Page 54 of The Truth Will Out
Rhys shrugged and seemed hurt by the rejection. He withdrew his hand as the waitress arrived with Sam’s coffee.
“Enjoy,” she said, then left them to it.
“What’s this about, Sam? Last night you barely said two words to me, and today you won’t even hold hands with me in public. What gives?”
“I won’t hold hands because I’m here on police business, and it wouldn’t feel right to show you affection.”
“Police business? I don’t understand. Does this have anything to do with the bastard who knifed me? Don’t tell me he’s escaped from prison?”
“He hasn’t, and no, it doesn’t have anything to do with you getting attacked.” She opened two sachets of sugar and poured them into her cup. “This is hard for me to say; I’ve been trying to summon up the words since yesterday.”
He frowned. “You’re getting me worried now. Just say it. If it comes out wrong, we’ll sort it out later.”
Sam gripped her cup with both hands as their gazes met. She could see the torture she was causing deep within his eyes. “It’s to do with the investigation we’re dealing with at the moment.”
“Go on. Sam, just say what’s on your mind and stop dragging it out, will you?”
“I’m sorry. You have no idea what this information is doing to me.”
He fell back in his chair and ran a hand through his short hair. “I can’t help you if you won’t tell me what you’re going on about.”
She exhaled and took a sip from her coffee, prolonging his agony but, at the same time, ensuring the words she was about to say came out in the correct order.
“Sam?” He shook his head and stared at her.
She could tell his patience was waning rapidly.
“All right. Here goes. In the past few days, as you know, we’ve had to deal with two murders, one being that of a member of my team.” She glanced over her shoulder, aware of the other customers sitting at the nearest tables, and lowered her voice. “The thing is, this morning we were called out to another crime scene…”
“My God. Are they all connected? If so, how do you know they are?”
“Yes, we believe we’re dealing with the same killer because they keep leaving us messages, mostly, maybe all of them, written in the victims’ blood.”
“Jesus, even Claire’s murder?”
“I think so, or maybe it was spray paint; I can’t honestly remember, and that in itself is a worrying sign for me. Anyway, when we showed up to assess Claire’s murder, we found a USB stick with some vital information on it about a certain… children’s home in the area.” She paused to consider his reaction. “Anyhow, this USB led us to the other victims and has also given us further insight into…”
“Into what? None of this is making any sense to me. What am I missing, and why does this concern me?”
“Does the name Pendle House mean anything to you?”
He sprang forward and gripped his cup tightly. “Yes, of course it does. I did some of my training there. It wasn’t long, only two or three weeks, but… hang on a minute, what are you saying? That you think I have something to do with the murders?”
“I’m not suggesting anything of the sort. Why didn’t you tell me you worked there or had a placement there?”
“What? Why should I? I had dozens of placements throughout the country during my time at university. It’s what they used to do back in the day. I think the system has changed now. I still don’tunderstand how this could cause an issue between us. Care to explain?”
Sam covered her face with her hands, shook her head, then released her hands when she thought she’d sorted through her thoughts enough to make any sense. “It’s the lies, the deceit; it’s coming at me from all sides, and I’ve struggled to handle it. You know what I went through with Chris.”
“Excuse me! I’m nothing like him and, for your information, I don’t think I’ve ever consciously lied to you since I’ve known you. Why are you punishing me for something that is out of my hands? For something that happened decades ago, just because you saw my name on a file ofemployees? I can’t believe this, Sam. I thought you knew me better than this. The question is, do you believe me?”
Sam turned her cup in her saucer and remained silent until he spoke again.
“Clearly not. What the actual…? What did I do wrong? I worked in a placement at a children’s home, which, years later, gained a despicable reputation. I repeat, in case you misheard me, long after I ‘worked’ there, and you’re sitting here now, what? Blaming me for being associated with the place? How is that even possible?”
She took a sip from her coffee and glanced out of the window. “I’m sorry. With what I’ve had to deal with this week, I kind of let things get on top of me.”
“What things? Claire betraying you? Is that what you’re alluding to? What does that have to do with me? None of this is making any sense, no matter which way I try to interpret it.”
