Read The Teacher: A shocking and compelling new crime thriller – NOT for the faint-hearted! for Free Online Page A

back into reality.
    ‘What time is it?’ He looked up at the windows, almost surprised at the warm dusk light that had crept up on them.
    ‘It’s seven p.m. now, I don’t normally work this late but we did make a lot of progress, you have been a great help.’
    ‘Yikes! Seven! I should get home.’
    ‘Sorry, I should have thought, your wife must be worried.’
    ‘Yes, Sally will be worried … and she will probably want feeding and some exercise.’ He smirked at Abbey’s confused and slightly embarrassed face. ‘She’s my dog.’
    Abbey blushed, hoping to God he didn’t think she was fishing for information, she wasn’t, she wouldn’t. Somehow she knew the thought never crossed his mind.
    After Parker’s departure, the museum was desolate. Abbey was just leaving when she walked past the front desk. The samurai was standing ever poised in his glass case by the entrance. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end as she allowed herself to properly look at him in this light. He was still, he couldn’t hurt her or anybody else, but still she felt him staring, his hand on his katana.
    ‘Still here?’
    She spun round to see Shane right behind her, he was just wearing a white vest, the anthology of his life exposed in the form of tattoos. The ink consisted of tribal markings and thorny roses, a clichéd assortment. He flexed his muscles as he pulled his shirt on, she was unsure what he was trying to achieve, was he trying to frighten her? Even though she was alone she didn’t feel scared of him.
    ‘I’m just leaving now.’ She moved towards the door.
    ‘I saw you with that weird guy, the new one.’ Shane smiled and moved in closer as he did up the buttons on his shirt. ‘He’s too good for you. You know that, don’t you?’
    Abbey put her hand on her bag; it wouldn’t take much to just glide her fingers inside it. Her tools were in there along with her trusty scalpel. He wouldn’t even feel the blade sink into his skin, the steel was so sharp it would only occur to him when he saw the blood and clutched at his throat, desperate to stop his life from ebbing away. She knew where to cut him so it would be quick, she knew her way around a scalpel. She wondered if the arterial spray would even show up on these hideous red walls. She moved her hand away and placed it on the handle to the external door.
    ‘Don’t forget to lock up,’ she said as she slipped outside, her heart thumping. She looked down the museum steps to see Parker standing there, waiting. ‘I thought you went home?’
    ‘It occurred to me you were on your own in the museum with Shane, and I can see you don’t care for him much.’
    ‘How do you know that?’ Abbey said as she walked down the steps towards him. She didn’t like the idea that anyone knew what she might be thinking or feeling, that those things might be obvious in any way made her feel exposed.
    ‘I just notice things like that,’ he said quietly, before taking a deep breath. ‘I thought maybe I could walk you home, it’s almost dark.’ He shuffled uncomfortably.
    ‘What about your dog?’ Abbey looked back up at the museum and saw Shane coming outside hurriedly, she saw his eyes searching until they met hers and brightened a little, before his gaze shifted a little and he saw Parker standing next to her. Shane’s disappointment was evident as his lopsided sneer turned into a scowl.
    ‘She will get over it, we have an understanding.’ He smiled and followed Abbey, she turned to see Shane walk in the other direction as Parker remained oblivious to his presence.
    For the next few weeks Abbey and Parker worked in silence. His enthusiasm for the task was unrelenting, every day he would be there early, ready and raring to go, working through lunch and at the end of the day he would wait for her outside and walk her home. He never bothered her with silly questions or idle small talk, for most of the time Parker was lost in his own world. At work he would often