Page 89 of Criminally Yours

“I’ll pop over to Joyce’s and give her the last cupcake. I want to thank her for the food. Okay?”

He nodded. “Keep your notifications on.”

While she was gone, he spoke with Bear about the next steps with Hugo and his dad.

Millie returned within the hour. As he made coffee, he sensed her behind him. She shook like her world was crumbling.

“Sit with me on the decking?” he asked.

She followed him but remained silent. Her fake wedding ring sparkled in the sunlight.

“Millie, what are you scared to tell me?”

Before she replied, his phone rang.

“Luke,” Strike said, “you’re on speakerphone, and Millie’s here. What’s up? Please tell me it’s good news.”

“I got into the phone.”

“Thank fuck,” Strike grunted.

“But I’m having issues with loading the video. We might lose it for good, but I’m transferring it to another system to work on it there.”

“Okay.” Strike smiled at Millie, but her face creased with hints of anxiety.

“Millie, did you load anything new on your phone on the day of the incident? A couple of apps can cause problems.”

“No. All the apps have been there for a while.”

“Cool.” Luke made a clicking sound with his tongue. “There’s an app on your phone I don’t recognise. This could be what’s causing issues. It keeps flagging on my programmes. It’s called Hack Chat. I’ll look it up.”

Millie grabbed Strike’s mobile. “Don’t. It’s an anonymous sexting app.”

Strike stared at Millie, who closed her eyes and dropped her head.

“Oh. Right,” Luke stuttered. “It’s possibly that or something with other software. I’ll run more checks. I’ll be in touch.”

“I look forward to it,” Strike replied, peering at Millie.

She handed him the phone and backed away inside the house, but he caught up with her, blocking her exit to the corridor.

“Don’t hide from me, Millie. Why are you freaking out about the app?” His voice was low and imploring.

“I’m not freaking out.”

She reared away, turning on her heel, heading to the kitchen. He followed her. “What’s wrong?”

She rounded on him.

“I was going to tell you today. I promise.” She took deep breaths. “I talk to men on the app. I say the dirtiest things. Sometimes, I play with myself when I talk to strangers. I like to be wanted, to be slutty. I didn’t meet with any of them.”

“Why are you ashamed?”

Her jaw was tight as she met his stare. “Because the things I say that turn me on would freak you out. They make me feel like I’m someone to be wanted rather than pitied. I lap up how men dominate me. I’m not who you think I am. You’ve put me on a pedestal. I don’t deserve or want to be there. Talking with these guys was the only time I felt sexy and like a woman. I felt in control, and it helped me get off.”

His pulse quickened. Jealousy gripped him at the revelation that other men got to speak to her like this. But he was more curious than freaked out. “There’s nothing wrong with that, if that’s what you like. I know you’ve changed. If they got you off that way, though, why didn’t you meet?”

Tears brimmed her eyes, and she swiped them away angrily. He held her shoulders, but she shrugged him off. “Because I can’t do the physical thing. I’ve never been with anyone. No boyfriends, no hookups, no fuck buddies. There’s no one. There hasn’t been anyone since you.”