The Gilded Lily: A Nicole Rayburn Mystery Book 5 (Nicole Rayburn Historical Mysteries) by Irina Shapiro

Author:Irina Shapiro [Shapiro, Irina & Shapiro, Irina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Merlin Press LLC
Published: 2023-09-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 32

Kyle

After Nicole came back from her meeting with Quinn, Kyle went to see Sean and Carla. They had recently sold their house in Fulham and moved into a flat in a building on Grove End Road. One unexpected benefit of this arrangement was that the reporters couldn’t camp outside their door, and to wait endlessly for Sean or Carla to leave the building was a waste of time, even for them. There were fewer reporters hounding Nicole and Kyle as well, and Kyle couldn’t help but wonder if they had moved on to another, more current story or if they had decided there was little point in stalking the family until a dramatic development grabbed the interest of the nation once again.

Nicole had breathlessly conveyed Quinn’s certainty that Edie was still alive as soon as she’d walked through the door, but although Kyle had felt a brief surge of relief, he could hardly take the word of a psychic as gospel. Quinn might benefit from her abilities in her line of work, but this time the subject wasn’t someone who had died centuries ago and was no longer of interest to anyone save historians and series producers. This was a living, breathing woman, who had been going about her business only a few days ago and whose life had been unexpectedly interrupted by someone the police had yet to identify.

Kyle tried to combat his anxiety as he got off the lift and rang the doorbell, but it was impossible to remain calm in the face of such raw suffering. He could completely understand why Nicole couldn’t bring herself to see Carla. Sean let him in, and Kyle followed his father to the lounge after taking off his coat and cap. Carla was normally a ball of energy, a sprightly presence with a blond pixie cut and bright blue eyes, but now she looked gray and gaunt, her skin so tightly stretched, Kyle could almost make out the ghost of her skull beneath the skin. She sat huddled in an armchair in the corner, her legs folded beneath her, her gaze the dead-eyed stare of someone who’d been sedated. She gave Kyle a vague smile and went back to staring out the window.

“Let’s talk in the kitchen,” Sean said, and walked out, leaving Kyle to follow.

The all-white kitchen was modern and sleek, the worktop covered with the latest gadgets. Sean turned on the espresso machine and made two coffees without asking Kyle if he wanted one, then set the cups on the island and lowered himself onto a bar stool. Kyle did the same.

“Is Carla on something?” Kyle asked. “She looks like a zombie.”

“I asked our GP to prescribe a sedative. She wasn’t coping, and I was terrified to leave her on her own.”

“What about a Family Liaison Officer?”

“Carla refused to let her in, and there’s no sense having a FLO here when I’m at home to look after her.”

“And Emily? I thought she got back last night.”

“She went round to Naya’s.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.