The Lost Girl (Brennan and Esposito) Read Online Free PDF Page A

into her voice.
    Phil looked at her. He knew why she was so upset. Shared her misgivings.
    ‘Look,’ she went on, ‘we know these deaths are no coincidence. And let’s be honest, we know who’s behind this.’
    ‘Marina, we don’t —’
    ‘Yes, we do, Phil. You might not want to admit it, but you do. You know as well as I do.’
    They stared at each other. Cotter broke the silence.
    ‘I take it you mean this is the work of the woman calling herself Fiona Welch?’
    ‘Who else?’ said Marina, pleased that the name, the supposition, was out in the open, hoping that by speaking it aloud it would be robbed of its power. ‘It’s her. It has to be. She’s…’
    ‘Insane?’ suggested Cotter.
    ‘I don’t know what she is, or what she wants. But she made it more than clear last time we met her that she was going to come back for Phil. And this seems like her way of getting his attention.’
    ‘Well it’s worked,’ said Phil. ‘Whoever it is.’
    ‘Let’s hope it is her,’ said Cotter.
    They both looked at her.
    ‘We don’t want another one as mad as her running around now, do we?’
    ‘True,’ said Phil, with some reluctance. ‘And if it is her, that’s all the more reason I should go. Get it over with. Find her, stop her. Get rid of her once and for all.’
    ‘But she’s dangerous,’ said Marina. ‘Really dangerous.’
    ‘And that’s my job.’
    Marina shook her head. Stood up, walked about the room. She stopped, turned to face Phil. Spoke to him as if Cotter wasn’t there. ‘You can’t go.’
    ‘You see those bodies?’ Phil gestured to the board. ‘The names? I think I have to.’
    ‘It’s a trap. She’s waiting for you. Trying to get your attention, trying to get you to…’
    Phil crossed to her, placed his hands on her shoulders. She shook him off.
    ‘Don’t go. She’s waiting for you. Anticipating you coming. If this is what she’s done to get your attention, what’s she going to do once you’re over there? No. It’s not safe.’
    ‘Nothing’s safe. Life isn’t safe. Come on, we’ve discussed this. We can’t live our lives in the shadows. We’ve got to stand up, confront her. Get it over with.’
    Marina stared at him, said nothing. He continued.
    ‘Look, I know. I’ve thought all this myself, as soon as I heard about it I knew who it would be. And you’re right. She’s dangerous. And this is just what she wants me to do. But I have to do it. And you know it. I think you know it.’
    Again, she said nothing.
    ‘I can’t just ignore it, can I? We can’t ignore it. None of us in this room. What would happen if we did that? Would she keep trying to get my attention, do something more in retaliation? Something even worse?’
    ‘What would be worse?’
    ‘I don’t know. How many more lives would she take just to get my attention? What could she do to them? Don’t know. Don’t want to think about it. And I certainly don’t want to find out.’
    Marina stared at him. She knew he was right, no matter how much she didn’t want to hear him say it. And deep down, she knew she agreed with him.
    ‘Well,’ she said, the words drawn from her with great reluctance, ‘if you have to go, then at least let me come with you.’
    ‘No,’ said Cotter stepping in, ‘I can’t allow that. I know you’ve become a very valuable part of our team but you’re still a civilian.’
    ‘Then I could just go with him. There’s nothing to stop me from accompanying my husband on a trip to where we used to live.’
    ‘No there’s not,’ said Cotter. ‘But the police at the other end would have orders not to involve you. I’m afraid you’d find yourself incapacitated there.’
    Marina’s expression was incredulous. ‘You mean under guard?’
    ‘Not exactly.’
    ‘Not
exactly
?’ Her voice was getting louder. ‘What
exactly
do you mean, then?’
    ‘Marina, please,’ said Phil. ‘I know it’s difficult. But… please.’
    ‘You’ll need a psychologist. You’ll need