Page 58 of Child's Play

The clock was ticking steadily towards the end of another working day. They had clocked up another dead body but very little to help them find the person responsible.

‘Okay, Mrs Nixon, thank you for your help and…’

‘He really is gone, isn’t he?’ she whispered, staring towards the fireplace.

‘I’m afraid so,’ Kim said, wishing she had something to offer that would ease the pain.

‘So hard to believe, and he was so looking forward to his trip tomorrow.’

Thirty-Seven

‘I’m gonna win,’ Bryant said, smugly as they headed back to the car. ‘Our Lenora was a mine of information.’

‘Go on, let’s trade.’

‘Our victim is a child counsellor,’ he said, getting into the car.

‘Yeah, got that,’ she said, closing the passenger door.

‘And Lenora does his books and appointments for him.’

‘Got that too,’ she said.

‘First wife died of cancer three years ago.’

‘Didn’t get that,’ she admitted.

‘Ah, you missed something.’

‘No, just didn’t think it prudent to ask the second wife too many questions about the first but you go ahead and take your glory where you can, my friend.’

‘Lenora loves the bones of Beth who has made her brother very happy after the long illness of his first wife.’

‘Didn’t need that.’

‘I’m building the tension,’ he explained.

‘No, you’re really not and if you intend on recounting—’

‘You’re just no fun any more.’

‘First, I was never any fun to start with and second, I found out that our guy was also going on a trip and I’m betting it was to the same place as Belinda Evans. So, come on, what you got?’

‘Impressive,’ he admitted. ‘But did you know that Beth used to be one of her husband’s patients.’

‘Eww…’ she said at the thought of that.

‘Yeah, hooked up again on Facebook of all bloody places. Met for coffee to catch up and love blossomed, apparently.’

Yes, they were both grown adults but Kim couldn’t help the acidy distaste that had landed on her tongue. Whether legal or not, there was surely an ethical or moral code against such things.

‘Oh, Bryant,’ she said, looking at her watch. ‘We so need to be able to work longer—’

She stopped speaking as her phone began to ring.

‘Sir?’ she said, recognising the number of DCI Woodward, her boss.

She listened as he gave her an instruction to come to the station immediately.