cheeks burned.
‘Let’s get something straight. I would never have an affair with someone already in a relationship.
Never.
So you make sure you tell that to whoever said I did. Got
that?’
Trembling with rage, she stalked out of the dining room and into the kitchen. Belmar followed her.
‘Listen, I’m sorry. I was bang out of order saying it.’
‘Yes, you were,’ she snapped.
To busy herself – and so he couldn’t see how upset she was – she began unloading the bags of shopping Lesley had left on the floor. Everything was warm from where it had been
left out all afternoon. Belmar shuffled anxiously from foot to foot behind her.
‘My wife’s always on at me not to listen to gossip. Says I’m worse than a teenage girl. But I can see why people put you and Umpire together. You’re attractive, single,
and he’s the senior officer everyone fancies.’
Maggie rounded on him again. ‘How do you know I’m single?’
He looked even more embarrassed. ‘Well, that’s what I heard.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘What else have you heard about me?’
‘That you’re really good at your job,’ he said eagerly. ‘Dedicated.’
‘And?’
‘Um . . . that you’re close to your sister and her kids?’
She nodded, mollified a fraction. ‘That’s true, I am.’
‘And wasn’t it something to do with your sister, why you put yourself forward for family liaison training?’
Maggie went very still, the pack of sliced ham in her hand hovering halfway between the bag she’d taken it from and the fridge shelf.
‘A road traffic accident, wasn’t it?’
Belmar had done his research. As he raised his eyebrows in expectation of her answer, Maggie noticed for the first time how straight his hairline was. His hairdresser must have used a spirit
level to shave his fringe.
She took a deep breath. There was no harm in telling him the background to her becoming an FLO. As the Kinnocks consumed their focus over the coming days, this was likely to be the most in-depth
conversation they’d have. But she wouldn’t tell him every detail. God, no. Even Lou didn’t know the whole story – and nor would she ever tell her.
‘Yes, it was. My sister’s fiancé was run over and killed on a zebra crossing when they were expecting their first baby.’
‘Shit, that’s awful.’
‘Yeah, it was. I was eighteen and due to start uni in Leeds, but instead I stayed in Mansell to help her when Jude, that’s their son, was born. She couldn’t have coped with him
on her own. I got the idea to join the police from a traffic officer called Lorraine who helped us through those awful first few weeks. She was fantastic.’
‘So you became an FLO because you wanted to help families like yours?’
Maggie gave him a wry smile. ‘Isn’t that why most of us volunteer? DI Gant once told me he likes recruiting officers who’ve had experience of losing someone in tragic or
violent circumstances because they tend to be more empathetic.’ She caught the look that briefly clouded Belmar’s face. ‘So what’s your story?’
‘I had an uncle who was stabbed in a store robbery. Not here, but in St Vincent where I grew up. My parents moved to the UK about six months after it happened, when I was seven. There was
an investigation but they never caught who did it. After that I decided I wanted to be a police officer when I grew up.’
‘Is your wife one too?’
‘Nah, she’s in HR. Works in Milton Keynes.’
‘Have you been married long?’
‘Ten years this December. We got married on a beach in St Vincent on New Year’s Eve. Saved us having to pay for our own fireworks.’ He grinned.
‘Kids?’
No way. I’m only thirty-three. I don’t feel ready.’
‘I’m not sure anyone ever does . . .’
Maggie’s phone going off ended the conversation. It was Umpire. Just hearing his voice made her blush. Was he aware of the false rumours being spread about them? She felt even more
mortified at the thought.
He was