Death Rope
Page 28
‘So there were two of them all along,’ they heard her say.
‘Three if we count the dog,’ Ian said, too quietly for anyone beyond their immediate circle to hear.
Naomi heaved a sigh. ‘Poor animal. I think it’s a shame it had to be put down.’
‘It had mauled a woman to death,’ Ariadne said. ‘And it nearly killed Geraldine!’
‘It wasn’t the dog’s fault,’ Naomi replied. ‘It’s always a person who’s to blame, not a poor dumb animal.’
Geraldine nodded. ‘Naomi’s right.’
‘So who was responsible?’ Ariadne asked. ‘Will or Luciana?’
‘It was both of them,’ Naomi replied.
‘But someone must have had the idea first,’ Geraldine added. ‘I wonder which of them was the first to think of it. They’re both so busy blaming each other, I don’t think we’ll ever know who started it.’
‘I wonder who really did think up the idea first,’ Naomi said.
‘It must have been Luciana. She was the one who stood to gain from the deaths,’ Ariadne replied.
‘But he’s the psychopath,’ Naomi said. ‘Who else would have come up with the idea of killing them? I mean, anyone might speculate about ways to get their hands on their inheritance, but most people would never dream of committing murder, let alone actually do it.’
After a few rounds Geraldine’s colleagues began to drift away, and she announced she was leaving as well.
‘I’ll walk you to your car,’ Ian said.
It was a mild evening and they sauntered back towards the police station in silence for a few moments.
‘Did you get to see Bev?’ Geraldine asked as they approached the entrance to the car park.
‘Yes.’
His response was so curt she regretted having asked the question.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to be intrusive. I’m just concerned about you. I mean, not in the sense of being worried about you. I know you’re perfectly capable of running your own life. But I care about you, that’s all. As a friend, I mean.’
Too late she stopped talking, aware that her words sounded crass. Somehow Ian had the ability to make her feel like an awkward teenager whenever they were alone together.
‘She’s fallen out with her new boyfriend,’ he said.
‘Is that a bad thing?’
‘Geraldine, she’s having his baby!’
He paused. Glancing sideways, she could see his expression tauten. After a few seconds he spoke again, his teeth clenched.
‘She’s a difficult woman. I’m not surprised he sent her packing. But did she really think I’d take her back? Why would I?’ He gave an angry snort. ‘She as good as accused me of failing in my responsibilities as a husband, abandoning her now she’s pregnant. I really think she just assumed I’d be willing to go back to how we were before she left. But it’s not my child she’s carrying.’
He sounded so angry, Geraldine had to restrain herself from reaching out and putting her hand on his arm, the urge to comfort him was so strong. Instead, she resorted to the clumsy contrivance of words.
‘Ian, you’re under absolutely no obligation to take her back, or to support her. She left you, remember? Besides which, her baby has a father. It’s his responsibility, not yours. Unless you want her back. Along with another man’s baby,’ she added, with a slight tremor in her voice.
‘I know her baby’s no more my responsibility than she is.’ He frowned. ‘A better man than me would take her back, and bring her child up as his own. But I can’t. I just can’t.’
‘That’s perfectly reasonable. And I don’t believe most men would want her back after she cheated on you like that. I know I wouldn’t if I was a man.’
Ian laughed. ‘If you were a man. What do you know about it?’ He shook his head. ‘I think the hardest part of it is that after so many years, I have to acknowledge that I can never have really loved her at all. How could I have loved her, when I’m prepared to give up on her like this?’
‘She was the one who gave up on your relationship, not you.’
He nodded. ‘Yes, she did. She lied and cheated, and… Well, after her betrayal, we can never go back to how we were. But the curious thing is, when I saw her, I felt nothing.’ He stopped and turned to stare at her, his eyes troubled. ‘Is it possible to stop loving someone?’
Remembering Eddy’s hysterical devotion to his wife, Geraldine shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’
‘We were very young when we met,’ he went on, talking more to himself than to her. ‘Perhaps what I felt was never really love at all, but just an immature infatuation that carried on far longer than it should have done after we left school.’ He took a deep breath and shook his head. ‘Anyway, enough about me. What about you? How’s your sister and her new baby? And your crazy twin?’
‘She’s not crazy. Actually she’s doing pretty well. I’m hoping she’s going to be OK. She’s talking about getting a dog. That shows she’s ready to take on some responsibility, doesn’t it?’
‘I hope it’s not a Pitweiler.’
She turned to him, ready with a sharp retort, but Ian was smiling at her and she couldn’t help smiling back.
ALSO BY LEIGH RUSSELL
Have you read them all?
The DI Geraldine Steel Mysteries
Cut Short
Meet Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel: fierce, dependable, and committed to her job. Relocated to a quiet town, she expects respite from the stresses of the city. But when she finds herself pitted against a twisted killer preying on young women, she quickly discovers how wrong she is...
noexit.co.uk/cutshort
Road Closed
When a man dies in a gas explosion, the police suspect arson. But the case takes on a new and terrible twist when the prime suspect, a local felon, is viciously attacked. As police enquiries lead from the expensive Harchester Hill estate to the local brothel, their key witness dies in a hit-and-run. Coincidence? Or cold-blooded murder?
noexit.co.uk/roadclosed
Dead End
Headmistress Abigail Kirby is dead. A potential witness has been murdered. And for DI Geraldine Steel, the stakes have been raised yet higher...
noexit.co.uk/deadend
Death Bed
When the bodies of two black girls are discovered in North London, the pressure is on to find a killer before the case divides the local community. But motive seems to go far beyond race in DI Geraldine Steel’s first investigation in the nation’s capital.
noexit.co.uk/deathbed
Stop Dead
When a successful businessman is the victim of a vicious murder, all evidence points to his wife and her young lover. But then the victim's business partner suffers a similarly brutal fate and when yet another body is discovered, seemingly unrelated, the police are baffled.
noexit.co.uk/stopdead
Fatal Act
A glamorous young TV soap star dies in a car crash but despite the severity of the incident, the driver of the second vehicle has somehow survived – and is now missing.
noexit.co.uk/fatalact
Killer Plan
Caroline's husband is killed, but she can’t turn to the police without implicating herself in his murder. When one of her 10-year-old twins is kidnapped, the desperate mother is forced to resort to drastic measures to get him back.
noexit.co.uk/killerplan
Murder Ring
The dead body of unassuming David Lester is discovered in a dark side-street. The clues mount up along with the suspects, but with the death of another man in inexplicable circumstances, the case becomes increasingly complex.
noexit.co.uk/murderring
Deadly Alibi
Two victims and a suspect whose alibi appears open to doubt... Geraldine Steel is thrown into a double murder investigation which threatens not only her career, but her life.
noexit.co.uk/deadlyalibi
Class Murder
When two people are murdered, their only connection l
ies buried in the past. As police search for the elusive killer, another body is discovered. How can she expose the killer when all the witnesses are being murdered?
noexit.co.uk/classmurder
Death Rope
Mark Abbott is dead. His sister refuses to believe it was suicide but only Geraldine will listen. When other members of Mark’s family disappear, the police start to take notice. With three dead bodies and few leads, Geraldine is under pressure.
noexit.co.uk/deathrope
The DS Ian Peterson Murder Investigations
Cold Sacrifice
When Henry's wife is stabbed to death, he pays a prostitute to give him an alibi. Her body is discovered, strangled, and the police realise they are dealing with a serial killer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks.
noexit.co.uk/coldsacrifice
Race to Death
A man plummets to his death during the York Races. Suicide or murder? As the body count increases, the pressure mounts for DI Ian Peterson to solve the crimes quickly.
noexit.co.uk/racetodeath
Blood Axe
DI Ian Peterson investigates a series of gruesome and brutal murders in York. The case demands all Ian’s ingenuity, because these are murders seemingly committed at random, and this is a killer who leaves no clues.
noexit.co.uk/bloodaxe
The Lucy Hall Mysteries
Journey to Death
Lucy Hall arrives in the Seychelles determined to leave her worries behind. The tropical paradise looks sun-soaked and picture-perfect — but as Lucy soon discovers, appearances can be very deceptive. A deadly secret lurks in the island’s history, buried deep but not forgotten. And it is about to come to light.
Girl in Danger
Lucy Hall’s first summer in Paris promises to be idyllic. She’s fallen in love with the city and enjoys her new job as an investigative reporter. When her friend Nina comes to stay, the girls look forward to a wonderful summer. But Paris is a city of contrasts and Lucy is about to experience its dangerous side...
The Wrong Suspect
Lucy's search for her next big scoop takes her to Rome, in search of a young man reported missing, Dominique. But when she arrives, she realises that the eternal city is as dangerous as it is beautiful. She’s not the only one looking for Dominique: a criminal gang is hot on his trail, and Lucy’s investigation has put her squarely in their sight. . .
Available from Thomas & Mercer
Standalone Thrillers
The Adulterer's Wife
Julie is devastated to learn that her husband, Paul, is having an affair. It seems her life can’t get any worse – until she comes home to find his dead body in their bed...
Available from Bloodhound Books
About the author
Leigh Russell is the author of the internationally bestselling Geraldine Steel series: Cut Short, Road Closed, Dead End, Death Bed, Stop Dead, Fatal Act, Murder Ring, Deadly Alibi, Class Murder and Death Rope. The series has sold over a million copies worldwide. Cut Short was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association (CWA) John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award, and Leigh has been longlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award. Her books have been #1 on Amazon Kindle and iTunes with Stop Dead and Murder Ring selected as finalists for The People’s Book Prize. Leigh is chair of the CWA’s Debut Dagger Award judging panel and is a Royal Literary Fellow. Leigh studied at the University of Kent, gaining a Masters degree in English and American Literature. She is married with two daughters and a granddaughter, and lives in London.
Copyright
This ebook edition first published in 2018
by No Exit Press
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© Leigh Russell 2018
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ISBN
978-1-84344-934-8 (Print)
978-1-84344-935-5 (Epub)
978-1-84344-936-2 (Kindle)
978-1-84344-937-9 (Pdf)
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