Page 42 of The Girl in the Grave
‘That’s very good of you. I don’t know if I’d have been so keen to give up my chance to go to uni.’
‘What about you, why did you want to be a pathologist?’
Beth decided to be frank with her: she wanted to gain her trust. ‘I didn’t, not at first. I was an A&E doctor. I loved the thrill of helping people, saving lives even if we were understaffed and under pressure.’
‘How did you go from saving people to cutting up dead bodies? It’s a bit of a leap.’
‘I was attacked, and afterwards I went through a really bad time. After that, I didn’t want to face people, well not living ones. So I retrained as a pathologist. I trust the dead more than the living, so it seemed easier and so much safer.’
‘Oh, God. That must have been terrible. I’m sorry for asking.’
‘No, don’t be. It feels good to talk about it. I’ve sort of been living under a shell since it happened and hiding myself away. It was a few years ago now; he’s in prison. Life is good, most of the time.’
They sipped their coffees, both of them silent. It was Beth who spoke first.
‘You said you might have recognised the girl in the photo I showed you earlier. Would you mind telling me how? Before you answer, I have a favour to ask. I have a very good friend who happens to be the lead detective on the case. He’s sitting over on that bench in the church.’ She pointed to where Josh was sitting. ‘Would you mind if he came and joined us? You don’t have to say yes. If you’d rather it was just you and me I understand.’
Alex bit her lip and turned to look at Josh, who was watching them. He lifted a hand and waved. She lifted hers and gave a slight wave, then looked back at Beth.
‘I suppose once I tell you it’s going to go further anyway, so I might as well tell you both. The thing is, I don’t want to upset my dad or give the company a bad name.’
‘Thank you, we’ll try and deal with anything you tell us as discreetly as possible.’
An overwhelming feeling of relief washed over Beth as she waved Josh over; at least it wasn’t all down to her now.
Fifty-Seven
Josh pulled over a chair and introduced himself to Alex, who nervously smiled back at him.
‘I recognise you. You’re the guy caught sneaking around the garages yesterday. You nearly gave James a heart attack.’
He held up his right hand. ‘Guilty as charged. I’m sorry for the intrusion, but why was James so upset?’
‘He said it’s because it’s a funeral home. He thought it was disrespectful; although he was probably more worried you’d find the stash of weed he keeps hidden out in the garage, so my dad doesn’t find it. It was him who made my dad ring up to get you in trouble. Did you?’
He laughed; he liked the young woman sitting opposite him. She was sharp and witty.
‘I got a bit of a bollocking, yes.’
‘Why didn’t you come inside with your partner and ask to have a look around?’
‘I didn’t think you’d let me.’
‘I wasn’t there, but I would have. My dad got loads of grief off James, so he had to ring up.’
Beth spoke next. ‘Alex, do you want to tell us why you wanted to speak to me away from the funeral home?’
She nodded. ‘That photo, the girl in it, I’m sure I’ve seen her before. Look, I don’t want to cause any trouble, though God knows it’s probably too late anyway. If he finds out I’ve spoken to the police, he’ll go mental. It’s tough, but I can cope with him. He’s such a moody, angry man at times.’ Josh leaned in a little closer. ‘I told Beth I don’t want any bad press for the business if it’s possible. All I care about is my dad.’
‘I’ll do my best, Alex, but I can’t promise. It all depends on how serious what you have to tell me is.’
‘I know. I don’t know what she’s called, but I’ve seen her with James a couple of times.’
Josh looked at Beth, then back at Alex.
‘When was the last time you saw them together?’
‘A couple of months ago now. She was a strange girl. She’d hang around, come in and ask if James was about. It used to irritate me. The last time they met I remember they had a bit of an argument. He took her out the back. I shouldn’t have been listening, but I wanted to know why she was there and what she wanted from him.’
