Page 71 of Her Deadly Promise

Gina held a fist up. ‘Yes. Is she able to talk to us?’

‘They said they’d need to see how she was when she came around, but it wasn’t likely. We already knew about the stab wound, but they said when they checked her more thoroughly, it looked like she’d been hit with something blunt over the back of the head. Amongst other things, she will probably be concussed.’ He stood there in awkward silence.

‘Chris, I’m sorry for everything. I really am.’

‘And me.’ He shrugged and walked off.

‘Sir,’ she called.

He turned back.

‘We’re a bit thin on the ground. This case is taking every resource we have, and no one is here to help. Could I give you this phone? It belongs to Serena Reeves. She’s just confessed to following her sister and boyfriend, and she took a few photos. One photo shows the side of a person, in the dark, at the back of Billie’s house. Could you see if anyone in tech can try to sharpen or enhance it?’

He walked back, smiled and took the phone. As his little finger brushed her hand, it felt like a jolt of electric running through her. He stopped for a second too long before continuing up the corridor with the phone. Had he felt it too?

She shook thoughts of him away, for now, knowing that the only way they could even have a working relationship was for her to back off completely and to never mention Rosemary again.

Nadia was coming around and that was the best news ever. She must have seen her attacker and Gina wanted to be the first person to see her when she woke up.

Her mind went back to the hair clip. It had niggled like something rotten. Nadia would be out of it for a while yet so that would buy her a little bit of time to follow that hunch. Something was off in the Brent household. She’d spent too much time concentrating on Edward Anderson and not enough considering the others.

Jacob left the interview room. ‘I’ve messaged Wyre and O’Connor. They’re rushed off their feet but as always, Bernard will let us know as soon as they find anything so they’re heading here to get Serena’s keys. Then they’ll take a look in her apartment. They also checked on the charity shop and the gym to see if Brock had been there on the day of Billie’s murder. He had been to both, like he said.’

Brock wasn’t in the clear for hurting Mr Reeves or kidnapping Kayden, but he was in the clear for Billie’s murder. ‘At least we can strike him off the list now. I don’t know how we’re keeping it together. If only the public knew how stretched we are. I want to go back to the Brent household.’

‘Really?’

‘I know I’m harping on about that hair clip, but I don’t believe or trust what they’ve said. That photo on Serena’s phone, it could look like many men when it comes to build, shape and size but it could also be Gavin Brent. What if he took that hair clip and he gave it to his wife? If he’s killed Billie and he attempted to kill Nadia, we have a dangerous person on our hands. I don’t know about you, but I felt the table humming a little with Candice’s shaking when we were there. You could see the tremor she was trying to hide. The woman was a nervous wreck.’

As they followed the corridor, a girl was chasing a ferret. ‘Kooky,’ she called. Gina placed her hands out and caught the creature’s lead before passing it to her. She took the ferret back into the waiting area.

‘Oh, she’s one of the people who found Nadia, here to give a statement. Uniform will take it but I think she told us everything she knew at the scene, after she came round. Poor girl passed out.’

‘Right, we must go now because if I’m right, I’ll never forgive myself for not going back to see if Mrs Brent is okay. I think she was terrified and now that the news is out about Nadia, the killer will be desperate.’

FIFTY-FIVE

NADIA

I don’t know who I am, what I am or if this is death. I hear the bleep, bleep of machines and now they’re gone. I’m running from everything I ever trusted and knew. They’re all after me. What happened?

One minute, I’m there.

Where?

Where was I?

It was dark, so dark and I couldn’t see or feel. It was as if my body was made of cotton wool, like now. I sank deeper and deeper into the darkness, unable to escape and then boom, the beep, beep, beeping keeps coming back.

‘Mrs Anderson. Do you know where you are?’

‘Hmm.’ I can’t talk. My lips aren’t working. It’s no good, all I can do is give in to the sinking feeling and fall deep into the darkness. As I enter the long, black walk, I drag myself along the floor before managing to stand. Then I see him. I see him with my friend and they’re naked and close. I want to yell and shout but her name is gone. My head, it’s all wrong, I can’t remember anything.

Then, I’m at the school and the parents are all looking at me. Fingers pointed, whispering. ‘No,’ I yell and fight, telling them to leave me alone. I know I’m to blame but I don’t know why.

‘Mrs Anderson? Nadia. You’re safe and you’re in Cleevesford General. Things might feel a little fuzzy for a while as you’ve had an anaesthetic and you’re suffering with concussion.’

I can’t stop crying. I don’t know why I’m here. All I know is that everyone hates me, and someone wants to hurt me. Who wants to hurt me? Am I Mrs Anderson? A few moments pass and I manage to rally around slightly. The room is blurry.

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