Watcher Read Free

front page of the article that showed the photographs of the Ripper’s victims.
    ‘See what I mean?’ She nodded, looking pleased with herself. ‘Apart from the fact that you’re way too old – you fit his profile. Our man likes redheads.’
    ‘My hair is auburn,’ I sniffed.
    ‘Mmmmn. Either way you need a bit of protection – it’s time you started speaking to Glasgow Joe.’ Lavender walked back to the window as if that was an end to the matter. Even if I didn’t want to admit it to her, I could see her point – she was getting married in two days’ time and the best man and the matron of honour weren’t speaking. In fact, I hadn’t spoken to my ex-husband for nearly six months.
    I needed to change the subject.
    ‘And what are you doing in the office anyway – two days before you get married and just before Christmas?’
    ‘Unlike you, my presents were all wrapped before the start of November, and in case you hadn’t noticed …’ She waved her arm around. Lavender’s wedding had taken over the offices of Lothian and St Clair – the filing cabinets bursting with contact details for florists, dressmakers and limousines and the million other seemingly vital bits of the bridezilla armoury.
    ‘There’s something more happening up at the Castle Rock.’
    Lavender pressed her nose to the glass.
    ‘Did you ever doubt it?’ Lavender asked, as her voice started to crack. ‘Another victim of the Ripper?’
    ‘No, no – it doesn’t have to be. Absolutely not,’ I said, too hastily. She was getting married in the castle and I didn’t want anything to spoil her day. Not even my feud with Joe. ‘It’s probably a suicide: single people get very lonely at this time of year.’
    ‘Speaking from personal experience?’ she quipped.
    I turned my head, not willing to let her see just how close she was to the truth on both counts.

Chapter Two
     
     
    Lothian and St Clair W.S.
Saturday 22 December, 8.30 a.m.
    ‘Do you have a death wish, girl?’
    Lord MacGregor shook his head in disgust and threw the weekend paper down on my desk. A silver foil container tipped over, scattering cold chicken and fried rice everywhere.
    ‘That,’ he continued, pointing to the offending article, ‘is professional suicide.’
    Watching him out of the corner of my eye, I refused to turn round. I knew what my grandfather was referring to, and I didn’t want to face his anger. Maybe it had been a foolish move on my part; even he’d acknowledged I’d been keeping my nose clean and avoiding trouble until now. Plus I hated disappointing him, which was something I seemed to have a knack for.
    ‘What do you think about this?’ He picked up the article again, and threw it down in front of Lavender. She clapped her hands sarcastically.
    ‘Very dramatic,’ she said. ‘Maybe that’s where Brodie gets her antics from.’ Looking directly into his eyes she added: ‘They do say the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree.’
    Using her hand she cleared away the debris of my last night’s meal and threw it in the bin.
    ‘Seriously,’ said Lord MacGregor, shaking his head in disbelief.
    ‘Seriously, you’re a well-matched pair of drama queens!’ Lavender snorted and sat down in my seat, opening the offending article out in front of her.
    Lawyer Could Force Judges to Declare They Are Masons
    ‘So you asked a judge if he was a Mason.’ Lavender rattled the newspaper noisily before placing it down on the desk again. ‘I hate to say it … but His Lordship has a point.’
    Lavender had been told by my Grandad to call him by his Christian name, but she refused. He was now known to everyone in the office as His Lordship. Initially, it was her way of getting at him, but now they were allies. He had won her over and he was giving her away when she married Eddie on Christmas Eve.
    I kept my back firmly to them; I wasn’t turning round to face their torrent of abuse, especially now I had admitted to myself they were right. The