When his iPhone rang, Phil felt as though he had hardly been asleep. He checked the clock on the phone. He was right.
‘Phil Brennan…’ His words were slurred. He rolled over on his side, away from Marina, who had jumped when the phone rang but seemed to be drifting back off now.
‘Sorry to disturb you, sir. Constable Pierce here. City Neighbourhood. We’ve got a suspect in custody in connection with the case you’re working on.’
‘That’s nice,’ Phil said, still barely awake.
Pierce continued, patiently, ‘He has the tattoo you were looking for.’
That opened Phil’s eyes. He sat up. ‘Really? The tattoo? Is he…’
‘He’s in custody, as I said, sir. The two detectives who brought him in are a little shaken up. And it looks like you’re the best bet for the interview.’
‘Shaken up? How?’
‘He didn’t want to come quietly, sir. DCs Oliver and Khan, they’re a bit the worse for wear.’
‘Don’t suppose this’ll keep till the morning? Clear head and all that.’
‘He’s been booked, sir. The custody clock’s ticking.’
Phil rubbed his eyes with his free hand. ‘Right. I’ll be along as soon as I can get there.’
He hung up, put the phone back on the bedside table. Looked at Marina. She opened her eyes.
‘What’s up?’
‘Got a suspect. The murder I’m working. Need me to do the interview.’
Marina nodded. ‘OK. Good luck.’
‘Thanks.’
He paused, kept looking at her. Wondering if she was going to say anything more. Wondering if he should say anything more. Her eyes closed again. The moment, if it had ever been there, passed.
Phil threw the duvet back, felt the cold immediately. Put his feet to the floor, stumbled off to the shower. He checked his phone again. Nearly five o’clock. He wondered how much sleep he had actually had.
Marina waited until she heard the shower running before sitting up. She checked the time. Jesus.
She hadn’t slept much either. Every time she had drifted off, Gwilym had been waiting in the darkness, that sneering smile in place, hands outstretched ready to touch her. She had jumped awake every time those dream fingers made contact. They made contact a lot.
She heard Phil coming back into the bedroom, lay down, closed her eyes once more. She stayed that way until he dressed and left. Once she heard the front door go, she sat upright again. Grabbed her phone.
Time had barely moved. Damn.
She was relieved. Or at least she thought she was. Relieved that Phil had to go out, that circumstances had spared her once again from having the conversation. The confrontation.
She sighed. No. She wasn’t relieved. She hadn’t been spared, it had just been postponed. Yet again. She still had to talk to him. And the longer she left it, the harder it became.
After she’d spoken to Anni. Yes, that was when she’d talk to him. Once Anni came back to her with the results, she could talk to Phil. Tell him everything. Let the whole lot tumble out. Await his reaction. Take it from there.
Anni. She checked the time again. Too early to call. And she doubted that Anni would have had time to make any progress. Or to get her friend to make progress for her.
She lay back down again. Knew she would be lying there staring at the wall until the sun came up. Just waiting for the results to come back. A dark, unpleasant ripple ran through her. Waiting to get the results back. That was exactly what it felt like. A pregnancy test. An STD or HIV test. Cancer screening. Something that would have a potentially life-changing impact on her.
Oh God, she thought. STDs, HIV. She would have to be tested for them too…
No. She wasn’t going to just lie there and wait. She had to do something.
She grabbed her phone again. Too early to call, yes. But not too early to text.
She found Anni’s name. Left her a message.
Tell them to get a move on. Please…