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Chapters (100)
  1. Cover
  2. Title page
  3. Dedication page
  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. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. 92
  96. Acknowledgements
  97. DEAD GUILTY
  98. 1
  99. FALSE WITNESS
  100. Also by Michelle Davies

As he kissed her goodbye and went off to shower, Maggie was reminded again how seamless their transition had been from colleagues to couple. Perhaps it was because Umpire was older – forty-two to her twenty-nine – that it had been so easy: he didn’t play games and was honest about his feelings, telling her he loved her far sooner than she’d expected.

That wasn’t to say there hadn’t been – and still were – hurdles. The start of their relationship had coincided with her falling out with Lou and it had cast a shadow over their nascent happiness. Fortunately, Umpire was enlightened enough to acknowledge that tears and passion didn’t make for easy bedfellows and exercised patience when other men might have tired of her distress.

Besides, he’d had his own predicament: settling into a new custody arrangement with his two children, Flora, now fourteen, and Jack, two years younger. They spent every other weekend at his but their mother was railing against them meeting Maggie, saying they ‘weren’t ready’. Maggie suspected it was Umpire’s ex-wife who had the problem but she made herself scarce on the weekends the kids were with him without complaint because, deep down, she wasn’t ready to meet them either. The thought of stepping into a proxy stepmother role made her uneasy, yet she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.

Outside the flat she was getting into her car when her phone went. It was a CID colleague, DS Anna Renshaw.

‘I need you up at Rushbrooke Primary now,’ said Renshaw. She was outdoors and sounded out of breath, and Maggie could hear other voices in the background.

‘Am I late? My talk’s meant to be at nine thirty.’

‘It’s not that. There’s been a suspicious death in the school grounds. Victim’s a pupil.’

‘I’m on my way.’

3

The first person Maggie saw on arriving at Rushbrooke was a young male PC called Olly Talbot. Not long in the force, he had been tasked with logging the arrivals and departures of personnel at the crime scene and was hugging a clipboard to his chest like a soft toy as Maggie approached him to sign in.

‘You okay?’ she asked.

Talbot nodded but his eyes betrayed him. He blinked furiously to hide the evidence of his distress.

‘Were you here first?’

He nodded, then cleared his throat.

‘I was a First Responder, with PC Pritchard. There was nothing we could do for the poor lad.’