“I’ll get someone over there now.” Charlie took a few paces to make the call.
Katy’s gaze was drawn to the two corpses lying at her feet, and she shook her head. Defeated, the tears flowed and didn’t stop until the ambulance appeared.
Patti arrived at the scene within half an hour. The first thing she did was to hug Katy and reassure her none of what had happened was her fault.
“I know. I’m tired, that’s all. It’s been a long week.”
Patti placed a finger under her chin. “I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. You’re a fantastic copper, but you need to delegate more. Your slim shoulders can’t stand the burden, not all the time, hon, you hear me?”
“Are you in cahoots with AJ?”
“Nope. Go on, get yourself home. Sleep, you need sleep, everything should look brighter in the morning.”
Charlie came to stand beside her and slipped an arm through Katy’s. “We should go now.”
“Take good care of her, Charlie.”
“I will.”
Charlie drove Katy home. AJ met them at the front door and Katy fell into his arms and sobbed. Charlie filled AJ in over a cup of coffee after which she called a taxi and went home, leaving them to it.
Once they were alone, AJ hugged Katy tightly. “I’m sorry if I put extra pressure on you today, sweetheart, that wasn’t my intention. I had no idea what you were bloody dealing with.”
“You didn’t. That’s not what this is about. I failed so many people today, most of all, I failed Megan. I should have saved her, and Ethan come to that. My negotiating skills were below par, I recognise that.”
He gripped her shoulders and forced her to look at him. “No way. It seems to me like she needed to see her plan through to its conclusion. No one could have persuaded her to have taken a different path from the sounds of it. You can’t go blaming yourself, love, I won’t allow it. You’re a wonderful copper, even if your husband gives you grief from time to time for neglecting him.”
Katy ran a hand over his cheek. “You’re too good for me.”
“Bollocks. We’re good for each other. This was a blip, nothing more. Got that?”
He kissed her gently, emphasising his point.
Epilogue
Katy and Charlie were ordered to take the next few days off to get over the shock. DCI Roberts stood in for them and instructed the team to get started on finalising all the paperwork.
Katy spent two days in the arms of her husband who swiftly booked an impromptu few days away at a hotel, just for the three of them.
She watched Georgie thrashing about in the indoor swimming pool with AJ while she reclined on a sun lounger. The stress and tension of the last week virtually gone, finally. Although, what happened on Sunday and the gruesome scene she and Charlie had been forced to endure would remain with her for years to come.
On the Monday, Roberts had rung her briefly to bring her up to date. Matthew had been found at Megan’s friend’s house, when the woman had returned from her week away. He was now safely back with his mother, a blessed relief for Katy.
That night over dinner, AJ reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. “We’re stronger than either of us realise. No matter what life may throw at us, Katy, we’ll be sturdier at the end of it. We’ve been through so much already with Georgie. Nothing will tear us apart.”
“I hope not. I promise not to get so involved in a case in the future that I neglect you guys as I have done this past week.”
“Don’t make any promises you can’t keep, love. You’re a determined officer, you should never change, Katy. I’m so proud of your achievements.”
“But we need to spend more quality time together, right?”
“Yep, definitely. It would be a shame to miss out on Georgie’s younger years, the way you have up until now.”
“I know, believe me. I’m making a pledge to do my very best to change things in the future.”
Katy and Charlie reported back for duty to what proved to be a hectic week. Katy had insisted they should attend all of the victims’ funerals and also that of Megan Johnson. She was glad to see Megan’s Uncle Sam out of hospital, sitting in a wheelchair next to his nephew, Daniel.
It was heartbreaking to hear Daniel calling out for his sister throughout the service. “Me Me, love you,” he repeated, again and again.
Katy managed to steer Megan’s aunt away for a quick chat after the service. “How are you coping, Gail?”
Gail stared at her husband and nephew and simply said, “I’m not. How could Megan do this to me? To us? I’ll never be able to forgive her selfishness. She’s blighted this family’s name and left the three of us to face the dire consequences.”
Katy rested a hand on her forearm. “Given time, people will forget.”
“They might, but I won’t. I’ll never be able to forget. I haven’t slept since I heard she killed herself. It was hard enough caring for Daniel, now I’m burdened with looking after my husband as well…” Her voice trailed off and she turned her back to blow her nose on a tissue.
“I’m sorry. If you need help, I can see what I can do for you.”
“What I need is my life back, but that’s not likely to happen, is it? Thank you for attending, Inspector. I’d better get back to my family who need me.” She returned to her husband and nephew.
Charlie moved to within a few inches of Katy and nudged her. “She’s hurting. I doubt if she meant all that.”
“I wouldn’t blame her if she did. I think she’s been stretched to her limits. What an unforgiving world we live in. So many wrongs and not enough rights to counterbalance the scales. This was an emotional case for us to deal with, Charlie.”
“I know.
