The Secret Child (DI Amy Winter #2)(16)

Adam raised his eyebrows, for once lost for words.

‘Oh, don’t worry, I’m not judging you. In fact, I’m all for sexual freedom. It’s a shame my daughter didn’t inherit my tastes.’ Smiling, she fluttered her eyelashes in a coquettish fashion. ‘When I was her age I would have eaten you whole. And not just me . . . if my husband were alive, he’d have loved watching us.’

Adam felt like he was twelve years old as Lillian’s voice became dark and thick in her throat. Her eyes glittering like two black diamonds, she stared at him like a viper about to strike. She and her husband, Jack Grimes, had conducted a campaign of terror, killing innocent young women and children as they satisfied their perverse sexual needs. It was a small mercy that Jack had died of an undetected heart condition while awaiting trial.

Adam cleared his throat. He had never met a woman like this in his life. She was creepy yet intoxicating, and the journalist in him wanted to know more about her past. ‘Why go public now, about you being Amy’s mother? Is it really true?’

‘I’m appealing my case,’ she replied, ‘and I need all the help I can get. Amy got in touch a while ago asking for the burial places of three of Jack’s victims. But as soon as I gave her what she wanted she cut me out of her life.’

Adam nodded. It was on the tip of his tongue to say he knew how Lillian felt on that one. But the jury was out on Lillian Grimes. He could not bring himself to sympathise with such a vile human being just yet.

Lillian’s mouth curled upwards in a smile as she caught the faint nod. ‘If Amy had her way, I’d rot in prison. But I’m no murderer. Ask her. She knows all about it. I was set up by the police officers investigating my case.’

‘Really?’ Adam tried to hide his growing excitement. So that’s what she’d meant when she wrote about needing a couple of things from him. A story like this could send newspaper sales through the roof. ‘So you want me to print your story?’

‘Yes, and I expect payment – the money can go towards my appeal. You can have whatever you want from me as long as you print the truth. Ask my solicitor. They’ve been forced to reopen the case.’

Adam’s thoughts raced. Could he do this to Amy? It wasn’t just about revealing her true identity. If she had been involved in some kind of cover-up, it could destroy her career. He would have to complete his checks, speak to his boss and fast-track contracts and payments to obtain an exclusive deal. He had no doubt his paper would go for it, but could he be the one to light the fuse on the bomb? He reluctantly met Lillian’s eyes as she proceeded to tear Amy’s good name apart.

‘She treated me so badly. Despite all the evidence, she was happy to lay the blame at my door. She has a brother and a sister, you know – Mandy and Damien. I begged her to visit them. She thinks she’s too good for the likes of us.’

‘So Amy knows that you’re her mother?’

Lillian’s smile broadened as her words hit home. ‘She shouldn’t be in the police, not with her genes. It’s an insult to the victims.’ Leaning forward in her chair, she invaded Adam’s personal space. ‘Do you know she visited the families of Jack’s murder victims and said how sorry she was for their loss? What a cheek, knowing her father had killed their kids! And they call me dark.’ A gentle chuckle left her lips. ‘Believe me, you had a lucky escape.’

Adam fought the urge to recoil as the sickly-sweet scent of deodorant vented from her body. ‘I can’t imagine news like that would go down easily.’

Lillian snorted in response. ‘What they say about me – it’s all lies. I was in an abusive marriage. Jack was a monster who forced me to take part. I tried to get out, but back then Amy – or should I say Poppy? – told social services it was all my fault. Nobody would listen to me after that. And then the police set me up.’

Adam’s mind reeled. Jack was a monster? A minute ago Lillian had been talking about how her husband would have loved to watch them in bed. Something was very off about this conversation. But Lillian’s story was a gift handed to him on a plate. Could he turn down such an opportunity?

‘It’s all documented,’ she said, catching the mistrust in his eyes. ‘One of the officers admitted to planting evidence. It’s been the basis for my appeal. My solicitor said we have to reverse all the bad publicity in the press. I don’t want the public to think I’m some kind of beast. I mean, look at me.’ Lillian smiled graciously. ‘Do I look like a monster to you?’

Adam decided not to answer. True, in her tracksuit and trainers she did not appear threatening, but there was something chilling about her presence. So far, he was reluctant to believe a word that came out of her mouth. ‘So you’re after some positive publicity?’ he said, edging back in his seat.

‘It’s only fair you put my spin on things after all the damage you’ve done. And when it’s printed I want you to personally hand it to Amy. Those are my terms. I want you. Nobody else.’ She delivered a devilish smile. ‘Believe me, it’s juicy. You’ll be known as the journalist who got the inside story on Lillian Grimes. You could even write a book about it. What do you say?’

‘I need to speak to my boss,’ Adam said, but his thoughts were with Amy.

‘Shame she let you go for such a minor indiscretion,’ Lillian said, picking up on his contemplation. ‘If I were twenty years younger . . .’ Her eyes roamed his body. ‘Amy must be mad, fancying that DI Donovan instead of you.’