Apples Never Fall

She was in his office giving him an update on the Joy Delaney investigation.

“Smart man,” said her boss, Detective Sergeant Vince Oates. He had four children under the age of five. He drank Red Bull like it was water.

“Some of the family think this is payback,” said Christina. “It’s the wife’s turn to walk out.”

“What do you reckon?”

“She’s been gone sixteen days now. The longest the husband ever left was five nights, and that was over twenty years ago.”

“The last thing we need this year is another no-body homicide case,” said Vince morosely. He rattled his empty can of Red Bull.

“I know,” said Christina. They’d just had a high-profile case fall apart. Too much media. No result. Dispiriting for all involved. “I really want a body.” She paused. “I mean, obviously I don’t want a body.”

“If she’s dead you do.”

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“If she’s dead I do,” agreed Christina.

If she were a betting woman, she would have put a hundred to one on Joy Delaney being dead.

Chapter 28

LAST OCTOBER

As soon as Amy got off the phone with Logan she went downstairs wearing nothing but a T-shirt and bumped straight into Simon Barrington, who should have been at work at this time. The house was meant to be hers during business hours. Her young flatmates all had sensible young person corporate jobs, which was the way she liked it.

“Sorry!” Simon flattened himself dramatically against the wall and averted his eyes, as if they hadn’t had sex last weekend. This was the problem with sleeping with your flatmates. It put everything out of rhythm, and with everything going on with her family right now, she wanted things to remain in rhythm.

“We had sex last weekend,” she reminded him, to put him at ease. The sex had been vigorous and wholesome, as sweet and delicious as apple crumble. She didn’t think she’d ever slept with such a clean man. Even when disheveled and drunk he’d smelled of soap and clean laundry.

This didn’t seem to put him at ease at all. He blushed. He actually blushed. He was a darling.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” he said. He paused. “I mean I’m not actually sorry about it.” He cleared his throat. “Should I be sorry about it?”

Amy sighed. “Why aren’t you at work right now, Simon Barrington?”

“I resigned,” he said. “I’m making some big life changes.”

“So you’re not going to be an accountant anymore?”

He looked taken aback at the thought. “Oh, no, I’ll still be an accountant. Just not for that particular practice. I’m going to take a few months off. Clear my head. Maybe travel.”

A shadow of a frown crossed his face.

“Do you like to travel?” she asked.

“Not much,” he said. “Anyway.” He took a deep breath and clapped his hands together in an adorably geeky way. “What are you up to?”

“I’m getting my jeans out of the dryer and then I’m going to visit my parents. There’s a strange woman living with them right now. My brother thinks she’s up to something.”

“What, you think she’s a scammer?” said Simon.

“Well, so far all she’s done is cook really excellent food for them,” admitted Amy.

“But you’re trying to work out her end game,” said Simon.

“Exactly,” said Amy. “My parents are extremely innocent.”