Bad Moon Rising (#1 - D.I. Paolo Storey Crime Series) by Frances di Plino Page B

of hours with his daughter. If he started in on Katy’s behaviour the visit would turn out to be yet another disaster and that he couldn’t face, so he pretended he hadn’t seen. He still had to tackle her over Father Gregory’s concerns. That would be fraught enough without putting extra tension on the table.
    “Shall we go and set this up?” he said with a smile.
    The game was noisy and fun, but at the back of Paolo’s mind Father Gregory’s words stopped him from letting go and just enjoying himself. He put down his control.
    “Katy, I need to chat to you about school.”
    “Oh Dad, not you, too. Mum’s already being a pain about it. Why can’t I ask questions if I don’t think what they’re saying is right? You don’t believe in all that guff anyway, so if you tell me you do I know you’re lying.”
    “I’m not going to tell you I believe in anything, but I am going to tell you to keep your thoughts to yourself. That’s a good school. If you get kicked out of there, where do you think you’ll end up? Would you want to go to Kettlefields?”
    “Don’t be daft; no one wants to go to Kettlefields, not even the kids who live near there.”
    “Well, if you get expelled, that’s the only school open to you around here. Father Gregory says... don’t roll your eyes up like that.”
    “Father Gregory is a perve. None of us like him.”
    “What do you mean, a perve? Has he said or done anything to you?”
    “No. It’s the way he looks at us. All pervy and creepy. He’s a sad sicko. Gloria says he hangs around with prostitutes.”
    “Who’s Gloria? And how would she know any such thing?”
    “She’s a mate of mine in school and her dad is part of some group or other wanting to clean up the streets. Gloria says her dad doesn’t like Father Gregory because he says the women need help, not whatever it is Gloria’s dad’s lot are doing.”
    “Katy, that’s second-hand gossip at best. I’m surprised at you.”
    “Why? Gloria wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true. Besides, I told you, he looks at us funny.”
    “You can’t accuse someone of being a pervert because you don’t like the way he looks at you.”
    “Why not?”
    Before Paolo could answer his mobile rang.
    “Don’t answer it. Don’t. If you go, I’ll never forgive you,” Katy said. “This is our time.”
    Paolo’s stomach turned over. He’d given strict instructions, no calls unless it was absolutely necessary, which meant this wasn’t going to be good news.
    “Storey,” he said.
    CC’s voice told him all he didn’t want to know. Another body had been found and it was almost certainly the work of their killer.
    He put the phone in his pocket and turned to his daughter who was glaring at him. “Katy...”
    “Don’t say it, Dad. Don’t say you have to go. You were going to take me for a burger. You promised.”
    As he reached out for her, she picked up one of the controls and threw on to the couch.
    “I hate you,” she yelled and ran from the room.
    He heard her sob as she fled upstairs. Seconds later the slamming of her bedroom door reverberated through the house. As he gathered his belongings together, a shadow fell across the sitting room. He looked up to see Lydia leaning against the doorframe.
    “I take it from Katy’s yelling and door slamming that you’ve done what you do best, let down the women in your life.”
    “Give it a rest, Lydia. I have to go. It’s work and...”
    “And what? And you can’t wait to run away? Isn’t that what you always do? Give up on trying to make things work?”
    He stood up and walked towards the doorway. Lydia moved to one side to let him through.
    “I tried to make our marriage work,” he said as he passed her. “Then I found out that you were having an affair. There didn’t seem to be much point in trying after that.”
    She shot him a look of pure loathing. “And who drove me to it? Who made me so desperate for affection that anyone would do?”
    “But it wasn’t