Free Against a Dark Sky by Katherine Pathak Page A

neck?’
                  ‘Yes, but it wasn’t a hold so much.’ Imelda leant forward and demonstrated on Phil. ‘He sort of pressed down on my windpipe with the flat of his palm, see?’
                  Phil nodded. ‘I get it. Would you be willing to make a formal statement to that effect, Mrs. Watson- Caballo?’
                  The young woman sighed. ‘Yes, of course. I’d been debating about whether or not to inform the police ever since I saw his name on the news. Tell me Sergeant Boag, do you really think Daniel killed this poor woman?’
                  ‘I don’t know for certain, Imelda, but it’s looking increasingly likely that he did.’
     
       

 
    Chapter Fourteen
     
     
    ‘Y ou realise that if I hadn’t had the heart attack, I’d be a sergeant by now,’ Andy stated levelly, swilling the remainder of his Merlot around the long-stemmed glass.
                  ‘Yes,’ Dani replied, slowly chewing her lamb and washing it down with a sip of mineral water. She’d decided to ask her partner out for a meal in one of the restaurants in Ardyle. Bevan was amazed when he actually agreed. 
                  ‘The funny thing is, I wasn’t even all that ambitious before. Now, it’s all I think about. I’m absolutely determined to move up through the ranks.’
                  Dani didn’t wish to get into another argument with him, but at the same time felt as if he wanted her advice. ‘Give it time. It will take the management that bit longer to accept you’re ready for it now,’ she gave a half-smile, ‘a bit like being a woman, in fact.’
                  To her great relief, Andy grinned back. ‘It didn’t take you long to progress though, did it?’
                  ‘I’m a fast-track graduate in her mid-thirties with no husband and no kids. I’ve devoted everything to my career and it’s been duly noted upstairs. You’ve got Carol and Amy and were always intent on getting the balance right between work and home. I don’t want to see you lose the perspective that you used to have. I always thought it was incredibly healthy - excuse the irony.’
                  ‘If you ignore the beer and the greasy takeaways, you’re probably right.’ Andy pushed away his empty glass and reached for the water jug, as if to emphasise his change of lifestyle.
                  ‘Don’t become like one of those people who suddenly lose a lot of weight, learn how to make more of their looks and immediately become attractive to the opposite sex. They always make bloody fools of themselves, because they’re not used to the attention. I knew so many girls like that at college. Half of them ended up pregnant and stuck with some lad with no prospects. They didn’t understand when to say no.’
                  ‘I’m not intending on having an affair!’ Andy looked quite put out.
                  Bevan shook her head vigorously, chuckling at the same time. ‘I didn’t mean it that way, it was just an analogy. I meant, now you’re fit and clean-living and feel like you can take on the world, don’t make the mistake of thinking that the world is worth having.’
                  Andy looked at his boss as if she’d lost her marbles.
                  ‘Just focus on Carol and Amy, the rest will follow at its own pace,’ Bevan clarified.
                  ‘Good. Because I thought for a moment there you were actually trying to give me relationship advice.’ Andy lifted an eyebrow archly.
                  Dani laughed.
                  The restaurant Bevan had chosen was a bistro facing the market square which boasted an impressive menu of local produce. Mid-week it was quiet. An older couple were sitting a few tables away from them. After paying their bill, the pair approached the two