Chapter 64

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

PRESENT DAY

I t was good to be back working in the office, although it felt odd with Luke not there, and she sensed a change of attitude towards her from some of the other officers.

‘They think betraying one of your own is, well, you know, not the done thing,' Matt said quietly across their desks.

‘Intelligent, adult thinking,' she said, her anger rising. ‘What was I supposed to do? Just let him get away with it?'

Matt shifted uncomfortably in his seat. ‘Maybe you should have gone to professional standards.'

‘Jesus, Matt, do I have to hear this from you? Tim is one of your good friends.'

‘I'm on your side, Ana.'

‘Well, that's good to hear.' She returned to her computer screen and checked Jonny's alibi for the night Laine was killed.

‘A great hotel in Gloucester,' he'd told her. ‘Beautiful gardens. I wish you could have seen them. It was a good conference.' Six top hotels held conferences, and she phoned them all. Jonny hadn't checked into any of them that night, and her heart sank as she messaged him.

My friend wants to stay in a fancy hotel while they're in Gloucester. What was the name of the one where your conference was held?'

He answered immediately.

The Belmont. I recommend it. Are you free for dinner tonight? It's great that you caught the driver of the car. Let's celebrate.

She'd checked The Belmont. He'd lied.

Dinner would be great.

And so would some answers , thought Ana.

They went to a curry place in Cowley. ‘The food is supposed to be excellent here,' he said.

The restaurant was packed. The spicy smell of dhal and chillies swept up Ana's nostrils and memories of Anika's home-made curries took Ana's breath away. ‘Smells good.' She smiled.

The waiter took them to their table, commenting on Ana's face as he did. ‘Looks like you've been in the wars. I hope the other person looks worse.'

Ana automatically stroked her jaw. ‘He does.' She smiled.

‘At least you got the bastard,' Jonny said once they'd sat down.

‘It seems not all my team members are happy about it. They feel I should have gone to the professional standards. I think some of them are glad he bashed me about.'

‘Wankers,' he muttered.

The waiter came over, and Jonny asked, ‘What wine would you like?'

‘Just tap water for me, thanks.'

They ordered, and then Jonny looked at her oddly before asking, ‘Why don't you drink? I've noticed you always have an excuse for not drinking alcohol.'

‘Why did you lie about the conference in Gloucester?' she said, taking him by surprise.

He seemed to open his mouth to answer her and then closed it again. Ana watched him swallow nervously. Finally, he lifted his eyes and met hers. Then the realisation hit him.

‘You think I killed that girl?' he said, shocked.

‘You lied about where you were.'

He sighed heavily. ‘I was with my daughters. Chloe and Sophie. It was my weekend to have them. You'd seemed so impressed with my job and so-called single life that I thought if you knew about my kids, it would put you off before you even got to know me.'

He pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled into the photo app. He pushed it across the table to her.

‘Chloe and Sophie taken on the day of the fair. You can see the date on the metadata. Those were taken at Pizza Hut at about eight, and then we went bowling. There are a few photos of that. I didn't kill that girl.'

Ana could see the resemblance to Jonny in both girls. She closed her eyes. Deep down, she knew he hadn't killed Laine. She just needed to be sure. She couldn't afford to make any more mistakes. She handed him his phone. ‘They're beautiful,' she said. Then, after a second's silence, she added. ‘I'm sorry.'

He shrugged. ‘I guess it looked suspicious.'

‘I don't drink because my mother was an alcoholic, and I was getting close to becoming one too. I made a promise to her on her deathbed that I'd stop drinking. My real name is Laurie. A man drugged and raped me when I was fifteen. I'm from Kirby and I belonged to a working-class family with a bad reputation. The police would never have believed me. So, I became the law, and I'm here in Oxford because this is where he is, and I'm going to bring him to justice if it kills me.'

Her heart felt like it would burst. Her breathing slowed and the huge weight that had hung over her for years lifted, as if someone had removed a massive rock from her back.

Jonny blinked several times and then took a large gulp of his wine. ‘Jesus, Ana– I mean Laurie,' he said, clearly stunned.

‘Call me Ana.' She smiled. ‘I've got nothing against kids, by the way.'

He leaned across the table and took her hand. ‘I know they'll like you.'

It was a relief for them both and made the evening one of Ana's most relaxed since coming to Oxford. For once, she could be herself. When they reached her flat, it seemed natural to invite Jonny in, where he stayed until the following morning. During breakfast, he took her hand in his and said, ‘You're very impulsive, you know. I worry about you.'

‘Don't be silly.' She laughed.

‘I'd be happy if we shared our location on Google Maps. I promise I won't stalk you – just for safety.'

She mulled it over. ‘Okay. Seeing as you're not a pervert.'

He kissed her hand.