Nothing but Meat: A dark, heart-stopping British crime thriller by Adrian Kendrew Page B

had been lifted from her
chest.
    ‘It sounds like he hasn’t changed at all.’
    ‘He tries.’ She found herself lying again – Martin had
never openly acknowledged his problem. Why was she was defending him again? She
silently cursed herself and realised that denial was all part of the complexity
of disguise – the illusion of normality was a mask she had worn for
years. She always felt that the only thing worse than being in an abusive
relationship was the embarrassment of having people find out about it and
wondering what sort of person allows something like that to happen to them, she
didn’t want to appear weak or be thought of as a victim, especially by people
she had feelings for.
    ‘Enough now,’ she
said. ‘Tell me about the woman before we get there.’
    ‘I got the call first thing this morning. Hannah Zaragoza was
attacked in her home two weeks ago but she fought back and got away.’
    ‘Did she report it at the time?’
    He nodded. ‘The duty officer dispatched some uniforms who
conducted an interview, she saw the news last night and reported it again, I think
she wanted to make sure that it didn’t get lost in the system.’
    ‘It may not be related.’
    ‘I know, but it’s promising, especially if she got a look at
him.’
     
    ‘Hannah’s in the back garden,’ said Christine Moody as she
led them through the house. She had opened the door clutching a limp and docile
looking child to her breast and introduced herself as Hannah Zaragoza’s sister.
‘We know it happened a few weeks ago now,’ she continued as they joined Hannah
at a shaded wooden table, ‘but I told her to call the police again and remind
them what happened when I saw the news about that girl.’ They sat down and
Christine continued. ‘I’ve been coming round here most days because you’re
still not comfortable when you’re alone are you?’
    Hannah looked slightly embarrassed and said, ‘Not really.’
    Simone addressed Hannah, ‘How are you feeling?’
    ‘I’m okay,’ she said. ‘I was getting on with my life but when
I heard about that girl I stared to freak out all over again.’ Even though she
was sitting down her athletic build was clearly apparent to both West and
Simone. She wore a vest top and shorts and her deep African skin shined in the
sun and complimented the defined muscles in her arms and legs.
    ‘I know you’ve been through this already but can you talk us
through what happened that evening?’
    ‘It happened a couple of weeks ago, on the fourteenth, I went
for a run at about eight-thirty, got back at about ten and had a shower. I’d
eaten earlier so after my shower I just watched some TV and went online for a
bit - the usual stuff. I called it a night at about eleven and went to bed.
    ‘I always have trouble sleeping when I run so close to
bedtime.’
    ‘Me too,’ said Simone, ‘You’d think it would be the other way
around.’
    ‘I wrote an article on it last year, it’s to do with a raise
in core body temperature and the fact that most people feel more energised
after a run. It’s not the same for everyone though.’
    ‘Do you always run so late at night?’
    ‘Only in the summer, it’s so hot at the moment I prefer to wait
until it cools down.’
    ‘How often do you run?’
    ‘Every other night; I go a little crazy if I miss a session.’
    ‘Do you run professionally? You look like you are in great
shape,’ said Simone.
    ‘Not professionally, but I feel like I run for a living; I’m
a writer, and I freelance for Runners World; I review sports wear and do a
couple of half-marathons a month.’
    ‘She puts me to shame,’ said Christine.
    Hannah said, ‘Anyway, it was a hot evening and my bedroom was
uncomfortable even with the windows open. I couldn’t sleep which was frustrating
but, like I said, it wasn’t unusual. I heard the church bell chime at two in
the morning and shortly after that I heard my bedroom door slowly open. Or at
least I thought I did. You know how