Darkness Falls (Kate Marshall, #3)(89)

“No,” said Tristan. “He lost someone too. You have that in common.”

“God, I feel sick all day long. I don’t want to have to deal with Bill and everything. I just want to mourn for my Jo . . .” Bev rummaged around in her handbag and pulled out a tiny square of folded-over tissue paper.

“Listen. I want you both to have this, to remind yourselves to keep doing what you do. I know it’s tough out there.” She handed the square of tissue to Kate, and when she opened it out, nestled inside was a tiny silver charm in the shape of a magnifying glass. “Jo had a charm bracelet. I bought it for her eighteenth, and she always wore it. They found it in the car, with her remains, when they pulled it out of the sand. I had it cleaned up.”

“We couldn’t take this,” started Kate.

“No. I want you to have it. Please. A piece of Jo to remind you both that you did an incredible thing, solving this case and returning her to me.”

“Thank you,” said Tristan. Bev gave them both a hug.

“God bless you both,” she said, and with a small wave, she left. A moment later, they heard her close the front door behind her.

Kate stared at the charm for a moment.

“It just breaks my heart, this case. To think how long she lay there, trapped in that car, deep under the sand,” she said.

“You should be proud, Kate. You did in a month what the police couldn’t do in thirteen years.”

“We both should be proud. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

There was another moment as they stared at the small silver charm. Kate placed it on the counter and wiped her eyes. She thought of how the charm had been on Joanna’s wrist for all those years, waiting to be found.

Tristan’s phone beeped in his pocket, and he took it out and looked at the screen.

“That’s Ade, asking where we are with the ice.”

“Come on. We’re lucky that’s all we have to worry about—Ade’s drink getting warm. Let’s go and eat,” said Kate with a smile.

They picked up the ice and the food, left the house, and made their way back down the cliff toward Jake and Ade, waiting for them by the warm, happy light of the fire.





AUTHOR’S LETTER

Dear Readers,

Thank you for choosing to read Darkness Falls. If you enjoyed the book, I would be very grateful if you could tell your friends and family. A word-of-mouth recommendation remains the most powerful way for new readers to discover one of my books. Your endorsement makes a huge difference! You could also write a product review. It needn’t be long, just a few words, but this also helps new readers find one of my books for the first time.

I love to read, and I love nothing more than escaping into a story. I think that this past year, more than ever, I’ve relied on books to escape what’s going on in the world. Thank you to everyone who has sent me a message to say you enjoyed escaping into my books. Your messages mean so much to me.

To find out more about me, you can check out my website, www.robertbryndza.com.

Kate and Tristan will return shortly for another gripping murder investigation! Until then . . .

Robert Bryndza





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


Thank you to my brilliant publishers. In the US and Canada, the team at Thomas and Mercer: Liz Pearsons, Charlotte Herscher, Laura Barrett, Sarah Shaw, Michael Jantze, Dennelle Catlett, Haley Miller Swan, and Kellie Osborne.

At Sphere in the UK and Commonwealth: Cath Burke, Callum Kenny, Kirsteen Astor, Laura Vile, Tom Webster, and Sean Garrehy.

Thank you, as ever, to Team Bryndza: Janko, Vierka, Riky, and Lola. I love you all so much and thank you for keeping me going with your love and support!

The biggest thank-you goes out to all the book bloggers and readers. When I started, it was you who were there reading and championing my books. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising, and I will never forget that my readers and the many wonderful book bloggers are the most important people. There are lots more books to come, and I hope you stay with me for the ride!