When his phone rang, he nearly didn’t answer it. He wasn’t sure he could cope with any more emotion just then. Steeling himself, he picked it up.
‘Ian, it’s Geraldine.’
He was pleased to hear from his former colleague. Geraldine had no idea that she was probably his closest friend. At least she understood the horrible flatness he went through at the end of a case, when people who hadn’t experienced it might expect him to be feeling triumphant. That was one more thing about him that Bev had never understood.
‘I thought you were sounding a bit down,’ Geraldine said, when he had told her about the arrest.
Soothed by her understanding, he blurted out that Bev had left him.
‘What?’
‘She’s left me. Gone back to Kent. For good.’
‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?’
She knew that he did. Why else would he have mentioned Bev, before she had even asked about her. But having brought the subject up, he didn’t know what to say.
‘There’s not much to tell you, really. She left me. Went back to Kent.’
He realised he was close to tears and hoped his voice didn’t betray his wave of emotion.
‘She was never exactly supportive, was she?’
Her sympathy surprised him. He had always believed he was to blame for his marital problems.
‘Was it just the move, or is there someone else?’
‘I’m not sure.’ He paused. ‘Well, yes, there is someone. The thing is, she’s pregnant…’
‘Oh, Ian!’
‘Only she says it’s not mine,’ he added, speaking very quickly. He wasn’t sure why he was telling Geraldine all this. ‘I’m telling you that in confidence. All of it.’
‘Of course.’
‘The thing is, I’m not sure whether to believe her when she says it’s not mine, and I don’t know what to do. It’s all such a mess.’
It was a relief to share his bewilderment. Not only was Geraldine a woman, but she had been his inspector when he was still a sergeant. It felt natural to turn to her for advice.
‘Pregnant women are often all over the place. I know my sister is.’
‘Is she pregnant?’
‘Yes.’
There was a pause.
‘Talk to her, Ian,’ she said at last, realising he was waiting for her to speak again. ‘She must be unhappy. She always resented moving, didn’t she? Talk to her. Try to sort it out with her.’
The more reasonable Geraldine was, the more angry he felt.
‘She said the baby’s not mine.’
‘That might not be true. You said yourself you don’t know whether to believe her or not.’
‘Then why say it?’
‘It could be a desperate cry for attention. She’s telling you loud and clear that she doesn’t want to stay in York. That could be all it is. If you want my advice, for what it’s worth, I think you should talk to her. You don’t even know if there’s anyone else involved. That’s the first thing I’d do, if I were you. Find out if she’s been seeing anyone else. Oh, Ian, I’m so sorry if she has been cheating. But you know what to do. Find out all the facts before you reach any conclusions.’
In spite of his unhappiness, he smiled. Geraldine was so predictable.
‘It’s not a police investigation.’
‘You’ll sort it out, one way or the other. Things might not be as bad as you think. But you need to find out what’s behind it all, before you can work out what you want to do.’
She was right. He was in a state of limbo, unable to think straight, because he didn’t really know what the hell was going on. Once he got to the bottom of it, he would decide what to do.
Geraldine was speaking again. ‘Congratulations on getting that axe murderer. From what you’ve said, it sounds like you did a great job! I’m really proud of you. I always am.’
It was typical of Geraldine to be more concerned about his case than his personal life. He couldn’t help smiling again. Now Sophie was safely behind bars, he had time to pursue Bev. Geraldine was right. As soon as his reports were written up, he would follow his wife to Kent and find out exactly what was going on. Reaching that decision made him feel more positive. He glanced at his watch. There was nothing he could do to salvage his failing marriage that night but there was still time to go back to the pub and raise a glass to the arrest of the axe murderer. He said goodbye to Geraldine, and picked up his car keys.
Copyright
This ebook edition first published in 2015
First published in 2015
by No Exit Press
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© Leigh Russell 2015
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978-1-84344-544-9 (Epub)
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Blood Axe Page 27