Page 15 of Gone in the Night
Cain’s voice was tinged with caution, and this time she did look up at him.
‘Don’t you dare start.’
‘I’m not. Christ, if that hadn’t been true what you’d said, it would have been funny. Did you see the boss’s face?’ Cain was smiling at her. ‘Honestly, you almost gave him a coronary, and Stan the man looked as if he was going to die of shame. I bet he rings in sick tomorrow; he won’t be able to cope with you on a bad day. Good on you, Brookes, I think they’d forgotten what a seething pot of anger you have burning inside of that beautiful exterior. Tell me, is it because you is a ginger?’
Morgan snorted with laughter. ‘Sod off, I don’t know anyone who has a death wish like you do, Cain, and no, being ginger has nothing to do with my inner anger. It’s ignorance and stupid statements that tip me over the edge. It’s so unfair, I couldn’t stand to hear him judging her for doing nothing wrong. It’s always the same, always has been.’
Cain dragged his chair over to where she was sitting and patted her arm. ‘I know. Ben has asked if we can go deliver the death message before her parents find out off social media.’
She shook her head. ‘Is he trying to get me out of the way?’
‘No, I think he genuinely feels you’d do a better job than anyone else. Come on, let’s blow this joint before the misogynists come back in. I may be a lot of things, but I don’t look down on any woman or treat them any differently to how I’d treat male colleagues.’
Morgan smiled at him. ‘I know you don’t. Yeah, let’s get out of here, even if it is to do the worst job there is.’
She grabbed her jacket and coffee that was now more iced than hot, but it didn’t matter – she was used to drinking her coffee cold; it was the nature of the job. ‘Where are we going?’
‘Windermere. It looks like Sharon grew up in the area, and her parents still live in a nice house by the lakeside.’
Morgan felt sad. They were about to go and shatter their world with the worst news that anyone could ever receive. Today, she was feeling no love for her job at all. It had been nothing but heartache since she’d started this morning, when they got called out to that secluded place where Sharon Montgomery had been so happy spending time until her killer had found her.
ELEVEN
The house had security gates that were taller than Cain, and he had to press the intercom to ask if they could be let in. As they watched the gates opening, he whistled. ‘Those gates cost more than our annual salary.’
Morgan shrugged. ‘All the money in the world isn’t going to make any difference to what we’re about to tell them.’
‘I suppose not.’
The house was fairly new, all slate and beechwood with huge floor-to-ceiling windows on the ground and first floor. Through the windows, they could see that the huge chandelier that hung down from the open-plan first floor was the most beautiful cut glass, the droplets the size of the palm of Morgan’s hand.
They got out of the car, and Cain whispered, ‘I don’t think I can do it.’
She tried not to glare at him. Smoothing down the non-existent creases in her three-quarter, black trousers she straightened up. The front door swung open and a woman in an actual maid’s uniform was standing there, giving them the once-over.
‘Don’t speak, Cain, it’s safer for us both this way.’
He didn’t disagree. They walked towards the open door, boots crunching on the gravel drive. The maid looked mildly annoyed at being inconvenienced, and she was still glaring at them.
‘Hi, we’re Detectives Brookes and Robson from Rydal Falls police station. Are Mr and Mrs Montgomery home?’
Morgan spied the Porsche 4x4 and the Mercedes convertible out of the corner of one eye.
‘Yes, what do you want with them? Have you any ID?’
Morgan tugged her lanyard out of her jacket and showed the woman her warrant card. Cain was fumbling in his pockets for his. He looked at Morgan with a mild hint of panic in his eyes and then he pulled out the small white plastic card with his picture on it and thrust it towards the woman. She studied first the warrant cards and then their faces, scrutinising them.
‘I’ve got better looking since they took that. You could say I’ve aged well.’
Morgan couldn’t even look in his direction and thought if she could have punched him in the arm to shut him up, she would have. Thankfully, the maid was trying not to smile at him, and Cain grinned at her.
‘Marie, what are you doing? Who is that at the door?’ a man’s voice called down the hallway.
‘Sorry, sir, I was just checking these visitors were who they claimed they were.’
Footsteps echoed off the polished black and gold flecked marble tiles, and Morgan sucked in a breath as the man who was peering over Marie’s shoulder smiled at her. She smiled back.
‘Who are you?’
