Maybe two or three chapters left in this. Determined to finish this one before I leave for my holiday in two weeks. Tale of the Unexpected won't be finished by then because there simply isn't enought time but hopefully this one will be :)
"Have you found the killer yet?" Hannah asked as she opened the door to find Michael and Stuart standing in her doorway.
"Can we come in? We'd like to speak to you," Michael replied coldly.
Her features settled into a frown. "Um I suppose so." She stepped aside, letting them step into her hall and leading them into her living room. "What's this about?" she asked, looking around nervously.
"It's about the affair your husband was having with Karen Slater," Michael replied, eyes hard as flint as he stared her down. "The one you found out about the night before he was murdered."
Her eyes fluttered away from them both guiltily, arms wrapping around herself as she shrugged defensively. "I don't see what that has to do with anything."
"It gives you a rather strong motive."
Hannah's face blanched, her hand clutching nervously at her throat. "I'd never hurt Jack," she protested. "I loved him!"
"So it must have hurt when you caught him in bed with a woman you considered to be your friend," Stuart prompted.
She dropped down onto her sofa. "I knew about the affair before I caught them, or at least I suspected," she admitted quietly. "I loved Jack and I know he loved me, but he found it impossible to be faithful. He had countless meaningless affairs, he'd try to hide them but it got to the stage where I knew the signs."
"If you knew then why the big row"? Michael asked.
"The real reason I'd picked that island wasn't because it was inexpensive, it was because it was quiet. I just wanted our honeymoon to be about us!" She looked up at them, eyes wide, tone bitter. "Two weeks where he wasn't shagging around, I honestly didn't think that was too much to ask. Our argument was about that, not about the fact that he was cheating, I'd grown to expect that from him."
"So what happened after the row?"
"He told me he'd end it, that was what he'd went to do that morning, to meet Karen and tell her it was over."
"And you didn't think that was worth mentioning?" Michael asked in disbelief.
"Karen wasn't emotionally involved in the affair," Hannah insisted. "She would never have killed him, she didn't care enough, she was just in it for the sex."
"You still should have told us," he nearly roared at her.
Her shoulders slumped. "I suppose I just didn't want to admit that that's what my marriage was, a complete and utter sham. It just seemed easier to block it out," she replied, her eyes now firmly fixed on the floor. "I am sorry and I do want you to find who did this, honestly I do."
"Do you believe her?" Stuart asked as he tried to keep up with Michael's quick pace as he stormed down the driveway.
"This time, yes. I don't believe she killed him out of jealousy, or she would have done it the night she caught him."
"So I take it we're going to question Karen?"
"You guessed right," Michael replied as he swung himself into the car, starting the engine before Stuart could so much as open the passenger door.
Karen's face fell when she opened the front door to find the two somewhat glum looking officers on her front step. "Oh, I didn't expect you back."
"Is your husband in this time?"
She nodded numbly. "Yes," she whispered. "He is."
"Good, that'll save us some time," Michael replied. "Now can we come in? Or would you prefer to conduct this chat where your neighbours can hear it."
She shook her head. "No, it's fine, you can come in."
She led them into the living room, where her husband Garry was sitting on the sofa, his face also falling when he caught sight of them, quickly reaching for the remote and hitting the football on the screen off.
Karen dropped onto the sofa. "I suppose you found out about the affair then."
"We did," Michael confirmed coldly. "Care to tell us about it?"
She lit a cigarette with a shaky hand, inhaling deeply before replying, "It wasn't anything special, just sex. Garry was seeing the barmaid at the local pub, so when he was with her I spent some time with Jack. It was scratching an itch, that was all."
"But you saw him the morning he died, he broke things off with you."
Karen gave a brittle laugh. "No, that's what he told Hannah he was going to do. We were meeting up for more sex, which we had and then I left, he decided he was going to go for a bit of a walk before going back though. I didn't see him after that."
Michael's eyes swivelled to look at the woman's husband. "And you were ok with this?" He asked disbelievingly.
Garry shrugged casually. "It's what we do to keep things exciting, sometimes we even learn some new tricks."
He snorted. "Is murder amongst them?"
Her back snapped ramrod straight. "We'd never do that," she told them desperately. "We had no reason to, you can take our prints or DNA even because we did not do this!"
Michael leaned back against the desk, staring at the whiteboard. "We're missing something," he told Stuart and Heather. "The Slater's don't have a motive, at least not one we can find and Hannah Harris was too devoted to the cheating ass to kill him."
"Could have been someone still on the island," Stuart suggested.
"Yes but who!" Michael sighed irritably. "We still have no motive."
Heather twisted her lips thoughtfully. "You know we never did go to his workplace, and we probably should. We might find out more about him and that could help, he obviously had a lot of secrets."
Michael nodded. "That could be a good idea, Stuart and I will head over there just now," he declared decisively, moving quickly now his mind was set on something.
Stuart looked over at Heather and rolled his eyes. "God I can't wait," he mumbled under his breath.
She giggled, giving him a small mocking wave as he traipsed after his Boss.
Robbie loved the way Jackie curled into his side, legs entwining with his, her hand pressed against his bare chest, fingers curling into the hair every so often, mouth pressing light kisses into his shoulder at other random moments. He propped himself further up on the pillows and looking down at her, told her, "All we need now is a roaring fire to complete this picture."
"Mmmm, now that would be nice," she replied, her mouth moving to trail up his neck, smiling against his damp skin when he let out a moan of pleasure. "You know we do have one, you could always set it up."
"Need wood for it."
"Ask reception, they must have some if they include it as a feature."
"Might just do that," he mumbled, picturing making love to her in front of the amber flames, he could just imagine how her pale skin would glow in that light.
Jackie looked up at him in amusement. "Why do I get the feeling that you're thinking less than innocent thoughts right about now?"
"Because I am," he replied cheekily. Pulling her leg higher on his hip, he teased her earlobe with his mouth for a brief moment before adding, "You can't tell me you don't like the idea, lying on a rug with just the fire and each other to try and keep ourselves warm."
"You should try listening to yourself sometime," Jackie laughed. "Some of your ideas really are something to behold."
"They're that good," he returned confidently.
"More like cheesy, that's like something out of a film."
"Doesn't mean we shouldn't try it, after all the karma sutra's just a book but people follow it," he replied, his fingers curling into her hair, tilting back her head as he angled himself over her and began kissing down her neck, sucking gently at her pulse point.
She moaned, fingers curling around his shoulders, urging him on silently before replying, "I suppose it's not the worst idea in the world."
His lips moved only millimetres away from her skin as he muttered, "You're so gracious when you realise you're in the wrong."
"I'm not technically wrong," she breathed out. "It's still one hell of a cliché, I just said I wasn't against the idea."
"Good," he breathed out against her collarbone, his hand reaching backwards, snatching the phone off it's cradle. "Then I'll just phone down to reception and get them to send some logs up."
Jackie couldn't help but laugh at the enthused expression on his face, she didn't think she'd ever enjoyed sex as much as she did with him, he made everything seem new and exciting and she loved it.
"That was a waste of time," Michael breathed out as they walked away from the manager's office. "Worked hard and kept himself to himself." He gave a disbelieving snort. "Yeah, right."
"Maybe he hid what he was like at work," Stuart suggested. "It seems unlikely that if he was such a womanizer he wouldn't have slept around within the office."
"Why hide it though? It doesn't make any sense."
Stuart shrugged. Michael simply shook his head as they made their way down the hallway, stopping when a feminine voice called out, "Wait! Wait a minute!"
They both turned to see a dark haired woman in a suit hurrying towards them. "What is it?" Michael asked patiently, eyeing her curiously.
"You were in asking about Jack Harris just now, weren't you?"
"We were, do you know something?"
She shrugged. "Yes, but I don't know how much use it'll be to you."
"Whatever it is we'd like to hear about it," he assured her.
She nodded, looking over her shoulder checking the coast is clear before telling them, "He had affairs, all the time. Most of them were pretty casual, you know fumbles at the staff Christmas parties, that sort of thing, but there was one that was more serious than that. It was with one of the girls who worked here, we were friends and she was convinced he would leave his partner for her, except it didn't work like that." She sighed, running her hand through her hair. "Anyway she got pregnant and he ended it, told her to stay the hell away from him. She decided she couldn't cope with a baby on her own and so she had an abortion and then that led to a nervous breakdown, it got so bad that she ended up having to leave." She shrugged. "That was three months ago and we haven't heard from her since."
"But I take it when she left she wasn't on good terms with Jack Harris?"
"Definitely not, he refused to talk to her. She used to try and corner him at lunch, try and beg him to listen to her and it never worked."
"Can you give us her name, we'd like to talk to her."
At that her eyes widened. "Look I don't think she'd hurt him, I just wanted you to know what kind of guy he was, what he was really like."
"I really do still need a name," Michael prompted her gently.
She bit down on her bottom lip nervously before answering reluctantly, "Julie, Julie McCourt."
He had been right about her skin and the way it would glow in the flames. His hands glided easily over the silken expanse, his mouth trailing across the curve of her breast before drawing one spiked nipple into his mouth.
She gasped as he applied a light pressure to it, her fingers curling into his hair, urging him on, her hips pressing upwards until his hand pressed down on one side of them, his legs sliding between hers, a hard thigh pressing against her.
Still she moved against him, eyes shutting as she tilted her head back, panting heavily. His fingers tickled lightly down her stomach, the fire making her pale skin appear as though it was sparking.
Her hand on his shoulder, she pushed him onto his back, he gave a low chuckle, telling her, "This wasn't what I had planned."
"I know," she replied, a smile tugging at her lips as she smoothed her hands across his chest. "But I'm about to get carpet, or to be exact rug burn and that isn't acceptable."
"No, it isn't," he agreed, his hands moving up her back, pulling her down to him. "Can't have that perfect skin marked, although I would kiss it better for you."
"So thoughtful," she breathed out, her thighs pressing against him as she straddled him. His hands gripped the underside of her thighs as he pulled himself upright and pulled her into his lap, thrusting into her easily.
Her fingers dug into the back of his neck as she moaned loudly, placing her feet firmly on the floor behind him, rocking her hips against his. The pace might have been slower than their usual but if anything there was more intensity behind it, as his hands continued to explore her skin.
His mouth met hers, kissing her slowly, deeply as they rocked gently together and she felt as though he was nudging deeper each time. They were both slick with sweat, their skin sticky against each other. He pulled her closer still, hands splayed flat against her back, his mouth never leaving hers.
He was groaning into her mouth when the shrill ring of Jackie's mobile permeated the heavy air. She broke the kiss, giving a moan of annoyance. "Ignore it," he urged her. "Don't stop this, not now," he almost pleaded.
Jackie nodded, turning her attention back to him. She didn't think she could stop now even if the building was on fire, it was too good and she was too close to the edge. Pressing her forehead against his, she told him, "Keep going."
Robbie smiled, kissing down her neck as his hand drifted down to tease her until finally her fingers tightened into his shoulders and she moaned loudly as her muscles clenched around him in powerful spasms, pulling him over the edge with her, her name tumbling from his lips.
Michael made a noise of annoyance as he shoved his mobile back into his pocket. "Not answering," he told Stuart.
"Must be busy."
"Damn well better be. Don't suppose it really matters. Now remember we're not breaking their cover-"
"Until we know for sure that Julie McCourt is our murderer."
"Exactly." He shook his head. "Jackie's going to crow about this, she always said there was something strange about that girl."