Tell No Lies
Page 32
‘Thankfully.’ Caelan was surprised by the ache in her throat, the tears in her eyes. She rubbed them away with a fingertip before Penrith could notice, though he was concentrating on tipping crisp crumbs into his mouth. He folded the bag and shoved it into his trouser pocket.
‘Mulligan’s men are singing like canaries, as they say. Blaming him, each other, everyone they can think of.’
‘Crowley?’
‘Dead.’
Caelan had expected it. ‘Glennister?’
‘Oh, he’s all right. Nothing a rock or two won’t fix.’ Penrith smirked at his own play on words.
‘How did Liv take the news about her husband?’
‘They haven’t told her yet. Achebe and Jen Somerville are with her. Waits is still in surgery, though they tell me he’s in no danger.’ He sniffed. ‘Bit of a shock when he turned up.’
‘You heard him, then?’
‘Loud and clear. Almost fell off my chair.’
‘Sorry I missed that.’
He smiled. ‘Assistant Commissioner Beckett wants to see you.’
‘Well I don’t want to see her.’
‘Thought you might not be keen. Told her no visitors today, doctor’s orders.’ He wagged a finger. ‘You can buy me a thank-you present when they let you out.’
‘What about Mulligan?’
‘They’re operating on him too, but he’ll live. Our friends at the NCA had never heard of him.’ He spread his hands. ‘They’re backing away from the whole affair as if it’s spontaneously combusted.’
‘There’s a shock.’
‘I’m surprised they’re not trying to claim at least some of the credit, considering the stash of drugs and cash we found at one of Mulligan’s hidey-holes, but…’
They had also found Nicky Sturgess, but neither of them wanted to approach the subject. Caelan pulled the thin blanket higher over her chest. She was wearing just a hospital gown, and the room felt cold. Penrith leaned forward, clumsily patting her hand.
‘I’ve seen her.’
Caelan gulped. ‘And?’
He shook his head. ‘I won’t lie. It’s not looking good. Her parents are on their way. As you know, they’ve been through this before.’
‘Last time, they were told she was dead.’ Caelan twisted the blanket between her fingers. ‘I thought I saw her die. And when I’d begun to come to terms with that, suddenly she was back.’
‘I know.’ His voice was soft.
Caelan looked at him, not bothering to hide the tears now. ‘Forgive me if I don’t know how to react.’
* * *
Later, after lukewarm soup and thin sandwiches, Caelan asked a nurse where Nicky was.
The room, at the end of a long, busy corridor, was silent but for the beeps and hisses of the machinery surrounding the bed. Another nurse was there, checking readings, making notes. She looked up with a quick smile as Caelan appeared. Caelan approached the bed, looked down at Nicky’s face. The pale skin, the bruising around her eyes. The mask covering her mouth and nose. Nicky’s hand lay on the bed, a cannula with another tube attached disappearing beneath the sheet. Tentatively, Caelan touched it with a fingertip. Cold. All at once, a surge of emotion welled in her chest, sudden and overwhelming. She wanted to throw herself into Nicky’s arms and howl. They’d had such plans. The job had driven them apart, threatened their relationship, even their lives.
The fucking job.
‘They’re saying there could be brain damage.’
The voice came from the doorway. Caelan didn’t turn. The nurse looked up, detected the tension, left the room. Assistant Commissioner Elizabeth Beckett crossed the floor to stand beside the bed.
‘Have you spoken to her parents?’ Caelan didn’t look at Beckett, keeping her eyes on Nicky, on the machinery.
‘I broke the news to them myself.’
‘Big of you.’
Beckett turned her head. ‘You think it’s my fault she’s lying here?’
‘You’re the boss, aren’t you?’
‘And the buck stops with me? No. We don’t know what happened, but the ones to blame are the men who gave her… whatever it is they injected. No one else.’
‘You were concerned about her, but she was still on active duty.’
‘I’m also concerned about you, and here you are. If I forbade any officer I worried about from being in the field, the department would be empty.’
‘Probably a good thing.’
‘You think so?’ Beckett pressed her lips together. ‘I’ll need a statement from you.’
‘Tomorrow. I’ll be at home, taking the leave you insisted on. The leave you cancelled. Twice.’
‘And then?’
‘What?’
‘I’m prepared to give you two weeks, then I’ll expect you back in the office.’
‘I’ll need longer. Goodnight, ma’am.’
‘You won’t be able to stay away, you know.’ Beckett spoke quietly, her eyes still on Nicky’s face. ‘You people are all the same.’
Caelan felt a flash of fury. ‘You people? What’s that supposed to—’
‘Once you’ve been undercover, nothing else comes close. It’s like soldiers who’ve seen active service. Take them out of uniform, give them a desk job, and they don’t know what to do with themselves. The adrenalin is addictive.’
‘Yeah, yeah. Maybe I’ll take up skydiving.’
Beckett ignored her. ‘Mulligan’s men have given us some interesting information. They were involved in people trafficking.’ She gave Caelan a sidelong glance. ‘The brothel you went to was one of the places they supplied.’
‘Supplied? You’ve a real way with words.’
‘We’ll be following up on what they told us. When Mulligan’s recovered, we’ll be talking to him with a view to making him an offer in exchange for information. It could mean opportunities for you.’
‘Mulligan knows who I am, what I do. You expect him to keep his mouth shut?’
The Assistant Commissioner’s smile was cold. ‘In these situations, it usually depends on what is offered in return.’
‘Better make it the Crown Jewels, then.’
Beckett didn’t respond, and Caelan went to the door, opened it. Stood watching as Beckett lifted Nicky’s hand.
‘She could still recover, you know.’
Caelan blinked, her throat aching again. ‘Ma’am.’
Beckett looked up, still holding Nicky’s hand. ‘What is it?’
‘I resign.’
Acknowledgements
Every writer is probably certain they have the best publishers in the world, but I’m sure mine beat them all. A huge thank you to the lovely people at Canelo for everything they have done to get this book out into the world. Special thanks to Michael Bhaskar for all his help, advice, support and understanding. Caelan and I couldn’t have found a better home.
I’d like to thank everyone who has read the book, especially those who have taken the time to review it or to contact me about it. It means so much to know people are reading your work, and for me is a dream come true. Thank you all.
To my hugely supportive, kind and generous friends - you know who you are. Thank you.
Without the encouragement and support of my family, I would have given up writing long ago. To Tracy, who keeps me on the right path and believes in me - thank you for everything. To Mum and Grandma, who have supported and encouraged me for forty years now - thank you. A mention too for my son, the rest of my lovely family and also my furry writing companions, Evie, Poppy and Alexa. No, I can’t throw your ball. I’m working.
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Time To Go
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Find out more
First published in the United Kingdom in 2018 by Canelo
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Copyright © Lisa Hartley, 2018
The moral right of Lisa Hartley to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781911420675
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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