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

to him. Not that there’s anything to report that I can see.’

She could see the hurt expression in his eyes and guilt flooded through her. It wasn’t his fault that she was walking a tightrope.

‘Sorry. I’m preoccupied with a family issue. It’s nothing to do with Clifford and his cousin’s dead husband.’

‘Want to talk about it? You know you can, and I won’t say anything to anyone.’

‘Thanks, Twiggy, you’re a good mate. But no, it’s nothing I want to share with anyone. Not yet.’

Except she already had done with Seb.

‘Okay, no pressure. Want anything to eat? I’m going to grab a muffin. I need something to fill me up as my stomach’s been rumbling like a train for ages. Hardly surprising after the miniscule bowl of Bran Flakes I was allowed for breakfast. Evie reckons I’m not losing enough weight and she’s planning on some fucking detox thing that she’s seen on the internet. The woman will kill me at this rate.’

Birdie laughed. ‘Whose fault is that? If you stopped cheating on your diet, then you’d lose all those extra pounds you’re carrying around.’ She patted him on the stomach. ‘She’s got your best interests at heart.’

‘Yeah, if you say so. I just think she likes seeing me suffer.’

He walked away and Birdie returned her attention to the unopened email. Her hand hovered over the mouse beside her keyboard. She sucked in a breath and clicked on it.

Dear Miss Bird,

Thank you for your application to join the Adoption Contact Register. According to our records, the mother listed on your birth certificate has written to us requesting that she isn’t to be contacted. We understand this may be distressing for you, however, we are duty-bound to keep her information confidential. We will keep your registration on record in case there is any change.

Kind regards

Birdie stared at the words dancing in front of her eyes. All the time she’d thought about getting in touch with her birth mother, never once had the scenario gone through her mind of her actually requesting not to be contacted. Birdie had thought she might not be on the register, which meant that the register couldn’t help. But she’d actually contacted them to say there was to be no contact …

Tears stung her eyes, and a single one rolled down her cheek, which she brushed away with the back of her hand. What was she going to do? Giving up wasn’t an option. There could be a genuine reason for her not wanting Birdie to contact her. Would the registrar tell her the date when her mother had contacted them? Surely that wasn’t a breach of confidentiality.

Her phone pinged and she glanced at the screen. It was Seb. She opened it.

Found anything on Dunkley yet?

No. Because she hadn’t even started to look. She’d been sidetracked by the email from the Adoption Contact Register.

I’m on it at the moment.

She didn’t want to admit she hadn’t done anything yet. After what had happened to Seb she owed it to him to give the case one hundred per cent attention. It would do her good to take her mind of her birth mother. She’d revisit everything once the case was over, and she could fully focus on it. She’d lasted twenty-six years without knowing her mother, a little while longer wasn’t going to make any difference.

Chapter 35

20 May

Seb opened one eye and winced as he moved and caught one of his bruises on the edge of the pillow. He checked the time on the small travelling alarm clock he kept next to the bed. Ten o’clock. Shit. How on earth had he managed to sleep in so late? Then he remembered. He’d put his phone on silent late last night not wanting to be disturbed.

Had anyone tried to contact him? He fumbled for his phone on the bedside table and looked.

There were five texts, and a voice mail from Birdie that had been sent over an hour ago. He sighed. She wouldn’t be happy. He pressed to listen.

Where are you? Are you okay? Why aren’t you answering your phone? If I don’t hear from you soon, I’m coming over.

He hurriedly texted her back, expecting to hear the front door being kicked in at any moment. Sorry, phone on silent. I’m at home. Taking Elsa for a walk soon.

His phone pinged only seconds later. I’ll be over in an hour. I’ll take your statement while I’m there, as we still haven’t done it.

A Birdie hour most likely meant an hour and a half, but he couldn’t risk it. He eased himself out of bed and hobbled to the shower, then went downstairs to see Elsa. He grabbed her collar and took her in the car for a walk down by the river. Once they’d returned, he fed her and then put on the kettle.

A few minutes before eleven-thirty there was a knock at the door. He’d been right about the ninety minutes. He’d left the door on the latch and he heard it open. Birdie walked in carrying a tray with two coffees and a bag of what smelt like doughnuts. His stomach rumbled.

‘Have you had breakfast?’ she asked.

‘Not yet.’

‘Neither have I. So here we are, coffee and doughnuts, and then we can discuss what happened yesterday and what we’re going to do next.’

She placed everything on the table, and he pulled out a couple of plates from the cupboard.

‘This isn’t what I usually have for breakfast,’ he said.

‘You can always have a bowl of muesli, or some toast if you’d prefer. But I’m eating these.’ She took a doughnut out of the bag and took a large bite, catching the oozing jam with her finger before it landed on her shirt.

‘How could I resist,’ he said, reaching in the bag and pulling one out, the smell causing his stomach to grumble again.

‘I was worried about you,’ she said, between bites.

‘Sorry. I thought you knew I was okay because I’d emailed with my attacker’s name and address while I was