shivering. Sajid must have given him a fleece because Charlie’s leopard skin one was draped round his shoulders and Burhan was pinching it beneath his chin. She wanted to speak, but no words would come. What could she say? She was still trying to make sense of it. How could the bones under the Odeon car park belong to Khal? Plonking her mug on the coffee table, Nikki began plucking at the elastic band she wore round her wrist. It soothed her, calmed her, made her feel a little more in control.
Sitting beside her on the sofa, Saj angled his huge frame towards her, the slight frown across his forehead the only indication that he wanted answers from her. Nikki closed her eyes and sighed. Of course, he’d expect an explanation. Why wouldn’t he? They’d been partners for nearly three years and she’d never mentioned Khal to him. Not even once. She’d never told him she’d been married. Never told him about Charlie’s dad. Now that it appeared to be out in the open, he’d expect her to confide. But Nikki was determined to closet her emotions away. Nobody would ever know just how deep the scars from Khalid’s disappearance had gone. Few people would ever see the emotional wounds that stayed with her and she was not going to bare all to a work colleague – not even one who was a friend.
Steeling herself, she placed her cup on the stained old coffee table next to the sofa, folded one leg under her bottom and willed herself to ignore the dull ache that mangled her heart. If she stopped to analyse her feelings too closely, she’d be lost. That was something for later. Removing all emotion from her face, she gestured towards her father-in-law. ‘How did they find him?’
Sajid shrugged and settled himself more comfortably in the chair, making it dip with his weight as he moved. ‘They found Khalid’s passport in with his remains. It had his father’s contact details and the Cold Case lot contacted Mr Abadi here. He flew straight over and it was only when he mentioned you, that DS Springer realised that Khalid was your husband. Thank God she passed that onto Archie or …’
Yes, Abadi had said that earlier, hadn’t he? Nikki knew exactly how things would have panned out had Springer been the first to land on her doorstep. No doubt Springer would be en route on her broomstick. God only knew what she made of Abadi’s accusations against her. She was glad Saj had got here first. She could do with a friendly face in her camp. She risked a quick glance at her friend. The look in his eyes told Nikki that Sajid was upset that she hadn’t shared this with him. Why should I though? It’s private. When Khalid had gone off, everyone assumed he’d gone home to his family – chosen them instead of her. She hadn’t talked about Charlie’s dad to anyone outside her immediate family.
That’s why Sajid was here. That’s why Archie had been phoning her. Then, the real reason for Sajid’s presence hit her. She wasn’t being treated as a grieving widow, she was a suspect and she guessed Abadi had been only too keen to fuel that speculation. He’d already accused her, hadn’t he?
‘They’re coming for me?’
Sajid had the grace to avert his eyes as he nodded. ‘Yes, Hegley wanted to give you a heads-up, but bearing in mind Mr Abadi hasn’t left Ramallah for the past twenty years, you’re their next best suspect.’
Her phone started to ring – Charlie’s ringtone. She answered, keeping her voice low, hoping Charlie wouldn’t pick up on her distress. ‘Yep.’
As Charlie explained what had happened to Haqib, Nikki stood up and walked into the hallway, closing the door behind her. Once sure that she couldn’t be overheard, she said, ‘Charlie, wait there. I’m coming. Don’t move and don’t let that stupid little turd do owt else daft.’
She crept along the hallway. Sajid’s jacket was on top of her leather one, so, with all the dexterity of the Artful Dodger, she rummaged in his pocket and took his car keys. Her car was parked on the main street, so she hoped they’d assume she’d left in it and she’d be able to buy herself some time. Shuffling into her trainers, she grabbed her leather jacket and eased the front door open. Closing it gently behind her, she stepped outside. If they wanted to interview her about Khalid, they’d have to wait – she’d family things to deal with first. You’ve waited this long, Khal, you can wait another few hours.
Without considering the consequences of her actions, she ran down the stairs, vaulted over the neighbour’s fence to keep herself out of sight of the living-room window and headed down the path. Taking a second to remove the battery from her phone, she placed it behind a plant pot in Mrs Shah’s garden. Sajid’s Jaguar was parked a few hundred yards up the street and without hesitating she opened it and started up the engine, savouring the roar as it sprung to life … She was off, hotfooting it to Bradford Royal Infirmary. Her boss and Sajid would both be pissed off, but sometimes you just had to crack on with life. Khalid would still be dead in a few hours, but Haqib was alive and she needed to make sure the stupid little sod stayed that way.
‘I don’t know how she managed it. Her daughter rang and she went into the hallway to take the call.’ Sajid grimaced and held the phone away from his ear as Archie Hegley yelled at him.
‘You were supposed to get her side of things before Springer pounced. For fuck’s sake, Sajid, couldn’t you keep her in sight for five minutes?’
Hegley was all bluster and fat rolls and Sajid could imagine them wobbling as he paced the office, his face becoming redder and redder with each step. The man was a heart attack waiting to happen. What Sajid had told him wasn’t exactly true either. He did know how Nikki had managed it. She’d managed it because he’d cut her some slack. He’d let her have privacy to take a phone call and had compounded his error by being slow to notice she’d gone. But in fairness, sometimes those calls with Charlie could go on for half an hour or more. Besides, he’d been sent to break the news about her husband’s death – the husband nobody had realised she even had until a few hours ago – not to apprehend her.
It was suspicious that when Khalid Abadi had disappeared off the face of the earth, Nikki hadn’t even registered a missing persons report. ’Course it was, but hell, they were talking about Nikki. She was no murderer. At least he hoped she wasn’t. ‘Yes, yes, I’ve sent out a BOLO, first thing I did, Sir. No sightings of her car yet.’
‘And the father-in-law?’
‘Well, in the circumstances I thought it best to have him taken back to his hotel. He’s at the Midland Hotel in town, so I got a uniform to drop him off and stay with him. He’s been mouthing off, accusing Nikki. Didn’t want him here when Springer landed.’
‘The Cold Case lot not there yet?’
‘CCU are on their way.’
‘Keep me updated.’
Sajid took a deep breath. Hegley’s bark was worse than his bite, but hell, it was ferocious nonetheless. What the hell, Nikita? What are you playing at? Picking his phone up, he dialled Charlie’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. Pissed off now, he brought up the tracking app he and Nikki had on their phones. Nikki’s app was inactive, but the last registered position was right here. Shit, she’d clearly ditched her phone in the street. What the hell was she up to? She needed to get her ass back here pronto before Hegley burst a gut.
The back door opened and a small Indian woman in jeans and a T-shirt, black hair falling to her shoulders, came in. Aw no, why did Nikki’s mum have to turn up right then? Hoping she’d leave before the CCU officers arrived, he smiled. ‘Hallo, Mrs Parekh, you all right?’
Lalita Parekh had her daughter’s height and her down-to-earth Yorkshire accent. The two women were clearly mother and daughter. ‘Don’t you Mrs Parekh me, Sajid. I’ve told you before, it’s Lalita. Nikita nipped out, has she?’
Pleased that she’d provided her own reason for her daughter’s absence, Sajid nodded, ‘Yeah, something like that. She’ll be back in a bit.’ Well, he hoped she damn well would.
Lalita proceeded to dump a couple of Morrisons’ bags-for-life on the table