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

As a copper, Beth knew that the reasons for this were myriad. The victim could have fallen apart under the defence lawyer’s questioning and given poor answers, there may have been a lack of evidence, or a mistake by the investigating officers. Sometimes, the verdict just didn’t go the right way though. It was always one person’s word against another’s, and if the question of consent couldn’t be properly answered, for example, if the victim was too drunk to remember all the details, then a guilty verdict would rarely be found.

When it came to paying the bill, Beth insisted on going Dutch despite Forster’s protests. All she wanted to do was get home and go through her notes. An idea had come to her about the murder case and she wanted to see if it checked out.

Thirty-Nine

Beth settled down on to her couch and thought about her evening. Despite herself, she had to admit that she was warming to Forster. His drive to establish the charity was something that had to be admired, and there was no doubt that he could lay on the charm when he wanted to.

He’d been suave all evening and had been courteous to all those he encountered, but on one or two occasions she’d caught him checking her out. The odd comment of his had crossed the line between polite and flirty. She’d replied to the flirtier comments with directness, but had allowed a faint smile to creep across her face. Beth didn’t want him to be sure if she was attracted to him, but at the same time, she wanted him to hope that she was. She’d been flattered by his attention and now she was thinking about it, she had to admit to herself that if she hadn’t had the two dates with Ethan, she may have been tempted.

The idea she’d had at the Stoneybrook Inn about the murder case checked out to a degree, but she’d need to look at it again in the morning with her spreadsheet in front of her, as the notes she’d brought home with her didn’t have the relevant data. She was sure the information on the birdwatcher had made it to her spreadsheet, but if it hadn’t, it would be on the original investigators’ reports. If she was right, it would need to be made a priority as they would have a suspect for the murders. The first thing she’d do in the morning would be to run the person she suspected through the PND to check out his background.

Beth was so convinced in her idea that she found herself torn between waiting for morning and going into Carleton Hall at once. She was tired but knew that it would take at least an hour before her brain shut down enough for her to sleep. The more she thought about going into the office the more she was inclined to follow the lead.

In the end she decided to stay put, as even if she confirmed her theory, nothing would happen until morning. The link was too tenuous to get a warrant in the middle of the night, and the back shift would have their hands full with the day-to-day stuff. Nobody would thank her for bringing in extra work that could wait until she was back on shift.

To salve her conscience, Beth decided to get an early start to allow her to check out her idea. If she was right and the guy in question had any kind of record, she’d be able to present her findings to O’Dowd as soon as the DI arrived.

Even as she thought about the next day, her mind drifted to Ethan. She wanted to send him a message, but didn’t want to come across as needy.

Like the police, paramedics had good days where lives were saved and children born, but they also had the bad days where things went wrong; they might lose a patient or attend an incident where they saw horrific sights.

Their relationship wasn’t yet developed enough that they supported each other through the bad stuff, but Beth knew that it had a better chance of getting to that stage because of the fact they both worked in the emergency services, which would ultimately mean they’d each understand the other’s pain and frustrations on the bad days.

For those who worked in the front line of the emergency services, finding lasting love was often tough. Inconsiderate shift patterns, along with regular delays in getting away from work, meant meals went uneaten, dates got cancelled at the last minute and partners were let down on a regular basis. That she was dating someone who was in the same figurative boat was a plus. No resentment could build up over ruined plans as they’d both be guilty of last-minute call-offs at times.

The one negative to their relationship developing was that matching their shift patterns would be nigh on impossible some weeks. Still, if things worked out long-term, it’d be a small price to pay.

Ethan’s next night off was on Sunday and they’d made tentative plans to go for a meal then a few drinks. Whether she actually could go would depend on how the case was going. She hoped she could, even if it meant catching up with him later in the night.

She hadn’t worried too much about telling him she would be having dinner with Forster, but she had wondered how he might react. His reaction had been everything she could have hoped for though. Instead of worrying about her dining with a rich and attractive man, he’d been supportive of the fact that she could do some good by helping with the charity.

Beth channel-hopped until she found a wildlife documentary and then settled down to let her brain empty itself. Five minutes into the programme she began to wonder if the reason Ethan had been supportive of her meeting Forster was really because he didn’t care that much about her. It was far too early for the conversation