Lying Beside You (Cyrus Haven #3)(109)

One day Elias will be free, like all of us.





77


Cyrus


Takeout Tuesday. Evie’s choice. An Indian feast: butter chicken, beef korma, basmati rice, chapatis and lots of side dishes. She takes off the cardboard lids and puts spoons in the containers.

‘You over-ordered again,’ I say.

‘No, she didn’t,’ says Mitch. ‘And I’m paying.’ He pulls a bottle of Prosecco from the fridge. ‘I got a job today.’

‘Doing what?’

‘This big online gamer wants me to edit his Twitch stream and post them on YouTube. And he’s recommended me to his friends. One of them has twelve million followers on TikTok.’

‘That’s dope,’ says Evie, who clearly understands what he’s talking about.

The cork pops. Mitch pours three glasses. Evie takes a sip and pushes her glass towards me. I drink twice as much when she’s around.

Mitch was released from prison in the new year. It took that long for his appeal to move through the courts and for the police to withdraw their objections and offer no defence. There is still a question over possible compensation for wrongful imprisonment, but DCI Hoyle is denying that he planted evidence. The Chief Constable is standing behind him, fearing the repercussions if Hoyle goes down – the convictions that might have to be overturned, the men it would set free.

Cassie Wright has resigned from the East Midlands Forensic Services. One neighbour said she’d gone travelling. Another thought she’d moved to London. She has changed her phone and left no forwarding email and my two letters have been returned unopened.

The police considered charging her with withholding information about her brother-in-law, but Cassie denied knowing Patrice’s whereabouts or having any prior knowledge of what he planned to do. The footage from the bar was inconclusive and there was nothing to prove that she delayed testing the rope that would have linked Patrice’s crimes. I am not a believer in justice for the sake of justice, particularly when someone has already suffered enough. Three nurses were given the benefit of the doubt eight years ago. Now it’s Cassie’s turn.

The doorbell rings.

Evie answers it.

‘You’re late. We started without you.’

Lilah has come straight from work and is still dressed in her uniform. She has kept her hair short and has it pinned close to her scalp. She washes her hands, before taking a seat next to Mitch. They’ve been seeing a bit of each other these past weeks, walking the dogs, and going to movies or just hanging out.

‘We’re friends,’ she says shyly, when dinner is over and we’re cleaning up the kitchen. Mitch and Evie have gone to buy ice cream from Heavenly Desserts.

‘Is it weird that I feel safe with him?’ asks Lilah.

‘Not at all. He found you. He called the police. He went with you to the hospital.’

‘And I blamed him.’

‘You made a mistake.’

‘Which was huge and life-changing. He has every right to hate me.’

‘And the fact that he doesn’t – what does that tell you?’

‘That I let a good one get away.’

There are voices in the hallway. Laughter. Mitch and Evie have raced each other up the path and into the house.

Lilah smiles. ‘I’ll get the bowls.’