Page 53 of Between the Lies

Dickheadson was a prick all round, but for once, the man had actually listened to Robert and looked into Anne’s death. Though perhaps his decision had been purely egotistical, not wanting to be upstaged by a police constable.

The joke was on him because Robert had apparently not just been way off base, he’d jumped into the sack with a killer.

Robert ran a hand through his hair. ‘Dickheadson wants me to come in, doesn’t he?’

Cheryl sighed. ‘Aye, he does. I’m going to get you a lawyer. While Dickinson has a stellar track record, despite everything else he does with his life, the man’s not above putting you behind bars. The truth is, she played you, Robert.’

She had. Nina had told him there had only been one body – a man’s. She’d made him believe she hadn’t killed Anne. Had made him want to move on for the first time since he’d been told they’d found Anne’s DNA at the crime scene.

Ever since Shah had named Nina, Robert had been on her tail. Chasing her had kept him going through the darkest of days. She’d given him a purpose, and last night, she’d set fire to his very soul. Investigating a case, chasing criminals, hell, even fighting a person trying to kill him had been absolutely invigorating. Like cold water after a sauna. He had sizzled; had never felt more alive.

And it had all been a ruse.

Robert tugged at his shirt. ‘I should go home and change before I head in. I don’t want to go in like this.’

Cheryl patted his shoulder again. ‘Robert… Smooth criminals, they can be invigorating, but, at the end of the day, they are a grenade waiting to explode.’

Robert shrugged. ‘It’s okay, Cheryl.’

She opened her mouth as if to say something but shut it. Then pulling out her car keys, she asked, ‘Do you want me to drive you?’

He shook his head. He’d walk. The flat he’d shared with Anne wasn’t that far away, and a walk would do him good.

Five minutes later, Robert found himself on the pavement, walking towards George Square. The day they’d first met, Robert and Nina had walked along this route, headed for the Counting House.

They’d been in sync even then.

Nina had an air about her – self-assured, determined, yet soft and vulnerable. The woman was as sharp as her chic bob. Would she really have killed two people for fame?

Robert turned right at the City Chambers that overlooked the square. The flower beds around the statues lay barren, and so did the pots that lined the council’s front door.

In a few months, these pots would come alive in red, purple, orange and yellow – spring colours. While his heart withered to grey.

Robert began his ascent up the hill towards the university. Anne had liked the residential area behind the uni; said it was quiet yet close enough to the city and bus station so they didn’t need a car.

And as with most things, he’d agreed with her.

Robert had learned to agree with Anne early in their relationship because she liked things just so. Being on her own for so long, she had her ways, and Robert had ensured he slotted into them.

When the wind whipped at his back, he shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched over. The gust tugged at his hair, propelling him up.

Aye, Robert had gone with the flow, not wanting to upset his wife, his co-workers, his pals. But lately he’d been anything but compliant – he’d got himself suspended, slept with a criminal, let his wife down, let his friends down… And he’d never felt more alive.

Robert let the weight of all the things he’d felt heshoulddo slide and focused on his gut.

He’d spent days with Nina – investigating her, investigatingwithher, and, well, a night making love to her. She’d told him she lived for herself. Didn’t believe in people; didn’t care for them. The woman had determination, and she knew how investigations worked. What were the chances she knew about forensics?

A fire annihilated a lot of evidence – and if it burned long enough could also swallow all traces of a body.

So if she set a fire in a near abandoned building in the middle of the night, the odds were no one would raise the alarm until it was too late.

However…

A thought stopped him at the top of the hill. He stood by the glass walls of the City College of Glasgow, frowning at a dip in the road that was filled with water. If she knew how to erase evidence, why then hadn’t she taken precautions so that her DNA wouldn’t end up in the police database in the first place? Unless she hadn’t gone in prepared to kill. Perhaps she’d killed Anne and her camera guy out of anger.

Extreme anger could make people black out and forget.

Still, why would a woman who’d chosen a career over her family suddenly set fire to everything she’d built?

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