Page 10 of Gone in the Night (Detective Morgan Brookes #16)

TEN

‘That’s a start, anyone on there who is known to us, or is that asking too much?’ Ben looked hopeful, and she sighed before she crushed him completely.

‘Not that I’m aware of, at least no one that jumps out as familiar.

Obviously, I need to run them through the system in case.

I mean they could live anywhere in the UK, even the US or Europe.

We also have a bit of a problem which makes finding suitable suspects even harder, unfortunately for Sharon and for us, on her last post she gave her location away. ’

Marc’s eyes almost popped out of his sockets they widened so much. Morgan wondered if he would go blind.

‘She did what?’

‘She posted her exact location, well she added it to the post of her 4x4 with the roof tent up, outside the gate to the field.’

He was shaking his head. ‘She was on her own, camping; she took a photo of where she was then added the location for good measure, so that any weirdo in the UK could track her down?’

‘Basically, yes.’

‘Dear God, why would she do that?’

Ben looked shocked, not quite as shocked as Marc but almost; he looked as if he was struggling to get his head around it.

‘She clearly wasn’t scared that someone might do that, so that tells me she had no prior problems with anyone stalking her or making her feel uncomfortable.

Especially not if she was posting everything for the world to see. ’

Morgan nodded in agreement. ‘I think this was a stranger or someone who knew of Sharon, but she didn’t know about them, or if she did, she clearly didn’t see them as a threat. She wouldn’t be inviting the world to come and pay her a visit when she was on her own in such an isolated area.’

‘I don’t know what to say.’ Marc stared at the picture of her on the whiteboard. ‘She clearly looks like an intelligent woman, smart enough to know that what she was doing could be dangerous, so why act so irresponsibly?’

Morgan felt her fingers curl and clench into tight fists, and she pushed them under the table so Cain couldn’t see. She was unable to stop the words that came spilling from her mouth even if she had wanted to.

‘If she had no one to be scared of and no worries about anyone wanting to hurt her or follow her, then that doesn’t mean she was irresponsible.

Would you be saying that if it was a guy who we’d found slaughtered in his tent who was camping on his own?

No, you would not, and you know that. It makes me so mad that women are always blamed for the stuff that happens to them.

You’re talking as if she posted an open invitation for some maniac to come and kill her.

It’s disgusting that we are still having to live this way.

This is not Sharon Montgomery’s fault, in no way, shape or form.

Judging by her photos she was experienced at wild camping and going on solo adventures.

It’s always some dickhead who has to come along and think they know better and can do what they want to any woman who is on their own, living their life and having fun without relying on a man. ’

Everyone was listening to Morgan who had managed to keep her feistiness under control for quite some time, but Marc had clearly pushed her too far and the anger was bubbling inside of her chest like hot lava.

He held his hands in the air, palms facing towards her in a keep calm gesture that made her feel even worse as she glared at him.

‘I’m not blaming her, that came out wrong and you’re right, Morgan, of course you are.

Women should not have to live in fear, they should be free to do whatever the hell they want.

But you and I know by the countless cases that have come into this department that unfortunately some men, and occasionally women too, will always think they can live outside of the law and do what they want to women with no regard for them as human beings.

It doesn’t mean I’m blaming her.’ He shut up and sat down as if realising he wasn’t helping.

Morgan was seething and she couldn’t even look in Ben’s direction because she knew he was staring at her, and she didn’t want to lose her cool with him, too, in front of everyone.

She pushed herself away from the table and stood up.

‘If it’s okay with you, boss, I’m going to carry on with the enquiries into the list of names I’ve come up with. ’

Marc nodded, he looked relieved she was leaving but before she walked out of the cramped, stuffy room she turned around. ‘Who is delivering the death message to her parents? Has that even been done?’

This time Ben did groan. ‘Oh Christ, what a shit show.’

Morgan walked out, a small smile on her lips at Ben’s last comment that she didn’t want Ben or anyone else to see. This had indeed turned into a shit show, and it was getting worse by the minute.

As she sat writing down the info on each name she had, and cross-checking it against Sharon’s Facebook posts, she didn’t look up when the office door opened softly.

‘Is it safe to come in?’

Cain’s voice was tinged with caution, and this time she did look up at him.

‘Don’t you dare start.’

‘I’m not. Christ, if that hadn’t been true what you’d said, it would have been funny.

Did you see the boss’s face?’ Cain was smiling at her.

‘Honestly, you almost gave him a coronary, and Stan the man looked as if he was going to die of shame. I bet he rings in sick tomorrow; he won’t be able to cope with you on a bad day.

Good on you, Brookes, I think they’d forgotten what a seething pot of anger you have burning inside of that beautiful exterior.

Tell me, is it because you is a ginger?’

Morgan snorted with laughter. ‘Sod off, I don’t know anyone who has a death wish like you do, Cain, and no, being ginger has nothing to do with my inner anger.

It’s ignorance and stupid statements that tip me over the edge.

It’s so unfair, I couldn’t stand to hear him judging her for doing nothing wrong. It’s always the same, always has been.’

Cain dragged his chair over to where she was sitting and patted her arm. ‘I know. Ben has asked if we can go deliver the death message before her parents find out off social media.’

She shook her head. ‘Is he trying to get me out of the way?’

‘No, I think he genuinely feels you’d do a better job than anyone else. Come on, let’s blow this joint before the misogynists come back in. I may be a lot of things, but I don’t look down on any woman or treat them any differently to how I’d treat male colleagues.’

Morgan smiled at him. ‘I know you don’t. Yeah, let’s get out of here, even if it is to do the worst job there is.’

She grabbed her jacket and coffee that was now more iced than hot, but it didn’t matter – she was used to drinking her coffee cold; it was the nature of the job. ‘Where are we going?’

‘Windermere. It looks like Sharon grew up in the area, and her parents still live in a nice house by the lakeside.’

Morgan felt sad. They were about to go and shatter their world with the worst news that anyone could ever receive.

Today, she was feeling no love for her job at all.

It had been nothing but heartache since she’d started this morning, when they got called out to that secluded place where Sharon Montgomery had been so happy spending time until her killer had found her.