Miss No One, Mark Ayre [romantic love story reading .TXT] 📗

always the case. Finishing her drink and slamming it to the table, she took deep, heavy breaths, as though instead of drinking to avoid Abbie's words, she'd been running, fleeing the pub. Her face was ridden with guilt; her eyes told Abbie the shot in the dark had been a bullseye. Hammond had been the subject of Christine's investigation.

Detective Lakes had lasted as an undercover agent presumably because no one had thought to challenge her on her statements' veracity. Everyone assumed she was an honest woman. No one suspected the truth. If Kilman or Ndidi got wind of what she was doing, they could learn the whole truth by confronting the subject of their suspicion. Abbie had no doubt Christine would crumble under an interrogation based on harsh words. Thumbscrews would not be necessary.

Christine's eyes flicked to the bar, then back. Her hands were tight on the cool glass of her empty drink.

"Another?" asked Abbie.

She regretted the offer immediately. Having noted some of the signs of addiction, it was unacceptable for Abbie to encourage further boozing. At least according to her moral code.

Luckily, Christine shook her head. Her mind was racing. Abbie saw the detective trying to think of a way around what Abbie had said, or at least to change the subject.

"I need to arrest you," she said. "You murdered three men last night. I can't cover that up."

"A few things," Abbie went on. "Firstly, if I was responsible for any deaths in the car lot, it would not be murder. Not to get all Google definition on you again, but murder is the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. What I did would not have been unlawful because I would have acted in self-defence, and I certainly wouldn't have premeditated anything. Secondly, I've made no confessions, and you have no evidence to support an arrest, no reason to drag me into the station. Thirdly, it wasn't three men but two men and a woman.”

As though Abbie's last few words were a dog beneath the table, snapping at Christine's thighs, the detective jumped up. She was staring at Abbie, and the landlady spun to stare at the detective.

The younger woman seemed lost for words.

"Please," said Abbie. "Don't do anything rash."

Christine shook her head. She looked at her glass then back to the bar. Working undercover, compounded by the sight of Davesh’s dead body, had frayed this relatively inexperienced detective's nerves, leaving her on the verge of collapse. Abbie pitied her. Again had to remind herself Isabella came first.

"Last night," Christine said at last. "I know what happened. I believe you came into the dealership because you saw me and could not resist finding out what I was doing. I don't believe you were up to anything illegal."

"Except breaking and entering," noted Abbie. "Although actually, you did the breaking, so I guess I was just entering, which doesn't sound like a proper crime."

Wisely, in Abbie's opinion, Christine ignored this.

"The four people who came after us were the criminals. I believe they would have killed us. If three of them died at your hands, I believe those killings were made in self-defence."

Abbie nodded. Although was that true? Could not Abbie have fled with Christine? Could they not have escaped over the fence, into the darkness together? Best not to think about that. Not right now, anyway.

"I won't arrest you," said Christine, "but you must come with me to the station. There are bad people on the loose. Something is going on, and we need to be open with my superiors about it."

Christine was still standing, the landlady still staring. Abbie glanced at the large lady at the bar. Lowered her voice as she responded to the detective.

"You're not thinking," she said. "Whoever we're dealing with, this Orion, he sent a team to remove the bodies and clear up the evidence. There will be nothing for the police to find. Despite that, Kilman might use our confession to lock me up, leaving me unable to save Isabella. Unacceptable. Furthermore, it's going to raise plenty of questions about you. What will you say when Kilman starts pushing you on why you were at the dealership? How will you hold up under his questioning? No offence, Chris, but it's clear you've not had much experience on the other side of an interrogation, and from what I've seen today, you won't hold up well."

Christine was still standing. She shook her head.

"People like you," she said, "only ever consider how you can lie your way out of a situation. Has it not occurred to you I might want to be honest?”

"What, and tell Kilman and the rest you were investigating Hammond?"

The words seemed to spark something in Christine. Even though Abbie was only parroting Christine’s implied plan, the detective nodded madly as though Abbie who devised the course of action.

"That's it. It's time to stop living a lie."

Christine glanced again at her empty pint and up at the bar. For once, resolve to do the right thing overpowered the need for another drink. Taking the glass, she went to the bar, placed it on the wooden counter, and thanked the landlady.

As Christine made her way to the door, Abbie rose, leaving her own glass, and followed the detective outside.

"Where are you going?"

Christine was striding with purpose. Abbie had to jog to catch up. With another boost of speed, she overtook the detective and blocked her way.

"You know where I'm going," said Christine. "A little girl is missing. The police are looking for her, but they don't have all the information. If you truly think the cases might be linked, I can't allow them to work with one hand tied behind their backs. They need to know everything."

She tried to get past Abbie, but Abbie moved to keep blocking her path.

"You've gone mad," Abbie said.

"I can't force you to come with me," responded Christine, "but neither can you stop me going. I suggest you come along, but if you won't, prepare for a knock