Sheena Lambert - The Lake

SHEENA LAMBERT

an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

www.harpercollins.co.uk

This is a work of fiction. Any references to real people, living or dead, real events, businesses, organizations and localities are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. All names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and their resemblance, if any, to real-life counterparts is entirely coincidental.

Killer Reads

An imprint of HarperColl‌insPublishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GH

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published by HarperCollins Publishers 2015

Copyright © Sheena Lambert 2015

Sheena Lambert asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

Extract in Chapter 10 from ‘Stand By Your Man’ by Tammy Wynette

The author and publisher have made all reasonable efforts to contact copyright holders for permission, and any omissions or errors in the form of credit given will be corrected in future editions

Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers 2015

Based on a design by Jem Butcher

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books

Ebook Edition © MARCH 2015 ISBN: 9780008134747

Version 2015-03-04

For John, forever

Contents

Cover

Title Page The Lake SHEENA LAMBERT an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers www.harpercollins.co.uk

Copyright This is a work of fiction. Any references to real people, living or dead, real events, businesses, organizations and localities are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. All names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and their resemblance, if any, to real-life counterparts is entirely coincidental. Killer Reads An imprint of HarperColl‌insPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GH www.harpercollins.co.uk First published by HarperCollins Publishers 2015 Copyright © Sheena Lambert 2015 Sheena Lambert asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work Extract in Chapter 10 from ‘Stand By Your Man’ by Tammy Wynette The author and publisher have made all reasonable efforts to contact copyright holders for permission, and any omissions or errors in the form of credit given will be corrected in future editions Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers 2015 Based on a design by Jem Butcher A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books Ebook Edition © MARCH 2015 ISBN: 9780008134747 Version 2015-03-04

Dedication For John, forever

Epigraph Epigraph I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart’s core. – W. B. Yeats

Chapter ONE

Chapter TWO

Chapter THREE

Chapter FOUR

Chapter FIVE

Chapter SIX

Chapter SEVEN

Chapter EIGHT

Chapter NINE

Chapter TEN

Chapter ELEVEN

Chapter TWELVE

Chapter THIRTEEN

Chapter FOURTEEN

Chapter FIFTEEN

Chapter SIXTEEN

Chapter SEVENTEEN

Chapter EIGHTEEN

Chapter NINETEEN

Chapter TWENTY

Chapter TWENTY-ONE

Chapter TWENTY-TWO

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Also by Sheena Lambert

About the Publisher

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

– W. B. Yeats

Friday, 26th September 1975

‘Frank. Phone call.’

Somewhere between asleep and awake, Frank heard the words barked from behind his bedroom door. It took a second or two before he could open his eyes. Sunlight streamed through the unlined curtains as if they were hardly there at all. The digital clock by the bed flashed 00:00. Frank groped for the wristwatch lying next to it and squinted at it instead. Twenty-five past nine. Who the hell could be calling him? He tried his best not to disturb Rose as he got up from the bed and went out into the hall.

The receiver was cold in his hand. ‘Hello?’

‘Frank? Is that you?’ The lilt in the voice did little to soften its booming depth.

Frank stood a little straighter. ‘Yes. Inspector Carter?’

‘Yes. Look Frank, I know you have the weekend off, but, well, something’s come up.’

Ah Jesus .

‘It’s a body. And Jason’s away. And Eddie … well, I’d just rather you went down there, Frank.’

He pressed his fingers into his eyes. ‘Down where, sir?’

‘Crumm. The local guard is on his own there. The doc will be down later today. Hopefully.’

‘Hopefully?’

‘Well, there’s been another incident in Cork. And this thing in Crumm; it looks like it might only be a bog body. He might have to prioritize Cork. He might not get to Crumm until the morning.’

‘Tomorrow morning?’

‘Yeah. You’d better pack for the weekend.’

Frank rubbed his castigated eyes again. Rose was going to kill him.

The phone was silent for a moment. ‘So when can you get here? I’ll have the file ready for you.’

‘Right. Okay.’ It was freezing in the hall, even though the weather had been warm for weeks. Frank wished he had put on a T-shirt. ‘I’ll be in by eleven.’

‘Okay. Thanks Frank.’

‘Sure, sir. No problem.’

Frank was so intent on shutting the door soundlessly that he forgot about the warped floorboard just inside the threshold. Rose’s eyes opened, although her head didn’t stir from the pillow.

‘What was that about?’

‘I thought you were asleep.’ Frank pulled down the covers and vaulted back into bed, shivering. ‘That bloody hall feels like ten below.’

‘The phone.’ Rose’s tone was barely tempered by the pillow half covering her mouth.

Frank turned his head to face her. ‘It was work.’ He waited a second. He knew he wouldn’t have to elaborate.

‘Ah Jesus, Frank.’ Rose suddenly seemed very awake; her head propped up on one elbow, her apparent disbelief glowering down on him and his pillow. ‘Tell me you’re not going in?’