'Til Death (DI Steven Marr Book 1) - UK Crime Fiction Whodunnit Thriller by SP Edwards

been pretty good at burying some things, but I could always tell when a boy was getting to her. She’d go out ‘to work’ or ‘to the pub with friends’ and she’d come back with a glow, a smile that hadn’t been there before. I didn’t know who it was, but then we bumped into Gregor and Anna at the pub and…well, I could just tell. She was smiling like a schoolgirl for half an hour afterwards. The love of a good man can be a wonderful thing, and I suppose that’s just as much the case if he’s not a good man, but you like him just the same.’
    Simon shook his head.
    ‘No. I mean, Mel mentioned that she thought Cally might have been seeing someone, but I didn’t have a clue that it was him. I didn’t even notice. I suppose I should have, but it’s hard sometimes. Have you got any daughters?’
    ‘Baby on the way, but no.’
    ‘Congratulations. Boss of mine always said it was the best and worst thing you’ll ever do.’
    He paused, and let out a sob. Harsh, dry, choked out despite his attempts to block it. Silencing it was never as easy as people thought.
    Marr handed over a tissue.
    ‘Did Caroline ever date anyone else? Any long-term boyfriends, I mean?’
    They both shook their heads.
    ‘She had boyfriends here and there,’ Mel said, ‘but no-one ever lasted. I always got the impression that Greg was something different to her, and the other blokes never measured up in her mind.’
    ‘Did either of you ever consider telling Anna about the affair? I mean, you’d known her for years.’
    Mel sighed.
    ‘Well, I did come close a couple of times. But, well, family first you know? I really liked Anna, she was a lovely girl, but Greg seemed to keep Caroline happy, and that was much more important to me in the end. I didn’t want to give Caroline the grief. It felt like she’d been through enough already.’
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER THIRTY
     
     
    When Marr reached the main incident room, he was greeted with an unexpected sight. Brooke, sat by the coffee machine, staring blankly at it.
    ‘Struggling, sir?’
    The Chief Inspector turned to face him.
    ‘Bloody thing’s run out of milk.’
    ‘Americano, then?’
    ‘Very funny. How were the Marcuses?’
    ‘As well as can be expected.’
    ‘What do you think? Did she do it?’
    ‘She’d been depressed. She was on medication from a pretty young age.’
    ‘That’s not what I asked, though, is it?’
    Marr sighed, knowing that he was probably about to rattle some cages.
    ‘No, I don’t think she did it. She was having an affair with Greg, and I don’t doubt that she wanted to keep him, maybe even steal him, but I don’t think she’d have killed Anna to get him.’
    ‘What do the parents think?’
    ‘They didn’t seem to think it was likely.’
    ‘Which means they think it was, doesn’t it? One of them would’ve swung for you if not.’
    Marr nodded.
    ‘Tough call.’ Brooke said. ‘Well, not tough as in our workload. This one’s done: ship it off, get the paperwork done and everyone down to the pub. A tragic murder-suicide, albeit with a two day break in the middle. And yet,’ he continued, taking Marr’s expression in, ‘I get the sense you won’t let it go gently into the good night.’
    Marr shook his head.
    ‘So, if she didn’t do it, who did? And more to the point, why the fuck would she kill herself if she wasn’t the killer?’
    ‘Well, if she didn’t kill Anna, I’m assuming that she didn’t kill herself.’
    ‘But then, why murder Caroline if she didn’t kill Anna?’
    ‘If she found out, she might have tried to contact the murderer herself. She had a burner cell: maybe she tried to meet the actual killer. Becky’s working on the burner phone at the moment.’
    Brooke looked around, but the Sergeant’s desk was empty.
    ‘Well, you can have another forty-eight hours on it, Steve – it’s not like the poor girl’s getting any deader. I’m pulling you from the case after that. Oh, and be very, very