BooksBarbecue
Back Deadly Revenge Save as PDF
Chapters (60)
  1. CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR LEIGH RUSSELL
  2. Glossary of acronyms
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. Acknowledgements

‘Of course, that’s understood, and there’s no way I’d want to carry on like this for much longer. It’s just that, while you’re not having to cough up for Daisy, you have the money going spare, so it’s not as if you can’t afford to help me out like this, temporarily of course. I thought it might comfort you, coming to see the baby, but if you’d rather not come here anymore –’

‘No, no, please, don’t misunderstand me,’ Jessica said quickly. ‘You’re right, you’re right, I can afford it at the moment, of course I can. I’ll bring you two hundred next time, all right?’

Ella’s eyes narrowed. ‘Two fifty would be better,’ she said softly. ‘Three, if you can manage it?’

30

30

Every year since the death of their mother, Geraldine had visited her sister for tea on Celia’s birthday. It was an obligation she fulfilled willingly. Although Celia put no pressure on her to continue the custom, Geraldine knew that her sister would be disappointed if she broke the tradition. The death of their mother several years ago had hit Celia far harder than Geraldine. Only after their mother’s death had Geraldine learned the reason why Celia closely resembled their fair-haired mother, while Geraldine, with her black hair and very dark eyes, looked like the child of another mother. As it turned out, she was exactly that.

The shock of discovering she had been adopted by Celia’s biological mother had been hard to deal with at first, but the passing years had softened her distress and Geraldine had come to terms, not only with her adoption, but with her adopted mother’s failure to share the truth with her. She understood that the situation must have been tricky for her adopted mother who was dead now, and beyond question or challenge. Geraldine had forgiven her. It seemed the most sensible way to deal with her disappointment. The only alternative was to harbour a resentment which would help no one, least of all Geraldine herself.

Although she was involved in a murder investigation, the initial reports were in, a team were now questioning the Armstrongs’ neighbours, the dead man’s former work colleagues, and the other members of the council, and all the reports were being completed and cross referenced. That was a job for a huge team of constables who were working hard to get the records up to date.

Celia was used to Geraldine calling at the last minute to cancel arrangements and no longer even remonstrated when that happened, but there was nothing urgent for Geraldine to do that day and the traffic promised to be relatively light as it was Sunday, so she decided to stick to the arrangement she had made earlier in the month.