Cold Justice (Willis/Carter #4)(118)

‘How much longer?’

‘Two weeks at least,’ answered Jeanie. ‘Then we better persuade her to take a bit of leave – she’s owed a lot anyway.’

‘Good luck with that,’ said Bowie. ‘Give her this from me.’ He handed Jeanie an envelope.

‘Thanks, sir.’

‘Christ yeah,’ said Carter, ‘we better get a card and take some food in for Eb.’

Outside Bowie’s office, Carter put his hand on Jeanie’s arm.

‘See you down there then, pal.’

‘Check-in is at two,’ said Jeanie.

‘Shall we book somewhere for dinner?’

‘Nope, let’s not get too keen on the group thing, Dan. Let’s give Pete and Cabrina time to say what they want.’

‘Good plan.’

At seven that evening Carter and Jeanie were standing by Ebony’s bedside.

‘Did you bring me any food?’ she asked.

‘We wouldn’t dare turn up here without it.’ Carter began unloading junk food onto the cabinet next to her bed.

Jeanie came round and started moving it.

‘They won’t be able to see the machines for all that. You’ll have to ask them when you want something, Eb.’

‘No, don’t worry, I’ve worked out a system of getting in and out of bed without coming unplugged.’

‘Oh, for goodness’ sake!’ Jeanie frowned.

Carter laughed. ‘That’s the spirit, Eb, don’t let the bastards grind you down.’

Carter took out three bottles of Babycham from his bag.

‘Here’s something extra for us to celebrate with.’

‘Dan, what the hell is that?’ Jeanie asked in a whisper.

‘We’re celebrating the fact that Willis still has a kidney. Where’s that card from the boss, Jeanie?’

‘Here.’ Jeanie handed the envelope across to Willis.

Carter took the tops off the Babychams and handed them round.

Willis looked at him.

‘How did you know?’ She grinned.

‘What?’ Jeanie asked.

Willis held up her bottle of Babycham.

‘I’m being promoted.’

‘Detective Sergeant Ebony Willis. Cheers.’ Carter took a drink from his bottle. ‘It has a great ring to it, Eb.’





Acknowledgements


I dedicated this book to Darley Anderson, who I owe so much to. He is so much more to me than my friend and agent. But there isn’t just Darley, there is a team of women behind the scenes who he relies on. I feel very close to them and respect them greatly. They are: Mary, Camila, Emma, Rosanna, Sophie, Andrea and Sheila – thank-you.

This book was a challenge, in many ways, and the help came from many places. So much gratitude and thanks to Dave Willis; his years as a Detective Inspector on the “Dark Side”, continue to prove invaluable to me. Many thanks go to the Devon Rape Crisis Service for helping me research both historical rape cases and modern procedure. Thanks to Alison from Friends of Brockly Cemetery and to Paul Read, who was a great help. Also thanks to the Cornish Tourist Office for an insight into the mining industry. Big thanks to Becky from Visage, Della from True Colours, Norma and Noreen, my children Ginny and Robert and my sisters Clare and Sue; and to all my family and friends who provide an invaluable sounding-board for my ideas. Lastly, my heartfelt thanks to my editor, Jo Dickinson, and the dedicated team at Simon and Schuster. They continue to press me for the best work I can produce, and I am confident that I have the best team behind me to achieve it.