Chapters (78)
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Prologue
- 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
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Remarkable Praise for Nicci French
- Also by Nicci French
- About the Publisher
“So Dermot killed Liam in the very spot that Liam was planning to kill Danny.”
“Yes.”
“Liam’s dead. Danny’s dead. Dermot’s going to prison forever. What about Vin?”
“What about him?”
“He was involved. He must have been.”
“You have proof of that?”
“It’s obvious. He set up the alibi. I met the man who filmed them. Nico someone-or-other. You should talk to him. He’ll tell you.”
“Thank you for your suggestion, Jude,” said Leila dryly. “We have talked to him. We have also interviewed Vin. He was here for several hours, with his lawyer.” She held up a hand to stop Jude from speaking. “We have also been through his laptop and phone.”
“And?”
“And nothing. You have to let it go.” She stood up. “And this is where we say goodbye.”
She held out her broad, warm hand and Jude grasped it.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Jude, but I don’t want to hear from you again.”
Sixty-Nine
It was an early September day but it still felt like summer. Jude stepped out from the hospital into the bustle of Whitechapel. She’d been waiting for this all day. She had no plans, nobody to meet and she would make the most of this beautiful day on her own. She would go for a walk, maybe down by the river, clear her head.
Then she saw him.
It felt like she was in one of the nightmares she sometimes had, where the same event happened over and over again and she couldn’t get away from it. She remembered that feeling of seeing Liam at the end of her shift. It was more than a memory. It was as if it was happening again. She felt it like a punch in the stomach.
He was standing by the curb, a large man casually dressed in jeans and a blue T-shirt and a gray tracksuit top, bearded and his hair still long. He had his back to the traffic and had clearly been waiting for her.
Vin gave his broad smile.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, as calmly as she could manage.
“I wanted to see you.” He was still smiling. “I’m glad I did. You look well. A bit tired, maybe.”
“I’ve just finished a shift.”
“What people like you do is amazing. Caring for old people. You’re the real heroes.”
“Stop that. Why are you here?”
He look amused rather than dismayed by Jude’s unfriendliness.
“Do I need a reason?”
“Yes.”
He seemed to think for a moment, frowning slightly, his head slightly to one side.
“Something has been nagging at me,” he said. “I felt there was just one loose end.”
Jude felt a stab of alarm and looked around at the crowded street. Vin laughed.
“I just wanted a word.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”