Web of Lies by Sally Rigby (best book club books of all time .txt) 📕

‘I’m not going to do anything stupid. I’ll find out in more detail what happened last night now he’s had time to recover a bit. We’ve still got to find the attackers and learn their motive. I reckon one of the people we’ve interviewed set the whole thing up because they thought we were getting too close. Then again, it could be to do with his other work. But how likely is that?’ she mused.

‘Don’t make it into something more than it is. Remember I was a part of the original Witherspoon investigation and it was all clear-cut.’

Was it? Was it really?

‘I’m going in with an open mind. Oh and, FYI, Evie has asked me to report to her if you cheat …’ She stuck her tongue out and left the room before he could say anything else.

When she reached the hospital, she had to drive around the car park several times before finally finding a space. She had no idea which ward Seb was on so she headed to the reception desk and held out her warrant card. ‘I’m looking for Sebastian Clifford. He was brought into accident and emergency last night.’

The receptionist stared at her computer screen. ‘He’s on the short-stay ward on level three. One of the nurses on duty will let you know which bed he’s in.’

Birdie, avoided the lift and took the stairs, jogging all the way to the third level. She went over to the nurse on duty, holding out her ID. ‘I’m here to see Sebastian Clifford about last night’s attack. How’s he doing?’

‘He’s improving, but I don’t want you tiring him out. He still needs his rest.’

‘He’s a friend as well. I was here with him last night. I promise to be gentle, if he’ll let me.’ She smiled and the nurse’s face softened.

‘Head down the corridor and he’s in the fifth room on the left. Bed number one.’

She followed the directions and on entering the room her stomach plummeted at the sight of Seb lying in bed, his face swollen and bruised. His eyes were closed. Was he asleep? She turned to the nurse who was close by.

‘How is he?’ she asked in a quiet voice, nodding towards him.

‘I can hear you,’ Seb said, his eyes now open.

‘You’re okay?’ she said, smiling with relief.

‘No, he’s not okay,’ the nurse said. ‘We’ve already been debating the fact that he wants to leave.’

Why didn’t that surprise her?

‘What did the doctors say?’

‘They want him to stay for another night because of the concussion, so we can continue monitoring his vitals.’

‘I can’t stay. We have things to do,’ Seb said flatly.

‘I’ll talk to him,’ she said to the nurse, in a low voice.

‘Good,’ the woman replied as she left the room.

Birdie glanced around the ward. There were four men, including Seb, and all eyes seemed to be on her. She pulled the curtain around Seb’s bed and moved the chair until she could sit close to him. She took out her phone.

‘I’m here on official business as Sarge has let me take your case,’ she said, keeping her voice low so it couldn’t be heard. ‘I’ve got to take a statement and want to show you what I found on the CCTV footage. I admitted to him that I’d been helping you with your enquiry and told him your attack could be linked to it. He wasn’t convinced and said it was an unrelated mugging. Particularly because we’d already decided Witherspoon’s death was suicide.’

‘If it had been my case, I might have thought the same,’ Seb said. ‘We don’t have any proof.’

‘How can you say that? It’s too coincidental that you were singled out to be attacked out of everyone in town last night. By the way, how are you feeling? I forgot to ask.’

‘I’ve been better. Is Elsa okay?’

‘More than okay. We’ve had a lovely time. I even let her sleep on the bed next to me last night.’

‘That’s not allowed.’

‘She was missing you. It was the least I could do. Have you looked in a mirror yet?’

‘No. I avoided it when I went to the bathroom.’

‘Wise move.’

‘That bad, eh?’

‘Worse. Wait a while before checking as you might not recognise yourself. Those film-star looks have disappeared.’

‘Thanks for that. You really know how to make a man feel good about himself.’

‘Have the doctors done their rounds yet?’

‘Yes, you just missed them.’

‘And?’

‘They’re happy with my progress. My ribs will take a while to heal, which I already knew because I’ve broken them before while playing rugby. A smaller man might not have come out of it so well. I’m going to be fine.’ He gasped for breath.

‘You don’t sound it. You can hardly breathe. They still want you to stay in another night, though, don’t they?’

‘Not going to happen. Show me the CCTV footage.’

She called up the footage on her phone and showed him both men. ‘They’re separate at this point, but then join together. Do they look familiar?’

‘I think it’s them. One came at me from behind and one charged at me front-on.’

‘Sarge thought whoever attacked you could be kids high on drugs and that’s why they didn’t get your wallet until they’d finished, but these two are definitely not kids, look at their build and the way they walk.’

‘Agreed. They look like grown men.’

‘Have you done anything in the past that might make people come after you?’

‘At the Met, in the special squad, yes definitely. But why follow me here, and why now when I’ve left the force? I can’t harm any of the people I used to be investigating.’

‘Unless it was revenge.’

‘Maybe, but I’m not convinced. Did I tell you about the tattoo?’

‘No.’

‘The man who searched for my wallet had a tattoo of an eagle on his hand. It might mean something significant, it’s not an area I’m familiar with.’

‘I’ll research it when I get back to the station. Okay, let’s recap. We’ve got two men, clearly not teenagers. We don’t know if they were high, but