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Chapters (70)
  1. Title Page
  2. Contents
  3. Copyright
  4. Praise for Caroline Mitchell
  5. Also by Caroline Mitchell
  6. Dedication
  7. Epigraph
  8. Prologue
  9. 1
  10. 2
  11. 3
  12. 4
  13. 5
  14. 6
  15. 7
  16. 8
  17. 9
  18. 10
  19. 11
  20. 12
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. 16
  25. 17
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. 58
  67. Epilogue
  68. Acknowledgements
  69. About Caroline Mitchell
  70. About Embla Books

‘Maybe …’ she said. The feeling of unfinished business lingered. She opened her mouth to speak but the words would not come. Bringing up the letter now could backfire massively. Would he think she had written it to begin with? Given his ‘long chat’ with Yvonne, Sarah didn’t stand a chance of being taken seriously. If she had a physical letter they might believe her … but something written on her laptop, with no sign of forced entry into her home? She could be kicked off the team. Bernard’s view of her was tainted, at least until she proved she was perfectly sane.

‘Champion,’ Bernard said, oblivious to her inner torment as the phone on his desk rang.

‘See you later then,’ she said, before leaving the room.

Sarah paused outside her DI’s office as she kept her annoyance in check. Keep your feet on the ground indeed. The bloody cheek of it. It wouldn’t surprise her if Yvonne had implied she’d made the first letter up. As for the second … she would keep that to herself. Bernard saw her as broken, rather than someone who’d had the strength of character to get out of the hole she was in. What doesn’t kill you gives you coping mechanisms, Sarah thought. She would prove them all wrong. If the Midnight Man wanted her to play the game then she was ready for him. It didn’t mean he would win.

45

Today, Sarah joined her colleagues with renewed determination. She was too immersed in the case to be nervous anymore. She rested her bag on her desk. It contained a new planner which mapped out her week. A small thing, but a sign she was getting her life together. Today’s word of the day had stuck in her mind – concatenation – a chain of events. The problem was, while she was focusing on the chain of events concerning her letters, her colleagues were determined to nail Christian Abraham.

‘Good news,’ Yvonne said, her head rising from behind Gabby’s computer. ‘With the evidence stacked against Abraham I’m confident we’ll get a charge.’

‘That’s great,’ Sarah replied, taken aback as her acting sergeant updated her. It wasn’t like Yvonne to keep her in the loop.

‘Tell that to your face.’ Yvonne eyeballed her as she stood. ‘You’re not still chewing yourself up over Elsie’s journal, are you? Book it in to Property and attach it to the case if you’re so concerned.’

Sarah nodded, thin-lipped, as she waited to sit. She missed Gabby. She’d been texting her regular updates but she wanted her at the helm. She opened her drawer and pulled out a clean mug.

‘I thought you’d be happy about the arrest,’ Yvonne said, her perfectly arched brows rising. ‘Christian Abraham’s fingerprints were found in both Libby and Jahmelia’s houses, plus we’ve got his car on CCTV.’