BooksBarbecue
Back Thin Air Save as PDF
Chapters (53)
  1. Title page
  2. Dedication page
  3. Contents
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. Chapter One
  6. Chapter Two
  7. Chapter Three
  8. Chapter Four
  9. Chapter Five
  10. Chapter Six
  11. Chapter Seven
  12. Chapter Eight
  13. Chapter Nine
  14. Chapter Ten
  15. Chapter Eleven
  16. Chapter Twelve
  17. Chapter Thirteen
  18. Chapter Fourteen
  19. Chapter Fifteen
  20. Chapter Sixteen
  21. Chapter Seventeen
  22. Chapter Eighteen
  23. Chapter Nineteen
  24. Chapter Twenty
  25. Chapter Twenty-One
  26. Chapter Twenty-Two
  27. Chapter Twenty-Three
  28. Chapter Twenty-Four
  29. Chapter Twenty-Five
  30. Chapter Twenty-Six
  31. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  32. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  33. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  34. Chapter Thirty
  35. Chapter Thirty-One
  36. Chapter Thirty-Two
  37. Chapter Thirty-Three
  38. Chapter Thirty-Four
  39. Chapter Thirty-Five
  40. Chapter Thirty-Six
  41. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  42. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  43. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  44. Chapter Forty
  45. Chapter Forty-One
  46. Chapter Forty-Two
  47. Chapter Forty-Three
  48. Chapter Forty-Four
  49. Chapter Forty-Five
  50. Chapter Forty-Six
  51. Chapter Forty-Seven
  52. By Ann Cleeves
  53. Copyright page

The young detective came back into the house, still apologizing, saying he thought he’d switched off his phone. He stood, making it clear that he thought they should leave, and when Willow made no sign of moving he leaned towards her. ‘That was Jimmy.’

Now the woman did get to her feet and they both trooped outside into the pale sunshine. Polly thought that Willow Reeves might be the senior investigating officer in the case, but if anyone was to find out who’d killed Eleanor it would be Jimmy Perez.

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

After speaking to Eleanor’s mother, Perez thought he had no reason to stay in London. He’d done all that Willow had asked him. He could get on a plane and be home that afternoon, ready to drop Cassie back at Duncan’s before arriving in Unst by the last ferry. And ready to share a glass of whisky with Willow before she disappeared to bed. The thought tempted him. But he’d promised Fran’s mother a whole day with their granddaughter and knew he couldn’t leave the city yet.

He was walking away from Cilla’s grand apartment, thinking that he might wander along the Thames and take some time to explore the city, when his phone rang.

‘Inspector?’ A young voice, female. He tried to remember where he’d heard it before. ‘This is Alice from Bright Star. We met yesterday evening. I worked with Eleanor.’

‘Of course.’ To his left there was a large Victorian church with a black smoke-stained steeple and an overgrown graveyard. He slipped through the gate to get away from the traffic noise and landed on a wooden bench in the shade. A bunch of dead flowers lay next to a tilted headstone by the path. They were brown and shrivelled and must have been there for weeks. The young woman was still speaking.

‘I’ve been going through Nell’s records. I should have thought of that yesterday. She kept notebooks, hard copies. She’d been researching the history of the Unst ghost and had been in touch with other people on the island. I thought you’d like to know.’

‘Can I come and collect the books from you?’ The idea of action made him feel brighter. He hadn’t realized that the conversation with Cilla had left him so low. It was as if the lethargy of his depression had descended while he was in the Pimlico flat. A black magic, bringing with it the old guilt and the memories of Fran.

‘Sure. You know where to find us now.’

He picked up the dead, brown flowers and threw them into a bin as he walked through the church gate.