The Silent Suspect by Nell Pattison (epub e ink reader .TXT) 📕

decided, especially if I took the self-deprecating route and suggested that I’d had a bit too much to drink.

Sasha and I had a busy day ahead, so I was going to have to grin and bear it. I hoped that we would only see Forest when we were in the police station, though, and not any of the other officers. She probably wouldn’t even be that bothered about the mark on my face.

Sasha was surprised to find me a bit more keen to help her than she did yesterday: far from warning me off, the events of the previous evening had spurred me on further to find out what had happened the night of the fire. After all, if we were completely missing the mark, why would someone feel the need to threaten me? No, I had obviously hit a nerve somewhere, so I needed to push and find out where.

Sasha had a couple of client meetings that morning, and she’d managed to get an appointment with Forest around lunchtime, so I was kept occupied driving to different parts of Scunthorpe and interpreting while we were there. One of them was a woman who could sometimes be aggressive, but I think she sensed something was wrong this morning and was unusually compliant. Sasha certainly didn’t complain, though I could see her giving me sideways looks a couple of times. I had told her the truth about how I grazed my face, and I could tell she was wondering how I felt about being threatened by someone related to Lukas’s case. She knew I’d talk about it if I wanted to, and right now I didn’t.

My phone had stayed resolutely silent all night, and I found myself wishing for a message – not from Max, but from Singh. This longing to connect with him surprised me slightly, but of all the people I felt I could rely on at the moment he was the one I really wanted to talk to. Should I tell him that I’d split up with Max? But if I started down that path and found that he wasn’t interested in me, then I didn’t know if I could take it.

After we left the second meeting, Sasha looked at me searchingly. Fancy going for a coffee? she asked.

Sure, I replied, because agreeing was the easiest course of action. We found a little coffee shop with a couple of tables outside and I ordered for the two of us, wondering what Sasha wanted to talk about.

Do you want to talk about last night? she asked me once we both had our drinks.

I shook my head, taking a sip. She nodded.

Okay then. But I’m here for you, if you need anything. I feel bad that I’ve put you in this position, she signed, indicating the graze on my face.

I nodded, unsure of what to say, but before I had a chance to think, Sasha had moved on.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking about Lukas, she began. I tried not to feel annoyed that she’d changed the subject so quickly. I wondered if we should mention Nadia being accused of stealing when we see Forest this afternoon. Maybe it’s not something they’ve been looking into.

Okay. I nodded my assent. If I knew DI Forest, she wouldn’t let us know much about her investigation, but it was worth a try, though I wondered why Sasha had suddenly switched her focus to the thefts. The attack the previous evening had lifted Roy to the top of my suspect list, and I didn’t think much could move him off the top spot. I was surprised that Sasha didn’t feel the same, but her lack of sympathy about what had happened to me kept me from saying anything about it.

Even though Lukas was Sasha’s client, and I hadn’t had much contact with him before this, I now felt a strong desire to help him. When I’d interpreted for him at his addiction support meetings he’d always been both polite and friendly, trying to charm me with compliments and witty stories. Now, though, he had begun to remind me of my dad, and the times when he would just let something slide because it was easier than trying to make his point understood when the communication barrier became too much.

Despite the fact that Lukas’s situation was far more serious than anything my dad had experienced, there was still something about his attitude that reminded me of the way my dad had been, that resignation to being misunderstood because you couldn’t communicate well enough with the other person. There was obviously something else going on, though. Even if he felt like his life wasn’t worth anything without Nadia, that wasn’t a good reason to go to jail for someone else’s crime. He had a son, for one, and I knew he’d talked to Sasha in the past about wanting to be a good role model for Mariusz. Something wasn’t right, and I realised that for the first time since Lukas was arrested I didn’t completely trust Singh to get to the bottom of it, because he was limited by his unfamiliarity with the Deaf community and how Lukas could be feeling, as well as by Forest.

Right, we’d better get moving, Sasha signed, pulling me out of my thoughts. She screwed up the paper cup from her coffee and put it in the bin. Miriam gets stroppy if I’m late.

I smiled. Miriam was one of Sasha’s favourite clients, even if she would never admit to it. They both enjoyed Sasha’s regular visits, whatever either of them might say, and however much they might grumble about each other. Miriam was a model client – she always kept her appointments, called Sasha if she needed help with something but didn’t monopolise her time, and was always receptive to whatever Sasha suggested. She had learning difficulties that impacted on her ability to look after herself, and she lived in an assisted living facility in the middle of Scunthorpe.

When we arrived, Miriam made