Page 21 of The Truth Will Out (DI Sam Cobbs #18)

“As it happens, he is. His next appointment isn’t for a few hours. He told me he was intending to catch up on some paperwork.”

“Ah, okay. Would you mind putting me through so I can have a brief chat with him?”

“Of course, Sam. Hold the line.”

There was a pause, during which Sam struggled to prevent her heart from racing. She opened the drawer and removed a fresh bottle of water. She held the phone between her ear and shoulder to open it.

“I’m back. I’ll pass you through now, Sam.”

“Thanks, Brenda. I shouldn’t keep him too long.”

“No worries. I bet you’re getting excited about the wedding now. You must be, what with it only being a few weeks away.”

“We are. Did he give you your invite?”

“He did. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve even splashed out and bought myself a new dress and fascinator for the occasion.”

“Wow, you really shouldn’t have spent out like that.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s not every day your boss gets married.”

Sam laughed. “I hope that’s the case.”

“See you soon, Sam. I’m connecting you now.”

The phone rang a couple of times before Rhys answered, making Sam even more jittery than she was already. She had a dreaded fear that he wouldn’t want to speak to her.

If that were the case, he would have told Brenda to tell me he was busy. He didn’t, so there’s no reason for him not to take my call.

“Hi, this is a nice surprise. What’s up, Sam?”

“Umm… hi. Thanks for accepting my call. Are you free to meet me for a quick coffee?”

“What? Wow, I don’t think you’ve ever asked me to meet you during the day before. Hang on, is there something wrong?” he asked, a note of apprehension surfacing in his tone.

“No, not really. Can you meet me or not?” she asked, sharper than she’d intended.

“Is it going to be one of those kinds of meetings where you shout at me all the time? If so, I’d rather give it a miss, if it’s all the same to you.”

“Sorry. No, I promise, it’s not. Although, I do have something important I need to discuss with you.”

“Something important? Shit, you’re not going to call the wedding off, are you?”

“Rhys, don’t be so ridiculous. Where do you want to meet? The sooner, the better for me. Brenda said your diary is clear for the next few hours.”

“She’s a traitor. There’s no way I can back out of a meeting now, is there? What about the café around the corner from my office? Or is that too far for you to come?”

“No, that will be ideal. I’ll see you there in ten to fifteen minutes, depending on the traffic.”

“I’ll see you then, darling.”

Sam welled up. She whispered goodbye, then replaced the phone in its docking station. She glanced up to see Bob standing in the doorway, watching her. “Don’t say a word.”

He smiled. “Don’t be too hard on him, Sam.”

She rose from her seat and walked towards him. “I know you think I’m being silly.”

“You are.”

“It’s the deceit I’m struggling to handle. I had to deal with it for so many years with Chris. It changes you, Bob. Don’t forget, I’m also dealing with what Claire has done to me, to all of us, on top of everything else.”

“I admit, none of this is easy. All I’m saying is don’t go into the meeting screaming at him. He doesn’t deserve that.”

“I know. I’ll take your well-meaning advice on board.”

“Good, because that’s what it is. I’m only looking out for you.”

She smiled and rubbed his arm. “I know and I appreciate it. I shouldn’t be too long.”

“You know where I am if you need me. Talking of which, is there anything specific you’d like me to do in your absence? And yes, the request has already gone in for the warrant. ”

“In that case, can you keep sifting through the file with the rest of the team?”

“I was going to do that anyway. Do you want me to call the lab to see if they’ve got anything for us yet?”

“Why not? It wouldn’t hurt to keep them on their toes with this one, especially considering how quickly the murders are happening. The killer has an agenda, and we don’t know where or when they are going to strike next.”

“Exactly. Okay, leave it with me. Drive carefully and try not to be too harsh on your future husband when you get there.”

She mock-saluted him. “I’ll let you know when I’m on my way back.”

Sam drove to the location and parked up in the square opposite the café. She crossed the road. Rhys was already there, sitting at a table next to the window. They waved at each other. Bile burned the back of her throat the closer she got to the entrance of the café.

I guess an afternoon cream cake is out of the question. I doubt if I would keep it down.

The girl standing behind the till welcomed her with a smile. “Can I help you?”

Sam returned the smile and pointed at Rhys. “My fiancé is already here.” She was pleased to hear, to her credit, that she didn’t stumble over the word fiancé.

“Ah, okay. Do you know what you want?”

“A flat white would be perfect. Thanks.”

“I can’t tempt you with a cake?”

“Believe me, I’m very tempted, but I’m getting married in a few weeks, so I need to watch my waistline.”

“Oh, how wonderful. Congratulations, and yes, cream cakes would be off the menu for me too if I were in your shoes. I’ll bring your coffee over when it’s ready.”

“Thanks very much.” Sam paid for the drink and then weaved her way through the tables, some full and others empty after the lunchtime rush.

Rhys stood and held out her chair for her.

“A bit over the top given the setting,” she said.

“You’re worth all the sniggers and whisperings coming my way from the customers.” He bent and pecked her on the cheek, then sat and laid his hand upwards on the table, ready to accept hers.

Sam hesitated for a moment or two, then decided against it. “Sorry, I need to keep my professional head on.”

Rhys shrugged and seemed hurt by the rejection. He withdrew his hand as the waitress arrived with Sam’s coffee.

“Enjoy,” she said, then left them to it.

“What’s this about, Sam? Last night you barely said two words to me, and today you won’t even hold hands with me in public. What gives?”

“I won’t hold hands because I’m here on police business, and it wouldn’t feel right to show you affection.”

“Police business? I don’t understand. Does this have anything to do with the bastard who knifed me? Don’t tell me he’s escaped from prison?”

“He hasn’t, and no, it doesn’t have anything to do with you getting attacked.” She opened two sachets of sugar and poured them into her cup. “This is hard for me to say; I’ve been trying to summon up the words since yesterday.”

He frowned. “You’re getting me worried now. Just say it. If it comes out wrong, we’ll sort it out later.”

Sam gripped her cup with both hands as their gazes met. She could see the torture she was causing deep within his eyes. “It’s to do with the investigation we’re dealing with at the moment.”

“Go on. Sam, just say what’s on your mind and stop dragging it out, will you?”

“I’m sorry. You have no idea what this information is doing to me.”

He fell back in his chair and ran a hand through his short hair. “I can’t help you if you won’t tell me what you’re going on about. ”

She exhaled and took a sip from her coffee, prolonging his agony but, at the same time, ensuring the words she was about to say came out in the correct order.

“Sam?” He shook his head and stared at her.

She could tell his patience was waning rapidly.

“All right. Here goes. In the past few days, as you know, we’ve had to deal with two murders, one being that of a member of my team.

” She glanced over her shoulder, aware of the other customers sitting at the nearest tables, and lowered her voice.

“The thing is, this morning we were called out to another crime scene…”

“My God. Are they all connected? If so, how do you know they are?”

“Yes, we believe we’re dealing with the same killer because they keep leaving us messages, mostly, maybe all of them, written in the victims’ blood.”

“Jesus, even Claire’s murder?”

“I think so, or maybe it was spray paint; I can’t honestly remember, and that in itself is a worrying sign for me.

Anyway, when we showed up to assess Claire’s murder, we found a USB stick with some vital information on it about a certain…

children’s home in the area.” She paused to consider his reaction.

“Anyhow, this USB led us to the other victims and has also given us further insight into…”

“Into what? None of this is making any sense to me. What am I missing, and why does this concern me?”

“Does the name Pendle House mean anything to you?”

He sprang forward and gripped his cup tightly. “Yes, of course it does. I did some of my training there. It wasn’t long, only two or three weeks, but… hang on a minute, what are you saying? That you think I have something to do with the murders?”

“I’m not suggesting anything of the sort. Why didn’t you tell me you worked there or had a placement there?”

“What? Why should I? I had dozens of placements throughout the country during my time at university. It’s what they used to do back in the day. I think the system has changed now. I still don’t understand how this could cause an issue between us. Care to explain?”

Sam covered her face with her hands, shook her head, then released her hands when she thought she’d sorted through her thoughts enough to make any sense. “It’s the lies, the deceit; it’s coming at me from all sides, and I’ve struggled to handle it. You know what I went through with Chris.”

“Excuse me! I’m nothing like him and, for your information, I don’t think I’ve ever consciously lied to you since I’ve known you.

Why are you punishing me for something that is out of my hands?

For something that happened decades ago, just because you saw my name on a file of employees ?

I can’t believe this, Sam. I thought you knew me better than this. The question is, do you believe me?”

Sam turned her cup in her saucer and remained silent until he spoke again.

“Clearly not. What the actual…? What did I do wrong? I worked in a placement at a children’s home, which, years later, gained a despicable reputation.

I repeat, in case you misheard me, long after I ‘worked’ there, and you’re sitting here now, what?

Blaming me for being associated with the place? How is that even possible?”

She took a sip from her coffee and glanced out of the window. “I’m sorry. With what I’ve had to deal with this week, I kind of let things get on top of me.”

“What things? Claire betraying you? Is that what you’re alluding to? What does that have to do with me? None of this is making any sense, no matter which way I try to interpret it.”

“Tell me about it. If you want to call the wedding off because of the way I’ve treated you, I quite understand.”

He stared at his cup and scratched his head. “I’m going to need to seriously consider what our relationship means to me because, from what you’ve just said, you seem undecided about whether you can trust me.” He pushed back his chair and left the table.

Sam was mortified that he would choose to walk out on her, but after a moment’s reflection, she shrugged .

Who can blame him? I’ve treated him no better than a common criminal and blamed him for something that he apparently had no control over.

The waitress appeared like a fairy godmother beside her. “Sorry to intrude. You seem upset. Is everything all right?”

“I don’t know. Thanks for the coffee; it was lovely. Although I’m surprised it didn’t choke me.” She stood and pushed her chair under the table.

“Please don’t leave like this. You’re obviously upset. I’d hate it if you got in your car and had an accident.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve had to deal with more than a relationship breakup in the past.”

“What? But you’re supposed to be getting married. Didn’t you say he was your fiancé?”

“He was. I don’t know if he still is, not after this. I guess I’ll find out the answer to that when I go home this evening.”

“How sad. Wishing you all the best. Perhaps it’s a case of wedding day jitters.”

Sam smiled. “If only that were true. Thank you for caring.”

“I hope your day gets better for you.”

“Christ, it can’t get any worse.”

Sam smiled again and weaved her way back through the tables to the front door.

She peered down the street and spotted Rhys marching towards his office, his head bowed low and his shoulders slumped in resignation.

Sam’s heart went out to him. She cursed herself for overreacting and causing a rift in their relationship.

I’ll be lucky if it is a rift. I’m fearing the worst—that this might be the end of us.

She crossed the street, got back in the car, and even thought about chasing after Rhys, but the second she set off, she changed her mind.

Sam didn’t have time to dwell on it. Her phone rang, and Bob’s name showed up on the screen. “I’m on my way back. I should be about ten minutes. What’s up?”

“Good. You can pick me up. We’ve got another body.”

“Shit! I’ll be there soon.” She ended the call and slammed her flattened hand against the steering wheel .

Haven’t we got enough? Give me a lead that will bring me face to face with you, at least, you bastard!