and he said for some reason he couldn’t do it. I think the thing that irked Lucy was him saying that he thought he shouldn’t interfere between a man and his wife, so he did nothing. I saw Lucy’s face when he said that, but I didn’t click. I didn’t think for one moment that Lucy could have been the killer.’ Sally brushed her hair from her face with her fingers.
‘So Bill was a bystander in my torture. It’s so hard to trust people sometimes, especially in my job. Thank you for being so honest.’
‘I think the truth is important, however hard it is to hear.’
Gina smiled. ‘The press only mentioned vague things. As they say, I’m yesterday’s news and let that continue.’
‘I’ll drink to that.’ Sally held her mug up and Gina tapped hers against it.
Gina pulled out a tissue and wiped her nose. ‘That verse. “Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” That’s true of life in general, isn’t it? There is always someone prowling and we need to keep up our guards. Sometimes, you can’t see them coming.’ Lucy never saw what was coming to her. ‘At the end of the day, if they want to devour you, they will, and you won’t be able to do a damn thing about it.’
‘You can be sober-minded and be watchful.’
Gina glanced up, unable to think of an answer.
‘I know. What a load of tosh. I’m not into victim blaming. These manipulators, sociopaths, narcissists; they ruin lives and their victims are blameless. They give their trust, their love to these people and it’s abused. We can’t always see the devil coming but maybe we now live in a better society in which people can speak out more. Show these people up for who they are.’
Gina passed the cup back to the vicar. ‘Thank you for the chat and the drink. You know, it would be lovely to carry on this conversation sometime if you could be friends with an atheist.’
Sally laughed. ‘I would love to spend a few hours having philosophical conversations with you while we get through a bottle of wine. Come and see me again, soon.’
‘You’re a good egg. I’ll catch you again and we’ll have that chat.’
As Gina stepped out into the biting wind, a crow squawked and the breeze howled around the churchyard. She spotted the café across the road. It had been boarded up. She smiled; for the first time in a while, she felt unburdened. Lyndsey Saunders had tried to make her life a misery – again – and she’d failed. Now Lyndsey was paying for her wrongdoing. Lucy was getting justice and Gina knew she’d be there to attend her funeral when the body was released.
She closed her eyes and tried to remember how it felt to be trapped in a coffin. Her heart wasn’t pounding. She stepped on the icy path, trying not to slip, and knew it was time to turn over another page. The white tinge of frost on everything looked beautiful. The crow was now edging along a branch. That creature was proof that life could survive anything, even these temperatures. She could survive anything – and she would.
She was going home, throwing some logs on the burner and having a glass of wine in Lucy’s memory.
If you loved Their Silent Graves, sign up here to find out what’s next for Gina Harte.
Hear More from Carla
If you’d like to keep up to date with my latest releases, just sign up at the link below. We’ll never share your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Sign up here!
Books by Carla Kovach
Detective Gina Harte Series
The Next Girl
Her Final Hour
Her Pretty Bones
The Liar’s House
Her Dark Heart
Her Last Mistake
Their Silent Graves
Meet Me at Marmaris Castle
Whispers Beneath the Pines
To Let
Flame
AVAILABLE IN AUDIO
The Next Girl (Available in the UK and the US)
Her Final Hour (Available in the UK and the US)
Her Pretty Bones (Available in the UK and the US)
The Liar’s House (Available in the UK and the US)
Her Dark Heart (Available in the UK and the US)
Her Last Mistake (Available in the UK and the US)
A Letter from Carla
Dear Reader,
I’d like to start by saying a big fat thank you to you for choosing Their Silent Graves. I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
If you’d like to be kept up to date with my news and new releases, sign up to the following link.