Thanks as always for the reviews, favs and follows and for reading. I really appreciate it all.

Hope you enjoy this chapter. I haven't really had time to reread and rework it, but fingers crossed it has turned out okay.

Hope everyone is well and safe. Take care.

….

'Oh shit this is going to blow the sergeant's mind,' chortled the younger of the two cops, whose name Gail had learnt was Officer Phil Knuffle. 'Not even 12 hours and we've made an arrest.'

'Yep,' his colleague agreed. 'I can see a commendation coming our way.'

'You reckon Jensen?' The other officer must have nodded because Knuffle guffawed. 'That'll stick it to 'em at the academy. Can you believe they threatened to flunk me.'

'Really?' Jensen sounded taken aback. 'I just thought you were just green and all.'

'One week on the job and two collars,' Knuffle let out a whoop that echoed in the tiny police station.

From their place in the holding cell, Gail and Holly could hear but not see the two officers. The cell was barely big enough for two. A cot with a yellowing mattress was attached to one wall and a metal toilet, which looked as though it hadn't seen a toilet brush or disinfectant this century, stood in the opposite corner. Someone had scratched 'fuck the police' on the painted brick wall. Jensen had referred to the cell as the 'ladies quarters' which made Knuffle snort with laughter.

The cell was down a corridor that led off the main room of the station. In contrast to the cell, the main room was long and wide with a high ceiling and frosted glass light shades hanging from still intact plaster ceiling roses that belonged to another era. A long wooden counter ran the length of the room with a gate at one end to allow people to pass and through which Gail and Holly had been bundled on their way to the cell. Four large old fashioned desks had been arranged in a row behind the counter and behind them stood a bank of filing cabinets.

Gail had always had a fondness for old buildings but this place was shabby with years of neglect. The glass light shades were filmed with dust, the grey carpet threadbare and the wooden counter scratched and gouged. One of the filing cabinets had been propped shut with a brick and another had a distinct lean. Someone had plastered a bunch of missing persons and crime stoppers posters over a wall in an attempt to conceal the badly peeling paint.

'Hey Officers,' Gail called out but Jensen and Knuffle either didn't hear or ignored her. She tried to rattle the cell bars but they were so solid they didn't budge even a fraction. That was the thing about 19th century architecture—it was built to last. Not like today and some of the cookie cutter shit that practically went up overnight. Gail swore. 'Hey Officer Dumb Ass and Officer Dumber and Dumber', she yelled in exasperation.

'Honey, I don't think that's going to get us out of here,' Holly's tone was placatory. 'I'm sure this will be fixed soon. Maybe they're checking we are who we say we are.'

'Does it sound like that to you?' Gail spun around to face Holly. 'Geez, we seem to have entered the Twilight Zone.'

Holly made a face. She went to sit on the mattress but stopped as Gail shrieked.

'It's rancid. You don't know what you could catch.'

Holly sighed. 'Gail, we could be here for hours and it's the only place to sit.'

'You just said this would be sorted out soon.'

'I was just,' Holly threw up her hands.

Gail felt bad then. She wished she hadn't snapped at Holly.'You were just trying to be positive,' she finished in a gentler tone and Holly nodded.

'They gotta give us a phone call. It's our right,' Gail said. 'If I can speak to Ollie, he'll fix it.'

Holly nodded noncommittally and then went to sit down again, but straightened at the last minute. Gail had demanded her phone call as soon as Jensen and Knuffle had hustled them into the station house but the officers had merely sneered.

'You've been watching too many cop shows missy,' Jensen had said as he pushed her into the cell with a little more force than was necessary. 'Out in these parts we do things differently.'

'Didn't they teach you anything in Academy,' Gail was incredulous. 'We're entitled to a phone call.'

'Yeah on whose say so.'

'The Canadian Charter of Rights. It's in the Constitution. Jeez, you guys haven't even miranda-ed us.'

'Miss Know It All, hey,' Jensen mocked as he released Gail from the cuffs. 'You know what Knuffle, whenever someone sounds off about their rights it gets me thinking.'

'Is that so,' Knuffle replied like he was hanging on Jensen's every word.

'Yeah, thing is, you don't need to know about your rights if you haven't committed a crime.'

'Speaking from experience?' Gail asked. 'Exactly how many arrests have you made.'

Jensen coloured which made Gail think that she and Holly might be his among his first collars. 'I'm not at liberty to divulge that,' he spluttered.

'We're not murderers. Gail really is a police detective. You can check,' Holly said.

'And I'm the king of England,' Jensen replied. Knuffle sniggered.

'Actually there isn't a king of England at the moment. Princes yes, but—,' Holly stopped when Jensen glared at her. 'You know what, it doesn't matter.'

'Can you just call Sergeant Oliver Shaw at 15 in Toronto,' Gail said. 'He can vouch for us.'

'I might just add impersonating a police officer to your charge sheet, missy. Murder, resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. It's getting to be quite a list.' Jensen slammed the cell door shut and locked it.

'I didn't assault you,' Gail protested. 'You fell.'

'And we didn't resist arrest,' Holly added, 'I was just getting an ice pack for your head.'

'Tell that to the judge,' Jensen said as Knuffle sniggered again.

'Aren't you going to interrogate us?' Gail couldn't help saying. Really, these guys were idiots.

'All in good time, missy.' With that Jensen retreated to the front of the station, Knuffle on his heel like a faithful dog.

Gail didn't get why Jensen kept calling her missy. She probably had at least six years on him. She rubbed at where the cuffs had dug into her wrists. Jensen seemed to delight in making them as tight as possible.

'Are you okay,' Holly asked, noticing the red chaffing.

'Yeah.' Gail shrugged like it was no big deal. Best not to think about the last time she was restrained, the white flexicuffs luminous in the near blackness of the car trunk.

Ross Perick didn't want to take any chances, no matter that she could barely stand because of the ketamine. He was rattled by then—Jerry's appearance and the discovery that Gail was a cop having upset his carefully constructed plan. Nor did Gail want to dwell on the black ligatures Perick had used to tie her to the cot in the basement. She ducked her head so Holly wouldn't see her grimace.

Holly must have sensed something because suddenly she was there in front of Gail, lifting first one of Gail's hand and then the other so she could place the softest of kisses on the inside of her wrists.

'I'm pathetic,' Gail said.

Holly shook her head vehemently. 'Human and brave,' was all she said.

Gail smiled wanly.

Another burst of laughter from the front. From the snatches of conversation, Gail and Holly figured out the two officers were waiting for their sergeant, a guy they referred to as Link and who was out of town on vacation, to show up.

'Link won't mind coming back from his fishing trip?' Knuffle asked.

'You kidding?' Jensen exclaimed. 'He specifically said, only call if you catch a serial killer.'

'You think these two are serial killers?'

'Well,' Jensen drew out the word, considering. 'Could be. I mean what are they doing in town?'

'They're on vacation,' Knuffle offered.

'No, looking for victims.' Jensen sounded irritated. 'They probably go from small town to small town, picking off drunks, thinking no one will notice.'

'I guess,' Knuffle sounded doubtful.

'Well, they picked the wrong town and the wrong lawmen.'

'What if the blonde is a detective?'

'You saw the photo on the database. That chick had black hair,' scoffed Jensen.

Damn, Gail thought, last time her police photo was updated she had just returned from being undercover and her hair was dyed black and nearly shoulder length.

'Anyways,' Jensen continued, 'Detective Peck's brother was mixed up with mobs. Went to jail too. You know what they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.'

'Isn't that about children, not siblings,' Knuffle said.

'Nope,' Jensen replied, and Gail could imagine him crossing his arms belligerently.

Knuffle didn't push and the two men mercifully stopped talking for awhile. Was she forever going be tarred with Steve's brush? It wasn't exactly the Peck legacy Elaine had in mind when she dressed a four year old Gail in a replica dress uniform (especially tailored, not shop bought and accurate down to the last brass button) so she could salute her father when he received a citation for bravery.

'Assholes,' Holly said vehemently and Gail had to grin. Holly tended to be fairly tolerant of people unless they criticised, harmed or in some other way maligned Gail, with the exception of the first time Gail met Lisa. Holly didn't let Lisa get away with that shit now. Admittedly Lisa had come around to accepting Gail, or at least that Gail was a permanent fixture in Holly's life, and she was only a bit grudging about it. That had to be a win, right?

Another hour passed and Gail's stomach rubbled, reminding her she hadn't eaten breakfast. That morning at the house, Jensen and Knuffle would not even allow she and Holly to get their shoes or retrieve their IDs. When Gail tried to tell them she was a detective, they just laughed. 'My badge is upstairs,' she insisted but they ignored her.

There was a moment—with a semi-conscious Jensen sprawled out on the floor and Knuffle in shock at having discharged his weapon—when she and Holly could have made a run for. But Gail knew better than to take on someone on the edge of hysteria waving around a gun. Anyway, at that point she was confident that once Jensen and Knuffle found out she was police, they'd realise their mistake. Now Gail was beginning to regret she and Holly hadn't cut and run.

'This might be a crazy question but could these guys ship us off to separate prisons without a trial and we'd end up lost in the system for years and years?' Holly asked. Rather than sitting on the cot, she was now squatting on the floor, which was moderately cleaner. At least it wasn't covered in suspicious yellow stains.

Gail laughed. 'No, this isn't Orange is the New Black,' she said, not admitting that that may have happened once or twice.

Not on her watch of course but there was a scandal involving 27 a few years back when Holly was in San Francisco. It had taken six months for the guy's family to find him. The charges against him were immediately dropped but he still sued for a hefty amount. To this day, Jen Luck swore she'd had nothing to do with it, but after that incident Elaine had let slip that Luck's file might as well be stamped 'never to be promoted'.

'We are getting out of here,' Gail said, with more conviction than she felt. Now, it was Holly's smile that was forced.

And then suddenly there was reason to hope. As if Gail had summonsed him, Hank was out the front. Gail heard Knuffle and Jensen greet him warmly but from there things went downhill rapidly.

'Don't you two get it,' Hank was saying, 'I can alibi them.'

'You sure about that,' Jensen drawled. 'After all, these two murdered your ex brother-in-law.'

'Yeah, little Cindy's daddy,' Knuffle added. 'You wanna tell your niece you aided and abetted her father's killers?'

'You found his body around 6 pm right?' Hank said, ignoring Knuffle. There was a pause during which the officers must had nodded because Hank then continued. 'I picked up Gail and Holly outside the bar about 4.30 pm and drove them out to the Gordon place. I didn't leave there until quarter to six.'

'It's possible you're mistaken about the timing,' Jensen said disinterestedly.

'Not a chance. I looked at the clock on the dash as I left the Gordon place. 5.45 pm and you can check the clock, it's accurate.'

Jensen said something Gail couldn't quite make out.

'Okay, so Davy was alive when Gail and Holly left the bar,' Hank said, 'and it's a good have half hour by car from here to the Gordon's place. Right.'

'Yeah,' Jensen admitted grudgingly, 'so?'

'So explain to me how they made it back to town without a car and killed Davy all in the space of fifteen minutes.'

'As I said, it's possible you got the time wrong. A whole bar heard the blonde one threaten Davy and she had a gun.'

'Half the town has threatened Davy. He's a mean drunk,' Hank said.

'And yet nobody acted on it until these two turned up.'

'I'm no expert, but Jensen you gotta admit this is all circumstantial.'

'Well, this is none of your business, but I'll tell you anyway. We found a box of bullets in the blonde's bag and one is missing. What's the bet forensics finds it in Davy's chest.'

Hank sighed elaborately. 'Can I at least speak to them.'

'No can do,' Jensen said. 'Link said to sit tight til he gets here.'

'And when is Sergeant Lincoln due?'

'This afternoon sometime.'

'I'll be back then,' Hank said.

Gail heard the front door swing shut and then silence for a few beats until Knuffle spoke.

'Maybe Hank's mixed up in it too.'

'You know Knuffle, that may not be as way out as it sounds.'

By midday, Gail and Holly had tired of alternately standing or squatting and were perched gingerly on the very edge of the mattress.

'Best not to look at it too closely,' Holly advised.

All was quiet from out front. Jensen had sent Knuffle on an errand and it was a relief to get a break from their gloating. Gail's stomach was beginning to cramp from hunger and her head throbbed from dehydration. Holly looked exactly how Gail felt—wan but not as shaky than Gail as she was generally less affected by low blood sugar.

Just then Knuffle returned and with him came the delicious aroma of coffee. Full and rich and earthy. It made Gail think she might be willing to trade her first born (if she had one) for just one cup, possibly even a sip or two of coffee. Then she remembered it probably smelled better than it tasted. She wondered if Knuffle had purchased it from Sleepy Joe's, the supposed best place for coffee in town, and then thought yearningly of the gleaming espresso machine at Lisa's cabin, all chrome and shiny with steam wands and pressure gauges with little red arrows and a bean grinder attached to one side.

'Do you think—is that for us?' Holly was hopeful and tentative all at once. She stood up from the cot and moved to stand by the cell bars as if drawn by the smell of the coffee wafting down the little corridor.

'I wish,' Gail said, 'but I doubt it.'

As she spoke, Knuffle appeared outside the cell. 'Link said we need to feed you,' he said as though if he'd had a say in the matter he would leave them to starve. He tossed two sandwiches and bottles of water into the cell. 'Hope you like meat,' he added, before disappearing back out front.

The sandwiches were plastic wrapped and soggy, the kind of worthless offering you would find at a gas station and which may have been sitting in the refrigerated display case for days or never could tell. Stale white bread, a thin bit of ham and a slice of bright orange cheese beginning to discolour. Gail and Holly ate without much enthusiasm.

'Could we get food poisoning from these?' Gail held her sandwich up.

'Maybe from the ham but the rest is so processed I'm not even sure it's real food,' Holly said.

Gail extracted the morsel of ham, making Holly laugh. 'I'm not taking any chances Gail said. She took a sip of water and wanted more but the thought of using the toilet in the corner made her stop. Holly apparently had no such qualms and took a big swig of water.

'What?' she asked, noticing Gail observing her.

'Nothing,' Gail shook her head and looked at the plastic bottle in her hands.

'Oh,' Holly said with sudden understanding, 'Oh I see.'

Gail made a face. 'I'm not peeing in that.' She jerked her head towards the toilet.

'You will have to pee eventually, whether you drink the water or not. At this point l'd be more worried about dehydration. You haven't drunk anything since last night.'

'Is that your considered medical opinion.'

'Yep and my concerned girlfriend opinion.'

'Oh very well,' Gail huffed, and took a gulp of water and then another. It was like the best drink she had ever tasted. 'If I need to pee, you have to stand guard.'

'Deal,' Holly smiled and kissed Gail on the cheek.

'You're awfully chipper for someone behind bars.'

'Things are looking up, don't you think?'

'How exactly?' Gail scowled.

'They gave us lunch. The sergeant should be here soon. He has to be smarter than than these two.'

'Probably not hard. These two combined have an IQ of an amoeba.'

'That could be generous,' Holly grinned. 'But you know that an amoeba—'

'Is a single-celled organism without a brain,' Gail finished for her. 'That's kinda the point.'

Soon after Gail must have drifted off. Still perched on the edge of the cot, she found herself leaning into Holly, and then Holly had her arm around her. Gail let her body relax and the next thing she heard Elaine's voice. The imperious, steely voice that had sent shivers down Gail's spine when she was growing up. Who was she kidding, it still had that affect on her as an adult. It was the voice her mother used when you were in big, big trouble. Like beyond grounded.

She must be dreaming, Gail concluded, or maybe she was delirious from lack of water. Stood to reason, though, that even as a spectre Elaine would tick her off for landing in jail. Now Holly was saying her name and gently shaking her. Gail stirred but didn't open her eyes. Elaine's voice seemed to be getting louder.

'Your mother's here,' Holly said urgently.

Gail's eyes flew open. Her head felt thick and for a moment she forgot where she was so when her mother suddenly appeared in the corridor with a guy dressed in fishing waders, Gail was convinced, at least for a moment, that they were indeed an apparition.

'My apologies for those reprobates,' fishing waders said as he unlocked the cell door. Sergeant Lincoln, Gail supposed. He looked familiar and Gail wondered if she'd met him at one of her mother's party.

'Mother,' was all Gail could say. She didn't know why she was so shocked. Elaine had a finger in every pie. Somebody must have told her Gail was here.

'Don't stand there gawping,' Elaine said, 'get a move on. This place is rancid.' She turned to Link. 'Really, it could do with a scrub.'

'Sounds like a job for Knuffle,' Link smirked and Elaine laughed, a tinkly light laugh like she was flirting.

Jensen and Knuffle didn't acknowledge Gail and Holly when they came out front, but stared resolutely at the worn carpet on the floor.

'I'm still considering filing a misconduct charge,' Elaine said by way of a parting shot. Knuffle's head snapped up and then down just as quickly.

'Doesn't it just suck when your day doesn't turn out as you imagined,' Gail said as she passed him. She tried to saunter but the day seemed to have sapped her sass.

Emerging from the gloom of the station, Gail was momentarily blinded by the sun which seemed to be beaming down on this one spot on the sidewalk where she was standing. Blinking rapidly, she saw Frankie leaning against Holly's car. She must be delirious. Lack of food did that to you, didn't it? Gail shut her eyes and then opened them again, squinting. Nope. It was Frankie alright. Lolling rather than leaning, like a teenager full of swagger and bravado out cruising on a Saturday night.

'Frankie, what the f—hell?' Gail exclaimed.

'Nice to see you too Peck,' Frankie scowled. If anyone had to guess, they'd probably say it was she who had spent the last eight hours in the cells, not Gail and Holly. Her clothes had that rumpled slept-in look and her face had an unhealthy pallor, the product of too many late nights and too much alcohol. She had a nasty cut under one eye, that possibly should have been sutured, and a bruise that was beginning to purple nicely.

'My car,' Holly said with a kind of wonder, clearly having as much trouble as Gail comprehending what was going on.

'Hank dropped it off. He's the one who told Lisa you were in the lock up,' Frankie explained.

'He told Lisa?' Gail said, feeling like her wits had totally deserted her.

'Yeah, how else would we have found out you were here,' Frankie shook her head. 'You didn't expect Hank to have me and the Chief Superintendent on speed dial.'

Elaine laughed as though Frankie had cracked a most amusing joke. Behind Elaine, Holly raised an eyebrow and Gail had to cough to disguise her snicker.

'Lisa's not here, is she?' Gail was almost afraid to ask the question, half expecting Lisa to pop up from behind some bush.

'Of course not,' Elaine said. 'It's time we got you two back to the house. I'm sure you want to wash up. That cell was nasty.'

'You're telling me,' Gail rolled her eyes.

As she and Holly got into the back seat of the car (Frankie having commandeered the car keys) Gail gestured to Frankie's face and said 'what happened to you?'

'Gail,' Elaine remonstrated, 'where are your manners.'

Once of the road, Gail was overtaken by fatigue. She could tell Holly was exhausted too, and at first they leaned into one another and then half clung to each other, as though this might help them stay upright. It didn't stop Elaine peppering them with questions.

'But why did you threaten the victim with your gun?' Elaine asked as they neared Lisa's place.

'I didn't,' Gail protested, wishing she didn't sound quite so much like a whining child. 'I just kinda showed it to him. Not even the gun, just the box.'

'But what possessed you?' Elaine was genuinely perplexed.

'He wouldn't leave Holly alone.'

'Bit Neanderthal, Peck,' Frankie said.

'I just thought if Davy knew I had a gun, he'd back off. He had Holly wedged in the corner of a booth and wouldn't let her get up.'

'Gail tried to reason with him but he was belligerent and very drunk,' Holly added.

'And when Holly finally managed to get past him, Davy kinda lunged at me and fell, and that's when Mae threw us out of the bar,' Gail finished.

'Hmm,' Elaine pursed her lips.

They found Hank back at the house. He had rehung the door Jensen had crashed through that morning and was packing up his tools.

'You're not just a mechanic then,' Gail grinned at Hank.

'Hanging a door is not too hard,' he smiled shyly.

'Hey, thanks for speaking up for us,' Holly said.

'And thanks for calling in the cavalry,' Gail gestured towards her mother and Frankie who were retrieving their bags from the trunk of the car.

'Jensen and Knuffle are idiots,' Hank shook his head, 'but be careful of Mae. She's got a vindictive streak and a good sized gun collection. And she thought the sun shone out of Davy's ass.'

'Noted,' Holly winced. 'But I guess we'll head back to Toronto soon.'

'I didn't realise Davy was your brother-in-law,' Gail said.

'He and Mary Lou never married but yeah they were together long enough for Cindy to come along. Davy knocked Marylou around. Once Cindy was born, she wouldn't put up with it anymore and left.'

'And Davy was oaky with that? He didn't give Marylou any trouble?'

'Pretty much,' Hank shrugged.'Sometimes when he was drunk he'd go by the house and try and bang down the door. But then—' Hank stopped abruptly. 'Hey, I should get going.' With that he gave an awkward sort of salute and headed to his truck.

'Did you get the feeling Hank was about to say something else about Marylou?' Gail turned to Holly.

'Yeah but maybe it was private and he thought better about disclosing it.'

"Maybe,' Gail wasn't completely convinced. Fact was there was no such thing as private in a murder investigation and Hank had just given Marylou a motive. Where had Marylou gone after she dropped Gail and Holly at the bar? Chances were she wasn't too far from the main street. Gail shook her head. It wasn't her case.

After showering and changing, Gail and Holly came back downstairs to find Elaine fixing dinner. She had the makings of a salad out on the counter and was rummaging in the refrigerator.

'You must have tomatoes.' Elaine pulled her head out of the refrigerator, abandoning her search.

'Um, why?' Gail screwed up her face because of course her mother had forgotten.

'Everyone has tomatoes,' Elaine said.

'Everyone but people who go into anaphylactic shock if they eat even a tiny bit of one,' Holly said, sounding a lot like Gail.

Elaine had the decency to look abashed but still said, 'Ah yes Gail's allergies,' like Gail was just being difficult.

Anyway, it wasn't allergies plural, Gail grumbled to herself, just one specific and potentially deadly one that her mother never seemed to remember.

'How long are you planning on staying?' Gail asked.

'Until the case is solved. Lisa said her family don't plan on coming up for weeks and to use the house for as long at it takes.'

'That's generous of Lisa,' Holly said.

'Do you even have jurisdiction?' Gail asked.

'We do now,' Elaine selected a large knife from the knife rack and began to dice a cucumber so rapidly it almost made Gail's head spin.

'We? Is that why you brought Frankie with you?"

'Link's a good man but Jensen and Knuffle are a liability,' Elaine said, not really answering the question or looking up from her chopping either. 'I don't want to rely on them to figure out who murdered David Miller.'

Elaine had finished with the cucumber and seized upon a red pepper which she began to slice into impossibly even strips. 'Anyway,' she added, without pausing from her work, 'I'd rather not have rumours swirling around yet another Peck.'

'Rumours,' Gail repeated dumbly.

Now Elaine stopped chopping and looked up. 'You must be aware of the talk. There will always be those in the force who believe we are as corrupt as—' she broke off and then waved the knife about haphazardly, 'this will be grist for the mill, especially if it's left unsolved.'

Gail winced. She could try and try, be the very best and most decorated of officers, and still there would be doubters.

'It used to be that the Peck name commanded respect, even in a backwater like this,' Elaine added.

'That's hardly my fault.'

Elaine carefully placed the knife on the board and then looked Gail squarely in the eye. 'No,' she said sadly, 'no, it isn't but unfortunately you have to wear it and for that I'm sorry.'

Gail blinked. She was so shocked by her mother's apology she couldn't think how to respond. Holly saved the day by asking Elaine if she needed any help with dinner. Gail left the two of them in the kitchen and went in search of Frankie.

'I think she's out by the dock,' Elaine called after Gail, adding cryptically, 'right now she needs a friend.'

The sun was dipping low behind the mountains across the lake casting an orange reflection across the glassy water, and giving off enough light that Gail to make out Frankie's hunched figure. She was sitting on the dock, legs dangling over the side and staring morosely into the water.

'So,' Gail said, dropping down next to her.

'Don't start on me,' Frankie blew out a breath.

'From the looks of you, it was a rough night or you pissed off someone,' Gail indicated the cut under Frankie's eye.

Ever since Frankie and Alannah had split, Frankie had been hitting the bottle hard. Most nights, usually around one am, sometimes two, she'd call Gail to come fetch her from a bar. Gail would drag herself out of bed, grumbling but not willing to refuse, and tiptoeing out of the apartment so as not to wake Alannah in the adjacent room.

Holly had pointed out Frankie was an adult and could get a taxi or an Uber, but every time Gail showed up there was a different woman draped over Frankie. Gail knew that if she wasn't there Frankie would go home with that woman, ending any chance of reconciliation with Alannah.

'Who was it?' Gail asked, suddenly knowing.

'That new rookie, Susan. I didn't know she was married to a guy from 27,' Frankie said, tough and defensive all at once.

'He do that to you?' Gail again pointed to Frankie's eye.

Frankie sighed heavily. 'I suppose you want the whole story.'

Gail nodded.

'Susan and I turned up for work yesterday morning and her husband was waiting. If I hadn't been so hungover, actually scratch that, I was still drunk so I didn't see the punch coming.'

'You went to work drunk,' Gil tried not to sound judgemental.

'Like you never have.'

'Maybe when I was a rookie but you're a senior detective. What about leading by example.'

'Save it. I got the lecture from the Chief Superintendent on the flight down here.

Anyways, Oliver thought it best I take some personal time and then your mother swooped in and here I am.'

'And that's it?' Gail prompted, knowing there must be more.

'And the dick husband has lodged a formal complaint so I'm guessing there will be disciplinary action.'

'I'm sorry,' Gail said, 'but you've got a good record so surely you'll just get a warning.

Frankie laughed derisively. 'Tell that to all the woman on the force I slept with and never called back.'

'I meant your service record,' Gail frowned. 'Wait, you don't think some of those women still hold a grudge and are going to use this as some sort of vendetta?'

Frankie nodded solemnly.

'I think you're being paranoid. I slept with you and I was t scared,' Gail deadpanned.

At that Frankie punched her lightly in the arm.

'Ow,' Gail protested, even though it didn't really hurt. 'Well, at least I never harboured any resentment.'

'Yeah, that's because you were in love with Holly.'

'Anderson, you're good but not that good,' Gail teased. 'I think those women will have moved on.'

Frankie made a noncommittal noise but didn't say anything.

'Talking of moving on, I'm guessing you haven't spoken to Alannah,' Gail said casually.

'When are you going to get it in your thick skull, Peck, that ship has sailed.'

'See, I don't believe that.'

'Well, it has now. I don't reckon Alannah's a big fan of infidelity. Anyways, I'm sick of talking about this.'

They sat in silence for a bit and watched the sun finally disappear behind the mountains and the gloom close in. Gail suggested they go inside as dinner was probably ready. Frankie said she'd be there in a minute.

'If it's any consolation, 'Gail offered as she stood, 'at least you've got Elaine in your corner. She knows how the system works.'

Frankie gave a half nod.

The house was filled with the promise of dinner—Elaine had baked a cheese and spinach pie and Gail could practically taste the buttery crust just from the smell of it. Holly was on her cellphone in the living area having what sounded like an intense conversation. She gave Gail a rueful smile.

At the other end of the room, Elaine was in the kitchen loading bottles of vodka, gin and whisky into a box. Top shelf stuff. Lisa had told Holly and Gail to help themselves.

'Frankie needs to go cold turkey,' Elaine said by way of explanation .

'Since when does that mean the rest of us have to become teetotallers. I am supposed to be on vacation.'

'Really Gail, I thought you'd be more supportive of your friend,' Elaine tssked. 'Now, you can help by emptying the beer out of the fridge.'

'You know there's a wine cellar downstairs and it's not exactly small,' Gail said as she began to transfer an assortment of designer beers into the box.

'I've already locked it.' Elaine's smile was triumphant.

Of course she had and naturally she'd scoped out the place when she arrived, just as Gail had.

'Actually, you can put this box in cellar,' Elaine fished a key out of her pocket and handed it to Gail. 'And I've counted the bottles.'

Of course she had. It didn't stop Gail snaffling a bottle of vodka and secreting it in a cupboard in the games room on her way downstairs. By the time she came back into the kitchen area, Frankie had joined Elaine. Holly was just finishing her call and she crossed the long open plan room with a perplexed expression.

'What's up,' Gail asked.

'That was my boss. He wants me to do the preliminary autopsy of David Miller.'

'Doesn't he realise we're suspects,' Gail said.

'Not anymore,' Elaine piped up, 'I'm counting on you two to be the other half of my investigation team.'

...

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