Page 96 of The Unforgiven

Vinny crouched down next to me, an arm around my shoulders, and for a second I leaned against him, not wanting to cry even though they would be tears of relief if they fell.

“Save the lecture till later. If I’d have waited, Sophie could’ve been killed.” I stood up, inhaling a drink of dank air. I needed light and clouds and the grey Manchester sky. Sophie was now on a stretcher, my phone lying abandoned beside her.

“I heard the fight over the phone. I only ended the call when we got here.” He stood up with me, his hand over my shoulders still. “Remind me never to mess with you, Mia.”

“You mess with me every day. You’re just lucky I’m a restrained person. Has someone called Mike Linwood?”

Someone had, I was informed as I walked outside, the Manchester sky that I’d craved now yellow with a sun that was itself fighting to break through the clouds.

I watched as Justine was placed in the back of a police van, ready to be locked inside somewhere again. Leaving Vinny, I ran over to it.

“You need to place her on suicide watch.”

An officer, Mark Marriott, nodded. “Gotcha. Psych eval first, I’m guessing.”

“We won’t get to interview her until tomorrow. She’ll need a full medical.” And more. This hadn’t ended yet. But Sophie was safe. We’d saved one life, although I wasn’t sure how I was going to get over the killer being under my nose.

“I’ll pass it on to the custody sergeant.” Mark gave me a nod and got in the front of the van.

I could see Jenna’s team getting out of a van that’d just turned up, Wrigley pacing out the land in front of the garages, looking at Justine’s car.

I stood in the wide open space, looking up at the sky, down to where it met the grey, decaying concrete of the halls of residence, where I’d lived myself for two years, buddleia and trees growing out from the roof, the dead eyes of the windows not caring that a killer had used their space as killing grounds.

“Are you okay?” Vinny was there again. “Wrigley wants you to give your statement back at the office. The paramedics need to check you over.”

I nodded, my body feeling wrought from running, from fighting. I was covered in grime from rolling around on the garage floor. “I am. We saved Sophie. And I’m not injured – she didn’t land that much on me, just one punch to the jaw I could’ve lived without. How’s Sophie?”

“She’s already come round. Mike’s meeting her at the hospital. I’m still mad at you for not waiting.” His words lacked the sharpness they could’ve had.

“You’d have done the same.”

He shook his head. “I’m not sure I would, Mia. That’s where you and I are different.”

“You’d have waited even though you know she could’ve killed Sophie?” I didn’t believe him.

“Maybe. It’s reputation, it’s professional conduct. I’m bigger than Justine – you don’t know what else you have to lose.”

“Maybe I don’t have anything to lose.” I folded my arms, cold now. Jenna Osei walked over, kit in her hand. She was looking at me warily, as if she wasn’t sure how I was going to be now I knew about her and my half-brother.

“Mia, are you okay?” she said, pausing a few feet away.

“I’ve been worse.” I really had. “You’ve a big scene to check over.”

She looked around, surveying the task her team were about to begin. “I’ve had worse. Sophie was in the third garage from the left?”

“That’s the one. The knife’s in there.”

“We’ve bagged it. Nate’s expecting it – he’ll look this evening to see if it’s consistent with the murder weapon for the five victims.”

“And Charlie Mason. Don’t forget Charlie Mason.” I wanted justice for him, however cold it was.

“He’ll check. How did you see the connection with Charlie?” She looked curious. “It was years before.”

“And he wasn’t at Aberwyn, was he?” Vinny asked. “He wasn’t involved.”

“She was friends with him when they were at Lindridge – the psychiatric hospital. My guess is that she talked about revenge when they were there together and he was a loose end when she planned this.” I knew we might never know her motivation for killing Charlie. “We know the knife was purchased on the dark web before his murder.”

“Intent,” Vinny said. “She’s planned all of this.”