Frozen Grave (Willis/Carter #3)(55)

‘Will you trace him for me?’ Bella asked.

‘I’ll try. But he may not even be alive. He may want nothing to do with either of us.’

‘Yes, but if we don’t ask we’ll never know. There you go again, always Miss Negative.’

‘What are you really hoping to gain by this, Bella?’ asked Willis.

She watched her mother’s expressions change as Bella thought about the answer she wanted to give – as she thought through the consequences of speaking her thoughts out loud.

‘I told you I want to see him before I die.’

‘Yeah, I might believe that one, except you’re not dying and you are rubbish at making a good job of suicide.’

‘I will die some day and I want to make peace,’ Bella said.

‘No. That’s not it. Try again.’

‘I want to see if there’s any spark left.’

‘Getting warmer. What good would it do?’

‘It would give me hope. It would mean I would try my hardest to be a model patient and get out.’

‘No, Bella. You are better off like this. I won’t help you with that.’

‘I would accept any treatment they wanted to give me if it meant I was cured. You could make sure of it.’

‘Don’t get your hopes up – you were convicted of murder and sentenced to stay here indefinitely,’ Willis reminded her.

‘But – there are court cases coming up, challenging that ruling. The European Parliament. They might order a review of that.’

‘Not likely to change anything for you.’

‘I’m just saying I need hope, Ebony, for Christ’s sake. I am a human being and I need hope. Don’t you understand that, in all the books you’ve read, all the studying you’ve done, don’t you understand the most basic of human values and emotions?’ asked Bella.

‘I understand that you don’t really know the impact you have on people. You are manipulative and ruthless and you only think about yourself. Yes – I accept you’re sick but don’t accept that you didn’t know what you were doing when you killed your lover. I will never help you get out.’

‘So you won’t even help your own mother?’

‘I am helping you by leaving you to get the treatment you need and serve the punishment you deserve.’

‘You cold fish, Ebony Willis. I gave birth to a lump of ice.’

Willis picked up her coat and the envelope containing her father’s photo and details.

‘Cold-hearted bitch,’ Bella said. ‘That’s what you are. Ebony?’

Willis turned and walked away from her mother’s bed.

Her mother screamed at her. ‘Ebony, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Ebony – please. Please don’t write me off. Tell your father that I will always love him.’

Willis stopped and turned to face her mother. ‘That’s the trouble, mum, you destroy the things you love. I’m not sure I’m ready to see that again.’

On her way out, Willis stopped at the nurses’ station and asked to see the sister-in-charge.

‘Miss Willis, how can I help?’

‘Something’s going on in there with my mother and the pregnant woman.’

‘It’s no concern of yours, or ours – merely interplay between your mother and the woman opposite. They seem to have a fair amount of animosity between them.’

‘No.’ Willis held up her hand for the sister to take a breath. ‘Let me tell you – my mother is a pressure cooker and she’s set to burst. You need to move that woman opposite.’

The sister was irritated. ‘We don’t have any more private wards available. They will have to share. When high-security patients come into us from Rampton, they just have to accept what we have to offer. We can’t be giving your mother her own private suite.’

‘Then move the pregnant woman to a maternity ward.’

‘She isn’t due to give birth yet. She has a month to go. She has come in with high blood pressure. When it goes down, she will go back to Rampton. I would appreciate it if you would let us deal with things. We are used to patients from Rampton.’

‘But you haven’t met my mother before, have you?’





Chapter 30


Emily finished unloading her carrier bags and put the steak in a black-pepper marinade. She made the salad and went into her kitchen cupboard to choose some wine for the evening. She belonged to a wine club and she got it by the case. She knew she drank a little too much wine, especially when Ellerman was staying. They seemed to bring out the worst in each other – that was why it worked between them. That was one of the reasons she knew they were meant for one another. No one else had ever freed her to be herself. No one had made her feel so passionate, so alive.

Ellerman arrived at three. He rang her to make sure she was in.

‘Come on up.’

He carried his bag up the sweeping staircase to her flat on the first floor. Emily lived in Taunton town centre. Her parents had bought the house for her after her first husband was paid off, after her breakdown. After the school had agreed to give her a job because she used to be a pupil and her parents had paid for the new library.

She clung to him as he got inside the door.

‘Lucky you were home,’ Ellerman said, stepping inside.