Page 48 of Gone in the Night
Although Ben hadn’t been trying to make her mad, he was annoying her almost as much as Marc. He forgot she was a capable detective who didn’t need babysitting every time she left the station, and she wasn’t remotely worried about being in this killer’s field of vision. Morgan wasn’t and never had been or would be a solo adventurer who would go camping on her own. The one time she tried to take up running to beat Cain at a bet, she hurt her ankle so bad it still ached on rainy days and that was the end of her fitness spree. She wasn’t the outdoor type. She was a mug of coffee, rainy weather, light a candle and read a book kind of gal and always would be.
THIRTY-TWO
Morgan slipped out of the station by the back door. She hadn’t looked too hard to find Amber, preferring to go and speak with Leah on her own. Leah lived in a small flat above the crystal shop in Ambleside. Morgan had been relieved to have an excuse to leave all the guys behind. There was too much testosterone in the small office that was just not the same without Amy. She hoped that Ben would request that Gilly come work with them – rather a woman than another man, there were far too many of them already.
Ringing the intercom for the flat, she waited patiently for a reply. Eventually it crackled to life, the voice quiet, hesitant.
‘Hello?’
‘Hi, Leah, I’m Detective Brookes with the Rydal Falls police station. Can I talk to you about Sharon?’
Morgan knew by the long pause Leah was going to try and avoid it.
‘Now isn’t a good time.’
‘I don’t want to be rude, but I don’t think there is ever going to be a good time to talk about Sharon’s murder. It’s always going to be painful, and I really need to get as much background information about her as possible.’
‘Why?’
‘It will help me to build up a personal profile of her. It could help to find her killer.’
Another pause, this one not quite as long. The blue door opened and a red-eyed, red-nosed woman, much taller than Morgan, was staring down at her. She looked up and down the street before opening the door wide enough for Morgan to step through. There was a tiny entrance with a steep flight of stairs leading up from it.
Leah pointed. ‘Go up.’
Morgan did, not waiting to be asked again in case the woman changed her mind. The stairs led directly into the flat, which was bigger than Morgan had expected. A much bigger, very magnolia-coloured flat. Everything was cream including the sofa, cushions and curtains. Leah pointed to the sofa.
‘Before you ask, yes, I am devastated. I know I was sleeping with her stepdad, but it’s over now and he won’t be coming back here again or into my life.’
Morgan wondered who had told Leah that the police knew about their relationship, had it been Sharon’s mum or her slimy stepdad?
‘That really isn’t any of my business. I just need you to confirm if you were with Stefan the night she was killed.’
‘I was for a little bit.’
‘How long is a little bit?’
‘An hour, two at the most.’
‘He didn’t stay here all night?’ Morgan felt her shoulders stiffen as she sat straighter.
Leah lifted her little finger to her mouth and began to nibble at the nail, working it until the skin tore and a thin line of blood appeared.
‘No, not all night. Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.’
‘Is it the truth?’
‘Yes, it is.’
‘Then you definitely should have said it. I’m not here to try and blame anyone. I really want to find out what was going on in your friend’s life. Was Sharon having problems with Stefan?’
‘She wasn’t until she found the pair of us together last week. They’d always got on great. I used to be so jealous that she had this super-cool, super-rich stepdad. Not jealous enough to kill her though.’ Leah sniffed then and pulled a tissue out of her sleeve.
Morgan was perched on the edge of the sofa. She got the impression that Leah was definitely not as upset about her friend as she should be, and that she was being a little overly dramatic to make herself look more sympathetic.
‘So, Sharon and Stefan were fine with each other until when?’
‘Until she found me coming out of the shower in her mum’s bedroom.’
