‘Yeah, will do.’
‘See you back at the station then.’
Cain ended the call in time to pick up the cardboard carrier full of coffee to carry it to the car, leaving Morgan to carry a small brown paper bag full of cakes.
They got back to the car and stowed the coffees.
‘What did Stan say?’
‘He’s going to get Caroline to talk to Joey, said he’s distressed and not really spoken a word to him. I doubt he’s going to open to Stan, but Caz is good, she’ll get the information we need out of him. Then hopefully we’ll be able to get all the background checks done and get an arrest team together.’
‘You think whoever this brother is, he’s guilty then?’
‘Has to be, don’t you think?’
She nodded, blowing through the hole in the lid of her coffee cup before taking a sip and savouring it with a huge grin on her face.
‘That is so good. Yes, I think it makes sense, I’ve mulled over the possibility that he could be the next victim, but it doesn’t feel right. We’ve only just found out about him. Maybe he was left out of the parents’ will and is taking his revenge on them oneby one. Wendy was right, it is like an Agatha Christie novel, the twists and turns this case is taking.’
‘Or maybe he just hates them, they might have been horrible to him. Three girls growing up, if you’re adopted and not made welcome, would be a nightmare to live with, especially if they’re jealous of him.’
‘Horrible enough to make him kill all three of them – and Sharon Montgomery, too? I’m not sure, whoever did this was angry though, angry enough to slit their throats and stab them in the chest. Whoever did this wanted to make sure they were dead, that they couldn’t be saved. I get the impression he did what he had to do to dispose of them.’
‘He annihilated them out of his life. Do you know how good we are, finding all of this out? What a team, I can’t wait for you to tell Bigfoot to go shove his arrogance up his arse.’
‘I’m telling Ben before we even mention it to Bigfoot; Ben deserves to know first.’
‘Absolutely, sorry. Getting carried away with myself there. Benno is the boss and always will be unless you finish him off first with all the stress you cause him.’
He rifled around in the bag of cakes, pulling out a huge slice of red velvet cake and taking a huge bite.
‘Don’t choke, Cain, that would be awful.’
He started to laugh, his head shaking at her, then he patted her shoulder before swallowing the mouthful of sponge and buttercream.
‘You’re funny, I’ll try not to.’
‘And I wish you’d stop patting me as if I’m your pet dog, you’re really annoying.’
THIRTY-FIVE
The rain began as soon as Angela set foot onto the pavement outside of the café. She held her hands above her head, shielding her freshly coloured pastel pink hair the best she could, and rushed to the small black car her son was already getting into. Her heart felt so full of gratitude she thought it might burst, she had never imagined this working out so well.
She stopped and stared. The handsome young man in front of her was her son. How she’d longed over the years to be able to say that to herself. Of all the scenarios she had run through inside of her head, she thought he’d be disgusted with her, not so warm and welcoming that he’d invite her for supper minutes after meeting her, her heart full she got into the passenger seat next to him.
She wasn’t sure if she should tell him about what she did all those years ago, why she was forced to give him up, if she should be open and honest about it. She didn’t want to scare him away when he had literally just let her into his life. She wondered what Cain would say when she told him, would he be furious about it or accepting of it? She hoped that he would be able to forgive her. She loved him more than anything. More than anyone in herlife up until now, that was. She glanced at the man sitting next to her and felt a warm rush of love for him envelop her.
‘That rain came out of nowhere; you can dry off at my flat.’
She smiled at him. ‘I’m okay, being a little damp is nothing compared to sitting next to you.’
He smiled back at her. ‘You’ve waited a long time for this?’
‘Yes, my entire life.’
He nodded. ‘I hope this is what you imagined and I’m everything you hoped I would be.’
It was her turn to nod, blinking back tears at the same time.
