Free Kill Me Again by Rachel Abbott Page A

setting up the incident room. Tom knew Becky could justify spending this much time with him because he knew Leo better than anybody, and he might well be the best person to provide a starting point for their investigation.
    They were interrupted by the telephone, and Tom signalled Becky to answer it for him. He didn’t want to speak to anybody right now. She listened for a second and handed the phone to Tom, mouthing, ‘Philippa.’
    ‘Tom, there’s been a change of plan,’ she said. ‘Can you get over to the mortuary right now, do you think?’
    ‘Are you going to let me see her?’ A mixture of hope and dread hit him in equal measure.
    ‘I’ve spoken to the pathologist, and we’re confident that when he’s finished all the external examination and the body can no longer be compromised it would be safe for you to come and take a look.’ Philippa’s voice softened. ‘I don’t like the thought of you sitting there wondering and hoping, if I’m honest.’ Sometimes Philippa surprised Tom, but he wasn’t about to argue.
    ‘I’m on my way,’ he said, pushing back his chair. For the first time since his shower that morning Tom felt a sense of purpose.

    With all her heart Becky was hoping that she was wrong about Leo. But there was a small, unwelcome part of her brain that almost wanted to be right simply because she didn’t want to discover she had put Tom through all this grief for nothing. That would be truly terrible. She quashed the thought the minute it sneaked into her consciousness.
    She insisted on accompanying Tom to the mortuary. She couldn’t let him go alone. He had started to stalk off across the car park to his old BMW, but Becky grabbed his arm.
    ‘There’s no way you’re driving. Come on – I’ll take you.’
    For a moment she thought he was going to refuse. She knew he hated the way she drove, but surely for once he could forget that? And he wanted to get there quickly, didn’t he?
    They jumped into Becky’s black Golf. She slammed it into reverse to get out of her parking spot, then pulled out onto the busy main road. It wasn’t far to the mortuary, but the traffic in Manchester could be hell, and she wasn’t sure which would be the best route. She turned her head to ask Tom, but closed her mouth and looked back at the road. If ever there was a face that said ‘Please don’t talk to me’ it was Tom’s. The tension was causing deep creases between his nose and the outer corners of his mouth, and the fine lines around his eyes were accentuated. She could see that every muscle in his face was rigid, and she glanced at his thighs to see one leg tap, tapping. She had never seen Tom like this, and more than ever she wished she hadn’t been the first person on the scene.
    They completed the journey in silence, and on arrival at the mortuary Tom was out of the car and walking at speed into the building almost before Becky had the key out of the ignition.
    Philippa was waiting for them in reception and reached out a hand to clasp Tom’s arm. He nodded his thanks and followed her down a long corridor, Becky keeping a few metres behind.
    When they reached the final door, Philippa stopped.
    ‘We’ve put her in the chapel, Tom. We haven’t opened her up yet, but there are some marks on her neck that tell their own tale. We would obviously cover these for family, but I thought you could cope. If it’s Leo, and you’re certain, we’ll crack on with the PM and send someone straight off to break the news to her sister and brother-in-law.’
    ‘I’ll do that,’ Tom said.
    ‘Are you sure?’
    ‘Absolutely. Nothing can reduce the pain, but at least when you get this kind of news from somebody you know it feels slightly less intrusive.’
    ‘Okay. We need you suited up even though we’ve done the external examination.’
    Tom reached down to a pile of plastic bags, each containing a clean white suit. He slipped one over his clothes. Becky and Philippa did the same.
    ‘Are you