Due Process by Jane Finch Read Free Book Online Page B

any hint of the information she had passed on she might have to give the money back.  She might even go to prison or something.
    She wasn’t really sure whether she had done anything illegal, but there was an element of doubt, and of course there was always the issue of breach of client confidentiality that she had probably broken.  But she was sure her actions had nothing to do with Paul Justin’s death or Tony’s disappearance, and her confessing would not help the situation at all.
    Besides, she certainly did not want to give the money back and return to England broke and probably jobless too.  So she decided to keep what she knew to herself.
    “I feel so awful that I’ve caused so much confusion,” she said apologetically.
    As D.C. Blake left a man sitting at the bar picked up his phone and dialed a number.
    “I think it’s time to move in on this one,” he said.
    *   *   *
     
     
    The rain was so torrential it looked like someone was aiming a hosepipe at the window. Amanda sat in the well-worn armchair and felt mesmerized by the cascades of water streaming down the glass.  She looked around her in dismay.  Just a short while ago she had been so happy in their little cottage with its funny nooks and crannies, her handsome husband and bubbly daughter completing her vision.  Now she looked around and took in the shabby room, the tired-looking carpet, the pink walls, and the drab curtains.
                  She couldn’t stay here any longer.  Had it really only been two days?  It seemed like a lifetime. 
                  She sniffed and wrinkled her nose in disgust.  The room was stuffy and had a strange odour. Probably mould. With a sigh she reached for her handbag and took out her phone. Her finger hovered over the keys. She closed down the phone as she felt the room spinning like a crazy fairground ride.  She wiped away the tears as they ran down her cheeks but then gave up trying to stop the flow. It was like trying to catch rain in a sieve. She was crying for Jenny, but she was crying for Tony, too.  She missed him so much her whole body hurt.  Fear was liquidizing her insides.
    As she looked around the sparse room she knew without a doubt what she had to do. Although D.C.Blake had insisted she should not leave the house, she didn’t intend to stay there a minute longer. She looked out the window and saw it was still pouring with rain. She had no coat.
    Always use a public telephone.
    That was what she had been told.
    Never, ever call. Unless they find you.
    Had they?
    If you call us, it will be over.
    She picked up her phone, thought for a moment as she tried to remember the number that had been ingrained in her memory.  Then she dialed.
    “Hello?”
    “It’s me. Miranda Bell.  I think they’ve found me.”
    *   *   *
     
                 

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
     
    When Tony awoke the pounding in his head was so bad it felt like he was inside a compressor.  His tongue felt glued to the roof of his mouth, and he winced with pain from his stomach every time he tried to move.  It took a while for him to remember what had happened, but slowly the memory returned.
                  He had been watching Jenny whizz down the slide.  He had thought how good it was for them all to spend some time together. He knew he had been working too much. He recalled thinking it was time for a family holiday. Somewhere warm and sunny, where Jenny could play on the beach and Amanda could show off her amazing body in a skimpy bikini.
                  He had watched his wife as she went to get ice-creams, calling to Jenny as she went. She had a great wiggle when she walked. He turned back to check on Jenny his view was obscured by two burly men. They seemed to tower over him.  He had leaned sideways to try to get out of their way.
                  “Excuse me,” he had murmured, but his frown became deeper as the men moved in front of