Time To Play by KA Richardson (best book club books of all time TXT) 📗

would have turned in her grave if she’d known about the screams Marlo heard, and what had caused them. And what on earth had caused her to tell Ali the truth? She never spoke about her past.

‘I presume you’d like to stay with Elvie? I’ll grab you a blanket. The chair’s a recliner. Or you can take the bed? But I think the bairn would be more comfortable if she woke up and saw you rather than me.’

‘You don’t mind? The chair is great, thanks, Ali.’

Marlo had turned to face him, and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her. She felt heat surge through her body, and knew instantly that if he did, then she’d have kissed him back. But the spark in his eyes faded, and he pulled back, stepping past her into the lounge. Had she imagined it?

She wondered what she’d done wrong as he handed her the blanket and retreated to the safety of his bedroom, a dark frown across his face.

 

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sunderland City Police HQ – 15 November

A li had made it to work on time, which was surprising seeing as he’d practically had a domestic with Marlo before coming in.

He had planned to bring the girl into the station with him to start hashing the whole situation out. That was the right thing to do.

But Marlo had begged him to let Elvie spend the day resting before the ordeal to come. ‘Elvie will stay inside your flat and she won’t leave,’ she’d promised.

Ali had argued – even though he knew it was pointless. Marlo had stood her ground and eventually – just to keep the peace – he’d acquiesced, giving Marlo his spare key.

He was more than aware he had come close to kissing her last night and knew fine well she’d picked up on his intention. The fact that he’d pulled back had caused her to be snippy that morning, and he understood why. He’d sent out the right signals, then backed away like an idiot. He knew that was the right word. Half the nick would have been over the moon to be in a position to kiss Marlo, if only to challenge the reason they called her Buck. He’d heard the banter, knew many had tried to take on Marlo but failed, saying, ‘The bucking bronco strikes again’, indicating she’d bucked them off before they’d even got close. He understood her reluctance though: hell, he was hardly one to talk.

He’d felt a yearning to feel her lips on his, and then, just as he was about to act, Tina had popped into his head and he couldn’t do it. He knew it was irrational, stupid even. She’d been gone for years now, but it had felt like she’d been watching over his shoulder.

Shaking his head, he pushed thoughts of her from his mind. Deciding he really needed to deal with the issue of Elvie, he stood and put one arm through his jacket. Feeling around for the second arm, he jumped as the phone rang.

Jacket still only half-on, he answered, ‘DI McKay.’

‘Hey, boss, it’s Inspector Whatmore in the control room. Just wanted to make you aware of a job just coming in. It’s a serious assault. Caller reporting that two masked men have just forced entry into her house and hit her husband over the head with a bat. He’s alive; we’ve got ambulance travelling.’

‘OK, no problem, acting sergeant Charlie Quinn will deal.’

‘Great, thanks. I’ll pop her down as allocated. It’s log 103 of today.’

Pulling his arm out of his coat, he sat down with a sigh. He’d deal with Elvie later. Right now, he had other things to do.

Connor’s Parents’ House, Sunderland – 15 November

It all seemed quiet as Connor made his way up the path to the front door. It was a rarity to not hear any noise for once. He actually felt dread at the thought of what was to come when he walked inside. His sister was due home at the weekend for a visit. She’d delayed coming the weekend before as she had an assignment to hand in. It had been a few months since she’d been back. He’d told her snippets on the phone, but he hadn’t wanted to burden her initially, then as time passed it just became more difficult to talk about. Besides, she still had exams and coursework and he wanted her to be able to do it without having to worry.

On entering the kitchen, he was surprised to find his mum bustling about while his dad sat drinking a cup of coffee. It looked like any normal family environment – anyone else’s, anyway.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Me and your mum are going out for the day. We’re going to the seaside.’ His dad sounded pleased as punch, and his mum turned and smiled.

A moment of lucidity in a life of turmoil.

‘You sure that’s a good idea, Dad?’ he asked quietly, sitting down at the table.

‘Can’t hurt, son. Your mum seems OK today. And she rarely leaves the house now: it’ll be good for her to get out and about.’

‘But what if—’

‘No buts, you’re not a goat,’ said his mum, brushing a kiss on his forehead. Just for a minute, he let himself enjoy it. It was how she used to kiss him when he was a boy, her lips as light as butterfly wings. It reminded him of how happy they’d been when he was growing up. They were always out and about, making quick picnics whenever the mood took them. Even if it rained, they would go to the airport to watch the planes.

It had been almost four years now since his mum’s diagnosis, and he could count on one hand the number of times she’d kissed his head like this.

But, as suddenly as it had started, her mood