“Three lines on a shirt to me. Still claiming sixty years of it. ”
Dylan didn’t recognize the voice. He looked down at his own chest, at the three thin lines on his shirt, then back up at the man grinning at him.
. “I didn’t see you there. ”
“E, it’s mega. We’re going all the way.
I know it. ”
The old man beside him—his granddad—wasn’t listening to the conversation anymore. He was staring at the pitch, tears running down his face. The dog, Pickles, was barking at the sky.
. “Granddad, for you. And for Pickles. ”
“You know what else you need to tell him, don’t you?
”
“It’s coming up. ”
“Football’s coming home. ”
The whole pub was singing it now. Dylan’s granddad had two passions, footy and dogs.
And when Pickles had found their missing lucky cup, the’d cried all the way home. “She’s in a right mood,” Dylan muttered as his mum marched past him into the kitchen. . “Grimpy proud of Feb.
”
“Morning,” she said, grabbing a mug without looking at him. . “You’re not taking another one. ”
“It’s just a headache.
”
“Right. We’ll drink more water, work less hard, and meet me. ”
“If only. ”
She was a detective.
He knew what that meant. More murders, more bodies, more hours away from home. “If you burn yourself out, who’s going to solve them? ”
“Love you.
”
She snorted and kissed his forehead on the way out. “Tell Sarah I’m going to be starting at the police widow’s club. ”
“She said she’s going to make me some breakfast. ”
“Betsy cook?
Yeah, right. Have you got any eggs? ”
“I don’t think we have, actually. ”
“Best get a dozen.
And I strongly advise that you cook them. ”
“We’ll do. ”
Golf clubs were slung over Ty’s shoulder when heturned up that afternoon. His grin was nervous.
“Close to cracking. I’m sure of it. ”
But Gary wasn’t convinced. “We’ve moved on from eggs, right, Gary?
Well, Maria—she admits she’s given a false alibi. We’ve got him. ”
“Do we need to remind you why you’re off the case? ”
Sarah stood in the doorway, arms crossed.
“Please. I’m not too involved. ”
“If Gary’s lying, it doesn’t prove he’s our murderer—only that he wasn’t where he said he was. Motive, opportunity, intent.
”
“Take it from someone who has let the past cloud judgment. ”
He felt the dig land. Sarah’s own history was still raw, and he knew it. “This isn’t about Sarah’s history.
We need open minds. ”
“Kit, you know we haven’t ruled out the person who attacked Sarah. Has she spoken to you about that? ”
No.
He hadn’t pressed her either. He’d misjudged how badly it affected her. She wasn’t sleeping. She was moody.
Distant. And he felt her slip further away with every case he brought home. . “Leave Maria to me,” Kit said finally.
“Listen. Our partners will never really get what we do. Not properly. Less so when an ex is involved.
”
“Focus on Sarah. Why let this case pressure both our relationships? ”
But even as he nodded, his phone buzzed. A text from Ty.
“Dad, one sec. ”
“Not now, Linda, look. Jammer, could you get them off him? ”
He watched Ty juggle a call with his new girlfriend while trying to wave off his mates at the bar.
“Whoa, not yet. Yeah, later. ”
Kit caught Ty’s eye and raised a brow. Ty mouthed, “Sorry.
” Then he was back on the phone. “Where are you at dinner? Would you get me a carriage for me? We’re going to be late.
”
Ty dropped the call and pocketed the phone. “Right. As I get my school report today. Can you just do what your dad says?
”
“What time did you finish? ” Kit asked. “Otherwise I’d drop you—“
“No, no, you just do what’s best for you. Oh, and let me know as well, won’t you, if you need me to lie here?
You know—if you want me to say you dropped him off instead. ”
Kit nodded slowly. “You two never bicker, or what? ”
“I think that’s it.
”
Kate appeared behind Ty, a half-smile dying on her face as she watched them. “Kate. What? ”
“I thought you were going to leave work at work.
”
“That wasn’t work. ”
“Well, thanks so much for prioritizing us. ”
He watched her walk off, and something in her posture made him say it to Ty. “Something don’t seem right between them two.
”
But Ty was already grabbing his clubs. “So, if you want to impress Russ, this is a good one. This is a lucky one. Bernie borrowed this when she beat me.
”
“Not that she’s better at golf than you. ”
“Doesn’t see you being posh. ”
“Listen. Golf is for everyone, right??
Not just the business elite. You can talk through it in real time in the pub. It’s my superpower. ”
“What is?
”
“Not getting bored when people talk about boring things. ”
“Bye, mate. ”
Ty’s back was still tight from the crash last summer. Kit said nothing when Ty winced climbing into the car.
But at the course, Ty needed no help in embarrassing himself. One hole. One bunker. One embarrassing escape shot that landed him back in the sand.
By the time they reached the car, Ty was muttering under his breath. “He’s going to think I’m a right wimp now. ”
“Well, you told him about your injury. You need to tell him you need painkillers.
He told me you had to learn to walk again. Why the hell didn’t you say so? ”
“It’ll settle. I just need to not think about it.
”
Kit pulled out the pills. “Here. Painkillers. Yeah, you won.
We only played one hole. Did you win? ”
“I hit it down the first, into the bunker, and then as I hit it out of the sand, it set me back off. ”
“Well, he’s going to think I’m a right wimp now, ain’t he?
”
“He’ll think I’m already trying to come up with excuses. ”
“It’s just too much too soon, Ty. Going from ‘Hi, I’m your dad’ to getting in the bunkers together. ”
Ty snorted.
“Bunkers, Mom. ”
“It’s a bad idea. But I can’t cancel, can I? What would I say to him?
”
“Anyway. Cheers first. ”
They stopped at the pub, and Ty got the first round in. Kit watched him move through the room—easy, charming, still carrying that slight guardedness.
Someone needed a glass of wine. He found Sarah in the corner, nursing one already. “How you doing? ”
“Yeah, I’m okay.
How was your morning? ”
“No. Stop reflex answering. I’m asking how you’re doing.
”
“I’m fine. ”
He took her hand. “Sarah, look at me. Ever since the attack, you’ve been struggling.
And I just feel like I’m the last person to know what’s going on in your head. ”
“That’s not true. ”
“I’m not blaming you. It’s just that my mind’s been elsewhere as well.
And that stops now. Okay? ”
She looked at him, her eyes suddenly wet. “You love me, right?
”
“Are you joking? Of course I love you. I love you so much. ”
“Then trust me.
”
“We can’t be honest with each other. What kind of relationship is this? ”
“I want to make sure that you’re my priority. ”
“Yeah.
”
“I want to make sure you get everything you deserve. Love, happiness, security. ”
She shook her head, a strange small smile on her lips. “I bet you didn’t think I’d actually do this, did you?
”
He watched her reach into her pocket and bring out a small box. Her hands were shaking. He opened it. A ring.
His ring. The one he’d given herthree years ago, shyly, in the rain. She was holding it out to him, and her face was full of something he couldn’t name. “I’m so lucky to have found you.
You’re my soulmate. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. ”
He stared at her. The words were right.
The ring was right. But something in her voice was wrong. It was too fast, too bright, like she was reciting a line she’d practiced in the mirror. “Will you marry me?
”
She said it, and then she waited. And he couldn’t speak. All he could hear was what she’d said yesterday, in bed, when she thought he was asleep. “I can’t do this anymore.
”
Now she was saying it again, except she was smiling through it. “I can’t. I can’t do this. ” She laughed, then burst into tears.
“I should have told you from the start. I was so scared. ”
“What? What do you mean?
”
She took a breath. “Is this about Gary? ”
“No. ”
“What?
Are you sleeping with someone? ”
“No. ”
“So what is it? Has he confessed?
”
“No. ” She looked down at her hands. “He wasn’t Gary. It was me.
”
The music kept playing. Someone laughed at the bar. He felt the room tilt. “What?
”
“I was the one who was on the scaffolding that night. ”
He heard her, but the words didn’t land. They hung in the air between them, a confession so big it seemed to swallow all the sound. She kept talking, the words coming faster now.
“I saw him there. He was taunting me. He thought he was going to kill me. ”
“Threatened you?
You were assaulted. You gave a statement. You said—“
“I know what I said. ”
“You’ve looked me in the eye and lied for weeks.
Asked me about the case. And all this time you were on the scaffolding. And he threatened you. ”
She nodded.
“I thought he was going to kill me. So self-defense. And then I just—I got this rage. ”
“Oh, shut up.
Stop. ”
“I would give anything—anything—for it not to have happened. So that you, me, Bethany, Harry, Gary, Windendas—“
“What’s his involvement? Does he know?
”
“Of course he does. He’s protecting you. ”
“Why? He helped me that night.
Just happened to be there? ”
“No. I wanted to call you. I wanted to.
But because of your job—you would have had to break every rule or arrest me. So I called him. ”
“Go on. ”
“That night you were assaulted, it wasn’t when you said it was.
It was before. Or after. Would you stop interrogating me? I want to talk to Kit, not DC Green.
You behaved like my offenders behave. Lies, evasion, treating me like an idiot. ”
He stood up. The room was too loud.
He needed air. He walked out, and she followed, and he stopped in the car park, and the rain started. “You killed him. ”
“Yes.
”
He turned to look at her. The rain ran down her face, and she looked smaller than he had ever seen her. “Is that what all this is about? You’re proposing to me because you killed a man?
”
“I wanted you to be safe. I wanted us to be safe. He was—Theo was abusing Todd. I mean, you saw the state of him when he showed up here.
You interviewed him. So it’s justice. ”
“No. Do you believe in capital punishment?
”
“I don’t. We’re taught that laws are created to uphold civilization, and our job is to uphold the law. But sometimes the law doesn’t work. You said that yourself.
”
“Even when taking a life, stop it. Stop. I hate it. I hate myself for what I’ve done.
And I can’t stop thinking about it all the time. I see the blood all the time. And him laying there, and all this blood around his head. ”
She went pale.
She turned away, hand over her mouth. When she came back, her voice was steadier. “Gary helped me that night. He was there.
He saw what happened. He’s been protecting me ever since. He said we’d stick to what we agreed. ”
“What did you agree?
”
“That I was attacked. That I gave a statement. That I was the victim. ”
“You are the victim.
”
“I killed him, Kit. I killed Theo. ”
He heard himself say it, flat and low. “And now you’re asking me to marry you.
”
“I wanted you to be safe. I wanted us to be safe. He was—Theo was abusing Todd. I mean, you saw the state of him when he showed up here.
You interviewed him. So it’s justice. ”
He shook his head. “No.
Do you believe in capital punishment? ”
“I don’t. We’re taught that laws are created to uphold civilization, and our job is to uphold the law. But sometimes the law doesn’t work.
You said that yourself. ”
“Even when taking a life? Stop it. Stop it.
I hate it. I hate myself for what I’ve done. And I can’t stop thinking about it all the time. I see the blood all the time.
And him laying there, and all this blood around his head. ”
She turned to go back inside. He caught her arm. “When?
When did it happen? ”
She wouldn’t look at him. “The night you thought I was on that call. I wasn’t.
I was there. He was waiting for me. He knew I’d come alone. ”
“Why?
Why would you go alone? ”
Shefinally met his eyes. “Because he said he had something on Todd. And I thought—I thought if I went alone, I could—I don’t know.
Talk him down. Make him stop. But when I got there, he wasn’t talking. He had a knife.
”
He let go of her arm. He heard himself ask the question he didn’t want to ask. “What about Todd? You were acting weird with him in the pub earlier.
Does he know before me? ”
She shook her head. “No. Todd doesn’t know anything.
He came to me because he was scared. He said Theo had been threatening him. He said Theo knew something about him—something that could ruin him. He begged me to help.
I tried. I tried everything. But Theo wanted one thing. He wanted me.
And when I said no, he—“
She stopped. She couldn’t finish. He didn’t need her to finish. He knew what came next.
The knife. The struggle. The fall. Death.
. “You said it was self-defense. ”
“It was. It was.
But I—I didn’t just push him away. I—When he came at me, I—I picked up the—I picked up the scaffolding pole—and I—“
He watched her face crumble. The rain was heavier now. He couldn’t feel his hands.
“And Gary. Gary helped you hide it. ”
She nodded. “He found me there.
He said it looked like an accident. He said no one would ever know. He said I was the victim. He said it was the only way to keep us safe.
To keep you safe. ”
“He made you lie. ”
“He made us both lie. He said if the truth came out, you’d lose everything.
Your job. Your reputation. Your family. He said I was protecting you.
I believed him. I still believe him. ”
He stepped back. The space between them felt enormous.
He wanted to say something—something that would make this make sense—but all he could hear was her voice saying, in the pub, dressed in her best coat, holding his ring. “Will you marry me? ”
He looked at her. She looked so small.
So scared. And so wrong. He said only one thing. “Why is your stuff at my place?
”
She blinked. “What? ”
“Your stuff. At my flat.
The night we fought, you said you’d left it there. You said you’d come back for it. But it’s still there. Why?
”
She looked at the ground. “Because I never left. ”
He stared at her. “What?
”
“The night we fought—I went out. I got drunk. And I—I met someone. ”
He felt the ground shift under him.
“You slept with someone? ”
“No. But I tried. ”
The rain kept falling.
He heard his own voice, but it sounded like someone else’s. “Who? ”
She wouldn’t look at him. “It doesn’t matter.
It didn’t happen. He—he said no. ”
“Who? ”
“It was Ross.
”
The name landed like a slap. Ross. The new boyfriend of his ex-wife. The man Ty was desperate to impress.
The man he’djust spent the afternoon trying to win over on the golf course. He felt sick. “You tried to sleep with my ex-wife’s boyfriend? ”
“I was drunk.
I was angry. I was—I don’t know what I was. But he said no. He said he wasn’t going to be part of it.
And then he left. And I woke up the next morning and realized what I’d done. And I’ve been sick about it ever since. ”
“But he’s been here.
He’s been around Ty. He’s been watching us at golf. “
She nodded. “I know.
He knows something about me. And he’s using it. He said if I ever told you, he’d tell Ty. He’d tell everyone.
He said it would destroy you. ”
He was shaking now. Not with cold. With something else.
“So that’s it. That’s why you’re proposing. That’s why you’ve been—this—all of it. It’s not because you love me.
It’s because you’re terrified. ”
“I do love you. ”
“You proposed to me because you killed a man and you tried to sleep with Ross and you’re terrified of what happens next. That’s not love.
That’s—that’s damage. ”
She was crying openly now. “I know. I know.
But I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you. You’re all I have.
”
He wanted to say something. He wanted to say it would be okay. He wanted to say he understood. But he couldn’t.
Because he didn’t. He couldn’t understand how she could hold his ring in one hand and a dead man’s blood on the other. He couldn’t understand how she could ask him to marry her, knowing he would spend the rest of his life carrying what he knew. He couldn’t understand any of it.
So he did the only thing he could do. He turned and walked away. He left her standing in the rain with his ring still in her hand. He walked all the way home.
He didn’t feel the rain. He didn’t feel the cold. He didn’t feel anything except the weight of what he now knew. When he got home, he stood in the doorway of his flat, looking at her things still on the shelf.
Her coat. Her book. Her toothbrush in the bathroom. She’d never left.
She’d never intended to leave. She’d been planning to stay forever. And now he understood why. She needed him to stay.
She needed him to keep her safe. She needed him to never tell anyone what she’d done. And he realised, standing there in the dark, that he had a choice. He could stay.
He could keep her secret. He could marry her, carry this thing forever, and pretend it had never happened. Or he could leave. He could walk away from her, from the lie, from the weight.
He could walk away from everything. He stood there for a long time. Then he picked up the phone. He called Gary Windendas.
“Kit. ”
“Gary. I know what happened. I know what you did.
I know what she did. And I need you to tell me everything. ”
There was a long silence. Then Gary said, very quietly.
“Kit. What are you going to do? ”
Kit looked out the window. The rain had stopped.
The street was quiet. The weight of what he knew pressed down on him, heavy as a body. He didn’t know the answer. He only knew that after tonight, nothing would ever be the same again.
And for the first time in his life, he felt truly alone. The phone was still in his hand. He raised it to his ear. “I don’t know.
But I need you to tell me the truth. All of it. And then—then we’llfigure out what comes next. ”
The silence stretched.
Then Gary’s voice came back, flat and tired. “You want the truth, Kit? Truth is, I didn’t just help her that night. I was there.
I saw it happen. And I made her call it self-defense. I made her stick to the story. I made her lie to you, to everyone.
I did it because I thought it would protect her. And I’d do it again. But Kit—she didn’t just kill him in self-defense. She—she went back.
”
The words hung in the air. “What do you mean, she went back? ”
“After he was down. After he stopped moving.
She went back and she—she hit him again. And again. And then she called me. When she called me, he was already dead.
And she said—she said she wanted him to suffer. She said he deserved it. She said—she said she could still hear him screaming. ”
Kit closed his eyes.
He heard her voice again, in the rain. “I got this rage. ” He heard her say it like it was something that had happened to her, like a weather event, like a storm that had passed through and left her standing in the wreckage. And he realised, standing there in the dark with the phone in his hand, that he had been in love with a woman who had killed a man, and had been proud of it.
And he had walked away from her. And he had called the one person who could tell him the truth. And now he had to decide what to do with it. He opened his eyes.
The flat was still dark. Her things were still on the shelf. He could leave them there. He could pack them up.
He could throw them away. He could forget this night ever happened. He could walk into the station tomorrow morning and pretend he knew nothing. He could keep her secret, carry this thing forever, like a stone in his chest.
Or he could tell someone. He could walk into the station and tell DC Green everything. He could end her. He could end Gary.
He could end himself. He stood there for a long time. And maka decision. He knew what he had to do.
He just didn’t know if he could do it. He picked up the phone again. He dialed her number. She answered on the second ring.
Her voice was small, hoarse, like she’d been crying for hours. “Kit? ”
“Sarah. I need you to come over.
We need to talk. ”
There was a pause. Then she said, very quietly. “Okay.
I’ll be there in twenty minutes. ”
He hung up. He sat down on the edge of the bed and waited. He didn’t turn on the lights.
He didn’t move. He sat in the dark, listening to the silence of the flat, hearing her voice over and over. “I got this rage. ” And he knew, sitting there in the dark, that when she walked through that door, he would have to choose.
And whatever he chose, he would never be able to take back. He heard her key in the lock. The door opened. The light came on.
She stood in the doorway, her coat still wet, her face pale, her eyes red. She looked at him. And he looked at her. And neither of them said anything at all.
. The silence stretched between them like a living thing. She took a step forward, and he stood up. They were close enough to touch.
She reached out her hand. She didn’t take his. She just held it there, hovering, like she was asking permission. He looked down at her hand.
Then he looked up at her face. She looked so tired. So sorry. So scared.
And he knew, looking at her, that he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t tell. He couldn’t end her. He couldn’t end them.
He took her hand. Her fingers were cold. He held it. And for a long moment, neither of them moved.
. “Kit,” she whispered. “Please. Say something.
”
He opened his mouth. And then he said the only thing he could say. “I can’t marry you. ”
She flinched like he’d hit her.
“Kit—“
“But I’m not leaving you. I’m not reporting you. I’m not telling anyone. I just—I can’t marry you.
Not now. Not like this. Something broke in her face. Then she nodded, very slowly.
“Okay. ”
“Okay. ”
She sat down on the edge of the bed. He sat down beside her.
They sat in the dark, not touching, not speaking. And after a long time, she said, very quietly. “I’m sorry. ”
He looked at her.
Her profile was lit by the streetlight through the window. She looked younger in the dim light. Or older. He couldn’t tell.
“I know. ”
“I should have told you. ”
“Maybe. But you didn’t.
And now we have to live with it. ”
She nodded. And then she lay down on the bed, still in her coat, and he lay down beside her, still in his. They lay there, staring at the ceiling, the weight of what they knew pressing down on them like a second body.
After a long time, she said, very quietly. “What happens now? ”
He didn’t answer for a long moment. .
“I don’t know. ”
The silence stretched. Then she said, even quieter. “I’m scared.
”
He turned his head to look at her. Her eyes were open, fixed on the ceiling. He reached over and took her hand. Her fingers were cold.
He held it tight. “So am I. ”
They lay there until the light changed, until the room filled with grey morning, until the birds started up outside. And neither of them slept.
And neither of them spoke. At dawn, she turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were red. Her face was swollen.
She looked like she’d been drowning. He looked back at her. And he knew, looking at her, that this was it. This was the moment when everything would either hold together or fall apart.
He opened his mouth. And then he said the only thing he could think of. “We need to talk to Gary. And we need to figure out what we’re going to do.
Before anyone else gets hurt. ”
She nodded, very slowly April. “Okay. ”
They sat there for a long moment.
Then she said, very quietly. “I meant it. You know. When I asked.
I meant it. ”
He looked at her. And for the first time since the rain, he felt something in his chest unclench. Something that wasn’t anger.
Something that wasn’t fear. Something that was close to hope. “I know,” he said. “But I can’t.
Not yet. Maybe—maybe someday. But not yet. ”
She nodded.
She didn’t argue. She didn’t push. She just lay there beside him, her hand in his, until the sun came up fully and the room filled with pale yellow light. Then she sat up.
She looked at him, her face tired but steady. “Okay. We’ll talk to Gary. And we’ll figure it out.
Together. ”
He sat up too. He looked at her. The light hit her face.
She looked like herself again. Or close enough. He nodded. “Okay.
”
She stood up. She walked to the door. She paused. She didn’t turn around.
“Kit? ”
“Yeah? ”
“Thank you. For not walking away.
”
He watched her go. The door clicked shut. He sat on the edge of the bed, her hand still warm in his memory, and he didn’t know if he felt lighter or heavier. He only knew that something had shifted.
Something had changed. Something that couldn’t be taken back. And he knew that whatever came next, he would have to face it wide awake, with his eyes open, carrying everything he knew. The phone was on the table.
He picked it up. Heturned it over in his hands. Then he put it back down. He didn’t call anyone.
He just sat there, inthe grey morning light, and waited. Because he knew she’d be back. She had to come back. And when she did, they would have to face it together.
Whatever it was. And for the first time in a long time, he didn’t feel alone. He felt like he was standing on the edge of something. Something he couldn’t see.
Something he couldn’t name. Something that might break him. Or something that might, finally, set them both free. .
He waited. And when she came back, the sun was fully up, and the flat was warm, and she stood in the doorway with two cups of tea. She handed him one. She sat down beside him.
Neither of them spoke. But for the first time that night, it felt like they could breathe. And in that quiet, ordinary morning, he found himself thinking about what she’d said, all those weeks ago, back when everything was simpler. “Football’s coming home.
” He almost laughed. But he didn’t. He just sat there, with her, in the light, and waited for whatever came next.
