Death Row

‘Very wise.’

‘And what about you, Jack? Where are you based?’

Kate slipped her arm through Delaney’s. ‘He’s just bought himself a nice little house in Belsize Park.’

Bennett whistled. ‘Belsize Park? Nice.’

Delaney shrugged. ‘If you like that sort of thing.’

‘Must have cost a pretty penny?’

Delaney shifted his feet a little uncomfortably. ‘I had some luck with investments.’

Bennett grinned. ‘I’ll take half your luck.’

‘Yeah, well, my wife died. So I sold the house we owned and rented a flat and I put the money together with the life insurance into some investments that did okay, and I pulled the cash back before the big downturn. So I really wouldn’t want to wish that kind of luck on you.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t realise.’

‘No reason you should,’ said Delaney.

Twenty minutes later and Bennett was clearly feeling at home. On first-name terms with the barmaid and flirting with Sally Cartwright. Delaney finished his third pint and turned to Kate. ‘You ready to go home?’

‘More than ready.’ She held her hand up to Sally and Bennett. ‘See you later.’

‘Bye,’ said Sally.

‘Thanks for the drink.’ Delaney nodded at Bennett.

‘De nada.’

Kate and Delaney threaded their way through the noisy bar and headed for the door.

‘Did I say the wrong thing earlier, about his house and everything?’ Bennett asked Sally.

‘He’s just a little sensitive about his wife, is all. She was shot during an armed robbery.’

‘Really?’

‘I’m surprised you haven’t heard about it.’

‘I’m the new boy, remember.’

‘It happened some years back. There was an armed robbery at a petrol station. Jack and his wife just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.’

‘It happens. Especially in our job.’

‘I guess. This was off-duty, though. Jack tried to intervene, his wife got caught in the crossfire.’

‘Ouch. No wonder he’s a little sensitive.’

‘Exactly.’

‘They ever catch who did it?’

Sally shook her head. ‘No. They never did.’

‘Jack Delaney doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who lets sleeping dogs lie.’

‘He’s moved on.’

Bennett nodded thoughtfully. ‘I can well imagine that Kate Walker doesn’t take any shit, either.’

Sally laughed. ‘I’m not sure she’d put it like that herself, but you’re probably right.’

‘Anyway, enough about them. Let me get you a drink, young Constable Cartwright, and you can tell me all about yourself.’

Sally held up her glass. ‘I’ve had my quota. I’m driving, remember.’

Bennett flashed a grin. ‘Then you can have a fruit juice.’

Bennett turned round to the barmaid and held his empty glass aloft. ‘Any chance of some refreshment for an honest working man, darling?’

To Sally’s dismay the barmaid smiled back at him – she even detected a hint of a wink. Dear God, she thought to herself, just what we need, another bloody Jack Delaney.

*

Jack turned down the corner of a page of the book he was reading, Kate Mosse’s Labyrinth, and heard a sharp intake of breath. He turned his head to see Kate staring at him in disbelief from her side of the bed.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’

‘Just marking the page.’

‘Well, don’t do it like that! Use a bookmark or a slip of paper.’

‘It’s only a paperback book, Kate. It’s not an illustrated gospel from Lindisfarne.’

‘It’s my book. So don’t do it again.’