After You Die by Eva Dolan Read Free Book Online

message board. His movements very deliberate but she could still see the slight tremor in his hand. He pulled out the chair closest to her, sat down, their knees touching.
    ‘We need to tell the police about Nathan.’
    Julia pushed away from him. ‘What? My best friend’s just been murdered and that’s your first thought?’
    ‘She wasn’t your best friend,’ Matthew said, giving her a pointed look. ‘She might have been once but we both know better so don’t pretend you’re cut up about it.’
    ‘What about Holly? Am I allowed to be upset for her?’
    He leaned back in the chair, eyes closed, as if the full force of it had hit him finally. He liked Holly, she knew that. She was smart and Matthew had always respected and admired intelligence above everything else.
    ‘She had so much potential,’ he said. ‘She could have done anything she wanted.’
    ‘She was a lovely girl.’
    ‘God, what a waste of life.’ His took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes and when he slipped the heavy black frames on again there was a new resolve hardening his face. ‘Holly’s at peace now, anyway. That’s something, I suppose.’
    ‘It’s not much,’ Julia said.
    Matthew patted her on the thigh. ‘I think we both need a drink.’
    She sat silently while he made two gin and tonics in the antique French tumblers she’d bought from a little shop in Stamford. Today she needed it in a highball glass, too much bad news for a single measure.
    She wasn’t allowed that, though. Just the smallest splash to taste. Barely a teaspoonful.
    ‘We can’t tell anyone about Nathan,’ she said, striking first. ‘We agreed.’
    ‘That was before.’
    ‘Before?’ she asked, incredulous. ‘This has got nothing to do with him.’
    ‘You don’t know that.’ Matthew placed his own drink on the table. ‘He was round there all the time, we’ve got no idea what was going on between them.’
    Julia scowled at him. ‘You read his case file, there’s no suggestion that he’s dangerous or violent. My God, Matthew, do you think I wouldn’t see it if he was?’
    He picked his G&T up, took a long mouthful. ‘You always find the best in people.’
    ‘That’s usually considered a good thing.’
    ‘It is, but it’s a weakness too because you end up ignoring the bad that’s in them.’ She knew what he was thinking. They didn’t discuss
the incident
any more, it had been picked over enough already and she’d admitted he was right. Her reward was never to have it mentioned again.
    She told herself to stay calm.
    ‘Even if we wanted to tell the police you know we can’t.’
    ‘We have to,’ he said, taking her hand, his skin cold and wet from the glass. ‘There’s a reason Nathan ran away this weekend – of all the times he could have done it – and if it’s because of Holly and Dawn’s murders we owe it to them to come forward.’
    Julia shook her head. She wouldn’t let him do this. ‘We’re supposed to be protecting him. I won’t do it.’
    ‘Someone’s going to tell them eventually,’ he said. ‘How will it look when the police find out we’ve been hiding this from them?’
    He was right but she wouldn’t be bullied. Not by him and not by the police. She knew Nathan was a good, kind boy and she’d promised to look after him. She’d failed him once, she wouldn’t do it again.
    ‘No, Matthew.’ She pulled her hand free and stood up. ‘We are not going to talk to the police. We made promises and we’re going to honour them and if you go behind my back on this, I’ll never forgive you.’

6
    Sunday evening was diehards-only time in the gym and Ferreira saw the same old faces sweating on the static bikes, grunting through another five reps on the machines as Lite FM blared across the open-plan space. She nodded to a couple of people as she tucked her ear buds in, making for the bank of treadmills pushed up close to the windows overlooking the car park and the industrial estate beyond it, pleased to see the