A Body in the Lakes by Graham Smith (great books of all time .TXT) 📕

might remind you, in addition to being a rapist and murderer, would have paid child abusers for images of children, just to incriminate you. There are reasons for doing this. So, if we can just focus for a moment on your love life that would be good. I guess it could also be someone who was rejected in favour of you, or a boyfriend or husband of someone you’ve dated?’

‘Come on now, I’m not in the habit of dating people who’re in relationships. I make a point of only seeing people who’re single.’

‘And how do you know they’re single? Wedding rings can be taken off, the existence of partners can be denied.’ Beth looked up from her notes at him. ‘Take me for example, say we met at a civic function and there’s no obvious man on my arm, do you think I’m single, married or in a relationship?’

Forster gazed at her. Let his eyes jump to her left hand and then back to her face. Beth could tell he was focussing on the scar adorning her left cheek.

He hesitated a moment before answering and scratched at his chin. ‘Based on what I’ve seen of you, both today and back on Monday when you arrested and interviewed me, I’d say you’re too driven to be in a relationship, that you put your work above everything else. It’s not that you don’t want to have someone in your life, it’s more that at this moment, you don’t have the time or mental energy to cope with everything a serious relationship entails. Having said that, you’re a very attractive woman and you’ll probably have plenty of offers. I think you’ll see someone for a short period of time and then break it off once it starts to get serious. Where you are in that cycle just now is anyone’s guess.’

‘Okay, so you’ve got me pegged. For the record I’m currently single. But you had previously met me. If I had met you at a party you wouldn’t have had that experience to draw on. You would have had to have trusted me, or researched me through mutual acquaintances. Do you research the women you date or take them at face value?’

‘Face value.’

Beth was pleased with his admission, although disappointed with the answer. If Forster had done his research, it would have meant that there would be a lot less chance of him attracting the ire of a husband or boyfriend, thereby cutting down the amount of work she’d have to do.

While the mayor’s assessment of her had been rather damning and had made her come across as a commitment-phobe, she was pleased her current dating status had remained mysterious. Her mind drifted to Ethan. She’d only been on one date with him so far, but she enjoyed his company and it was obvious he enjoyed hers. The fact he wanted to see her again two days after their first date boded well. She knew that one date didn’t make for a relationship, but as far as she was concerned, until she or Ethan suggested they no longer liked each other, she wasn’t interested in anyone else. Beth’s moral code didn’t allow her to see more than one person at a time, regardless of how often or how long they’d dated.

Although the date with Ethan had come about by little more than chance, she was looking forward to seeing him again. He was good company, funny and best of all, he’d accepted her for the person she was. He’d looked at her face and had had the decency not to mention her scarred cheek. Other men she’d dated had asked about it, had wanted to know its origins and had continually looked at the scar or referred to it to the point where she’d cut the date short.

She couldn’t begin to imagine Ethan being so crass; conversely, she now found herself wanting to tell him about it.

‘Okay, Mr Mayor. So who are you seeing just now?’

‘Nobody. I split with my last lady friend around two months ago.’ He gave a rueful gesture. ‘We saw each other a couple of times a week for about three months. After a while it became obvious that we had little in common beyond physical attraction. When she ended the relationship, she told me that she wanted a husband not a boyfriend.’ A shrug. ‘I wasn’t looking for a wife, so we said our goodbyes and moved on with our lives. There were no tears or shouting, just an acceptance that we wanted different things.’

Beth heard the same kind of story from Forster three more times, before she’d covered the past two years.

It seemed to her that Forster was content with his life. He’d date for a while, tire of that person and then move on to someone else. What he’d guessed about her love life was actually a reflection of his own. Beth figured that he didn’t want to settle down; he was happy to always have the early days of a relationship when everything was about exploring each other’s bodies at every given opportunity. He’d forsaken real love for the artificial infatuation that is driven by hormones.

His life wouldn’t be lonely as his ego was large enough to keep him company. He’d know that he could have his pick of women if he put his mind to it, his looks, charm and money would ensure that he’d always be able to find a companion when he wanted one.

To Beth, this seemed like an empty and soulless existence. She had no idea where things would go between her and Ethan, but she’d known when she’d agreed to have a drink with him, that she would let the relationship run its natural course. Whether that one day led to two point four kids and a people carrier in the drive, or two months of unbridled passion wasn’t the issue, she liked Ethan, and while Forster had been right that she was driven with regards to her career, she