Fatal Witness (Detective Erika Foster #7) (41)

Colin and Ray were watching her closely. It was like they could smell her fear. Colin took another sip of his wine, and Ray lit up a cigarette, sitting back as he exhaled.

That’s the problem when you run to the end of the earth, there’s nowhere else to run, but over the edge, thought Vicky, as she heard the police coming into the hallway with Cilla, and her name being mentioned.





Later that afternoon, Erika heard that local police in Whithorn had found Vicky at Cilla’s house, and they put in place a plan to fly Vicky back to London later that afternoon. Erika decided to give Tess an update of events in person, and heard from the Family Liaison officer that Tess and Jasper were at their restaurant, so she drove over later that afternoon.

Goose restaurant was a converted townhouse at the end of the high street in Blackheath. It looked very quiet when Erika pulled up in her car. There was plenty of space to park on the road outside, and she locked her car and went inside.

The restaurant was light and airy. Beautifully decorated, rustic style with wooden tables and benches – much classier than she’d imagined – but it was empty, and she’d expected to see the tail end of the lunch crowd. Erika showed her warrant card to a young man who was standing behind the bar looking at his phone, and he directed her through a door towards the kitchens at the back.

Erika hesitated at the double doors when she heard raised voices.

‘Six is a pathetic amount!’ Jasper was shouting. ‘We need to do eighteen covers at lunchtime, just to break even.’

‘My sister is missing! I came here to see you, and you throw this crap at me!’ cried Tess.

‘I’m not throwing crap at you, but I need you to join me and acknowledge that we have a big problem. We’re in deep shit with money, sister or no sister.’

There was a long silence. Erika took a deep breath, pushed open the doors and went into the kitchen. It was a long, thin galley of stainless-steel work surfaces, and jars of herbs lined the windowsill, injecting a splash of colour. Jasper was wearing spotlessly clean Chef’s whites and leaning against one of the burner hobs with his arms folded. Tess was standing a few feet from him and looked like she was about to leave. She was wearing a scruffy ensemble of baggy jeans and another fluffy fleece and her hair was standing up in messy tufts.

‘Who let you in?’ said Jasper, noticing Erika at the door. ‘Are you here to tell me about my knives?’

‘Hello, sorry to intrude,’ said Erika. At the mention of knives, she noticed a long magnetic strip above the steel benches where groups of metal spoons and forks were attached and interspersed with big gaps. Erika remembered that her forensics team had taken away all the knives in the restaurant for testing. They still didn’t have a murder weapon.

‘Do you have news about Vicky?’ asked Tess, her tearstained face hopeful.

‘Yes, we’ve found her, safe and sound. She went to stay with a teacher from drama school in Scotland.’

‘Oh! She’s really okay?’ Erika nodded. ‘When can I see her?’

‘We’re flying her back to London this afternoon. I want to talk to her at the station, but we can have her back with you tonight.’

‘Oh. Thank you. That’s good. That’s good, isn’t it, Jasper?’ she asked, turning to him. She hesitated and then gave him a hug. He nodded and look relieved.

‘Yes, that’s very good news. Thank you, officer…’ He looked around the kitchen as Tess held onto him. She buried her head in his chest.

‘If there’s anything more you need, any questions, you can call Fiona and I’ll make sure she keeps you up to date with Vicky’s journey back,’ said Erika. She went to leave them in peace, and noticed the magnetic knife rack again. ‘I don’t know when we can get your knives back. I will ask though, I understand that they’re important for your business.’

‘It’s fine,’ said Jasper, sounding defeated. ‘Thank you.’ He kissed Tess on the top of her head. Erika left the kitchen. The barman had left, and it was quiet in the empty dining area, so quiet that she could hear the fridges humming. When she left the restaurant and came out onto the street, she could see the other bars and restaurants were busy with people.

Her phone buzzed with a text message, and she saw that the police escort had just arrived with Vicky at Glasgow airport, ready for her flight back to London.





27





Erika looked down at the cigarette between her fingers, the tip glowing red in the darkness. She took a drag and exhaled the smoke into the pale orange sky. It was now dark, and she was standing on the steps in front of the police station, waiting for the squad car which had gone to collect Vicky from London City Airport. Moss came out of the front entrance, and joined her on the steps.

‘Jeez. You’re back on the smokes?’ she said, crossing her arms over her chest and huddling down against the cold.

‘Don’t. I’m annoyed with myself. It’s this case,’ said Erika. ‘And they say that moving house is just as stressful as a death in the family.’

‘Try saying that to Maria Ivanova… It was awful at the morgue. She was so angry when she had to identify her sister’s body. I’ve never seen anything like it. She actually shouted.’

‘She shouted at you?’