye. ‘I prove myself every day.’

‘I know that. I miss you, that’s all. I was looking forward to spending the day with you.’ I pulled her in for a quick hug which made Pete Belcott whistle appreciatively from the other side of the office.

‘At last. Do you know how long I’ve waited to see you two getting physical with one another—’

He broke off as Chris Pettifer put a meaty hand over his face and held it there, muffling his words so all that came out was inarticulate honking.

Chris nodded to us. ‘You’re welcome, ladies.’

And so I had Georgia. She was buzzing with happiness, having received permission from the CPS two days earlier to charge someone in the stabbing she had been investigating, and she wouldn’t shut up about it.

‘I mean, I thought the evidence was all there as far as it went but he didn’t confess and you know there are no guarantees with the CPS. Even if you have loads of forensic evidence and eyewitnesses you can’t be sure you’re going to be able to convince a jury, but I know he did it and I was absolutely bricking it in case the lawyer said no. I think I sounded too surprised when he said yes because he laughed.’

‘Was that the first time you called the CPS yourself?’ I couldn’t believe she had been a detective for so long without doing a fairly ordinary part of the job. On second thoughts I could absolutely believe that someone else would have intervened to do it every other time. I’d done it myself.

‘Josh said it was my case and my responsibility so I should make the call.’

My hands tightened involuntarily on the wheel. I hadn’t spoken to him since the night before, only seeing him in meetings, looking focused and professional. I put a ten-pound note on his desk before I left for Brighton. It seemed like the best thing to do. Of course I didn’t take it seriously when we were talking on the phone. Of course I was just playing along. Of course I wasn’t shaky with desire when I hung up, and of course I didn’t spend the whole evening and most of the night thinking about you.

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