The Two Towns (The Lakeland Murders) (11 page)

‘I’m not. I’ve no idea if he, you know, did it. Not really. But not being absolutely sure that he didn’t, well that was enough for me to decide, somehow.’

‘Do you think it’s over between you?’

‘Probably. So it’s back to the meals for one for me, I suppose.’

‘Join the club. And at least you always get to eat whatever you fancy.’

‘There is that, I suppose. Anyway, I mustn’t keep you.’

Jane smiled. ‘You take care, and keep in touch, yeah?’

DC Francis was still smiling when she reached the frozen foods, and she treated herself to a tub of luxury ice cream. She wished she had someone to talk to about what had just happened, but she doubted that Mann or Dixon would be all that interested. But Jane had a feeling that Andy Hall would get it, and that they’d both see it in much the same way: as just the smallest act of retribution, but also the largest one that they could ever expect to achieve when it came Phil Clark. It wasn’t much, and certainly not enough, but at least it was something. She pushed her trolley to the tills, got lucky with one that was just opening, and thought about the weekend ahead. She was looking forward to putting her feet up with a glass of decent wine, and a nice big bowl of that ice cream.

Publisher’s note:
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this introduction to Andy Hall, Jane Francis, Ian Mann and the rest of the Kendal CID team.
Separated at Death
is the first full-length novel in J J Salkeld’s acclaimed
Lakeland Murders
series. It is available for download from the Kindle store now.