thought she saw Claire Stamp. A young woman was sitting on a bench under a street light staring out over the seemingly infinite darkness and oneness of sea and sky. In the summer such a sight wouldn’t have attracted a second glance, but on a cold, blustery winter evening on an otherwise deserted stretch of promenade, she cut a lonely and remarkable figure.
Marsh pulled in at the kerb and having overshot by some distance turned to study the woman. Perhaps she was with someone. She watched her for several minutes caught in two minds. The young woman didn’t move. Marsh huffed, grabbed her overcoat from the rear seat and stepped out onto the path. The wind was biting as it whipped off the open sea and before she reached the woman she was shivering with the cold. She settled herself down next to her. ‘Hello, Claire.’ Claire turned to look at her and Marsh could see sorrow and hurt in her cried-out eyes. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Nothing.’
Marsh said, ‘Come and do nothing in the warm with a cup of tea in the cafe over the road.’
‘All right,’ said Stamp, surprising Marsh, who had expected a prolonged negotiation in the freezing conditions.
*
Marsh set a mug of steaming tea before the young woman.
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘For stopping, I mean. You didn’t have to. Thanks for caring.’
They sipped their drinks in silence for a minute.
‘My mum doesn’t have a very high opinion of the police. I’m sorry she was rude today.’
Marsh shrugged it off. ‘I’m used to it. What are you doing out here, Claire? It’s seriously cold.’
‘I needed some fresh air. I needed some space to think.’
‘About what?’
‘About where I’m going to go.’
‘You’re leaving? What about your flat?’
‘That’s not an option anymore.’ She pulled down the high neck of her sweater to reveal angry purple bruising where someone had had their hands around her throat.
‘Jesus Christ,’ said Marsh. ‘Who did that to you? Avery?’
‘He was drunk and upset.’
Marsh had to check the anger rising inside her. ‘Don’t defend him. I’ll arrest him myself.’
‘I’ll deny it. I won’t press charges.’
‘What? Why?’
‘I forgive him. Like I said: he was drunk and upset.’ She looked Marsh in the eye. ‘He’s been very good to me. Really good. And I forgive him.’
‘Nothing gives anyone the right to do something like that to another human being, Claire.’
Claire smiled at her, a full smile that truly illuminated her features and Marsh felt a pang of terrible sadness for the young woman opposite her. ‘You’re wasting your breath. Anyway, he’s told me to leave the flat and I wouldn’t stay with him now, even if he begged me sober. But he won’t. Seems that what happened to me is too much of an embarrassment for him professionally. He has aspirations you see and it just wouldn’t fit in with his image if it got about that his girl-friend had been raped and he kept her on. It would make him look bad. Weak.’
Marsh shook her head with a mixture of dismay and disgust. ‘Where will you go? Back to your mother?’
Claire actually laughed out loud. ‘God no. You met her. I’ve got a sister in Blackpool. She’s on her own at the moment. She’ll put me up.’
‘What about the case?’
‘How is it going?’
Marsh opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
‘Honestly,’ said Claire.
‘It’s very early days.’ Claire continued to stare at her expectantly. ‘We’re working hard on what we’ve got, but there isn’t much. He didn’t leave a trace of himself. But that doesn’t mean we’ll give up. The DI is good copper.’
Claire said, ‘I’ll leave contact details with you. I’ve got until the end of the week to leave the flat and Simon said he’d give me some money.’
‘Buying you off?’
‘If he thinks that, let him. Like I say, I wouldn’t press charges against him anyway and I’m not staying, so, if he wants to give me some money
Marsh pulled in at the kerb and having overshot by some distance turned to study the woman. Perhaps she was with someone. She watched her for several minutes caught in two minds. The young woman didn’t move. Marsh huffed, grabbed her overcoat from the rear seat and stepped out onto the path. The wind was biting as it whipped off the open sea and before she reached the woman she was shivering with the cold. She settled herself down next to her. ‘Hello, Claire.’ Claire turned to look at her and Marsh could see sorrow and hurt in her cried-out eyes. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Nothing.’
Marsh said, ‘Come and do nothing in the warm with a cup of tea in the cafe over the road.’
‘All right,’ said Stamp, surprising Marsh, who had expected a prolonged negotiation in the freezing conditions.
*
Marsh set a mug of steaming tea before the young woman.
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘For stopping, I mean. You didn’t have to. Thanks for caring.’
They sipped their drinks in silence for a minute.
‘My mum doesn’t have a very high opinion of the police. I’m sorry she was rude today.’
Marsh shrugged it off. ‘I’m used to it. What are you doing out here, Claire? It’s seriously cold.’
‘I needed some fresh air. I needed some space to think.’
‘About what?’
‘About where I’m going to go.’
‘You’re leaving? What about your flat?’
‘That’s not an option anymore.’ She pulled down the high neck of her sweater to reveal angry purple bruising where someone had had their hands around her throat.
‘Jesus Christ,’ said Marsh. ‘Who did that to you? Avery?’
‘He was drunk and upset.’
Marsh had to check the anger rising inside her. ‘Don’t defend him. I’ll arrest him myself.’
‘I’ll deny it. I won’t press charges.’
‘What? Why?’
‘I forgive him. Like I said: he was drunk and upset.’ She looked Marsh in the eye. ‘He’s been very good to me. Really good. And I forgive him.’
‘Nothing gives anyone the right to do something like that to another human being, Claire.’
Claire smiled at her, a full smile that truly illuminated her features and Marsh felt a pang of terrible sadness for the young woman opposite her. ‘You’re wasting your breath. Anyway, he’s told me to leave the flat and I wouldn’t stay with him now, even if he begged me sober. But he won’t. Seems that what happened to me is too much of an embarrassment for him professionally. He has aspirations you see and it just wouldn’t fit in with his image if it got about that his girl-friend had been raped and he kept her on. It would make him look bad. Weak.’
Marsh shook her head with a mixture of dismay and disgust. ‘Where will you go? Back to your mother?’
Claire actually laughed out loud. ‘God no. You met her. I’ve got a sister in Blackpool. She’s on her own at the moment. She’ll put me up.’
‘What about the case?’
‘How is it going?’
Marsh opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
‘Honestly,’ said Claire.
‘It’s very early days.’ Claire continued to stare at her expectantly. ‘We’re working hard on what we’ve got, but there isn’t much. He didn’t leave a trace of himself. But that doesn’t mean we’ll give up. The DI is good copper.’
Claire said, ‘I’ll leave contact details with you. I’ve got until the end of the week to leave the flat and Simon said he’d give me some money.’
‘Buying you off?’
‘If he thinks that, let him. Like I say, I wouldn’t press charges against him anyway and I’m not staying, so, if he wants to give me some money
Similar Books
