Jo climbed the stairs to the building, her mind a jumble of feelings. She loved Amy, but she also loved being alone. She was sad that her first attempt in years at a proper relationship had failed after less than six months, and then angry that Amy seemed to be more worried about her own job than anything else. Then she thought about their history together, that heady, wonderful few weeks when the friendship had developed into something more; the way Amy looked in the morning, sleep-ruffled and makeup free, and she was back to feeling sad again. Finally, as Jo entered the flat and saw that all of Amy’s flowery mugs had gone, her stacks of shoes were missing from the hallway, and that terrible painting she’d insisted on hanging pride of place above the fireplace had been removed, she felt something she wasn’t proud of but couldn’t deny: a wave of quiet relief.

Jo quickly got changed out of her bloody clothes and into a fresh set of smart jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and a warm jacket. She trotted down the stairs and jumped into her car. It was as if a weight she didn’t know she’d been carrying had been lifted from her shoulders. When she returned later to grab some sleep before what would inevitably be an early start, an empty bed would be waiting. Jo smiled at the thought of it, then felt guilty for smiling, and wondered where Amy was now and whether she would be okay.

Work mode kicked in, sweeping aside the feelings, keeping them on ice for later. She started the car and set off for the Royal Infirmary Hospital, where a severely injured man needed her help to find his attacker and bring whomever it was to justice.

CHAPTER

15

THEN

Ruby

September

GREGOR OPENED THE door before she got there, dressed in a clean T-shirt and jeans. “You came,” he said. “And you brought the violin.”

Ruby felt a rush of joy that he was so pleased to see her.

“How did you get in the building, though? Mrs. Stefanidis again?”

Ruby nodded. “I’ve told her I’ll help her with her shopping. You know she’s almost blind?”

“You didn’t mention Constance to her, did you?”

The door to the living space opened a crack, and a tiny girl shouted “Hi!” as she yanked it completely open, then bum-shuffled toward them before using the doorframe to stand up.

Today, Leonie wore a yellow sundress, with white sandals on her feet, which she used as levers to get her across the carpet super-fast. “You look ready to go to the beach, honey,” said Ruby.

“Beach!” shouted Leonie. When Ruby glanced up at Gregor, he winced and made a shivering motion.

“Yeah, your Dad’s right. It’s a bit cold for that today. Hey, why don’t you show me the rest of your toys?”