Read Online The Reckoning on Cane Hill: A Novel by Steve Mosby - Free Book Online

have to be aware of is that it’s possible she will, at some point, seek you out.’
    ‘What?’ The horror was absolute now. ‘You can stop her. Can’t you?’
    No, not really .
    ‘Yes,’ I lied. ‘Perhaps. It depends on her behaviour. The issue we’d be facing at the moment is that she’s not obviously dangerous.’
    ‘She’s obviously deluded.’ Carlisle shook his head. ‘What is wrong with her? Why would someone do this? I don’t...’
    ‘Well, that’s the other reason I’m here.’ I leaned forward. ‘The why . Obviously this woman is not Charlotte, but there must be a reason why she has fixated on your ex-wife the way she has. So it’s possible that you know her in some way, or that Charlotte did.’
    ‘I don’t know anybody fucking crazy enough to do this.’
    ‘No, I understand. But like I said, she has some injuries. It’s possible this woman has been through some kind of trauma, and that might explain the confusion she’s suffering. She might be somebody you knew once.’
    ‘What does she look like?’
    A fair bit like Charlotte Matheson .
    ‘The most obvious thing,’ I said, ‘is that she has some facial scarring.’
    ‘Okay.’
    Carlisle looked off to one side, thinking it over. Trying for me. Which was immediately disappointing, because it meant he didn’t know her – at least not as she was now. He was trying to remember women with facial scars, but if this woman had ever been part of his life, and looked then as she did now, he wouldn’t have had to think very hard about it.
    ‘I don’t know,’ he said.
    ‘That’s okay. Aside from that, she does look a little like your wife – similar height and build, similar curly brown hair. Did Charlotte have any extended family who resembled her?’
    ‘No. Only child. There were cousins, I think , but not that she ever saw or talked about.’
    It was something to explore, maybe, but already I wasn’t holding out much hope.
    ‘What about close friends?’
    ‘Not that I know of. She had friends, obviously, but none that looked much like her. Not that I can think of, anyway.’ He frowned, then rubbed his forehead with the heel of his palm. ‘Christ. No. I don’t think so.’
    ‘Okay.’ I tried to hide the disappointment from my voice. ‘That’s fine, Paul, honestly.’
    ‘I have absolutely no idea ...’
    ‘Do you have a photograph of Charlotte?’
    ‘I—’
    But then we both heard a noise on the stairs, and he stopped mid-sentence. Someone was making their way down, very slowly. The wood made careful creaks.
    He lowered his voice again. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’
    I nodded conspiratorially. A moment later, the door at the far end of the room opened, and a woman came in. She too was in her early thirties, with short mussed-up blonde hair, and she was also wearing a dressing gown, along with the same look of bleary tiredness as Paul Carlisle. She was clearly very pregnant, her belly swollen out front in an enormous sphere. Nearly full term, I imagined.
    I’m just exhausted , I remembered. We’re not sleeping well at the moment .At the same time, I couldn’t help doing the maths in my head. Carlisle’s fast work was even speedier than I’d first thought.
    She noticed me. ‘Oh. Hello?’
    ‘Good afternoon.’ I gave what I hoped was a casual smile. ‘Sorry to interrupt like this.’
    ‘No, that’s okay. What ... ?’
    ‘Police. Nothing serious, honestly. I was actually just on my way out.’ I stood up, turning back to Carlisle. ‘I think we’re done, Mr Carlisle. Thank you for your time.’
    ‘No problem.’ He looked sick. ‘If you could just wait outside for a moment ... ?’
    ‘Yes, of course.’
    I kicked my heels slightly down the path and waited, feeling bad for the man but also – perhaps bizarrely – just as sorry now for the woman in the hospital. Thinking back on our conversation, as crazy as it had been, she had seemed genuinely to believe the story she was telling me. If she really did think