that the two of us are in contact?’
‘It’s obvious anyway. This makes it legitimate.’
‘So in a way, the caller’s done us a favour.’
Jim smiled despite himself. You had to admire Anna’s way of looking at things, if not her apparent lack of a self-preservation instinct. ‘I’ll talk to you soon.’
As Jim drove to Reece’s house – a modest semi eerily reminiscent of the house he'd shared with Margaret – he contacted forensics and asked them to check out the phone box. Reece’s car was in the driveway with a couple of holdalls in its open boot. The house’s front door was open too. As Jim approached it, Reece emerged with another bag and stopped abruptly at the sight of him. ‘Jim, what are you doing here?’
‘Have you heard what’s happened?’
‘Yeah, the Chief Superintendent phoned me. He’s not a happy bunny.’
‘What about you? What do you think?’
Reece puffed his cheeks. ‘To be honest, Jim, right now I’ve got other things on my mind.’
Jim glanced at the bag. ‘You going somewhere?’
‘London. Only for the night. Staci’s got an appointment with an oncologist down there tomorrow morning.’
‘A private consultant?’
Reece nodded. ‘He’s supposed to be the best around.’
‘Sounds expensive.’
‘It’s not cheap. But I’ve got some money left over from the sale of my dad’s house.’ Reece turned at the sound of footsteps. Staci and her young daughter, Amelia, appeared at the door. Amelia looked up at Jim, but she didn’t have her usual cheeky smile for him. There was a kind of bewildered incomprehension in her eyes, as though she didn’t know exactly what was going on, but she sensed it wasn’t anything good.
‘Hi there, gorgeous,’ said Jim, smiling at her.
‘Hi,’ Amelia replied quietly, her gaze dropping away.
Jim turned his attention to Staci. She was wearing a heavy coat, but even so it was immediately apparent how much weight she’d lost in the month or so since he’d last seen her. Her face looked sucked in and there were shadows of pain around her eyes. Her once-thick strawberry-blonde hair was scraped back into a ponytail, through which showed pale glimpses of scalp. Self-consciously reaching up to check her hair, Staci asked the same question Reece had done, ‘What are you doing here, Jim?’
He gave her a small, gentle smile. ‘I came to see Reece about something.’
‘Do you two need a minute to talk?’
‘No. It’s nothing that can’t wait.’ Jim’s gaze returned Reece. ‘Go on, I don’t want to hold you up.’
Reece hurried to put the bag in the boot, before returning to help Staci to the car. With a tenderness that belied his burly frame, he supported her by the hand and elbow. ‘Good luck,’ Jim said as they passed him.
Staci smiled wanly. ‘Thanks.’
Jim flicked them a wave as Reece reversed the car out of the drive. Reece lowered his window. ‘About what you asked me before,’ he said to Jim. ‘It was high fucking time someone did something.’
Jim acknowledged his colleague’s support with a nod of thanks. He drove to the phone box and spent the next hour knocking on the doors of nearby houses, asking their occupants if they’d seen anyone using the pay phone around one o’clock. Unsurprisingly, no one had. Equally unsurprisingly, forensics pulled numerous prints off the phone box. The handset, however, was clean. Too clean. Almost as if someone had wiped it over to make extra sure they left no trace of themselves on it. Jim knew then that his guess was right – the call was a warning.
By the time he was done, his body was heavy with fatigue. Since his heart attack, he’d lived clean – except for the odd lapse – eaten well and adhered to the prescribed exercise, but even so his energy levels had never really returned to what they’d been. He stopped at a shop on the way home to buy some water to swallow his medication with. His gaze strayed to the alcohol behind the till. How he would have
‘It’s obvious anyway. This makes it legitimate.’
‘So in a way, the caller’s done us a favour.’
Jim smiled despite himself. You had to admire Anna’s way of looking at things, if not her apparent lack of a self-preservation instinct. ‘I’ll talk to you soon.’
As Jim drove to Reece’s house – a modest semi eerily reminiscent of the house he'd shared with Margaret – he contacted forensics and asked them to check out the phone box. Reece’s car was in the driveway with a couple of holdalls in its open boot. The house’s front door was open too. As Jim approached it, Reece emerged with another bag and stopped abruptly at the sight of him. ‘Jim, what are you doing here?’
‘Have you heard what’s happened?’
‘Yeah, the Chief Superintendent phoned me. He’s not a happy bunny.’
‘What about you? What do you think?’
Reece puffed his cheeks. ‘To be honest, Jim, right now I’ve got other things on my mind.’
Jim glanced at the bag. ‘You going somewhere?’
‘London. Only for the night. Staci’s got an appointment with an oncologist down there tomorrow morning.’
‘A private consultant?’
Reece nodded. ‘He’s supposed to be the best around.’
‘Sounds expensive.’
‘It’s not cheap. But I’ve got some money left over from the sale of my dad’s house.’ Reece turned at the sound of footsteps. Staci and her young daughter, Amelia, appeared at the door. Amelia looked up at Jim, but she didn’t have her usual cheeky smile for him. There was a kind of bewildered incomprehension in her eyes, as though she didn’t know exactly what was going on, but she sensed it wasn’t anything good.
‘Hi there, gorgeous,’ said Jim, smiling at her.
‘Hi,’ Amelia replied quietly, her gaze dropping away.
Jim turned his attention to Staci. She was wearing a heavy coat, but even so it was immediately apparent how much weight she’d lost in the month or so since he’d last seen her. Her face looked sucked in and there were shadows of pain around her eyes. Her once-thick strawberry-blonde hair was scraped back into a ponytail, through which showed pale glimpses of scalp. Self-consciously reaching up to check her hair, Staci asked the same question Reece had done, ‘What are you doing here, Jim?’
He gave her a small, gentle smile. ‘I came to see Reece about something.’
‘Do you two need a minute to talk?’
‘No. It’s nothing that can’t wait.’ Jim’s gaze returned Reece. ‘Go on, I don’t want to hold you up.’
Reece hurried to put the bag in the boot, before returning to help Staci to the car. With a tenderness that belied his burly frame, he supported her by the hand and elbow. ‘Good luck,’ Jim said as they passed him.
Staci smiled wanly. ‘Thanks.’
Jim flicked them a wave as Reece reversed the car out of the drive. Reece lowered his window. ‘About what you asked me before,’ he said to Jim. ‘It was high fucking time someone did something.’
Jim acknowledged his colleague’s support with a nod of thanks. He drove to the phone box and spent the next hour knocking on the doors of nearby houses, asking their occupants if they’d seen anyone using the pay phone around one o’clock. Unsurprisingly, no one had. Equally unsurprisingly, forensics pulled numerous prints off the phone box. The handset, however, was clean. Too clean. Almost as if someone had wiped it over to make extra sure they left no trace of themselves on it. Jim knew then that his guess was right – the call was a warning.
By the time he was done, his body was heavy with fatigue. Since his heart attack, he’d lived clean – except for the odd lapse – eaten well and adhered to the prescribed exercise, but even so his energy levels had never really returned to what they’d been. He stopped at a shop on the way home to buy some water to swallow his medication with. His gaze strayed to the alcohol behind the till. How he would have
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