Page 96 of Between the Lies

Robert hadn’t investigated a big case before, and this was as big as it got. At the moment, all he knew was the mastermind was dangerous enough that people were terrified to even speak of them. And there was no smoke without fire.

Nina’s hand on his thigh drew his attention away from the case. ‘I was wondering if I could leave Glasgow after this is over and start over somewhere else. If I could just leave this all behind.’

Robert felt a sharp sting in his chest. He grimaced. This wasn’t a surprise. Hell, she was a runner. Of course she’d want to leave. ‘I— It would help.’

Nina pursed her lips. ‘It’s what my instincts are telling me to do, but…’ Her hold on his thigh tightened. ‘It’s not what I need. I needyou.’

Robert froze, watching Nina. Was she overtired? Had the pills loosened her tongue? But no – she hadn’t taken any pain meds since that morning. ‘Nina, I think this is a conversation for later.’

‘It’s not. You mean a lot to me. I’ve never told anyone they’re what I need. Not the first boyfriend who thought I wanted a ball and chain. Nor to my own parents, even if I needed them for a lot of things. I know you’ve been through something traumatic, too. Finding the person who framed me for the murder of your wife is a way for me to let the past rest in peace. And I’m hoping it would be a way for you to move on… with me. If you’ll have me.’

He was stunned. ‘Nina, I feel deeply for you. And I told you, Anne and I were over before she died. I want to make this work. You’ve been a breath of life for me, ever since I met you. Even if I suspected you, you gave me a reason to keep going. I…’

He should have told her he loved her. But he saw the objection in her eyes before she voiced it. ‘If we don’t solve this and move on, our relationship will forever be tied to what happened. For once in my life, Robert, I’m not making plans to leave. Whatever we build, I want it to be fireproof, pun intended, and I want us to be dynamite. So please, please let us do this.’

Robert remembered what Joshua had told him. To stick to his own self, to follow his intuition. If they did seek the mastermind out, this would end. But they had another problem Robert hadn’t considered before – Dickheadson.

Of course, for an operation of this size to function like clockwork, they needed cops, but Dickheadson…

‘We can’t stage a fucking ambush, Nina. Not yet.’

‘Do you have a better plan?’

‘If we do entrap them, then take them to the police, Dickheadson is their inside man. He’ll point to the evidence, arrest you and get them out. Why do you think he’s been so fixated on you?’

Robert saw Nina’s eyes widen the moment she caught on, then she scrambled to the other side of the sofa, hunting for a sheet of paper. ‘Hold on, aye, you’re correct. Dickheadson has been running this case. He oversaw everyone who worked this case – crime scene technicians, the pathologists, the officers working through the evidence.’

While he’d never liked the man, it hurt to think the person behind his current pain was a fellow man in uniform. Robert hadn’t dealt with organised crime, so he’d never suspected his boss could be involved. But now it all came together.

‘Dickheadson’s involvement explains why they never handed the case to organised crime and why Shah was never on the suspect list when he was clearly there that night. And why Dickheadson told me they’d only found one body.’

Nina had been scribbling away on the paper, jotting down whatever Robert said. Now she shook her head, reading through it all. ‘We’re fucked. We can’t go to the police for help. Hell, even if we draw them out, how do we actually stop them? Nobody would believe us. Chances are the autopsy and the reports by the arson investigator and the crime scene techs have all been doctored.’

Aye, Dickheadson might’ve greased a few hands to look the other way, or tweaked the truth, or perhaps got other corrupt officials to do the job.

The sudden rage inside him unsettled Robert’s previously tired mind. He paced, trying to figure out a way to do something. Technically, they needed someone from the organised crime unit or, if this operation concerned global politics, even intelligence services. But none of them would believe a suspected murderer and a grieving widower.

Robert pulled out his phone. ‘I’m sorry, Nina, but we need official reinforcements.’

CHAPTERFORTY-SEVEN

Two days later, DI Cheryl Spiers sauntered into Billy’s bar and narrowed her eyes at Nina, though the man who followed behind her – PC Joshua MacLeod – greeted her with a mile-wide smile.

Nina fidgeted in her seat. Despite Robert’s convincing arguments on why they needed police officers to take down another cop, Nina still found it difficult to jump onboard with people who’d believed she’d killed someone.

Cheryl dropped her bag on the table, then nodded at Billy. ‘You got a Tennent’s?’

‘Didn’t you see the big fucking red T outside?’ Billy retorted, scowling, before he fetched a glass.

The man had offered to shut his bar for this meeting, but Nina didn’t want to inconvenience Billy more than they already had. Besides, it was just the four of them this time.

Instead of responding to Billy’s barb, Cheryl shot Robert a glare. ‘After this, you’ll need something much stronger.’ She then plopped down in the chair directly opposite Nina.

Cheryl, with her pinned-up hair, her ironed office shirt and suit, could’ve fit right in with the finance crowd. Except her eyes searched for trouble, not money.

Joshua draped his coat over the chair and took a seat next to Cheryl. ‘This oddly feels like an interview.’

‘Because it is.’ Cheryl leaned in, studying Nina and then Robert. ‘What part of stay hidden don’t you numpties get?’

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