These Little Lies

by GRETTA MULROONEY

  He drew his brows together. ‘That won’t be necessary. I can look for myself.’

  ‘Thank you, sir. Oh, by the way, is it okay if Patrick puts this success on Twitter?’

  ‘Yes, it is, after Mr Visser’s been told.’

  She opened her mouth then closed it again. She might as well leave Mortimer’s office while the going was good.

  * * *

  That evening, she sat folding at the kitchen table, a glass of akvavit to hand. Exhaustion and relief flowed through her. It was hard to relax and concentrate on the paper after so many hours of tension.

  Wilby’s sister had come into the station, pale with horror at the charges against her brother. Siv had spoken to her briefly before she gave a statement.

  ‘I can’t believe this,’ she’d said. ‘Jerry’s always been a sensitive, kind man. How could he do that to two people? I know he was fed up when Lauren Visser got the job he wanted and he was terribly upset when he found out about our dad. He was angry and unbalanced for quite a while. I was ever so worried about him. I thought he should see the doctor but he wouldn’t. Do you think that had anything to do with it?’

  ‘I don’t know. Only he can say.’ Don’t go making excuses for him. It still came down to ten thousand pounds per life.

  Her phone rang. Ali. He’d been on a high all day, restless and chain smoking, singing snatches of “I Fought the Law.” He and Patrick had been to tell Visser the news and had come back indignant, saying he hadn’t even thanked them. She’d been glad to get away from him and come home.

  ‘Guv, want to come out for a drink?’

  ‘Not tonight, I’m done in. Take Polly to the cinema.’

  ‘She’s working. What did Mortimer say?’

  ‘Oh, you know. Grudging acknowledgement. He did manage to say that the team had worked hard.’

  She suspected that Mortimer had been a bit disappointed that she’d achieved an arrest. It didn’t feel good, knowing that he’d wanted her to fail, but she had to leave that problem to one side for now. ‘I suppose Patrick’s been busy on Twitter.’

  ‘Yeah, no doubt. He’ll wear his thumb down. Well . . . I’m cream-crackered myself but it’s too early to go to bed and there’s nothing on telly. I might wander over to Nutmeg and have a snack. Sure you won’t join me?’

  Ed’s sweatshirt was cosy, the akvavit slipping down nicely. ‘Thanks, but no. I’ll buy the team a round of drinks tomorrow. Give my best to Polly.’

  She checked Patrick’s Twitter feed and smiled.

  @DCBerminsterPolice. Man arrested and charged with recent murders at Lock Lane. Great teamwork, great result. Big thank you to members of public who gave information. We always need your help.

  #keepingberminstersafe.

  She was in the bathroom, putting cream on her cold sore, when she heard a soft knock at the door. Maybe Ali had driven over after all to bother her, or Corran had baked too many potatoes again. She opened the door as Mutsi was raising her hand to knock a second time.

  ‘Sivvi, darling! What on earth are you wearing? Did you get it in a jumble sale? And what’s that stuff on your face?’

  Her stomach lurched. She saw a car parked on the lane, saw that it was full of suitcases. She managed to speak. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I’ve moved back, thought I’d look at settling here, near my family. You did see my emails? I said I was thinking of leaving Turku. People there can be so petty and nasty. You just wouldn’t believe the cruel gossip and the cold shoulders. Can I come in? This looks so much nicer than in the photo. I was worried that you’d ended up in a dump.’

  She stared. Mutsi’s hair was strawberry blonde and just touching her shoulders. She was in a pink linen trouser suit with a gold belt cinching in her still slim waist. Four thin gold bracelets encircled her left wrist. Her skin was youthful and glowing. A warm floral scent wafted from her. She looked like one of those mature, well-preserved Bond girls who popped up in interviews now and again. The sight of her made Siv feel ancient. She was suddenly conscious of her bald patches, worried that any might be on view.

  ‘I thought you reckoned this was a hick town.’

  ‘I was probably a little hasty. I’m sure it has its good points. I stopped at the harbour and there was so much colour in the sunlight. It looked pretty and lively, almost Mediterranean!’

  ‘It won’t look anything like that on a wet day, and you’re not staying with me.’

  ‘Gracious as always, Sivvi. I don’t want to stay in your little raggle-taggle gypsy caravan. Honestly, I half expected to find you in a sequin headdress, wearing huge earrings and telling fortunes! I’ve booked a hotel room in town while I take a look around. After all, with your father and poor Ed passed over and Rikka on the other side of the world, we’re all that’s left of the family. I suppose you might invite your Mutsi in for a drink after her long journey. I’m sure you have a bottle of akvavit in the fridge. You do have a fridge?’

  And then she was through the door and sitting on the sofa, sipping akvavit and slipping her patent shoes off. She waved her glass. ‘Kippis, Sivvi. Here’s to us!’

  ‘What “us” would that be?’

  She gave a little practised sigh, one that Siv knew well, the kind that means I don’t know why you’re being unkind to me. ‘I see you still play with your paper, Sivvi. Isn’t that a bit childish?’ She was leaning across and fingering the design on the kitchen table. Probably leaving greasy finger marks on it.

  Siv glared at her. ‘When I was nine, I got home from school one day to that flat we had in Camden Town. You’d left a note on the door, telling Rik and me to come to an address in Bayswater. Luckily, Rik had just enough for the bus fares and a kindly conductor told us which routes we needed. We had to look up an A to Z in a shop to locate you.’

  Mutsi smoothed a strand of hair. ‘That was such a difficult time for me and I had to find somewhere in a hurry.’

  ‘You moved home without telling us. You left some of my favourite toys and books behind and I never saw them again. We were off school for a fortnight before you could blag us into yet another one.’

  ‘Well, goodness, that’s all water under the bridge now. It was a long time ago. I know things were a bit difficult now and again but it wasn’t easy being a single parent with two girls to raise. Anyway, there’s so much to catch up on! Tell me what’s been happening. Have you met anyone nice? I do hope so but you look rather tired and worn. You were never clever at making the best of yourself, even though I tried to set you an example. At least your hair’s cut well, although it’s a bit short. Not very feminine. Ed would want you to be happy, you know. Although I don’t know how you’d be able to invite a beau back here. It has a certain rustic charm but it’s a little . . . basic.’

  Siv sat with her drink. She heard the goats calling in the dusk and the clank of Corran’s bucket. If Ed was here now, he’d be stepping in, expertly diverting Mutsi and offering, with a hand below her elbow, to help her to her hotel. Signalling that he wouldn’t take no for an answer. You and your fucking bike, Ed!

  Now she had to face her solitary, vulnerable self all over again. The buttons on her mother’s pink jacket shimmered in the light and her bracelets chimed as she lifted the akvavit and topped up her glass.

  She felt like a butterfly caught in a net.

  END

  ALSO BY GRETTA MULROONEY

  DETECTIVE INSPECTOR SIV DRUMMOND SERIES

  BOOK 1: THESE LITTLE LIES

  THE TYRONE SWIFT DETECTIVE SERIES

  BOOK 1: THE LADY VANISHED

  BOOK 2: BLOOD SECRETS

  BOOK 3: TWO LOVERS, SIX DEATHS

  BOOK 4: WATCHING YOU

  BOOK 5: LOW LAKE

  BOOK 6: YOUR LAST LIE

  Please join our mailing list for updates free Kindle crime thriller, detective, mystery books and new releases.

  www.joffebooks.com

  FREE KINDLE BOOKS

  Please join our mailing list for free Kindle books and new releases, in
cluding crime thrillers, mysteries, romance and more.

  www.joffebooks.com

  Thank you for reading this book. If you enjoyed it please leave feedback on Amazon or Goodreads, and if there is anything we missed or you have a question about then please get in touch. The author and publishing team appreciate your feedback and time reading this book.

  We’re very grateful to eagle-eyed readers who take the time to contact us. Please send any errors you find to corrections@joffebooks.com

  A SELECTION OF BOOKS YOU MAY ENJOY

  MURDERER’S SON

  By JOY ELLIS

  UK www.amazon.co.uk/MURDERERS-gripping-crime-thriller-twists-ebook/dp/B01LWY0PUJ

  US www.amazon.com/MURDERERS-gripping-crime-thriller-twists-ebook/dp/B01LWY0PUJ

  What if your mother was a serial killer?

  A BLOODY KILLER SEEMS TO HAVE RETURNED TO THE LINCOLNSHIRE FENS

  A gripping crime thriller by the best-selling author of the Nikki Galena series. Twenty years ago: a farmer and his wife are cut to pieces by a ruthless serial killer. Now: a woman is viciously stabbed to death in the upmarket kitchen of her beautiful house on the edge of the marshes.

  Then a man called Daniel Kinder walks into Saltern police station and confesses to the murder.

  With no evidence to hold him, Jackman and Evans are forced to let him go, and in a matter of days the lonely Lincolnshire Fens become the stage for more killings and Daniel has disappeared.

  In a breath-taking finale, the truth about Daniel’s mother comes to light and DI Jackman and DS Evans race against time to stop more lives being destroyed.

  Full of twists and turns, this is a crime thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the shocking ending.

  MURDER ON THE OXFORD CANAL

  BY FAITH MARTIN

  UK www.amazon.co.uk/MURDER-OXFORD-gripping-mystery-twists-ebook/dp/B0763RXLRV

  US www.amazon.com/MURDER-OXFORD-gripping-mystery-twists-ebook/dp/B0763RXLRV

  DISCOVER THE MILLION-SELLING SERIES NOW.

  MEET DI HILLARY GREENE, A POLICE WOMAN FIGHTING TO SAVE HER CAREER.

  Not only has she lost her husband, but his actions have put her under investigation for corruption.

  Then a bashed and broken body is found floating in the Oxford Canal. It looks like the victim fell off a boat, but Hillary is not so sure. Her investigation exposes a dark background to the death.

  Can Hillary clear her name and get to the bottom of a fiendish conspiracy on the water?

  This is a crime mystery full of well-observed characters, which will have you gripped from beginning to end.

  MURDER ON THE OXFORD CANAL is the first in a series of page-turning crime thrillers set in Oxfordshire.

  HE IS WATCHING YOU

  BY CHARLIE GALLAGHER

  UK www.amazon.co.uk/WATCHING-absolutely-gripping-thriller-massive-ebook/dp/B07KKK5N7W

  US www.amazon.com/WATCHING-absolutely-gripping-thriller-massive-ebook/dp/B07KKK5N7W

  DISCOVER AN ABSOLUTELY GRIPPING RACE-AGAINST-TIME THRILLER FROM BEST-SELLING AUTHOR CHARLIE GALLAGHER.

  MEET DETECTIVE MADDIE IVES IN THIS NEW SERIES THAT WILL HAVE YOU GRIPPED FROM THE EXPLOSIVE START.

  A young woman’s body is left in a metal container in a remote location. The killer is careful to position her under a camera that links to his smartphone. He likes to look back at his work.

  HE IS WATCHING HER. BUT SHE ISN’T DEAD.

  So he will return to finish the job.

  Detective Maddie Ives is new to the area. She is handed a missing person report: a young woman with a drink problem who’s been reported missing fifteen times. It looks like a waste of time. But DS Ives has a bad feeling about the woman’s disappearance.

  DI Harry Blaker is called to a hit-and-run of an elderly man left to die on a quiet country road. There is no motive and it looks like a tragic accident. But he’s been working Major Crime long enough to know that something isn’t quite right. The two officers find their investigations intertwine and they will need to work together.

  BUT THEY MUST WORK FAST. TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR THE WOMAN IN THE CONTAINER.

  GLOSSARY OF ENGLISH SLANG FOR US READERS

  A & E: Accident and emergency department in a hospital

  Aggro: Violent behaviour, aggression

  Air raid: an attack in which bombs are dropped from aircraft on ground targets

  Allotment: a plot of land rented by an individual for growing fruit, vegetable or flowers

  Anorak: nerd (it also means a waterproof jacket)

  Artex: textured plaster finish for walls and ceilings

  A Level: exams taken between 16 and 18

  Auld Reekie: Edinburgh

  Au pair: live-in childcare helper. Often a young woman.

  Barm: bread roll

  Barney: argument

  Beaker: glass or cup for holding liquids

  Beemer: BMW car or motorcycle

  Benefits: social security

  Bent: corrupt

  Bin: wastebasket (noun), or throw in rubbish (verb)

  Biscuit: cookie

  Blackpool Lights: gaudy illuminations in seaside town

  Bloke: guy

  Blow: cocaine

  Blower: telephone

  Blues and twos: emergency vehicles

  Bob: money

  Bobby: policeman

  Broadsheet: quality newspaper (New York Times would be a US example)

  Brown bread: rhyming slang for dead

  Bun: small cake

  Bunk: do a bunk means escape

  Burger bar: hamburger fast-food restaurant

  Buy-to-let: Buying a house/apartment to rent it out for profit

  Charity Shop: thrift store

  Carrier bag: plastic bag from supermarket

  Care Home: an institution where old people are cared for

  Car park: parking lot

  CBeebies: kids TV

  Chat-up: flirt, trying to pick up someone with witty banter or compliments

  Chemist: pharmacy

  Chinwag: conversation

  Chippie: fast-food place selling chips and other fried food

  Chips: French fries but thicker

  CID: Criminal Investigation Department

  Civvy Street: civilian life (as opposed to army)

  Clock: punch

  Cock-up: mess up, make a mistake

  Cockney: a native of East London

  Common: an area of park land/ or lower class

  Comprehensive School (Comp.): High school

  Cop hold of: grab

  Copper: police officer

  Coverall: coveralls, or boiler suit

  CPS: Crown Prosecution Service, decide whether police cases go forward

  Childminder: someone who looks after children for money

  Council: local government

  Dan Dare: hero from Eagle comic

  DC: detective constable

  Deck: one of the landings on a floor of a tower block

  Deck: hit (verb)

  Desperate Dan: very strong comic book character

  DI: detective inspector

  Digestive biscuit: plain cookie

  Digs: student lodgings

  Do a runner: disappear

  Do one: go away

  Doc Martens: Heavy boots with an air-cushioned sole

  Donkey’s years: long time

  Drum: house

  DS: detective sergeant

  ED: accident and emergency department of hospital

  Eagle: boys’ comic

  Early dart: to leave work early

  Eggy soldiers: strips of toast with a boiled egg

  Enforcer: police battering ram

  Estate: public/social housing estate (similar to housing projects)

  Estate agent: realtor (US)

  Falklands War: war between Britain and Argentina in 1982

  Fag: cigarette

  Father Christmas: Santa Claus

  Filth: police (insulting)

  Forces: army, navy, a
nd air force

  FMO: force medical officer

  Fried slice: fried bread

  Fuzz: police

  Garda: Irish police

  Gendarmerie: French national police force

  Geordie: from Newcastle

  Garden Centre: a business where plants and gardening equipment are sold

  Gob: mouth/ can also mean phlegm or spit

  GP: general practitioner, a doctor based in the community

  Graft: hard work

  Gran: grandmother

  Hancock: Tony Hancock, English comedian popular in 1950s

  Hard nut: tough person

  HGV: heavy goods vehicle, truck

  HOLMES: UK police computer system used during investigation of major incidents

  Home: care home for elderly or sick people

  Hoover: vacuum cleaner

  I’ll be blowed: expression of surprise

  Inne: isn’t he

  Interpol: international police organisation

  Into care: a child taken away from their family by the social services

  Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, applied to any strong woman

  ITU: intensive therapy unit in hospital

  Jane Doe: a person whose identity is unknown/anonymous

  JCB: a mechanical excavator

  Jerry-built: badly made

  Jungle: nickname given to migrant camp near Calais

  Lad: young man

  Lass: young woman

  Lift: elevator

  Lord Lucan: famous aristocrat who allegedly killed his children’s nanny and disappeared in 1974. Has never been found.

  Lorry: a truck

  Lovely jubbly: said when someone is pleased