Reluctant Witness

by Rachel Brimble

But how could she? How could she trust a cop after one of them had taken her brother’s life?

  She swallowed hard, threw back the bedcovers and marched into the en-suite bathroom. A long, hot bath was the first thing on her agenda. Then she would go to the police station to see if there was any progress with the investigation. She turned on the taps, added a long stream of scented bubble bath, and waited for the tub to fill.

  Ten minutes later, she slipped beneath the bubbles and thought of Jacob. After she’d gotten rid of Marcus, Jacob had been adamant that he take her home in case Marcus was still hanging around outside the club, or worse, her house. Jacob’s reaction to Derek’s death had not been what she’d expected. Even when they were alone, he hadn’t asked one question about what she seen at the beach. It made her sad to think such a strong friendship could be reduced to that level of resentment.

  She’d asked Jacob what had happened between him and Derek but Jacob had refused to tell her. She could only assume that deep-down, Jacob was truly hurting. The open anger on his face had convinced her that whatever had occurred had been serious. Jacob was not one to hold a grudge, but Julia could tell by the way his fists had clenched and unclenched on the steering wheel last night, he had meant it when he’d said he felt nothing that Derek was dead.

  “One way or another I’ll find out, Jacob,” she said aloud. “There’s no way I’ll let Derek’s funeral pass without you saying a proper goodbye.”

  An hour later, she walked into her cottage-style kitchen, and opened the refrigerator. She took out orange juice, eggs and milk, and decided to make herself a breakfast cum lunch before she headed into town. She didn’t want Daniel to have to come looking for her and turn up at her house.

  She closed the refrigerator door and that was when she saw the note taped to the outside of the window. Everything slipped from her hands to the tiled floor with a crash. Her breathing became harried as she attempted to stem the sharp thudding in her chest.

  “My God, he’s lost his mind,” she whispered.

  Nausea rose in her throat and her hands began to shake.

  WHO’S THE COP, JULIA? DON’T DO ANYTHING STUPID, MY LOVE.

  She rushed outside and ripped the note from the window before going back into the kitchen and locking the door behind her. Her body trembled as she slid to the floor. Why was Marcus doing this?

  Six dates. Six dates and the man had turned into an obsessive, out-of-control lunatic. Who was to say what he would do next? She dropped her head into her hands and tried to steady her breathing. She had nine days before the Princess II left town and in that time anything could happen.

  Maybe I should tell Daniel?

  No, she didn’t need or want a cop’s involvement. She would keep Marcus at arm’s length, not do anything to provoke his anger and when the ship left, she’d quietly slip away without looking back. Marcus was a successful and respected bank manager, his fixation with her was only a passing phase. It had to be.

  She heard a tap, tap, tap at the window and snapped her head up, expecting it to be Marcus. But it wasn’t. It was Daniel.

  “Great, that’s all I need right now.” She heaved herself up from the floor and swiped the tears from her cheeks before she opened the door. “Isn’t it usual for visitors to knock at the front door?” she asked.

  His smile was easy—wonderful—and completely disarming.

  “Apparently not in this town. Thelma gave me your address and told me to come round the back. I quote, `Julia isn’t one for formality, just let yourself in’. At least I didn’t do that.”

  “She’s right about the formality. Think yourself lucky I’m not in my pajamas.”

  “That would’ve been fine with me.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”

  He lifted his shoulders. “It would have been no worse than finding you sitting on your kitchen floor.”

  Heat flared in her cheeks. “I was contemplating the day ahead.”

  “Really? Sitting amongst broken eggs and orange juice?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

  She looked around. The floor was a mess. The orange juice had mixed with the eggs, forming a gooey substance that was going to be hell to wipe up. “Um...I had a bit of an accident. I don’t like spiders and this huge one jumped out from behind the counter...”

  “Julia?”

  She met his gaze. “Yes?”

  “Instead of trying to come up with a story neither of us is going to believe, why don’t I agree not to ask any questions and you go upstairs and change? I’ll clear up down here.”

  “Change? Why do I...” She looked down and froze. She hadn’t even felt the juice spill on the front of her T-shirt, which now clung to her breasts, leaving Daniel with a pretty accurate idea of her cup size. “Oh.”

  She was not surprised to see that recurring amusement on his face again.

  “Why don’t you go on upstairs,” he said. “I’ll still be here when you come back down. We’ve got a lot to get through today.”

  “Right. Yes, yes, we do.”

  Still smiling, he reached for a cloth, dropped to his knees and began wiping the floor. She may have felt like a complete idiot but that didn’t make her blind. She gave a small smile of her own to see how perfect his ass and thighs looked encased in faded denim, bending over her kitchen floor. He looked up and caught her staring.

  “Everything OK?”

  Her cheeks burned hot. “Um, sure, OK, right then. I’ll...um...yes.”

  He turned back to the floor and Julia used the opportunity to snatch Marcus’ note from the trash bin before fleeing for the stairs.

  She closed her bedroom door behind her and flung open the wardrobe. Quickly stripping off her clothes, she threw them in the laundry basket, washed her soaked chest, then pulled on a dress and ballet pumps. Daniel must think her a complete moron. The first time she’d met him, she barged into his office like a maniac, then he’d accompanied her to the club and seen her in her full pirate regalia. Today, he dropped by her house to find her sitting on the kitchen floor wearing half a pint of orange juice on her shirt.

  Clearly the man had no other leads to go on regarding Derek’s murder or he wouldn’t be relying on her as a witness. She grabbed a hair band, quickly brushed her hair into a ponytail, and glanced toward the window. Unease prickled the hairs at the nape of her neck. Marcus must have been watching her yesterday before he came to the club. How else would he have known about the time she had spent with Daniel?

  His reputation in Corkley Park was high class and there was no chance Marcus would risk losing his job. He was an intelligent man and would soon come to his senses. Julia knew she could look after herself and in just nine days, she would be away from here. There was no need to involve the cops. No need at all.

  With her mind made up, she headed back downstairs and into the kitchen.

  “Wow, you aren’t too bad at this cleaning business, are you?” she said, looking at the spotless floor. “Well—for a guy.”

  He executed a bow. “Thank you, ma’am. I must say, that dress looks a lot better than the T-shirt did.”

  She smiled and pointed a finger at him. “Not a word. You say anything to the guys down at the station, I’ll never forgive you.”

  He raised his hands in mock surrender. “I promise. Lips sealed.”

  Their eyes locked and Julia felt something as warm and as comforting as cashmere envelop her. She cleared her throat. “So...where to first?”

  His gaze didn’t move.

  “Daniel?”

  He blinked and the moment dissolved. “Yes, the case.” He pulled out a chair at the kitchen table. “Could we sit down for a minute?”

  “Sure.” She had a horrible feeling he was going to say something she didn’t want to hear. She tentatively sat down.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked.

  He sat opposite her at the table. “I looked up Marcus Lowell’s name on the database late last night,” he said. “He has no record.”

  Dam
n Jacob and his big mouth. She swallowed and forced a smile. “Of course he hasn’t. You shouldn’t take any notice of Jacob. He’s overprotective and has a vivid imagination. No one will ever be good enough for me as far as he’s concerned.”

  “And Lowell is an ex-boyfriend, yes?”

  “Yes, and ex is the key word here.”

  “And he’s not harassing you?”

  “No.”

  He stared at her for a long moment and Julia’s heartbeat thumped steadily in her ears but she managed to keep her eyes level with his. “He is a bank manager, for crying out loud. He’s a respected guy in town. His attention will fizzle out soon enough, trust me. It happens to singers all the time.”

  He studied her. “Are you sure about that?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you’ll let me know if it gets to the stage when you feel uncomfortable?”

  She laughed, lifted a hand to her head in a salute. “Absolutely, Inspector.”

  He opened his mouth to say something else but then closed it again. At last, he stood. “Good. Well, shall we get going?”

  She exhaled. “Sure.”

  “We’ll go straight back to the station and have a look at a few mug shots to begin with,” Daniel said, still carefully watching her. “I know you said you couldn’t see the killer properly but something might nudge a memory. It’s worth a try.”

  She pulled her bag from the counter. “Ready when you are.”

  “I’d suggest sharing my car but I know I’m going to be tied up all day and won’t be able to give you a lift back later.”

  “No problem, I’ll follow behind you,” Julia said, grabbing her keys.

  They drove back to the station and Julia walked through the open plan office toward Daniel’s private office. Several police men and women milled about, their faces tense with concentration.

  Their presence caused Julia to shiver involuntarily. Corkley Park had always been a quiet town that got by on a Detective Inspector, his sergeant and one or two foot police. At least ten other officers had been brought over from the neighboring town—a cold-blooded killer was still out there, could even have left the country by now.

  “Are you OK?” Daniel’s fingers touched her elbow.

  She blew out a breath. “I see you’ve drafted in extra troops.”

  Daniel tapped his fingers across a ring binder sitting on his desk. “Needs must. We have to get on top of this, each hour that goes by is another hour Derek’s killer could be getting further away.” He rubbed a hand along his jaw and sat down in the leather chair behind his desk. “I won’t lie to you, Julia. The first twenty-four hours are the most important in any investigation. Here, take a seat.”

  She sat down and he pushed the binder toward her. “Have a look through these and let me know if any of them seems familiar. Take your time. Go over them again and again until you’re positive there is no chance it could have been any of them who shot Derek.”

  Julia opened the binder to page after page of pictures. “I don’t know that this will do any good. I didn’t get a proper look at him at all. He had his face turned in the opposite direction most of the time.”

  Daniel reached forward. “Just try.”

  Her eyes dropped to his hand, which now lay covering hers and a jolt shot through her stomach. He was making her feel things she had no business feeling. She was here to help find Derek’s killer, yet her body was completely betraying every virtuous intention. Slowly she slipped her hand from under his and turned the first page over. “You’d better leave me to it.”

  “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

  He left the door open and Julia watched him walk into the main arena of activity. His encouraging smile of just a few seconds ago had disappeared as he raised his voice over the chattering in the room to get his team’s attention. Silence descended instantaneously. He stood at his full six feet two inches, his feet apart and hands fisted at his hips.

  Demanding a thorough investigation and intelligent policing, he fired one question after another at each member of his staff. He spoke with calm authority, but when a voice at the back of the room made an inappropriate quip, he slammed his hand down so hard on a nearby desk that Julia jumped in her seat.

  He might treat her with kindness and consideration, but Julia was witnessing first hand that Daniel Conway was also a man who wanted results. There was every possibility he would get them. And from what little she was learning about him, it was getting harder and harder to keep believing that those results would only be achieved by his use of brute force or unnecessary violence.

  If she changed her view of the police because of Daniel, she’d be carrying out the ultimate betrayal to her brother’s memory. She could never allow that to happen. Her mother had lost one child, she didn’t deserve to be estranged from another.

  Blinking back the burning tears in her eyes, Julia turned her attention to the mug shots. She looked at each in turn, hoping something would flick a switch in her memory and she would be able to pinpoint Derek’s killer.

  An hour later, she closed the binder feeling dejected. She was circling her fingers at her temples when Daniel came back through the open door.

  “Nothing. Absolutely nothing,” she said.

  He tossed some papers down onto the desk. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. It was a long shot. We’re pursuing other avenues.”

  “I thought you had nothing to go on.”

  “Sure, we do.”

  “There’s no need to lie to me, Inspector.”

  His eyes met hers. “I thought we’d progressed from Inspector to Daniel.” He smiled. “Well, at least when we’re alone.”

  She met his smile. “There’s no need to make me feel better, Daniel. I know we’ll find out whoever did this to Derek.”

  “Good. Because we have other leads. Good leads.”

  “But I’m your sole witness. No one else saw Derek killed,” Julia insisted. “What other leads could you possibly have?”

  He held up a hand and began counting off each finger. “Number one, murder always starts with the victim, not the killer. Number two, we find the boat, we find the killer. Number three, Derek was a gambler.”

  Julia creased her brow. “I don’t understand.”

  “Gambling is an addiction. Gamblers mix with other gamblers.” He walked up and down in front of her, his handsome face set. “I’ve got the team working on the first two points, we’re going to take the third.”

  “There’s that we again.”

  He spun around to face her. “I want you to come with me to the betting office. Everyone in town seems to know and like you. It will make my job a lot easier if I don’t have to battle through a mile high wall of distrust everywhere I go.”

  “But aren’t I included in that in that circle of mistrust?”

  He smiled. “I think yours is down to half a mile now at least.”

  She grinned. “You think so, do you?”

  “Yep.” He snatched up a bunch of keys from the desk. “You coming?”

  She plucked her bag from the back of the chair. “Right behind you. Oh, and the good news is my friend Suzie works there, and I can say without a doubt she’ll be able to get someone to open up a bit down there.”

  “Great. An inside ally is always a bonus.”

  Chapter Four

  Daniel pulled up at the kerb outside the betting shop. He had been delayed for a few minutes back at the station, so Julia had gone on ahead without him. But even when he’d maneuvered his car so close to hers they were practically bumper to bumper, she didn’t notice. Her cell phone was pressed to her ear as her hands gestured frantically. Whoever she was talking to was peeving her off big time.

  He continued to watch her and thought back to what else he had found out last night and not had the guts to tell her this morning. When she’d first said her name yesterday, the link between her and the accidental death of twenty-one-year-old Philip Kershaw had not crossed his mind. But now the grim reality w
as he was sitting there, watching the sister of a young man shot down in the prime of his life by a cop.

  Her blatant distrust of him was completely valid. Her obvious distaste at just having to look at him was understandably justified. But with the knowledge he now had, all he wanted to do was convince her to trust the police again—better yet, make her trust him.

  He knew he should have come clean this morning about her brother’s death, but when he’d seen her sitting in the orange juice, he couldn’t do it. Something had stopped him. Something so unprofessional, if it was to ever to seep from inside his mind and out into the open, it could get him demoted, or worse, struck off.

  All he’d wanted to do was break the door down and go to her. Her knees had been cradled to her chest like a frightened child. Even though with a blink of her big, green eyes the flash of terror had vanished, he’d clearly seen it when she’d looked to his tap at the window. He wanted Julia Kershaw to trust him enough to tell him herself what was happening to make her that afraid.

  Daniel wanted her to like him enough to tell him about her brother, herself, too.

  He took a deep breath. Was he playing a dangerous game? Possibly. But he was willing to take that risk in order to make her understand all cops weren’t bad guys.

  He slipped the keys from the ignition, got out of the car and stood on the steps to the betting shop, waiting for her. Eventually she snapped the phone shut and got out of the car. She slammed the door shut with a resounding thud.

  “Everything all right?” he asked.

  She jumped and snapped her head up to look at him. “Do you always stand around watching people having private conversations?” she demanded, her cheeks flushing a deep scarlet.

  He raised his eyebrows. He had allowed himself to believe he might be softening her resolve a little but from her tone of her voice he was way off. “What’s wrong?”

  “Everything is fine. Are we going in?” she asked, nodding toward the open door of the betting shop.

  “Why don’t you wait a few minutes to cool off?” he asked, quietly watching her.

  “What?”

  “You look kind of fired up.”