Death Bed (29 page)

E
xhausted by the stress and exertion of the investigation Geraldine hadn’t set her alarm, and it was after ten when she woke up the next morning. Although it was late she didn’t stir but lay there, knowing she could lounge around all day if she wanted to. Finally she got up and went out for breakfast: freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee, and an almond croissant. The sky was clear and she sat outside a café enjoying the warmth of the morning. Most of the passers by looked normal; just an ordinary day on an ordinary street. A few other customers were seated outside the café sipping coffee. It probably didn’t cross their minds to wonder if one of the pedestrians might be a psychopath or a spy, a paedophile or a drug baron, and Geraldine dismissed the thought at once. When she was working on a case, suspicion became a state of mind but as a rule strangers were unremarkable people, discreetly pursuing their quiet affairs.

She spent the afternoon doing housework and catching up on chores. At last she finished and sat down on her settee. Much as she relished the challenge of adjusting to a new job and a new home, right now she was worn out and suddenly lonely. She thought about visiting her sister but was too tired to drive all that way. She considered phoning a few old friends, just to chat, but couldn’t face the inevitable inane questions about the case she had been working on. She would have liked to call Ian Peterson, the sergeant who had worked with her in Kent. He would understand how she was feeling, but he was getting married soon and was bound to be busy.

Any confusion about the nature of her friendship with Sam had been cleared up, but Geraldine still hesitated before picking up the phone.

‘Hello, this is DS Haley.’

‘Hi Sam, it’s Geraldine. I wondered if you fancied going for a drink, or perhaps something to eat, this evening?’

‘Oh sorry, that would’ve been great, but I’ve arranged to meet a friend.’

‘No worries,’ Geraldine was quick to reassure her. ‘It was just a thought.’

‘A nice thought.’

‘Another time then.’

‘Sure. See you soon.’

Geraldine hung up. She was pleased at Sam’s friendly response to her invitation. Life was full of possibilities.

There would be no more opportunities for Edward Barrington’s victims to make new friends, or even to sit at home feeling lonely; their futures had been senselessly snatched away by a man who had discovered the fragility of life when he was only ten. At times it was hard to make sense of anything, but right now she wanted to put the horrors of the case behind her. She had her work, her friends and her flat, and Celia, who thought of her as a sister, and soon she would start searching for her mother. For now she was content to spend an evening alone with a glass of wine and the distraction of mindless television. It was enough simply to be alive.

This ebook edition first published in 2011
by No Exit Press,
an imprint of Oldcastle Books
P O Box 394,
Harpenden, AL5 1XJ

www.noexit.co.uk

All rights reserved
©Leigh Russell, 2011

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ISBN

978–1–84243-596-0 (epub)
978-1-84243-595-3 (kindle)
978-1-84243-597-7 (pdf)

978-1-84243-594-6 (print) May 2012

www.noexit.co.uk/deathbed