Page 14 of The Girls in the Lake
‘Beth, how are you? I thought you were off this afternoon. Why are you wasting your time here when you could be home enjoying that lovely house of yours?’
She sighed. There was no use pretending. ‘I know about Robert and I know you’ve come in specially to cover. I appreciate it, I do. But I’d still like to be present, just to observe, once you get around to the PM.’
His eyes widened and she knew he was weighing up his options. After a pause he said, ‘I know it must be hard for you, but you know that’s not something I can allow. It would be a breach of guidelines and it’s not really ethical, is it?’
‘I don’t want to touch him or have anything to do with the examination, that’s your role and I know that. I just want closure, an end to the dark cloud that’s been hanging over my head for the last seven years. Please, Charles, I need to do this more than you could ever imagine. Maybe watching his post-mortem will make me realise that it’s finally over, that I’m done with him and he has no hold on my life any more.’
She watched as his mind frantically grasped at the right words to say to her, but his head was shaking gently even though he hadn’t yet formed a reply. Cringing, Beth didn’t recognise the whining, desperate voice that had just begged him to let her watch the PM. It didn’t sound like her and she hated that Robert, even though he was dead, could still make her revert back to the scared shell of a woman she was trying to move on from.
‘Look, Beth, I know you’ve had a terrible time and I admire your strength and determination, but this is…’ He paused, searching for the right words. ‘This is out of both our control and you know it. What will you gain from watching? Won’t you be putting yourself through unnecessary heartache?’
Beth held up her left hand. ‘Forget it, you’re right. I know it’s wrong. Forgive me for asking.’ She spoke slowly; the knuckles of her right hand were bunched into a tight, white fist under the desk. She stood up, and he stepped back, almost tripping over the briefcase he’d placed on the floor as he’d walked in. Did he think she was going to slap him? As carefully as she could, she pulled her coat off the hook, picked up her handbag and walked out of the door. She needed to get out of here, out of this stuffy hospital and into the fresh air. She would apologise to him later.
Maybe she should ring the counsellor she’d been seeing. Despite her initial reservations and years of avoidance, Josh had finally talked her into it. She needed to offload today’s events onto someone. She was too tired to keep bearing the weight of everything that had happened to her on her shoulders. Even though she had Josh, there was still a whole lot of stuff going on in her head that she wouldn’t burden him with. If she did that, he’d run a mile, and who could blame him.
Sixteen
Josh walked into the busy CID office in Kendal police station and looked around at his small but hard-working team. DCs Paton, Sykes and Bell were busy on the computers. Sam followed him inside and went to sit at her desk next to Sykes. He walked to the front of the room.
‘You’ll be pleased to know the pathologist has confirmed Leah Burton’s death was accidental drowning, unless further investigation gives us a cause for concern.’
A collective cheer went around the room: relief it wasn’t going to turn into a full-blown murder investigation so soon after the last one. Josh knew that every one of them felt a sense of loss for Leah and her family, but the strain of a murder investigation took its toll on even the most seasoned of them. Paton definitely had a few more grey hairs than he’d had last month.
‘It’s just a simple enquiry she’s requested. She found a paint chip under one of the victim’s nails and wants the colour ofThe Tequila Sunriseand surrounding boats confirmed, to find a match. Paton and Sykes, can you two drive to the marina and get that ticked off the list? Let me know your findings, and I’ll ring Beth.’ He realised his mistake and felt heat begin to slowly burn along his jawline. ‘I’ll let Dr Adams know the score. Myself and Sam will chase down the elusive James Marshall to get an account from him.’ He looked at them; no one seemed to have picked up on his slip, but he was relieved all the same when his phone began to vibrate once more in his pocket, giving him a reason to escape. He took it out and saw Jodie’s name again flashing across the screen.
Walking out into the corridor, he answered the call.
‘Yeah.’
‘Josh, it’s me.’ Her voice sounded different, much quieter than the last few times they’d spoken on the phone. He’d almost forgotten what it sounded like because for the last few months of their marriage she’d done nothing but shout at him. ‘Is this a good time to talk?’
He wanted to tell her no, there would never be a good time to talk between them ever again, but something stopped him.
‘I’m at work, but yes I can talk.’
‘I’m in the hospital, ward nine. I wondered if you could come and see me, but only if you can and you’re not too busy.’
‘Is something wrong?’ He winced as the words left his mouth.Of course something’s wrong, you moron.
‘Yes, but I’m okay. I just really need to speak to you. It’s easier to explain in person than on the phone.’
‘What time’s visiting?’ He could think of nothing worse, but this sounded important.
‘I don’t think they’ll mind, just tell them you’re a copper and they’ll let you in.’
‘I’m not sure what time, but I’ll be there soon.’
‘Thank you.’ The line went dead.
That was the first civil conversation they’d had in some time, and it left him wondering what on earth was going on. He went back into the office.
‘I have to go out; I’ll be back though. If you need me for anything, I’ll have my mobile on.’
No one took much notice of him, so he left them to it. He debated about telling Beth where he was going, then changed his mind. It was better to find out what was going on first. He didn’t think she’d mind, though he didn’t want to upset her for no good reason.
Seventeen
Archie Palmer waved goodbye to his mum, hoisted his fishing rods over his shoulder and began the walk down the footpath to Miller Ground which led to Lake Windermere. It was already getting dark, but it didn’t matter to him. He liked being on his own, and he’d been brought up fishing for carp on the lake since he was a child. His dad and grandad were both keen anglers and he’d inherited their love of the sport. At seventeen most of his friends preferred to spend their time in the pub playing pool and trying to get served alcohol with their fake IDs, but he would much rather set up his rods in his favourite place, then sit and watch the world go by or read a book. A fine mist on the far side of the lake was heading his way, but he wouldn’t let himself be scared. He’d cast his rods then sit in his compact tent and wait.
