A Silent Truth, page 23
‘There used to be a time when you didn’t bother doing that.’
She cocked an eyebrow at him and held out her hand for the bag. ‘There used to be a time when I didn’t live with a detective.’
Mark clipped the metal catch to Hamish’s collar, checked that there were no new messages on his phone, and set off across the meadow towards the car park, his arm around Lucy’s waist.
The dog pulled on the lead, unaccustomed to being restrained, but Mark wasn’t taking any chances.
He pushed open the metal five-bar gate and scuffed his shoes to lose the worst of the mud. Satisfied, he set out along the pavement that bordered the main road, keeping Hamish to his right to avoid the small dog being buffeted by the traffic that shot past.
‘Where first?’ he asked, raising his voice to be heard.
‘Supermarket. We’ll do the bookshop on the way back otherwise we’ll have extra weight to cart around.’ Lucy grinned. ‘I know what you’re like once you’re let loose in there.’
‘Who, me?’
He nodded to another couple who waited at the far end of the bridge to let them pass, then exhaled as some of the stress from the past two weeks began to subside.
Some of it.
There were still answers that needed resolving from the forensic evidence, a mountain of paperwork to prepare for the CPS, and that was before he turned his attention back to the cases he’d been neglecting since the Tillcotts had discovered Sonya Raynott’s body.
‘Hey.’
He blinked, then looked at Lucy. ‘Sorry. Miles away. What did you say?’
She pointed through the supermarket windows. ‘We only need a few things, and you’re itching to phone Jan for an update so why don’t you wait out here with Hamish?’
‘Do you mind?’
‘We only need a few bits and pieces. See you in a minute.’
Mark waited until the glass doors swished shut, made sure Hamish sat at his feet, and then pulled out his phone.
Jan answered within three rings. ‘I thought you wouldn’t be able to wait until you came in.’
‘Everything all right?’
‘Yes. Kennedy’s on the phone to Melrose at the moment and the media relations team have just released a statement that’ll probably be all over the news sites within the hour. Caroline’s over at the council offices getting a copy of the CCTV footage, and––’
‘Anything from forensics?’ Mark bit his lip. ‘Sorry.’
His colleague laughed. ‘I was getting to that, Sarge. Yes, Jasper phoned this morning. He managed to fast-track some of the evidence, but we’re going to have to wait for the formal report.’
‘What about informal? What did he say?’
‘It’s Greg Fernsby, Sarge. We got him. The fishing rod he used to hit Sonya over the head with is made of a composite of carbon fibre and fibreglass, which is why fragments were found in that wound – it was the glass fibre particles that broke away from the rod on impact. And they found hair in the boot of his car that they expect will be a DNA match with hers.’
‘So much for just knocking her out.’
‘I’ve just been speaking to Gillian about that, and she said if an ambulance had been called and managed to save Sonya, there was every chance a blow like that would’ve left her with some sort of brain damage.’
He heard the sound of Jan flicking through pages, and resisted the urge to pepper her with more questions.
‘Ah, here we go,’ she said eventually. ‘The blood on Fernsby’s sweatshirt, the stains that he couldn’t get out. Definitely Sonya’s. The knife that we retrieved from his arrest also has traces of Creasey’s blood embedded in the hilt.’
Mark thanked her, exhaling as he ended the call, and then smiled as Lucy appeared, the tote bag now laden and a pair of leeks sticking out the top.
‘Was that Jan?’ she said, winding her fingers between his before they walked towards the square.
‘It was.’
‘And?’
‘It’s him.’ He lowered his voice as they passed a cluster of people outside a charity clothing shop. ‘Jasper’s confirmed the forensic evidence is a match for both murders.’
‘Well done.’ She pulled him to a standstill, and kissed him.
Then her stomach rumbled.
Mark laughed. ‘Fancy something to eat before we go to the bookshop?’
‘Have you got time?’
‘I have.’ He smiled. ‘Jan’s got it all under control. Besides, I know just the place.’
He led the way across the square towards a familiar café, several tables cluttering the cobblestones and bright tablecloths covering the surfaces.
Spotting a waitress emerge with a platter of scrambled eggs that she put in front of a man in a hi-vis vest before turning to clear away another table, he approached her with a shy smile.
Clare Baxter turned around and wiped her hands on her apron before pulling out a chair, and grinned.
‘I’ll go and get some menus.’
* * *
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Amphlett is a USA Today bestselling author of crime fiction and spy thrillers, many of which have been translated worldwide.
Her novels are available in eBook, print, and audiobook formats from libraries and retailers as well as her website shop.
A keen traveller, Rachel has both Australian and British citizenship.
Find out more about Rachel’s books at: www.rachelamphlett.com.
Rachel Amphlett, A Silent Truth
