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Back Cross and Burn Save as PDF
Chapters (74)
  1. About the Author
  2. Also by Val McDermid
  3. COPYRIGHT
  4. CROSS AND BURN
  5. Dedication
  6. Acknowledgements
  7. Epigraph
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
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  54. 47
  55. 48
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  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. 53
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  62. 55
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  64. 57
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  70. 63
  71. 64
  72. 65
  73. 66
  74. 67

‘Either that or she just died,’ he said, distracted by his more private speculation.

‘And this helps us how?’

‘Find her, and you find him.’ He shrugged. ‘Obviously you’re going to have to find her.’

Before Carol could respond, the door opened and Scott stuck her head into the room. ‘Time to go, Carol. We’ll see you in the morning, Tony. Chin up. She’s never going to charge you.’

‘So what happens now?’ Carol asked Scott as soon as they were clear of Skenfrith Street police station.

‘I’m going home to catch some zeds before I have to get up and go head to head with DCI Fielding,’ the lawyer said. ‘I recommend that you not show up for that conversation. It’ll only get messy. Besides, you have plenty of other things to be getting on with. It’ll be bloody ages before Fielding gives us disclosure on Nadia Wilkowa’s work diaries. You’re going to need to pull your strings and find out when this alleged incident happened at Bradfield Moor and whether Nadia was in the building that day to bump into Captain Clumsy.’

‘You want me to go back to Paula?’

Scott broke her stride to give Carol an incredulous look. ‘Well, duh. I want you to do whatever it takes to get the information that will clear my client. You always had the knack of coming up with the goods when you were working the other side of the fence.’

Carol gave a snort of bitter laughter. ‘I did have one or two resources at my disposal.’

‘You still do. Human resources. You’ve got friends. So has he. Use them.’

Carol suppressed a sigh. After the reaction she’d had from Sinead, she wasn’t so sure how much reliance she could place on her old networks. How bitter would it be to have to rely on Tony’s name to open doors? Tony, who was even more crap at intimacy than she was. ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ she said wearily.

‘And I’ll line up someone to demolish her thumbprint evidence. We’re going to leave her without a leg to stand on.’

They entered the dank car park and headed for their cars. Before they separated, Scott put a hand on Carol’s arm. ‘Did he say anything useful after I left you alone with him?’

Carol didn’t know where to begin to explain the way Tony’s mind worked to an outsider. ‘No,’ she said. ‘It was private.’ The words were out before she had time to think. She walked to her car, thinking how hard it was to break the habit of mistrust.