Page 52 of The Killer’s Mark

Poe grunted. ‘She’ll have to exist first,’ he said.

‘She doesn’t?’

‘Not according to Tilly. Can’t find any record of her. We think it’s her mother who lives as the ghost. Esmerée just took her name.’

‘A ghost by default.’

‘Yup.’

‘Does she know?’

‘She does. Tilly told her.’

‘How did she take it?’

‘Better than I would have. She swore a bit, sulked a bit. Got over it.’

‘I really like her, Poe.’

‘Me too. She’s refreshingly angry.’

‘So were you when we first met.’

‘That’s because I thought my mother had abandoned me as a child.’

Estelle raised an eyebrow. ‘Thought?’

Poe winced as he realised his mistake. He hadn’t told Estelle the truth about what had happened to his mother. He hadn’t told anyone.

She didn’t push it. ‘She reminds me of me too, though,’ she said. ‘You remember I told you how angry my father got when I told him I wanted to be a pathologist?’

‘You didn’t speak for years.’

‘He made it as difficult for me as possible. Removed all my support networks. Cut me off financially. I know our circumstances are vastly different, but this must be how Esmerée has felt all her life. She’s never had anyone on her side before.’

Poe put down his coffee. ‘She does now,’ he said.

Estelle nodded. ‘Yes, she does.’

‘Who’s on what side now?’ Esmerée said, walking into the kitchen bleary-eyed and yawning. ‘And where’s the Till-meister?’

‘Pretending to sleep,’ Poe said. ‘She does it so she can assimilate with the humans.’

Estelle finished her coffee and stood. ‘You’re with Poe today, Esmerée.’

‘Well, that sucks.’

‘Thanks,’ Poe said.

‘Today’s post-mortem comes with caveats,’ Estelle explained. ‘One of which is that everyone in the room must be vetted. I didn’t think you’d want me submitting your name to Northumbria Police.’

Esmerée scowled. ‘You got that right, Doc. I’ll stay here with Brunton and that asshole dog of Poe’s.’

‘You’re coming with me to Carlisle,’ Poe said.

‘Why?’

‘Because my car’s still there. Because that’s where Tilly and I work. And more importantly, yesterday somebody was killed because they were about to tell me something about your mother’s tattoo. The three of us are going to figure out why.’