The Corpse at the Carnival by Catherine Lee

Author:Catherine Lee [Lee, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Catherine Lee

16

There was no time to get any further information from Isaac before the rest of the household arrived at the table, so Addison was left with the news of young Henry's parentage swirling in her mind throughout dinner. If Owen Hanley wasn't the boy's father, who was? And did it have anything to do with Frankie's murder?

Justin had marinated a butterflied leg of lamb and cooked it to perfection in the barbecue. He carved it at the table and couldn't hide his delight when the knife slid through to reveal deliciously pink flesh.

Olivia had excelled herself, too. She'd made some scrumptious-looking roast potatoes and sweet potatoes, as well as some honey-glazed baby carrots and butter-braised Brussels sprouts. There was gravy and mint sauce to top it off, and Addison couldn't wait to dig in.

"Emily made dessert," said Justin, beaming at his fiancée. "It looks amazing, so make sure you save room."

There were murmurs of 'yes' and 'definitely' around the table, then everyone filled their plates and passed around the gravy.

"This all looks wonderful," said Addison as they tucked in. "I'm so proud of you both."

"Remember that when you look in the kitchen," said Olivia.

"I don't care anymore," said Addison. She cut a piece of lamb and popped it into her mouth. "Wow," she said, almost involuntarily. "That's delicious."

"We learnt from the best," said Justin. He raised his glass. "Cheers. Thanks for having us this weekend, Mum. It's great to see where you've moved to. I'm glad you're happy here."

"Thank you, Justin. Of course, I'm happy to have you, anytime." Addison tipped her glass towards Emily. "And it's so lovely to finally meet you, Emily. Welcome to the family."

Everyone toasted, then got busy with their food. There was hardly a word spoken as they all devoured the meal. Rob popped into Addison's mind once again, and she smiled to herself. He would have been just as proud of their children as she was.

"So I guess it's pointless asking…" Adam began.

"It certainly is," said Isaac, cutting him off. "I'm sorry, mate. I wish I could share the details of the investigation with you, but you know I can't."

"But you can tell Addison?"

"She's an official police volunteer. She's been through a police check, and signed a confidentiality agreement."

Adam helped himself to more roast potatoes. "Can I do that too?"

Isaac paused. "I guess so. You won't get through if you've got a record, though."

Adam frowned. "Those charges were dropped."

"I know," said Isaac. "Let's discuss it later."

Adam cut into his roast potato with more force than was necessary. Addison's heart broke for him; all he wanted to do was help.

"So about that – Mum being a volunteer, I mean," said Justin. He rested his knife and fork on the side of his plate. "I assume you won't be putting her in harm's way at all, Detective Wilcox?"

"Of course not," said Isaac. "The role of a police volunteer is strictly administrative. They're there to support sworn officers, not take their place."

"Right. So she'll fulfil this support role from the safety of the police station?"

Isaac nodded.

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