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Back Last Place You Look Save as PDF
Chapters (85)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Prologue
  4. Part 1
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. Part 2
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. Part 3
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. Epilogue
  82. Acknowledgements
  83. Canelo Crime
  84. About the Author
  85. Also by Louisa Scarr

He sits back in his chair, thinking. Freya stays mute. Tell him, the voice in her head says. Tell him.

‘Accidental death?’ he mutters, half to himself. ‘Do you think? If we have nothing that indicates suicide and nobody was there with him, then what else could it be?’

Freya knows what he’s saying, but something about this feels very wrong. The Jon she knew wasn’t this guy. This man, dead in a hotel room, a leather belt round his neck. ‘We need to be sure,’ she manages to say.

Her boss looks at her. ‘How well did you know him, West?’ he asks.

This is it. Tell him. Excuse herself from the case, leave him to it. But what if this isn’t an accidental death? What if it’s something more sinister? Freya knows this weekend he was going to leave his wife. His wife, who had threatened him in the past, who Freya knows he was wary of. Freya joked about it on Friday night, and the thought of this haunts her. What if she did kill him?

Freya knows the mere idea is ridiculous, but she also knows that only she has this insight. What if Butler isn’t as good a detective as people say he is? What if he just lets it go, does a half-arsed investigation, puts it down to an accident and leaves it at that?

And her new sergeant has no way of knowing the identity of the mystery woman in Jonathan Miller’s life.

‘Hardly at all,’ she replies. She turns away from Butler, feeling her body grow hot. ‘I’ll get on to forensics,’ she says. ‘Get them moving.’

‘Great, you do that,’ he replies.

Just like that, the lies are in place. And Freya knows there is no return.

6

Robin replaces the phone in its evidence bag on the desk, looking at it thoughtfully. He briefly wonders if the unknown messenger might be a man, maybe someone still keeping their sexuality a secret, but no. The style of the writing, some of the things they discuss. It does seem to be a woman.

And he really wants to speak to her. Find out if this sort of thing, this sexual experimentation, was normal for Jonathan Miller. But it’ll have to wait for now. Follow it from the beginning, he tells himself.

He clicks on his email, finds the one he’s looking for and loads it up. It’s a message from the manager of the Premier Inn: CCTV file from the car park attached, list of guests and times and rooms to follow. Plus the electronic log of the room key. The ins and outs from that night. He starts with that.

Room key issued Monday 17:05. Room 303 accessed 17:12. Then nothing again until Tuesday at just past midday, when he knows the maid went inside. What a thing to find. Another unwitting victim of this man’s death.