Spiking the Girl Read Free

untangled. ‘You’ve been to the police?’
    ‘I’ve done all that,’ said Daria with a sigh. ‘But the police are no use. They don’t seem to take it seriously because he isn’t violent.’
    ‘But surely if he’s trespassing .   .   .’
    ‘They came round a couple of times but they couldn’t find him. They think I’m making it up. They’re very polite, but I can tell what they’re thinking.’
    In the corner, another candle flared up, then just as suddenly went out. Daria replaced it with a new one. All this holy stuff sure keeps her busy, Gemma thought.
    ‘Did you take out a restraining order?’ she asked. ‘An Apprehended Violence Order? If he breaks an AVO, they have to arrest him.’
    For the first time, the woman’s eyes flashed with the anger of the good girl who’s done everything she’s supposed to do yet things still aren’t going the way they should.
    ‘Of course I took out an AVO!’ she said. ‘I did everything that the law advises—even before the divorce—and it didn’t help me!’
    ‘Who did you talk to?’ Gemma waited, pen poised, ready to note down the name.
    ‘The police at Waverley,’ said Daria, ‘and then the chamber magistrate.’
    ‘Do you remember the police officer’s name?’ Gemma asked.
    Daria reached up to the top of a saint-infested bookcase and took a card down, passing it to Gemma. Senior Constable Diane Hayworth. Gemma jotted the name down, making a mental note to drop in on Diane Hayworth at Waverley Police and make a few enquiries regarding Mr and Mrs Reynolds.
    ‘Did you follow up on it?’ she asked and handed the policewoman’s card back. Too many women took out AVOs and then didn’t have them enforced. So far, this wasn’t sounding like a job Gemma wanted to take on, though right now she couldn’t afford to be choosy.
    ‘Of course I did,’ said Daria. ‘I keep telling them. But they don’t believe me.’
    ‘What about security, Daria? Are you sure your house is secure?’ Gemma asked, though she remembered the multiple locks at the front door.
    Daria stood up and went to the window to touch the wrought-iron grille. ‘This house is a fortress,’ she said. ‘But it’s no use. Nothing can keep him away.’
    The woman’s passivity irked Gemma. ‘He must have keys if he’s getting in,’ she said. ‘Have you changed the locks?’
    ‘I also did that before the divorce!’ Another flash of fire from the wispy woman as she moved away from the window. ‘There’s something I should tell you,’ she said. ‘Something you should know.’
    As Daria stood with the light from the window behind her, Gemma became aware of a dark, menacing atmosphere building in the room. The glare of candles and heady incense made her feel sick.
    ‘But if I tell you,’ Daria continued, ‘I know you’ll refuse to work for me.’
    The brooding heaviness was getting to Gemma. Was she just imagining that the room was closing in, like something from a Poe horror story? Daria seemed to be struggling to find her words as she stood staring at one of her saints. Come on, Gemma urged inwardly. Spit it out!
    The silence continued.
    ‘If there’s anything that will help me in working for you,’ Gemma prompted, ‘you must tell me. I’d only refuse to work for someone if what they wanted was illegal. Is that what’s concerning you?’
    Daria shook her head. ‘It’s nothing illegal,’ she said. ‘But you’ve got to help me.’ Her voice was despairing. ‘Someone has to help me. You were suggested by a woman I know. You have the right background.’
    Gemma, touched by the other woman’s desperation and deciding to take on her case, didn’t immediately note the odd remark. A breeze lifted the curtains at the window and all the candles bowed in the same direction.
    ‘I’ll do what I can, Daria. But you’ve got to do your share.’ Gemma picked up her briefcase and another candle sputtered and hissed. She took out one of her brochures. ‘This is the