Delaney could see the madness and rage still dancing in her eyes. 'That must have been terrible for you.'
'He died because of their butchery. Then they performed a hysterectomy. Performed it without my consent.'
'They were trying to help you.'
'No.' Her voice was quiet now and Delaney didn't feel more reassured by it, in fact he felt the opposite. 'I am a trained veterinary nurse by trade, not a receptionist. I took that job just to get close to them, Detective. So I understand surgery. I heard them admit their mistakes. They murdered my baby and then they cut out my womb. So that's why, Detective. A life for a life.'
'And the mutilations? Did they deserve that?'
She smiled joylessly again. 'It's what they did to me.' Her eyes dropped to her stomach and the smile fell from her lips. 'They mutilated me.'
Delaney could hear the change in the tone of her voice. As if their conversation was at an end. He had to say something. Do something.
Audrey Hill raised the rifle a fraction, pointing at his heart now, as if she had come to a decision. 'Do you believe in God, Inspector?'
Delaney shrugged. 'Yeah I do. Someone has to be responsible for all this shite.'
She didn't smile this time. 'Now that we know how big the universe really is . . .' She shook her head puzzled. 'How can you believe in God? We're not ants. Were not even germs. So if there is no justice from God, we have to make our own, don't we?'
'It doesn't have to be like this.'
'It already is, Detective Inspector Delaney.'
Delaney heart thudded in his chest as he heard a familiar voice shout out.
'Jack,' Kate called from the front door. 'Are you in there?'
'Stay back!' Delaney shouted, almost screamed it. 'Just stay where you are.'
'Jack!'
Kate walked into the room and as Audrey Hill spun round and pointed the rifle at her, she froze in place.
'Maybe I'll just shoot her then.'
Delaney saw her hand trembling on the trigger, the madness in her eyes and stepped forward. Kate Walker was the woman he loved. He knew that now more than ever. He loved her and she was carrying his child. He wasn't going to lose another one. 'Jessica Tam isn't dead and Michael isn't bringing her here,' he said.
'What are you talking about?'
'I killed him. Michael's dead.'
The woman shook her head, shocked, as she spun round and trained the rifle back on him. 'You're lying!'
Delaney took another step towards her. 'I put a bullet in his diseased brain, Audrey. He's dead, it's over. Now put down the rifle.'
Delaney watched her hands tremble. He didn't know if it was a deliberate tightening of her finger on the trigger as the rifle fired, or if it was accidental. He didn't register the sound of Kate screaming, he didn't know that Sally Cartwright had come charging into the room and was throwing herself at Audrey Hill.
Falling to the floor, he didn't know anything at all.
He was already dead.
EPILOGUE
When she was seven years old Kate Walker had
