Chapters (81)
- Cover
- About the Author
- Dedication
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Forty-one
- Forty-two
- Forty-three
- Forty-four
- Forty-five
- Forty-six
- Forty-seven
- Forty-eight
- Forty-nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-one
- Fifty-two
- Fifty-three
- Fifty-four
- Fifty-five
- Fifty-six
- Fifty-seven
- Fifty-eight
- Fifty-nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-one
- Sixty-two
- Sixty-three
- Sixty-four
- Sixty-five
- Sixty-six
- Sixty-seven
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Read More
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Follow Merilyn online
- Dedication
And for the first time in his life, Simon says, ‘I’m sorry.’
Four
The entrance to The Varsity Club was in Oxford’s covered market – a small warren of indoor market shops above which ran painted ornate iron castings. Carla and Nell walked down the fake grass runner to the dark narrow entrance, climbing the flight of stairs which opened up into a large bar, hundreds of glass bottles lining the blackened wall behind a well-polished bar top.
Nell opened her warrant card and held it up to the bartender. They were the only ones there, but at such an early hour she’d have been worried if they weren’t.
‘DS Jackson. I’m here about the woman who died last night. We’d like to take a look around if that’s OK?’
‘Sure. If you head up to the roof, Adrian is there cleaning up. I think he was on the late shift yesterday so he may be of some help.’
Thanking him, they headed to the stairs.
Nell looked over her shoulder to Carla. The analyst looked pale, hesitant to climb the stairs. Nell got it. ‘You drink here often?’ she asked, keen to distract.
Carla gave a short smile. ‘Is that what you say to all the ladies?’
Nell laughed. ‘It’s fail-safe, I tell you.’ They turned the corridor and began the next flight.
Nell glanced over her shoulder. ‘How’s it going? With Baz, I mean.’ She’d been reluctant to ask, now Carla was back with her fiancé, but she’d been there to pick up the pieces when he’d found out she’d been taking the pill behind his back, when he’d thought they’d been trying for a baby, and you didn’t just bounce back from that.
‘He’s trying to show he trusts me,’ Carla said, following. ‘But we both know he doesn’t, so instead putting on a brave face and pretending we’re the same couple we were before.’
They emerged onto the roof terrace; overhead heaters trying to battle the damp fog obscuring Oxford’s skyline; a mishmash of heights, spires and lead-laced windows. Nell stood for a second, scanning the long table down one side, scattered with cushions, glass table-tops slightly frosted, lights along the wooden floor. ‘Posh,’ she said, grinning over at Carla who had pulled out a map she’d scribbled before they’d left the office.
‘Baz must really be trying to get in your good books if he brought you here.’
Carla grimaced and looked down at her map. Walking over to Nell she pointed at the page.