Page 20 of Gone in the Night (Detective Morgan Brookes #16)

TWENTY

Jack looked dreadful, and Morgan did a double take.

If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he had some terrible secret he was hiding that was burning him up from the inside, but she didn’t think he was a killer.

Then again, she hadn’t thought he’d treat Amy the way he had, so she wasn’t a very good judge of his character at all.

She didn’t even try and speak to him; he looked at Ben then her.

‘Can I talk to you on your own, Ben?’ Jack asked.

Amy shook her head. ‘Whatever you have to say, Jack, you say it in front of us all or you go to the station with Ben and tell him there. I didn’t invite you here for this, you’re in my home and I’m too tired to put up with you acting as if you can call the shots.

You’re up shit creek without a paddle. Take it or leave it. ’

Jack pursed his lips but nodded.

Ben sat opposite him; Amy and Morgan squeezed on the sofa together.

‘Should I tell you what I know or what’s been happening?’

‘Yes, please.’ Ben’s voice was calmer than Morgan’s would have been.

‘I started seeing Sharon about eight weeks ago, we went on a couple of dates. I met her when I arrested Eddy Lightburn for assaulting her a few years ago.’ Jack kept his focus on Ben.

‘Did you go out with her three years ago?’

‘No, of course not. I liked her, we got on well and I felt sorry for her, but I was with Amy.’

Amy tutted; Jack turned to her. ‘I have never cheated on you, Amy, I swear down.’

‘Good, because God help you if I find out that you ever did, Jack.’

Ben interrupted. ‘Go on, Jack, I’m busy and you know that you could get in trouble if you did have a relationship with her after you worked on her case when she was at her most vulnerable.’

‘I know and I didn’t. She popped up on my Instagram, so I followed her. This was only six months ago, and I commented on one of her camping posts about three months ago, we got talking and then I finally asked her out for a drink. She said yes and we began dating, just casually.’

‘When did you last see her?’

‘The night before she went on this camping trip. She picked me up from the pub and I went back to hers. I stayed the night; she was up bright and early to get ready for her trip. She’s very good at vlogging and wanted to spend the day setting up camp and filming for her YouTube channel.’

‘Did you not offer to go with her?’

He shook his head. ‘Her channel is all about solo and wild camping adventures. I wish I had because she wouldn’t be dead now if I’d been there. I feel so bad, it’s horrible. I can’t stop thinking about it.’

‘Did Sharon mention if she had a stalker, any followers on her social media that gave her cause for concern?’

‘She said there were a couple of creeps who liked everything and would send her DMs, but she didn’t think they were anything to be scared of.’

‘Would you know who they were?’

‘No idea, you’d need to go through her account.’

Ben nodded. ‘You didn’t fall out with her before she went camping?’

Morgan didn’t take her eyes off Jack; she was watching his body language for signs he was lying, but he was shaking his head emphatically.

‘No.’

‘Okay, what about Eddy Lightburn? He’s admitted to visiting her the day he was released from prison. Did she ever mention him? Was she worried about him turning up?’

‘She said he’d turned up, they had a civil conversation and he left. I asked her why she didn’t ring the police, and she said she thought he was genuinely sorry and that everyone deserved a break. She didn’t want to dwell on the past.’

‘What about you, do you think he could have killed her?’

Jack paused. ‘It would be easier for me to say yes, I think he did. But I have my doubts that he’s even clever enough to find her and do something like that.’

‘So everyone keeps saying,’ murmured Ben.

‘Look, Jack, you know that I’m going to have to write this up as a statement, and I’m also going to have to speak to Madds and let Professional Standards know.

You need to speak to Davey, if he’s still the FED rep, and tell him everything you told me because they’re going to be looking into you from every angle.

You were one of the last few people who saw Sharon alive, this is not something that can be brushed under the carpet and forgotten about.

Are you good, do you need me to get you an urgent referral to a counsellor or a medical professional?

If I were you, I’d go sick, so you don’t have to worry about PSD marching into work and doing what they do in front of the whole station.

But you didn’t hear that from me, okay, this is me giving you some friendly advice. You don’t have to take it.’

Jack was nodding. ‘I’m okay, I’m sad not suicidal, and I’m worried that they’ll try and pin this on me, but I’ll do that, thanks, Ben.’

‘It’s Amy you need to be thanking; I’m surprised she didn’t kick your sorry arse out of the door. You do not deserve the respect she’s given to you after the way you’ve treated her.’

Jack’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears. He looked at Amy. ‘I’m sorry, Amy, I really am.’

She shrugged. ‘Thanks.’

Ben stood up. ‘We are not going to try to pin anything on you, we are a team of professionals and only want the truth, so unless you’ve told me a pack of lies, I have no reason to disbelieve you.

However, I suggest you go home, phone Madds and report sick.

I’ll do the rest. Do you need a lift back to your place? ’

‘No, I’ll walk but thank you. I need to clear my head.’

‘Do you have a key for Sharon’s house?’ Morgan asked.

‘No, we weren’t serious enough for me to have a key, like I said it was early days.

We didn’t tell anyone we were seeing each other, and I never met her friends or family, although she was raging about her stepdad getting it on with her friend.

I gave her a lift to her parents’ house once.

It’s one of those huge mansions by the lake.

I waited in the car, they even have a maid, she was going into the garage, but she never even looked over at me. ’

Morgan sighed. ‘I guess we should have got one off her parents.’

‘There’s one on her car keys, that’s where she kept it.’

‘Thanks.’ This time Morgan did give him a half smile; she wasn’t sure if he was involved or what the hell was happening, but she did know that this complex case wasn’t going to be solved before the end of her shift unless the killer walked into the station and handed themselves in.