Dying Fall

friendship. He is the father of her child. Michelle, after a nightmarishyear, has accepted this. All three adults can now work on doing what’s best for Katie. Sounds simple but, as Ruth turns and smiles at him, Nelson reflects ruefully that nothing’s ever that simple. Not where women are concerned.
    And trust Cathbad to be there. Nelson is now used to Cathbad popping up all over the place, usually where there’s trouble. Cathbad had once told Nelson about a saint who could be in two places at once and Nelson concluded instantly that the druid must share this gift. Not that he’s a saint. Far from it. Cathbad, under his original name of Michael Malone, is well known to the police. Which makes it all the more surprising that Nelson considers him a friend. After all, Nelson once saved Cathbad’s life and Cathbad claims to have visited a dream world between life and death in Nelson’s company. It beats Sunday morning football for bonding.
    ‘Nelson,’ Ruth greets him. ‘What are you doing here?’
    ‘Well, you know how interested I am in archaeology.’
    ‘This is the man who can’t tell the difference between the Stone Age and the Iron Age.’
    ‘They’re both old, that’s all I know.’
    ‘All ages are as one,’ offers Cathbad.
    ‘I might have known you’d have something bloody silly to add.’
    Ruth and Cathbad are exchanging glances. Nelson wonders what they were talking about when he arrived. Then Ruth says, ‘Have you heard about Judy?’
    ‘No. Has she had it?’
    ‘A boy. Seven pounds something.’
    ‘A boy, eh?’ Nelson is genuinely pleased. He approves of babies and he likes Judy. It would never have occurred to him that Judy could have had an affair with Cathbad or that Cathbad could be the baby’s father. Judy is married to Darren, her first love, and now they’re starting a family. That’s the way things should be. After all, it’s what he did.
    ‘How did you hear?’
    ‘Cathbad heard on the druid grapevine.’
    Nelson grunts. He finds it all too believable that such a thing exists.
    ‘I’ll get Leah to send some flowers,’ says Nelson. ‘Dave Clough will be sure she’ll name the kid after him.’
    Cathbad has veered off to talk to Phil, Ruth’s head of department. Nelson lowers his voice. ‘Got some news for you.’
    ‘About Dan?’
    ‘About your friend, yes. I spoke to my old mate Sandy in Blackpool.’ One word from Sandy and the years had fallen away. That suspicious Northern growl, softening to comedy Lancastrian when he heard who it was. Nelson had felt his own voice becoming more and more Blackpool as they spoke. Sandy Macleod. They don’t make coppers like that down here.
    ‘Well, looks like you may be right. There were suspicious circumstances.’
    ‘There were?’
    ‘Yes. Seemed like a straightforward house fire at first. but when the SOCO team got there they found that the door had been locked from the outside.’
    ‘Jesus.’ Ruth’s voice is almost a whisper. ‘They locked him in?’
    ‘And there were things missing. Things that ought to have been there.’
    ‘Like what?’
    ‘Like his mobile phone and his laptop. Sandy’s launching a murder enquiry.’

CHAPTER 4
    Ruth seems to be stuck in a never-ending traffic jam on her way to collect Kate from her childminder. Usually she frets and steams at this point. She hates being late for Kate although Sandra is always extremely understanding. ‘I know what it’s like for you working mums.’ All her life Ruth has been a punctual person. Like Nelson (it is almost the only thing they have in common), she is highly organised and likes lists and schedules. But since becoming a mother she has discovered the nightmare of always running late. Kate does not seem to share her mother’s liking for schedules and often manages to make Ruth late for work. Then Phil insists on holding staff meetings at five p.m., which means that she is then late at Sandra’s. These days Ruth seems to spend her whole time in traffic, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel and counting to a hundred under her breath.
    But today she is almost grateful for the time spent staring at red lights. Her mind is still struggling to comprehend Nelson’s words.
Sandy’s launching a murder enquiry
.Could Dan really have been murdered? It doesn’t seem possible. But then Ruth recalls the letter and its strange note of fear, almost of panic.
I’m afraid … and that’s just it. I’m afraid. Do ring me as soon as you get this