Lee Jackson drove home an hour late that night, deeply shaken both from his questioning of the Dhan and the scolding he had received from his boss, Andy.
Well, I knew that was coming at least, thought Jackson; referring to the latter dent in his conscience.
But he had been far less prepared for his chilling encounter with the founder of The Torchbearers. He felt a deep unease about her that couldn't be quite be put into words. She resonated power and strength.
No wonder she's been so successful in life, there was a certain ruthlessness about her.
As much as Jackson would like to nail her as the prime suspect in this total shit-show, a 'sense of unease' about someone was not enough to prosecute them. He needed evidence, and besides, his police intuition had not led him to believe she could be guilty of what was essentially, mass murder.
Or she's the best liar I've ever met.
It was around 6:30 and Jackson had agreed to pick Sabrina up from the city centre. An hour ago.
He spotted her on the street-lit pavement over the other side of a roundabout. Her coat hood was up and her arms were folded. In other words, she looked miserable.
His heart sank a little as he pulled up alongside her and wound the window down.
"Hi, sorry I'm late babe." He looked up at her expectantly.
She smiled back at him formally, gave him a 'don't worry, it's fine' (which clearly meant the opposite) and hopped into the passenger seat.
He headed for home. Several silent minutes passed without any form of verbal exchange and Jackson noted that her hood was still up and her arms were still folded. Despite her lack of peripheral vision, Jackson felt that she must be aware of the continual worried glances he sent her way.
She was clutching something in one of her hands. A coffee cup.
As he stopped for a red light he tried some conversation.
"Pumpkin spice latte, eh? Didn't have you down as being so basic Sab." His wry smile was unconvincing.
She appeared to come out of a daydream to reply. "Well, the girls all rave about it so I thought I'd give it a try."
"Fair enough."
He'd expected some classic Sabrina wit, but was spared by her. Jackson hadn't seen her like this for as long as he could remember.
"I was thinking we could go to M and S and grab a 'dine in for two' thing. It's about £12 or so."
"Yeah that's fine."
I can do fucking nothing right, can I?
They listened to the steady hum of the engine until they reached the supermarket.
Finding the aisle, he turned to her and gave a sweeping gesture to the selection on offer.
"Whatever you want."
"Thanks." There was more warmth in her demeanour now, as Jackson stepped away to let her choose what they were going to eat. He was still wary that the battle may have been won but the war was not yet over.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, so he discretely checked it while Sabrina closely examined a salmon and broccoli quiche. Something about her concentration face appealed to Jackson more than she knew.
He had a long-winded text from Andy.
18:49
Andy- Text Message
YOU ARE READING
The Torchbearer ✓
Mystery / Thriller'"The one who bears the torch sees all and with knowledge, comes power."' *** Eccentric police officer, Lee Jackson lives an unassuming, yet fulfilling life with his girlfriend, Sabrina. Until everything changes one winter morning. Finding hims...
