Page 54 of No Quarter

“Well, to tell you the truth ...” he hesitated.

“What’s going on?” Valerie pressed.

“My mom was going on and on at me about how I sounded different on the phone,” he explained. “She started to worry that there was something wrong and ... well ... I kind of told her that we were engaged. She’s delighted for us.”

“That’s great,” Valerie said, unsure about the “delighted” part. Tom’s parents were lovely, but the one and only time she’d met them she’d had a bit of a panic attack and then had to run off on a case. Not exactly the impression she wanted to leave.

“The thing is,” Tom continued. “She says Dad will be bitterly disappointed if I don’t tell him face to face. So, she hasn’t told him. And I haven’t told him.”

“If you’re asking my permission to tell your dad about our engagement ...”

Charlie was flicking through a magazine in the waiting room, clearly trying to pretend he couldn’t hear the entire conversation.

“No,” Tom said. “I’m asking you to come with me so we can tell him as soon as your case is finished.”

Valerie stayed silent for a moment. She had other things on her mind, and the last thing she needed was to go and see Tom’s parents again and make a fool of herself.

“Val?” Tom’s voice sounded hesitant.

“I do want to go,” she finally said. “But it might need to wait for a few weeks. I have to finish this case, and then I want to get the results from my own dad’s DNA test and sort through that mess. Can’t this wait for a little longer?”

“I’m getting fed up waiting,” Tom said, his voice dejected.

“I ... I know,” Valerie said. “If you want to tell your dad by yourself, that’s okay.”

“He’ll hate that,” Tom said. “He’s old fashioned about this sort of thing and will put pressure on me if we don’t do it like we should. We should both be there. It’ll make my life easier.”

“I’m marrying you, not your dad,” Valerie said, feeling agitated.

“His approval means a lot to me, Val,” Tom answered back, quickly.

“I’m starting to feel like this is more about what you want to do than your dad,” Valerie suggested, the tension rising in her voice.

“Maybe ...”

Valerie looked up and saw the bruised figure of Will Cooper walk into the waiting room.

“I’m sorry, Tom, I need to go.”

“Of course you do.”

The call ended, but Valerie would try to make it up to Tom later. She just had to get her head clear.

“How are you feeling?” Charlie asked Will, standing up.

“I’ll live, Old Chap,” he said. “But I could do with a holiday.”

Valerie patted Will affectionately on the shoulder.

Will winced in pain.

“Sorry,” she said. “Look, Will, if you don’t feel up to this, you can always go home.”

“And leave you two to get all the glory?” he said, smiling beneath the cuts and scrapes. “What’s the status quo?”

“Torben isn’t our man,” Charlie said, grimly. “Not only does he have an alibi, but it’s watertight. He’s on a security camera showing that he was at home during all three murders.”

“Damn,” Will said. “Any chance he’s faked that?”

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