Ian shook his head. ‘Our job is to serve justice by discovering the truth and getting killers locked up, nothing more nor less than that. And that’s exactly what we’ve done, thanks to you. It’s madness to think we can do anything else.’
Geraldine nodded. ‘Yes, I know you’re right.’
But she could not celebrate the outcome of the investigation with a light heart and she left the pub early. Ian said he would accompany her back to the police station car park and they left the pub together.
‘Well, that’s over,’ he said brightly. ‘You know, waiting for you while you were taken hostage was one of the worst experiences of my life.’
‘It wasn’t great for me,’ she replied, with a little laugh. ‘Thank you, anyway. I appreciate what you’re doing, trying to take my mind off how I’ve screwed up Aimee’s life, but –’
‘No, let me speak.’ There was a kind of urgency in his tone. ‘If anything had happened to you in Charlie’s house –’ having secured her attention, he broke off and looked away.
‘Well, it didn’t,’ she said lightly. ‘Nothing happened to me, and it’s over.’
‘No,’ he seemed to be struggling to speak. ‘The point is, if you’ll just shut up and let me speak – the point is, I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you before I’d had a chance to tell you how I feel.’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘Oh sod it,’ he burst out.
He took her shoulders firmly in both hands to prevent her from moving, and bent down. His lips brushed hers so gently at first, she thought she might have imagined his touch. But he did not pull away, and neither did she.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Dr Leonard Russell for his medical advice, and all my contacts in York for their help, especially the Changing Lives shelter.
My thanks also go to Ion Mills, Claire Watts, Clare Quinlivan, Clare Holloway, Katherine Sunderland, Jayne Lewis and all the wonderful team at No Exit Press for their unflagging support, and continuing belief in Geraldine Steel. I would love to spend every working day in the company of such inspiring and generous-spirited people.
Geraldine and I have been together for a long time, and another woman has been with us from the beginning, guiding and advising. So I would like to conclude by thanking my brilliant editor, Keshini Naidoo, without whom Geraldine and I would never have come this far. What an exciting journey it has been... and it’s not over yet!
ALSO BY LEIGH RUSSELL
Have you read them all?
Follow the links below and enter the code LR50 at the checkout to get 50% off any book by Leigh Russell published by No Exit Press!
The DI Geraldine Steel Mysteries
Cut Short
Meet Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel: fierce, dependable, and committed to her job. Relocated to a quiet town, she expects respite from the stresses of the city. But when she finds herself pitted against a twisted killer preying on young women, she quickly discovers how wrong she is...
noexit.co.uk/cutshort
Road Closed
When a man dies in a gas explosion, the police suspect arson. But the case takes on a new and terrible twist when the prime suspect, a local felon, is viciously attacked. As police enquiries lead from the expensive Harchester Hill estate to the local brothel, their key witness dies in a hit-and-run. Coincidence? Or cold-blooded murder?
noexit.co.uk/roadclosed
Dead End
Headmistress Abigail Kirby is dead. A potential witness has been murdered. And for DI Geraldine Steel, the stakes have been raised yet higher...
noexit.co.uk/deadend
Death Bed
When the bodies of two black girls are discovered in North London, the pressure is on to find a killer before the case divides the local community. But motive seems to go far beyond race in DI Geraldine Steel’s first investigation in the nation’s capital.
noexit.co.uk/deathbed
Stop Dead
When a successful businessman is the victim of a vicious murder, all evidence points to his wife and her young lover. But then the victim's business partner suffers a similarly brutal fate and when yet another body is discovered, seemingly unrelated, the police are baffled.
noexit.co.uk/stopdead
Fatal Act
A glamorous young TV soap star dies in a car crash but despite the severity of the incident, the driver of the second vehicle has somehow survived – and is now missing.
noexit.co.uk/fatalact
Killer Plan
Caroline's husband is killed, but she can’t turn to the police without implicating herself in his murder. When one of her 10-year-old twins is kidnapped, the desperate mother is forced to resort to drastic measures to get him back.
noexit.co.uk/killerplan
Murder Ring
The dead body of unassuming David Lester is discovered in a dark side-street. The clues mount up along with the suspects, but with the death of another man in inexplicable circumstances, the case becomes increasingly complex.
noexit.co.uk/murderring
Deadly Alibi
Two victims and a suspect whose alibi appears open to doubt... Geraldine Steel is thrown into a double murder investigation which threatens not only her career, but her life.
noexit.co.uk/deadlyalibi
Class Murder
When two people are murdered, their only connection lies buried in the past. As police search for the elusive killer, another body is discovered. How can she expose the killer when all the witnesses are being murdered?
noexit.co.uk/classmurder
Death Rope
Mark Abbott is dead. His sister refuses to believe it was suicide but only Geraldine will listen. When other members of Mark’s family disappear, the police start to take notice. With three dead bodies and few leads, Geraldine is under pressure.
noexit.co.uk/deathrope
Rogue Killer
A man is killed in apparently random attack, and suspicion falls on a gang of muggers. Only Detective Sergeant Geraldine Steel thinks this is the work of a more deliberate murderer.
noexit.co.uk/roguekiller
The DS Ian Peterson Murder Investigations
Cold Sacrifice
When Henry's wife is stabbed to death, he pays a prostitute to give him an alibi. Her body is discovered, strangled, and the police realise they are dealing with a serial killer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks.
noexit.co.uk/coldsacrifice
Race to Death
A man plummets to his death during the York Races. Suicide or murder? As the body count increases, the pressure mounts for DI Ian Peterson to solve the crimes quickly.
noexit.co.uk/racetodeath
Blood Axe
DI Ian Peterson investigates a series of gruesome and brutal murders in York. The case demands all Ian’s ingenuity, because these are murders seemingly committed at random, and this is a killer who leaves no clues.
noexit.co.uk/bloodaxe
The Lucy Hall Mysteries
Journey to Death
Lucy Hall arrives in the Seychelles determined to leave her worries behind. The tropical paradise looks sun-soaked and picture-perfect — but as Lucy soon discovers, appearances can be very deceptive. A deadly secret lurks in the island’s history, buried deep but not forgotten. And it is about to come to light.
Girl in Danger
Lucy Hall’s first summer in Paris promises to be idyllic. She’s fallen in love with the city and enjoys her new job as an investigative reporter. When her friend Nina comes to stay, the girls look forward to a wonderful summer. But Paris is a city of contrasts and Lucy is about to experience its dangerous side...
The Wrong Suspect
Lucy's search for her next big scoop takes her to Rome, in search of a young man reported missing, Dominique. But when she arrives, she realises that the eternal city is as dangerous as it is beautiful. She’s not the only one looking for Dominique:
a criminal gang is hot on his trail, and Lucy’s investigation has put her squarely in their sight. . .
Available from Thomas & Mercer
Standalone Thrillers
The Adulterer's Wife
Julie is devastated to learn that her husband, Paul, is having an affair. It seems her life can’t get any worse – until she comes home to find his dead body in their bed...
Available from Bloodhound Books
A Letter from Leigh
I hope you enjoyed reading this book in my Geraldine Steel series. Readers are the key to the writing process, so I’m thrilled that you’ve joined me on my writing journey.
You might not want to meet some of my characters on a dark night – I know I wouldn’t! – but hopefully you want to read about Geraldine’s other investigations. Her work is always her priority because she cares deeply about justice, but she also has her own life. Many readers care about what happens to her. I hope you join them, and become a fan of Geraldine Steel, and her colleague Ian Peterson.
If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you’ll know that I love to hear from readers. I always respond to comments from fans, and hope you will follow me on @LeighRussell and www.facebook.com/leigh.russell.50 or drop me an email via my website www.leighrussell.co.uk.
That way you can be sure to get news of the latest offers on my books. You might also like to sign up for my newsletter on www.leighrussell.co.uk/news to make sure you’re one of the first to know when a new book is coming out. We’ll be running competitions, and I’ll also notify you of any events where I’ll be appearing.
Finally, if you enjoyed this story, I’d be really grateful if you would post a brief review on Amazon or Goodreads. A few sentences to say you enjoyed the book would be wonderful. And of course it would be brilliant if you would consider recommending my books to anyone who is a fan of crime fiction.
I hope to meet you at a literary festival or a book signing soon!Thank you again for choosing to read my book.
With very best wishes,
Leigh
noexit.co.uk/leighrussell
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leigh Russell is the author of the Ian Peterson series (Cold Sacrifice, Race to Death and Blood Axe) and the internationally bestselling Geraldine Steel series: Cut Short, Road Closed, Dead End, Death Bed, Stop Dead, Fatal Act, Killer Plan, Murder Ring, Deadly Alibi, Class Murder, Death Rope and Rogue Killer. The series has sold over a million copies worldwide. Cut Short was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association (CWA), John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award, and Leigh has been longlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award. Her books have been #1 on Amazon Kindle and iTunes with Stop Dead and Murder Ring selected as finalists for The People’s Book Prize. Leigh is chair of the CWA’s Debut Dagger Award judging panel and is a Royal Literary Fellow. Leigh studied at the University of Kent, gaining a Masters degree in English and American Literature. She is married with two daughters and a granddaughter, and lives in London.
Copyright
This ebook edition first published in 2019
by No Exit Press
an imprint of Oldcastle Books
Harpenden, UK
noexit.co.uk
@noexitpress
All rights reserved
©Leigh Russell 2019
The right of Leigh Russell to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
ISBN
978-0-85730-301-1 (Print)
978-0-85730-302-8 (Epub)
Ebook by Avocet Typeset, Bideford, Devon, EX39 2BP
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Deathly Affair Page 28
