Page 69 of Between the Lies

Nina shrugged. ‘I began intensively digging into evidence two months or so before the murders. The investigation was discreet, with only a handful of people aware of what I was doing. I used an unhackable system to store sensitive notes. There was no way someone would’ve found me.’

Robert snorted. ‘Nothing is unhackable.’

‘I used an old email ID no one knows about. I stored my notes as draft emails. Besides, I didn’t suspect Malcolm and Associates at the time. I went there to ask them for their opinion, to find out what the legitimate process is for a spousal visa. And for information about refugee rights…’

Anne had told him that much about Malcolm and Associates – that they worked in immigration law. Only, Nina no longer thought they were on the up and up. ‘Why do you suspect them?’

‘Dickheadson does.’ Nina pushed off the armchair, setting the pages she’d lifted off the table back in their haphazard places. ‘Besides, the night of the murders, Malcolm and Associates vanished off the face of the earth.’

Robert sat up in his seat. ‘So you’re connecting what happened to you with the lawyers? That would explain why Anne was there. She had intel for you. And someone from her firm wanted to stop her from sharing that intel with you.’

It all fit! And it explained what Anne had been up to – not finding love and solace in another man’s arms. He’d been a dick to her as a husband, but they had taken vows to be faithful and he… he’d have hated himself knowing he couldn’t be the man she needed.

Robert ran a hand through his hair. He hadn’t been the man she needed, whether or not she had a lover. ‘So we look at Anne’s colleagues?’

Nina shook her head. ‘There are no colleagues to look at. It’s like the entire firm never existed. I tried looking for them – nothing. No, we need to reach out to your pal at the locker place. See if he remembers Anne. And we need access to their CCTV. Whoever stole from that locker must have done it after the murders.’

And if they caught the person on camera, it would be as good as seeing their killer in action. There was only one small glitch to that plan. ‘The store’s cameras don’t actually record anything. They just play the live video.’

Nina shut her eyes. ‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I thought it was a storage locker business.’

Based on what he’d seen, calling them a storage locker business was a bit of a stretch. ‘I’d say it’s a convenience store with lockers inside, and they’re really sloppy at their jobs. But we could ask the man at the store if he’s seen Anne before, show him a picture. It might help jog his memory.’

CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE

The man shook his head, his shaggy, unwashed hair swinging around his face. The photograph hadn’t jogged his memory. Hell, it was a miracle the man even remembered his name given he was absolutely stoned and slurring his words and it wasn’t even 10 a.m.

Robert huffed out a breath. ‘This is getting us nowhere. We can ask the other employees, but time is not on our side. Besides, I don’t understand why someone would want Anne’s passport and such. What are they going to do with it?’

Nina really didn’t want to tell him. Despite what he might’ve seen as a police constable, the man had faith in humanity. And she really didn’t want to burst his bubble.

Still, he stared at her, expecting an answer. Maybe if she did it quick, like ripping off a Band-Aid, it wouldn’t hurt that much after the initial sting. ‘They’ll reuse the passport to create a fake identity. After a death, most people don’t think about personal documents that don’t start with a W and end with an L.’

‘A will,’ Robert muttered with a faraway look in his eyes. ‘So someone else takes over as Anne Muller?’

Nina shrugged. That sort of thing was just another day at the office for some people. ‘They just need a valid passport that belongs to a dead person. After that, it’s relatively easy to create a false identity that passes the basic checks.’

‘That’s fucked up.’ Robert shook his head, his shoulders slumping. ‘How are you surprised you’ve been dragged into this mess? You provoked someone high up, Nina.’

And probably got Anne and Jonas killed. The other question bugging her now was: why not murder her? Why spare her life then spend time and resources hunting her down?

She fixed her tote bag on her shoulder and said, ‘We should head back. Maybe?—’

‘Shush.’ Robert cut her off, his hand landing on her shoulder. ‘Stop talking.’

Was he for real? ‘I’m the only one with any good ideas here. Don’t you dare shush me. I?—’

Robert adjusted his position so his torso faced her. As she stood diagonally on the pavement, her back to the road that curved down from the Glasgow Cathedral at the top towards Glasgow’s famous mural of St Mungo holding a robin, Nina could see nothing but Robert and the storefront behind him.

She turned her head to try to figure out what Robert was up to when she spotted a family taking pictures of the mural. Nina pivoted to prevent her face from appearing in a stranger’s photograph. The last thing either of them needed was some news junkie following her around.

Robert’s grip on her shoulder tightened. ‘When I was here last, that same SUV was parked there. It’s got tinted windows, and it’s still here.’

‘Maybe it belongs to a resident?’ Nina gestured to the residential flats lining either side of the street. ‘Plus, there’s a community garden behind us, by the mural. It might be a resident gardening or something.’

‘With a window cracked open a smidge? There’s someone sitting inside it. I can feel their eyes on us,’ Robert muttered. He looked around them, as if looking for a way out.

‘I think— Oh!’ Nina froze when Robert dipped his head and kissed her.

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