Bring Them Home (Detective Karen Hart Book 1)
Page 27
‘My sister’s coming to pick me up,’ Mary said, sounding breathless. ‘I hope you don’t mind but I gave her your address. I didn’t want to wait for her in the flat. She should be here any minute. I’m glad you got home before she arrived. I wanted to say thank you.’ She pulled a stubby pencil and a folded sheet of paper from her pocket. ‘I was going to leave you a note if you weren’t home.’
‘I’m so pleased for you, Mary,’ Karen said as she removed her coat. ‘I’m proud of you.’
‘You shouldn’t be. I’m a nervous wreck. I can’t believe I let it get this far. It’s my fault that—’
‘Don’t say that. None of this was your fault. Have you got time for a cup of tea or coffee?’
‘Better not. It’s a long drive.’ The smile slipped from her face and excitement was replaced with apprehension. ‘I’m doing the right thing, aren’t I?’
Karen unwound her scarf. ‘Of course. This is your fresh start. Your new life.’
Mary took a deep breath and nodded. ‘Yes, my fresh start. I like the sound of that. I’ve already got a job lined up. Well, it’s only part-time bar work at the pub in the village where my sister lives, but it’s a start. She’s a single mum with two boys, so I’ll be able to help her out with childcare as well to earn my keep.’
‘I bet your sister was thrilled to hear from you.’ Karen held out her hand for Mary’s coat and hung it beside her own on the coat stand.
They went into the kitchen and Karen switched on the kettle.
Mary was too nervous to sit down, pacing back and forth. ‘I thought I’d burned my bridges with my family. I wouldn’t have blamed them for cutting me off. I should have accepted their help a long time ago, but I just kept thinking he’d change . . . that if I could just make him happy, things would be different.’
Karen poured hot water into her mug and stirred her coffee. It was sad the way society blamed victims. Karen was just as guilty of judging Mary as her family. She’d been impatient with the woman, unable to understand why she’d stay with a man who beat her black and blue. Sometimes in cases like this, frustration and anger could be misplaced.
The only person in this situation deserving of anyone’s anger was Mary’s ex-partner. ‘There was nothing you could have done differently, Mary. He was responsible for his behaviour, not you.’
Mary nodded. ‘You’re right. I know you’re right. He made me doubt everything about myself. You wouldn’t believe how different I used to be. I was strong once. I had plans and dreams. I was going to travel but I lost that part of myself. I couldn’t stand up to him. My family were furious. They couldn’t understand why I let him walk over me, and to be honest, I don’t really understand it either.’
A car pulled into the drive and Mary smiled again. ‘That must be her.’
Karen put her coffee down on the kitchen table and followed Mary into the hall.
Mary couldn’t get her coat on fast enough. It was good to see her so eager to embark on the next stage of her life.
She helped Mary with her suitcase and waved to Mary’s sister, who was attempting a three-point turn in the driveway.
‘Thank you for not giving up on me and for listening even though I probably bored you to tears.’ Mary reached out and surprised Karen by pulling her in for a hug.
‘Be happy,’ Karen said and then waved at the two little boys sitting in the back seat. ‘Your nephews?’
Mary smiled proudly. ‘Yes, aren’t they gorgeous?’
Karen helped Mary put her case in the boot and then waved them off, hoping this really would be the turning point and the fresh start Mary needed. No one had a guarantee of happiness, but Mary had a fighting chance now. She’d let go of the unhealthy, damaging relationship that had been holding her back.
She took a deep breath and walked back inside. Like Mary, Karen needed to face something unhealthy and damaging in her own life.
It had been a long time coming but she was finally ready. She walked into the small room off the kitchen that had once been Tilly’s playroom. From the bottom drawer of the desk, she pulled out the blue folder and noticed that for once her hands weren’t shaking.
Tucking the folder under her arm, she walked back into the kitchen and grabbed some matches. She left the house by the conservatory doors and strode down to the bottom of the garden, towards the old steel bin that had been used for bonfires in the past.
It was a damp, misty night but the paper would burn easily.
She tore the first printed page, a copy of the accident report, from the folder and watched as the flame took hold, spreading across the paper. Slowly and methodically, Karen burned every page in the folder. It was time to let go of her obsession with the accident. She didn’t want to remember Josh and Tilly in that way. She didn’t need to hold on to the memory of that awful period in her life. She needed to remember all the happy times.
Just like Mary, Karen needed a new start. She waited until the last of the smoke died away and only charred fragments remained, then she turned and walked back to the house.
It was time to move on.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am very grateful to all the people who have worked hard to produce the first book in the DS Karen Hart series. Many thanks to Jack Butler and the team at Thomas & Mercer. It’s been a pleasure to work with you.
A huge thanks to my family and friends. I’m very lucky to have such a fabulous group of people around me who are my biggest supporters. They encourage me to follow my dreams, cheer me on and make life fun.
And a special thanks to all the amazing readers who have shown me so much support over the past few years. The messages and emails I get from people who have enjoyed the stories mean the world to me – thank you all so very much.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Kent, D. S. Butler grew up as an avid reader with a love for crime fiction and mysteries. She has worked as a scientific officer in a hospital pathology laboratory and as a research scientist.
After obtaining a PhD in biochemistry, she worked at the University of Oxford for four years before moving to the Middle East. While living in Bahrain, she wrote her first novel and hasn’t stopped writing since.
She now lives in Lincolnshire with her husband.