Killing Rachel Read Online Free

smile. He looked uncomfortable. No doubt he wished he was back on the beach. Her grandmother was moving quietly around behind her and she could hear the clink of cups and saucers on a tray. Rose waited for Inspector Munroe to give her some information, some news about her missing mother. Her grandmother placed two cups and saucers on the table. On each of them sat a silver spoon.
    ‘I’ll be in the other room if you need me.’
    Her grandmother spoke quietly and Rose wasn’t sure if she was addressing her or the policeman.
    ‘How old are you, Rose?’ he said, moments later, his voice soft.
    ‘I’m twelve.’
    ‘You’re going to have to be a very grown-up girl because I have some very bad news to give you.’
    Rose stared into his eyes. Her throat felt hot as if it was on fire. The policeman went on in a low and unhappy voice.
    ‘There were four ongoing investigations in the Cold Case Ops Team. We have looked into the ones where your mother and Brendan Johnson were the leading officers and we have come to the conclusion that they touched a nerve somewhere. It’s our view, after reviewing all the evidence, that they are most certainly dead, killed by an assassin, paid for by organised crime.’
    He stopped and looked at her as if he expected her to say something.
    ‘Have you found their bodies?’ Rose said, imagining her mother’s face still and pale, her eyelids tightly closed.
    ‘No. I doubt we will ever find them.’
    ‘Then how can you be sure . . .?’
    ‘All the evidence points in that direction. Things we have found out which we are not yet able to make public. If we did it might harm other investigations. Your mother was an excellent police officer, Rose. I knew her. I knew her years ago when she first started working for the force. She was very professional. She would have understood this. You are a young girl but you must understand it now.’
    Rose lowered her face and sipped at the burning hot tea. She kept her eyes on the tanned man opposite her. He fiddled with his cup and moved around in his seat. Chief Inspector Munroe. She’d never heard her mother mention him before.
    ‘What’s your first name?’ Rose said.
    He looked taken aback.
    ‘My name is James. James Munroe,’ he said, pulling something out of his pocket. ‘Here’s my card. Feel free to call me at any time. And I would add that I will continue this investigation for as long as it takes to determine what happened to your mother and Brendan Johnson.’
    She took the card and looked at it as Chief Inspector Munroe stood up. Her grandmother had reappeared as if by magic and their voices faded in her ears as she focused hard on the words in front of her. Chief Inspector James Munroe . She wondered if Joshua was sitting in his uncle’s house in Newcastle with another nice policeman sitting nearby saying, I will continue this investigation for as long as it takes to determine what happened to your father and Katherine Smith . . .
     
    Now Rose knew that it wasn’t true. The policeman had been wrong. The past back then had been a place of darkness, a black hole which had sucked their parents down. Now there was some light. They had found out that her mother and Brendan were alive . They hadn’t seen them nor did they know where they were but they’d been told that they were safe and Rose and Joshua were determined that they would find them. She felt emotional all of a sudden and turned to say something to Joshua about it but he had his eyes closed.
    Later, when it was time for Joshua to go, she tidied up the plates and picked up the can and bottle. Her knees were stiff and she stretched her arms out. It felt like it was late at night. Joshua was saying something to her.
    ‘You’re not thinking about that girl from school, are you?’
    ‘Rachel? No.’
    ‘She really upset you, didn’t she?’
    Rose nodded.
    ‘Lucky you’ve got better friends now, then!’
    ‘Friends? I thought we were family?’
    ‘We are, but we’re friends