Chapters (70)
As his mother ushered him into the car, Elliott took her by the hand. ‘I don’t like that police officer. She’s not a nice lady,’ he said.
‘Yes, seems that way,’ Maggie replied as Elliott strapped himself in. ‘But don’t you worry about it, sweetheart. You’ve done all you can for Jahmelia. I’m sure they’ll find her soon.’ She closed the car door before he could answer. Elliott chewed on his bottom lip. Had he done the wrong thing by speaking up? He would talk to Sarah. She would help find Jahmelia. Because something told him she was the only one who could.
47
Sarah dropped a tuna sandwich onto Richie’s desk. She had gone on a four o’clock sandwich run to the new bakery in the centre of town after finding out some of her colleagues hadn’t eaten all day. But the new owner, Lisa Davis, had given her a grilling before she left, pressing her for details of the case. Sarah had listened patiently before offering reassurance, telling her not to believe everything she read in the press. It felt good to be back in the office. To feel like she finally belonged. The revelation of her identity, something she had always feared, had gained her a quiet acceptance.
‘Thanks for this.’ Richie twisted the lid off the bottle of Diet Coke that she had also deposited on his desk.
‘How’s it going?’ she said, glancing over his shoulder as he tapped his computer keyboard. She squinted, trying to read the Word document on his screen. But as he spun his chair around to face her, she quickly averted her gaze.
‘Slowly,’ he replied. ‘Thanks to his super-duper lawyer, Abraham is now answering “no comment” to everything.’ Richie nodded towards Yvonne. ‘How’s she treating you?’
‘She’s been strangely nice, now the cat is out of the bag.’
‘Nah.’ Richie swigged his Diet Coke. ‘She’s keeping the DI on side.’ He tilted his head in Sarah’s direction. ‘What’s the deal with you and Bernard?’
Sarah’s gaze narrowed. Had Richie been speaking about her to the DI? ‘There is no deal. He played golf with my husband. They were friends.’ She scanned the room. Everybody else was getting on with their work. Yvonne left the office, paperwork in hand.
Sarah leaned against Richie’s desk. ‘Why are you asking about the DI?’
‘I’m just figuring things out. He’s very protective of you, isn’t he?’
Sarah’s eyes widened. ‘We’re not carrying on, if that’s what you mean.’ She spoke in a harsh whisper, mindful of her colleagues.
‘None of my business if you are.’ Richie raised his hands in the air.
‘Then why ask?’ She took the chair next to him, her voice low. ‘Is that what people are saying? Did you speak to him about me?’