Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
But not now. Today, her hair was down in wispy waves. She didn’t have an ounce of makeup on, and she looked even older than her years. She was wearing a pair of wrinkly pants and an oversized sweater that hung on her thin frame.
She looked like hell.
“You,” she said, pointing at Harvey. “This is all your fault.”
He raised his eyebrows and glanced over at the doctor, who lay on the floor, bleeding out from his neck.
“Yep, someone definitely slit his throat,” Ronan said, walking over and glancing along the body. “Question is, who?”
They all turned to Roberta.
“You think I did this? Of course I didn’t do this. Why would I slit David’s throat? How would I even do it?”
That was actually a good point. She was far smaller than David, and probably not used to wielding a knife.
“Somebody who’s pissed off, maybe? Doesn’t look like he interrupted a robbery.”
On the bed was an open suitcase with several items of clothing already packed, and next to him was a pair of trousers and a shirt.
He had definitely been leaving town, but the question is, why now?
And who killed him?
“Did either of you see anyone?” Ronan asked Sam and Roberta.
Sam shook his head. “No, I didn’t see anyone. The doctor left the clinic a few hours earlier than he usually does, so I followed him back here. I was curious about why he’d come home so early. I came closer and saw him moving frantically back and forth in front of the window. That’s when I decided to call Harvey in case something was going on.”
“I was about five minutes out when Sam called me to let me know that Roberta had turned up with Max following her,” Harvey explained.
Ronan nodded. Then he stood and moved toward Roberta. “And you? Did you see anyone?”
She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “And why would I tell you anything? We should call the police. A man was murdered here tonight.”
“Yes, a man who I’m guessing you conspired with in order to drug your daughter.”
Her eyes widened, and she gaped at Ronan, swallowing heavily.
“I’m sure the police would be very interested to hear that, wouldn’t they? Paddy, why don’t you give them a call?” Ronan suggested.
“No, no,” she cried. “Stop. Don’t call them.”
“Then you’re going to have to cooperate, aren’t you?” Ronan said. “Unless you want to find yourself in a world of trouble. Do you know who I am?”
“You’re Ronan Gallagher. So what?”
“So you should know that there is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect my family. You’ve messed with the wrong family, Mrs. St. Clary. Your only option now is to come fully clean, and maybe we will show some leniency.”
“I don’t know what you mean. I haven’t messed with your family at all. I have nothing to do with them. He is the one who stole my daughter. He kidnapped her, so perhaps you need to speak with him.” She pointed at Harvey.
“Your daughter is now part of my family.”
Her mouth opened and closed several times. Apparently, she wasn’t expecting him to say that.
“What are you talking about? No, she isn’t.”
“Lily is mine,” Harvey stated. “She’s been mine since the moment I met her, but now she’s officially mine. She’s part of our family, and the two of you wronged her.”
“You have no proof that we’ve done anything to her,” Roberta rallied.
“We’ll soon find out everything,” Ronan promised. “And when I do, you’ll wish that you had come clean. Because I hate having my time wasted, and I hate people who don’t immediately give me what I want.”
Lily’s mother looked nervously around, then down to the doctor, and back up. “Someone murdered David.”
“They did,” Ronan replied. “Do you have any idea who or why?”
She shook her head. “I mean, I suppose, with what he was up to, he’d made a number of enemies.”
Harvey wanted to take over the questioning, but he knew Ronan would have a better chance of getting answers out of her. She seemed to fear him. She just got angry with Harvey.
She really was a stupid bitch. Because Harvey was more likely to strangle her to death than Ronan was.
“We know what was in the pills that the doctor prescribed Lily. We also know that Lily spent time in Doctor Wallace’s clinic at least once a fortnight for some sort of checkup. I talked to one of the doctor’s nurses tonight. But she said that she only saw Lily a few times over the last ten months. Why is that?”
Wait, what? He hadn’t told Harvey that. They really needed to have a chat about Ronan going off on his own, without speaking to him first.
“It happened suddenly,” Paddy said to him quietly. “We just got the opportunity and seized it. We were about to call you when we got the call from Max.”