Unfinished Business by Heather Atkinson Read Free Book Online

north. But they really moved here to escape the scandal down south, didn’t they? How did they ever think they were going to keep it a secret forever? It was always going to come back and bite them.”
    “One thing I’ve learnt in my line of work is that you can’t run from the past.” He thought of John Lyons, his ex-best friend and ex-police colleague and the biggest treacherous Judas bastard in Scotland. Brodie’s hand unconsciously went to the long thin scar on his left side and anger twisted his damaged insides.
    Sarah watched him cautiously as the darkness closed in around him. “Something wrong?”
    He shook himself out of it. “Sorry, lost in my own world there.”
    “Obviously. Anyway, what if someone finds out about Mark up here? I don’t think I could cope with everyone knowing he’s a murderer. What about the girls? They’re old enough to understand. They’ll get teased at school, lose friends. It will devastate them.”
    “We don’t know if it will come to that yet.”
    “What if Mark is The Carver?”
    “We don’t know that yet either. Get some rest, things will look better in the morning.”
    She snorted into her drink. “You really believe that?”
    He shrugged and got to his feet. “Not really. I’ll leave you to it but do try and get some sleep, you’re going to need your strength.”
    “Wait,” she called when he made for the door. “Don’t leave me on my own, please.”
    “You want me to stay?”
    “I’d feel safer. What if Mark comes back? I forgot to take his key off him before he left.”
    “Okay, if it makes you feel better, I’ll stay.”
    “No funny business mind,” she said, wagging her finger at him. “My bedroom door has a very sturdy lock and a baseball bat behind it.”
    “I’ll try to control myself,” he said flatly.
    “You can sleep on the couch. I’ll get you a pillow and blanket.”
    Brodie was happy. The huge cream leather couch would be much more comfortable than his car. He’d planned on sleeping in it on the street just in case Mark did decide to return.
    Sarah went upstairs and returned with two large plump pillows and a cosy duvet.
    “Where are the kids?” he asked her. “I don’t want to scare them in the morning.”
    “They’re stopping at a friend’s house tonight, thankfully. At least they’re well out of it for one day. I might send them away with my parents tomorrow, I don’t want them around all this, it’s just horrible and if Mark is a killer I’m not sure I want them around him either.” Tears filled her eyes but she wiped them away. “I’ll explain to the school that we’re having problems, hopefully they’ll understand. Night then,” she said, the picture of misery as she walked unsteadily out of the room.
    Brodie listened as she slowly tramped upstairs, hoping she didn’t fall, heard the flush of the toilet, the click of a door closing, then silence.
    Assured she was in bed he took out his mobile phone and called Cass.
    “Hi Boss,” answered a cheery voice.
    “What’s that noise?” he said when he heard a curious repetitive banging followed by a whimper.
    “Phil Barnes. He keeps insisting his wife’s injuries are from walking into closed doors so I’m just giving him an idea of what that feels like. Shut it ya wee shite, I’m on the phone,” she yelled.
    The whimpering stopped.
    “I hope you’re talking to Phil,” said Brodie, chuckling.
    “Course Boss.”
    Cass was Lancashire born and bred, her accent heavy, but she had a deep affection for the Glaswegian dialect and used it to colourful effect. Brodie thought it sounded funny in her broad northern English accent but had never been foolish enough to tell her that.
    “Good work,” he said. “There’s a couple of things I need you to do.”
    “You are aware I have to sleep some time too?”
    “You’ll cope. I want you to dig up as much as you can on the rest of the Creegan clan - Seth, Lauren and Maggie the Matriarch. Look into dead aunt Jenny