by Gwyn GB
‘Why didn’t you report what you’d seen then?’ Bob asks her.
Bethan shakes her head.
‘I asked Todd’s neighbour what had happened. They said that he’d just died of natural causes. I couldn’t work out what was happening, I doubted myself. You have to understand where I’ve been in the last twenty years. How could I expect anyone to respect what I said when I have no respect for myself. I admit I was angry at her, I wanted her to suffer, it became an obsession. At first it was fuelled by my own anger at myself, but then I realised I was onto something. Then, I wanted to avenge my brother’s death.’
Several days after Rachel’s disappearance and there’s no leads, no sightings, nothing to go on in the hunt for Rachel Hill. She appears to have vanished into thin air.
‘I’m arranging a press conference,’ Bob tells the team, ‘And DI Falle is going to be leading it.’
Claire looks up, shocked. She hates going in front of the cameras.
‘You’re the last one to see Rachel,’ Bob explains, ‘You have the best connection with her. Put out a call for her to come in and help us with our enquiries and ask the public for information if they see her. We’ll sit down with the press office later to agree on a script. I want to flush her out.’
‘Do I have to?’ Claire asks Bob once the rest of the team has disbanded.
‘Yes. You’re good at this. You’ve got a gift, you can talk to anyone, including the media and come across as professional and friendly. I’ve put my foot in it too many times before.’
‘The team call me telly tart as it is.’
‘The team respect you. Stop worrying about what everyone else thinks and get on with being a good cop. This is your case.’
Claire is so nervous, she knows that the potential victim tally, at least fifteen and perhaps many more, will guarantee media interest. There’ll be national as well as local TV and papers there and they’ll all be looking at her.
She’s not going to tell them that they’re worried about securing any convictions, that because of the time lapse, the lack of crime scene evidence and no actual proof that Rachel was there or even that crimes have been committed, they’re going to have a tough time of charging her. Their best hope right now is a confession, or at least some explanation. Of course Rachel could always go for an insanity plea if they do find enough to convict - a sociopath with no idea of moral boundaries.
Claire puts on a little extra make-up and practises her statement in the changing room mirror when nobody else is around. Then she goes out in front of the lights and cameras and asks Rachel to please get in touch to help them with their enquiries. ‘I am concerned for your safety,’ Claire says, looking directly into the camera lenses.
It’s an odd feeling, but in some ways Claire is concerned about her. Perhaps Bob had been right and she’d got too involved, but despite all the possible evidence stacking up against Rachel, not to mention the fact she drugged her, she feels some kind of connection with her.
By 6pm it is all over and they are sitting watching it go out on the news. A team is ready assembled to answer the phone calls they hope will follow and in Jersey, her mum and dad are recording the news on both channels so they can watch her.
Claire watches the news report and her clip of the press conference. She didn’t do too badly in the end, although she hates her voice - it sounds so girly. She wanted to sound bold and authoritative like the DCI when he talks to the media.
Considering how long she talked for and how many minutes of video they shot, they use very little of the press conference. Claire sees images of the closed door that once led into the SoulMates dating agency, sandwiched between the hair salon and French cafe. The reporter speaks to customers of both businesses and they all express shock that the agency has been the focus of so many potential murders.
The big question is, will Rachel get in touch? Or will someone call in with any vital information? Claire sits at her desk, catching up on paperwork and waits for the phones to ring.
Most of the calls that come in are sightings of women who look like Rachel. There’s a couple more family members of potential victims saying she’s killed their loved ones, and of course there’s the usual nutters who just ring up for a chat.
Around an hour after the evening news programmes have been broadcast, the calls drop off and Claire starts thinking about going home.
She shuts down her computer and is about to stand up to leave when she hears her name being called.
‘DI Falle, we have a woman on the line who wants to speak to you, and only you, about Rachel Hill,’ one of the civilian support workers shouts across to her.
‘Did she give a name?’
‘Sally Rochester.’
‘OK, don’t think I know her. But put her through anyway, you never know.’
Claire takes a big sip of her coffee and answers the phone. Might be another victim’s family member come forward, in which case she’ll get one of the team to take a statement for her.
‘Mrs Rochester?’
‘Yes that’s right, is this DI Falle?’
‘It is. You wanted to talk about Rachel Hill?’
‘Yes,’ the voice replies. Claire can hear the nerves.
‘How do you know Miss Hill?’ Claire asks, fiddling with her coffee cup.
‘I’m her mother. My name was Sally Hill and twenty-two years ago I walked out on my husband and daughter. Now I want to help her.’
Claire catches her breath. Is this for real?
‘Rachel’s mother died.’
‘I know that’s what she thinks. He told her I’d been killed in a car crash. I left for another man and he couldn’t bear it. He said I would be dead to them both if I walked out. But I’m not dead. Afterwards, I stayed away because I thought it would mess with her head and because his sister threatened to poison her against me. It hasn’t been easy.’
Claire’s heart is thumping in her chest.
‘Mrs Rochester, are you able to come into the station to have a chat, or would you prefer if I came round to you?’
‘I don’t mind. I’m just glad I can come clean about this. It’s felt like I’ve been living a lie all these years. I hope she can forgive me.’
Claire’s got no idea how Rachel is going to react if Sally Hill is for real. Everything Rachel has done stems from her father being broken-hearted about her mother’s death, so if this is true then it’s all been a lie. He’d deceived her, made her think her mother was dead.
Claire now has the bait to lure Rachel back.
Want to read more?
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Lonely Hearts and meeting Claire, Rachel and the other characters. The story of their lives continues in the follow-up novel, Home Help, which is due out towards the end of 2017. I’ve also written a short novella about Rachel’s mother, Sally Hill’s life which looks at why she left her husband and daughter. This is out September, 2017. If you’d like to read that it will be available exclusively, and for free, for members of my readers’ club. The club itself is also free to join
https://www.gwyngb.com/readersclub
If you would like to receive a free Reading Group guide to Lonely Hearts, which includes suggested discussion points and some information about the topics and inspiration for the book, then that is also available for download now at: https://www.gwyngb.com/lhreaders
Finally, thank you again for choosing to read my book, if you have enjoyed it I would really appreciate you leaving feedback on the Lonely Hearts’ Amazon page. Reviews are extremely important to authors, not only do they guide other readers, but I write for you and so hearing about your reading experience is a huge part of my motivation to keep writing. Many thanks and happy reading
Gwyn GB
Home Help
Some families need more help than others…
DI Claire Falle continues to try and track down the suspected murderer of the SoulMates dating agency clients - but can she gather enough evidence to bring a conviction? Meanwhile, Cl
aire’s mother is diagnosed with dementia and her father isn’t coping. When a murder takes place in her home island of Jersey, Claire decides to ask for a transfer. She thinks returning home will be easy – Claire’s in for a few surprises.
Be the first to know when Home Help is published: https://www.gwyngb.com/homehelp1
About the Author
Gwyn GB is a writer living in Jersey, Channel Islands. Born in the UK, she moved there with her Jersey-born husband and their children. Gwyn has spent most of her career as a journalist, but has always written fiction in her spare time.
@gwyngb
GwynGBwriter
www.gwyngb.com
[email protected]
British Spelling Glossary and Police terminology
British spellings have been used throughout this book. Despite sharing a common language, there are clear differences between British and US English including using an ‘s’ instead of a ‘z’ and ‘ou’ instead of ‘o’.
For example:
analyse vs analyze
Colour vs color
Centre vs center
Grey vs gray
Theatre vs theater
Traveller vs traveler
etc
For American readers, I hope this hasn’t reduced your enjoyment of Lonely Hearts.
Ballistic ‘he went ballistic’ = he was crazy/furious
Bedsit = Small one room apartment with bed/kitchen/living areas as one
Bloke = Guy/man
Boob job = Breast enhancement
Cadaver = Corpse
CCTV = Closed-circuit television or security cameras
Chit chat = Small talk/chatting
Chivvy = Keep saying something repeatedly, can be encouragingly or harassingly
CID = Criminal Investigation Department – plain clothed detectives investigating major crimes
Copper = Police officer
Coronation Street = Longest running British soap opera
DCI = Detective Chief Inspector
DI = Detective Inspector
DS = Detective Sergeant
Duty Solicitor = The lawyer assigned to be on call to help someone who has been arrested with their legal defence
Estate agency = Real estate agents
Feral = Wild, untamed, often formerly domestic animals gone wild
Fess up = Confess
Flat = Apartment or condo
Fork out = Pay for something
Footy = Soccer/football
Gawping = Staring stupidly or rudely
Georgian = Period of British history, 1714-1830 when George I to George IV ruled
Gutted = Really upset
Hedgehog = Small, spine covered creature that lives wild in Europe
HOLMES = The IT/computer system used by police in major investigations
Intel = Intelligence/information
Jager Bomb = Short cocktail shot, usually Jagermeister and Red Bull.
Jots = Notes down
Lads/laddish = Young guy/young guy behaviour
M & S = Marks & Spencer UK retailer – sells food/clothes/homeware etc
Major Incident Room = Office/room used by police team put together to investigate big crimes like murder
Mare ‘Having a mare’ = is having a nightmare/terrible time
Mate = Good friend
MO = Modus Operandi – a particular method of doing something
Niggling = Annoying
Noses put out of joint = Upset or irritate someone
Nutter = Crazy person
Pathologist = Medical Examiner – trained to investigate deaths and carry out autopsies or post-mortems
PC = Police Constable
Puked = Threw up/sick/vomited
Reccy = Reconnaissance
Scraggy = Scruffy/untidy
SIO = Senior Investigating Officer
Slob = Lazy, scruffy and often unclean person
SOCO/Scenes of Crime Officers = CSI/Crime Scene Investigators
Sod it = Expression of anger/annoyance or couldn’t care less attitude
Social Services/Social workers = UK social support service for vulnerable adults and children
Squeaky clean = No police record or signs of past trouble
Stroppy = Bad tempered/grumpy
Takeaway = Takeout food
Tanked up = Drunk/inebriated with alcohol
Tod/On his tod = On his own
Truncheon = Short thick stick or baton carried as a weapon by police
Uniforms = Uniformed police officers, not Criminal Investigation Department (CID) detectives (who don’t wear uniforms on a daily basis)
Weasel = Small, slender wild animal – similar to a polecat
Whack ‘cost a whack’ = Cost a lot of money
Zero hours contracts = Work contract where neither employer or employee is obliged to offer/work a minimum number of hours
