Page 26 of Snow Going Back

‘Turn around please, ma’am,’ Mike said.

‘I’m not turning around,’ she said irritably. ‘And I haven’t broken intoanything. I’m allowed to be here, and I have proof.’

‘What proof?’ Mike asked.

‘The contract,’ she replied, getting her confidence back ashisvisibly lessened. ‘It statesveryclearly that Cora wanted me here whilst sorting the details of her estate.’

Mike scratched his head and looked back at Sam.

‘Does it name you personally?’ Jerry piped up.

Kate narrowed her eyes. Jerry was becoming a real pain in the ass.

‘It instructs the lawyer in charge of their account, which isme,’ she replied icily.

He smiled. ‘And who can officiallyconfirmthat’s you, Kate?’

‘I can show you emails?—’

‘Emails can be faked,’ Jerry said. ‘No, we’re going to need a senior representative of the firm toconfirmyou are who you say you are before we can accept your story. None of us have ever seen you before. For allweknow, you could be one of those con artists we hear stories about from that big city of yours.’ Jerry exaggeratedly changed his accent. ‘This is a small town, ma’am, and we’re simple folk. We gotta be careful of strangers now, so you’ll need to come with us until this is all cleared up. But don’t you worry – someone will look into this just after nine tomorrow. Contact your boss for you. Now, will you be needing alawyerwhile you’re staying with us?’ he asked, not quite hiding his grin.

‘Nice,’ Kate said sarcastically. ‘Good one, Jerry. OK, you guys have had your fun and made your point. Let’s just move on now and start over.’

‘Oh, I don’t think so, lawyer girl,’ Sam replied with a low chuckle. ‘Take this intruder away, boys. But be careful now. I think she may be crazy. What with breaking into my house in her nightwear and with her hair all wild like that.’ He grinned, taking great pleasure in turning the tables on her.

Kate narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head.

Sam gave her an exaggerated shrug. ‘Sorry. But between that and the threats with the bat, you can see how I’ve reached this assumption, I’m sure.’

‘Turn around,’ Mike ordered.

‘Seriously?’ Kate exclaimed, raising her knotted brows in disbelief. ‘Mike, come on. You’re a police officer. Surely you take your job more seriously than this?’

‘Oh, I do take it seriously. Andyoucost me a perfectly good shoplifter. Now turn around,’ he ordered, his tone brooking no nonsense.

Kate’s mouth dropped open, but she complied, knowing she couldn’t afford to be cited for resisting arrest. ‘This isridiculous,’ she repeated furiously as Mike cuffed her.

‘Hey, you’re lucky I haven’t booked you for wasting police time,’ he snapped. ‘I’m onlynotbecause I believe you really did think Sammy here was coming for you, and I know you can’t afford that on your record, but don’tpushme or I will.’

‘You’re wasting yourowntime if you actually go through with this,’ she responded. ‘And you’ll waste more of it still after I report this baseless arrest tomorrow, Iassure you.’

‘Try it if you like; you won’t get far,’ Mike told her. ‘Jerry’s the detail king. He’ll have all the Ts crossed and Is dotted on the paperwork by morning. Go get her coat and shoes, Sam.’

Kate twisted to look back over her shoulder and saw him walk out of the room. They were really going todothis, she realised. They were actually going to make her spend the night in jail!

Sam arrived back and draped her coat over her shoulders, before dropping her new snow boots to the floor. The smile on his face pushed Kate over the edge.

‘You’re going to regret this,’ she seethed, the lid popping off her anger as it boiled over. ‘I amnotkidding, Sam. This issofar beyond the line it’s a bloodydot in the distance!’

Mike propelled her forward with a tut. ‘Come on – let’s go.’

‘Don’t worry, Kate,’ Sam called after them, echoing her earlier words as she was led away to the squad car. ‘You’ll havemany hoursto look back and regret what an epic,epicmistake you made tonight.’

FIFTEEN

Kate glared over the counter at the young policewoman bent over the desk taking an age to sign her very few personal belongings back to her. She’d lost all patience in the seventeen hours she’d been left in here. Aside from the fact she’d spent not just the night in jail but an entireday, too, the awful thin plastic-covered mattress and the drunken ballads coming from the cell next door had meant she’d not slept a wink, either. She’d waited all morning to be collected for release. As morning had turned to afternoon, she’d been crawling the walls, furious that this ridiculous situation had gone so far. Finally, just before seven in the evening, the young girl in front of her had finally collected her for processing out.

Catching her glowering reflection in the glass separating them, Kate calmed her expression and rubbed her temples tiredly. It wasn’tthisofficer’s fault that she was here.

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