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Dead Man's Time

Dead Man's Time

Titel: Dead Man's Time Kostenlos Bücher Online Lesen
Autoren: Peter James
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places and dislocated her shoulder.’
    Grace frowned. ‘Was she wearing a helmet?’
    ‘Always wore one. Made the kids, too.’
    ‘But she must have had a head injury, surely, to have died?’
    ‘No. They took her to the hospital, where she had to have corrective surgery on her arm – it needed metal pins putting in – and they had to reset her shoulder. They put her
under anaesthetic and she had an allergic reaction to it – called something like
malignant hyperthermia.
Apparently it happens; one in a hundred thousand or a million or some
statistic.’
    Grace was silent for a moment. Then he touched his friend’s arm, and squeezed gently. ‘I’ve heard of things like that happening – allergic reactions to anaesthetics
– but I never – you know. God, poor you, poor kids.’
    ‘How am I going to explain to them that their mummy’s never coming home again?’
    ‘Maybe you need some advice from a child counsellor. Take a few days off – compassionate leave.’
    He shrugged. ‘Thanks, but I’ll see.’
    ‘You’ll have a lot of stuff to sort out.’
    ‘Yeah,’ he said, pensively.
    He looked so helpless, Grace thought. Even when Ari had kicked him out, Glenn had coped, but he was all at sea now, overwhelmed.
    ‘It really is unbelievable,’ Grace said. ‘Talk about
shit happens
. She comes off her bike, the kind of accident every cyclist has, then dies in hospital from the
anaesthetic. I – I know you weren’t together, but I’m sorry.’
    Branson shrugged. ‘Yeah. I wish – you know – me and her – I wish we could at least have stopped disliking each other – that we could have been – at least
– ’ he choked. ‘Friends, yeah?’
    Grace had no answer.
    ‘Stupid woman who walked onto the lane in front of her probably won’t even get a fine. And I get to bury my wife, and the mother of my kids.’
    ‘You need to be strong for your kids,’ Grace said, trying to find a positive for his friend out of the tragedy. Glenn’s relationship with his tricky, demanding wife had hit the
rocks nearly a year ago. Privately, Grace had never liked her. The DS had moved out and had been lodging at his house ever since. Meantime, to Glenn Branson’s chagrin, Ari’s new man had
moved into their marital home.
    Branson gulped down some of his pint and nodded bleakly.
    ‘What’s happening with the children?’
    ‘Ari’s sister’s staying over.’
    ‘What about the boyfriend?’
    ‘He’s packed up and gone. Out of there. Shows his moral fibre, right?’
    ‘Already?’
    ‘Speedy Gonzales.’
    Grace shook his head. ‘They’re going to need their father. Have you seen them yet?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘I think you should go round there right now. It’s your house, your home. You need to take charge, mate.’
    ‘She’s poisoned them against me.’
    Grace shook his head. He was out of his depth in a situation like this, he knew. But all his instincts told him that Glenn had to take charge. ‘I’ll drive you there.’
    ‘My car’s in the hospital car park.’
    ‘You’re not driving anywhere in your state. I’m going to take you.’
    Branson smiled bleakly at him. ‘What am I going to do, Roy?’
    ‘I’ll tell you exactly what you are going to do. Do you remember, a few years back, telling me why you had become a copper?’
    ‘What did I say?’
    ‘You told me that you were a night club bouncer. When your son Sammy was born, you looked down at him and realized that one day someone at school would ask him what his dad did for a
living. You didn’t want him having to say his dad was a bouncer. You wanted him to be proud of you. That’s why you joined up. Doesn’t matter how much Ari poisoned them against
you. I’m going to drive you home in a few minutes, and you are going to walk in through the front door and hug them. And one day, very soon, they’re going to forget all the shit
they’ve been told and they will be very proud of you indeed. Because you’re a very special guy, and they are damned lucky to have you as a dad.’
    Branson gave him a bleak smile. ‘You know, after my second, Remi, was born I looked down at both of them one day – and I had this weird thought. I thought, one day you are going to
think I’m a better person than I really am. So I’d better try to improve myself, in order to cushion their eventual disappointment!’
    Roy Grace raised his glass and clinked it against Glenn’s. ‘You’re going to be okay. Know that? I love you, mate. I

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