by Karina Evans
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Through the greyness, Isobel could see a light. A pinprick at first, it grew larger by the millisecond and, other than a blur in the middle, it was blindingly bright. She focused on the smudge as it took shape. “Archie?” And there he was, her big brother. His image was that of the photo in the hallway at her parents; he was younger than he had been when he died, and he was perfectly still — simply a manifestation of her pain and guilt breaking through in her dying moments. But then the light faded and with it went Archie, just as he had in his life. Isobel reached towards him, whispering, “Archie, please don’t go. I love you. I’m sorry. Please, please, Archie, I’ve waited so long to see you.” But Archie had gone.
Isobel heard a commotion and, as Robert’s grip loosened, she focused around her. As though in slow-motion, she realised Cara was crawling towards the cupboard in the corner, the cords on her hands and ankles loosening as she moved. Bradley was standing in the doorway, stock still in shock, clutching a rock that Cara used as a doorstop for the front door when she was cleaning the hallway. Isobel could only see the top half of him and she became aware of a great weight pressing down on her. Robert was prone on top of her and, unable to move, she opened her mouth to scream at someone to move him, that she needed to save Scarlett, that nothing was ever going to be ok again if Scarlett wasn’t by her side, but only a squeak came from her swollen and bruised throat. Isobel panicked beneath the weight, writhing and twisting to free herself, to help Cara — who was desperately trying to free her hands to unlock the cupboard — to save Dominic, to put everything back together again from the mess strewn around her.
“Bradley, you’ve got to help me,” Isobel gasped. “Get him off me, you’ve got to help me, help me, Bradley, please.”
Bradley shook his head as though to bring himself back from a trance and stared at the rock in his hand. “Did I kill him?”
“I don’t know, but help Dominic, please.” Bradley grabbed Robert by his legs and pulled his lifeless body from on top of Isobel. “I think I killed him, I think he’s dead.”
“It’s ok, it’s ok, it’ll all be ok.” Isobel eased herself to her feet and, on shaking legs, half-ran, half-stumbled across the room where Cara had just wrestled her hand free and was reaching for the cupboard keys.
“The keys, Cara, the keys, quick.” Isobel snatched the keys from Cara’s apron pocket and, with shaking hands, unlocked the cupboard door. Scarlett was sitting on the bottom, a shelf making it impossible for her to sit up. Robert had bound her hands and ankles, forcing her to sit folded over, her forehead resting on her knees. “Oh, please god, no,” Isobel cried, pulling at Scarlett’s body, trying to get her out of the cupboard. “Cara, help me. She’s not breathing.” Isobel and Cara managed to lay Scarlett on the floor, and Isobel pumped her daughter’s chest, blowing air through her cyanosed lips, trying to save the daughter who had once not been enough, but was now the most important person in DS Isobel Hester’s world.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Isobel smiled as she walked into the ward at Shorestone General Hospital.
“Two of my favourite people in the same room,” she remarked, first kissing her daughter’s forehead, then leaning over to the bed next to Scarlett’s and handing its occupant a bag of grapes. “Cliched but, you know, you’ve got to keep your strength up.”
“I… thank you. I don’t deserve them.”
Isobel shrugged. “Everyone deserves grapes, right?”
Heather took the paper bag, opening it and offering them around.
“I’m ok, thanks, Heather,” responded Scarlett, who was still looking pale after three days in hospital. She had been lucky that Isobel found her when she did, the doctors had told her; a few more minutes and she would not have survived. “Mum, how are Bradley and Cara?”
“Bradley is ok… he came down because I’d been ignoring him; how funny is that? I would tell him off for stalking me, but it appears his persistence saved our lives. We’re trying to work out how we can be together without annoying each other too much. I can’t bear to think of him being back in Hamhill while I’m here. Cara is good — funnily enough, she’s told me I can stay on at the B&B, but I’m going to get a flat somewhere along the seafront, if it’s ok with you, Scarlett? Are you ok if I stay in Shorestone?”
“Of course. How many bedrooms?”
“Two… maybe… if there’s someone who might want the second?”
Scarlett smiled, colour filling her cheeks. “Well, I can think of a 20-year-old who might quite like a change of bedroom —”
“It’s all yours.” Isobel turned to Heather, her face suddenly sombre. “Did the doctors say if you’d be out by Tuesday? It’s Dominic’s memorial, and I know he’d want you there.”
“Yes, I should be ok to leave then. I’m just waiting for a referral to adult social care, who should get me some meds and counselling to get me on track. I’m so sad he didn’t make it. I really —” Heather broke off.
“I know. You loved him. I was fond of him too; let’s say goodbye to him together — he would find that quite funny.”
The two women exchanged weak smiles.
“One thing I don’t understand,” said Heather, “Is why Robert did what he did, and why he sometimes wore a mask and didn’t at other times, like when he took Scarlett.”
“There’s a lot we still don’t understand,” replied Isobel. “The post mortem shows he had a slow long-term brain bleed — it had been there for a while; they can lurk without being detected. When Bradley hit him, it finally gave up. That’s why he died so quickly. The mask is an odd one — I suspect that he used it when hunting, but not when opportunistic. I guess he never intended to kill Scarlett or me, which is a kind of macabre twist, I suppose. I think he just wanted to be together.” Isobel looked over at her daughter.
“Scarlett, you’re an exceptional kid. I’m never leaving you again.”
“I’m moving to Shorestone,” Bradley said as they strolled through Market Square. “I don’t want to move in; I’d just like to be around and spend some time with you.” He looked sheepishly at the ground.
“There’s a position in burglary, if you want it?” Isobel said, with half a smile on her face.
Bradley looked at Isobel, smiling. “I’ve applied already.”
Isobel left Bradley waiting outside the familiar shop as she walked through the door, nodding hello to the woman behind the counter.
“Hi, Margie.”
“The usual?” Margie asked.
Isobel thought for a second. “Yes, six of your finest.”
The woman handed her a package, and Isobel thanked her before leaving the shop to finish her conversation with Bradley.
Bradley laughed. “More bath bombs?”
“For as long as there is breath in my body, this shop will stay open.” Isobel replied.
Bradley squeezed Isobel’s hand. “Well, in that case, we’re going to need to find you a flat in Shorestone with a bath big enough for visitors.”
THE END
THE FINAL ECHO

Gripping. Shocking. Ruthless.
A coach accident kills holidaymakers in Shorestone, but it might not be all it seems. A mobile phone containing a mysterious audio file points to the crash being more sinister than it had initially appeared, and with all lines of enquiry leading to a close colleague, Isobel finds herself investigating the case alone.
The shrewd detective knows that something isn’t right, but she can’t prove it, at least not without the cooperation of the town that hates her. The detective’s ordered life is turned upside-down as she fights through chaos to discover the truth.
Join Isobel for the second of her gripping, thrilling, Shorestone adventures!
Preorder here!
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