Three Months Later

The canal looked different in autumn.

The summer’s scorched brown had softened to rust and gold. Mist clung to the water, blurred the opposite bank. A new bench stood by Lock 5, its wood still pale, its brass plaque bright.

IN MEMORY OF
KAREN CARTER
JANE TILLOTSON
JOY DAVIES
RACHEL EVANS
ELIZABETH RUSSELL
JOSIE YATES
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

A smaller line had been engraved beneath.

AND ALL WHO WERE USED AND DISCARDED

Georgie ran her fingertips lightly over the letters.

“You did it, ladies,” she said under her breath. “Took your time. But you did.”

The investigation had not been neat. Real ones never were. There had been charging decisions, plea bargains, deals th...

Please subscribe to keep reading.