BooksBarbecue
Back When I Lost You
Chapters (81)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. Prologue
  5. One
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-one
  26. Twenty-two
  27. Twenty-three
  28. Twenty-four
  29. Twenty-five
  30. Twenty-six
  31. Twenty-seven
  32. Twenty-eight
  33. Twenty-nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-one
  36. Thirty-two
  37. Thirty-three
  38. Thirty-four
  39. Thirty-five
  40. Thirty-six
  41. Thirty-seven
  42. Thirty-eight
  43. Thirty-nine
  44. Forty
  45. Forty-one
  46. Forty-two
  47. Forty-three
  48. Forty-four
  49. Forty-five
  50. Forty-six
  51. Forty-seven
  52. Forty-eight
  53. Forty-nine
  54. Fifty
  55. Fifty-one
  56. Fifty-two
  57. Fifty-three
  58. Fifty-four
  59. Fifty-five
  60. Fifty-six
  61. Fifty-seven
  62. Fifty-eight
  63. Fifty-nine
  64. Sixty
  65. Sixty-one
  66. Sixty-two
  67. Sixty-three
  68. Sixty-four
  69. Sixty-five
  70. Sixty-six
  71. Sixty-seven
  72. Epilogue
  73. Acknowledgments
  74. Read More
  75. Prologue
  76. One
  77. Two
  78. Three
  79. Four
  80. Follow Merilyn online
  81. Dedication

‘Agreed.’ Bremer pointed to Nell. ‘Take Paul and go pay a visit to Joanne – surprise her, so she doesn’t have a chance to run. Carla, you get the SIO for the Waites case on the phone and pull him in. If they’re working together, we need to find Mary ASAP before Joanne can warn her.’ He paused. ‘What about Eve? Do we think we need to notify her? Is she at risk?’

‘I think we need to at least warn her. Maybe make sure her husband stays with her, seeing as he’s a cop. I don’t think we need to do anything more yet. The less we make our lines of enquiry public the better.’

Bremer nodded. ‘Agreed. Carla, after you’re finished with the SIO, get hold of the husband and ask him in for a chat. Nell and Paul, we’ll see you later, and if you’ve any doubt over Joanne’s story, bring her in.’

Forty-eight

Then

All I want is to see the baby, know she’s OK. But it’s been hours now, so all I can do is sit on the hospital bed waiting for a social worker to take me to the police.

No one has mentioned her – why has no one asked me about her? I pick at the rough bed sheet and list the things that worry me: the baby; what will happen to me now; whether I will be in trouble for helping Alf; will I go to jail? My mind buzzes with thoughts and I bite my lip until it bleeds.

‘Hey, don’t do that.’

I look up and find the copper who rescued me smiling down at me. He hands me a tissue and I dab it at my lip. I suddenly want to cry. I’d forgotten how gentle his voice is, how it wraps me up and makes me feel safe.

‘Where’s the baby?’ I whisper so the nurses can’t hear. He comes and sits on the bed and takes my hand.

‘Your baby?’

I hesitate. If I say she’s mine maybe they’ll let me keep her? But if I keep her Alf can find her and I don’t want that to happen. It suddenly strikes me I shouldn’t want her found either. She links me to Aoife’s murder just as much as she links Alf.

I’m filled with sadness that I can’t be with her and wish I could have held her for a little longer in the hope she might remember me.

‘No,’ I say, ‘she was Aoife’s. My friend.’ He nods and I see he knows this already. Of course, I think, they will have found her body by now. I’m consumed by grief and guilt.

‘Shall I tell you a story?’ he asks. I nod, my throat too filled with tears to reply.