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
‘Don’t. It’s not worth it. Please, don’t risk it.’
Carla watched Joanne wrestle with her husband’s words before calmly looking back to Carla and giving a small smile. It lit up her face and Carla thought, This is what she looked like before her baby died.
‘I know because she told me.’
Carla hadn’t been expecting that. ‘Eve told you she knew you didn’t kill your baby?’
Joanne nodded.
‘When?’
‘When Beatrice died, I wanted to see her one more time. I made them let me into the room. Her room.’ She paused, fighting grief. ‘Eve was there, standing over the crib. I asked her to leave, told her I wanted time alone with my baby, but she just stared at me. When I asked again, she said, “Sometimes people have to take the blame for actions they didn’t commit. I’m sorry, but that’s just how things are.” At the time I didn’t really understand what she was saying because all I wanted to do was get to my baby. But after, when I saw she’d blamed me, I remembered what she’d said.’
Carla opened her mouth to respond, but Ian stopped her.
‘Enough. This is all too much. We’ve done nothing wrong. Not then and not now. I’m not going to stand by and watch my wife go to jail for a second time. You need to ask your pathologist these questions, not my wife.’
Carla watched tears start to roll down Joanne’s face. ‘I’m so sorry, Joanne.’ She knew she shouldn’t say it, but in the face of the woman’s pain she didn’t care.
Joanne nodded, taking the tissue her husband offered and wiping her nose. ‘Thank you.’
Bremer was at the door. ‘Carla, we have to go.’
‘But—’ Carla half turned towards the couple, but Bremer cut her off.
‘We have to go. I’m sorry, Mr and Mrs Fowler, but we’ll have to speak another time. And can I ask that neither of you contact Ms Graham before we do?’
The pair stared at him, speechless, but as he gestured at Carla to join him she rose.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said again. ‘I really am sorry.’
Eight
In daylight, the block of flats looked much the same as it had the previous evening, except now bored teenagers had been replaced by equally bored pre-schoolers, looked after by a handful of kids Nell was pretty sure should be at school.
One child, no more than six, spotted their car pull up and screamed, ‘Police!’
Nell and Paul watched the group disperse, screaming and shouting excitedly at this addition to their day, tiny legs furiously pedalling after longer ones whose scooter power far exceeded that of their younger counterparts.
When they rounded the corner, Paul pointed to the second floor. ‘What’s the family liaison doing?’