Chapters (49)
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Also by Graham Hurley
- LIMELIGHT
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- AFTERWARDS
‘Not quite,’ she says. ‘They’re not insisting on police bail, but Bullivant is making it very clear that he hasn’t finished with you. He’s the senior investigating officer. What he says matters. Given what I know about him, I suspect he won’t give up.’
‘And this goes on for how long?’
‘Until they make a charging decision.’ She smiles again. ‘Or not. They call the latter NFA.’
No further action? Just now, nothing could seem less likely, but I tuck this little phrase away like an amulet, something to protect me in the days and weeks to come. Andrea has been honest enough to make it clear that my trials are far from over, but she’s happy with my performance in the interview suite and is certain that I’ve given DI Bullivant something to think about.
‘First thing this morning,’ she says, ‘he assumed it was all over. I can read the bloody man like a book. He thought he’d have a cough by lunchtime, latest.’
‘Cough?’
‘Full confession. Happily, it turned out he was wrong. Never make any assumptions in this game. They always come back to haunt you.’
‘And the others?’
‘They’ve all gone “no comment”, not a peep from any of them. They’ll be released, too. You’ll all get together, I’m sure you will, but just a word of advice. Do I hear a yes?’
‘Of course.’
‘Be very careful what you say. To anyone. Just stick to your story. You tell it very well, as you should, but if this little saga is to have a happy ending, you’ve got to button your lip. By all means get blind drunk tonight, but take care about the company you keep. Bullivant hates losing. He won’t give up, I promise you.’
Take care about the company you keep. Andrea offers me a lift back to Budleigh, but I can imagine how busy she is, and I tell her I’m happy to take the bus. I’ve never been on the 58 service before but my perch on the back seat, with my cheek pressed to the coldness of the window, feels inexpressibly wonderful. This is freedom, I tell myself, all the sweeter for being so unexpected. The rest of the day I shall spend with Evelyn. I trust her completely, and in the light of Andrea’s warning that might be important.
Fat chance. When I finally get to the bungalow, it’s Mitch who opens the front door.
‘Christ,’ he says. ‘You’ve escaped.’
He has his mobile pressed to his ear. Evelyn must have been feeding him again because he has crumbs of toast all over his Liverpool shirt. I step inside, glad of the sudden warmth. Evelyn appears from the kitchen, stares at me as if I wasn’t quite real, and then gives me a long hug, just to check.