Blue Genes - By Val McDermid Page 0,85

ago. Not a good time for me."

I stayed silent, remembering. It had been hard enough for me to accept Moira's death. For Maggie, it must have been a waking nightmare. I waited without impatience for her to fast forward from the worst days of her life. Some things even I'm sensitive to. After a few moments, she stopped massaging her forehead and tuned back in to the here and now. "I don't know if I ever knew the exact details, but I certainly don't remember them now. I've got a feeling it had something to do with Helen wanting kids and Sarah not. Whatever it was, it was serious. As far as I know, they never spoke again after the bust-up except through their lawyers. A mate of mine acted for Sarah and she said she'd never seen anything like it. It was as if they went from total love to total hatred overnight."

"That's interesting," I said, my brain working overtime. My first thought was that she'd got the bit about the kids the wrong way around. Then I thought about what it would mean if she hadn't.

Before I could pursue that line, Maggie shook her head, wonderingly and said, "Oh, so that's what this is about, is it? Looking for a suitable dyke to replace your client on the suspect list?"

"You know I don't work like that. If I did, I'd have told the police about a certain incident three years ago ..."

Her embarrassment was obvious even if it didn't stretch to an apology. "Yeah, well," she said. "Helen's not the type. Believe me, I know her. She went out with my best mate for about a year not long after she came to Leeds. Anyway, Helen's had stuff to deal with in the last year that must have seemed a hell of a lot more significant to her than whatever Sarah Blackstone was up to."

"Like what?"

"Like cervical cancer. She had to have a complete hys¬terectomy. She's only been back at work for about three months."

I felt like a fruit machine with two lemons up and a fist¬ful of nudges. "And has she been involved with anyone since Sarah?" I thought I knew the answer, but it's always worth checking.

"Oh yes," Maggie said. "She's got a girlfriend in York. Flora. A librarian at the university. Masses of black hair, like one of those Victorian maidens in distress."

"I think I've met her. Looks like she'd break if you spoke too loud?"

"You'd think so to see her doing that vulnerable inno¬cent routine. But when you watch her in action, you soon see she's tough as old boots. If St. George had rescued her from a dragon, he'd not have had her home long before he realized he'd spared the wrong one. And when it comes to Helen Maitland, that Flora's besotted. You could see from early on. Flora had Helen in her sights, and she was going to have her. A ruthless charm offensive, that's what it was. You never get the chance to get Helen on her own these days. Flora's never more than a heart¬beat away."

"How long have they been together?" Maggie frowned, trying to recall. "It's been a while now. Since before Helen was diagnosed. Mind, I get the impression that if it hadn't been for the cancer and the fact that she needed the emotional support, Helen would have dumped Flora a long time ago. You often see it in relationships-you get the one who worships and the one who's not much more than fond. Well, Helen's not the worshiper here. But she definitely wasn't hankering after Sarah, if that's what you're thinking. That relationship was dead and buried well before Sarah died," she added definitely.

Before I could say more, the front door opened and a tall woman in her twenties wearing an ambulance para¬medic's uniform walked in. "Hi, hon," she said to Maggie, moving into the room and kissing the top of her head. She grinned at me. "Hi. We've not met."

"This is Amanda. She's the one who burns your Christ¬mas cards," Maggie said dryly.

The tall woman's face darkened in a scowl. "You're Kate Brannigan?" she demanded.

"That's me."

"My God," she said. "You've got a nerve. How dare you come around here hassling us! Haven't you done enough?" She took an involuntary step toward me.

I got to my feet. "It's probably time I was going," I said.

"You're not wrong," the paramedic snapped.

"It's all right, Mand," Maggie said, reaching out and touching her partner lightly on the hip.