She froze, then shook her head. “I could do with some clean clothes. And I stink of bar. We can go whenever you’re ready. I don’t want to put you out.”
“It’s my job.”
“It’s also your day off. You could get someone else to come with me.”
That had already occurred to him. That was exactly what he should be doing; getting someone on duty to go back with her to check the place and getting on with the rest of his day. The sky was bright blue and cloudless and he’d promised himself a morning of making something for Keren and Scott then a climb.
“I could.” He hated lying, unless it was necessary, and actually a little bit of the truth he was pretty sure he knew was important here. “But as far as I know, you’ve never had anyone in your house since you moved there and no one knows anything about where you actually came from, so I’m thinking you’re hiding something.”
This time she stayed frozen, her mouth slightly open. Abby Walker wasn’t good at lying on her feet.
“I’m not going to ask any questions.” He started to walk towards her. “But know this: if you have something going on that you’re worried about I might be able to help. Just because I’m a cop doesn’t mean I don’t have secrets.”
Holy shit. Did he have secrets.
They walkedfrom Alex’s house to Abby’s tiny terraced house. The town was quiet, just a few people milling about on the high street. The café owners and bars were getting ready for a busy day – good weather brought out the tourists. Some would head to Severton to trail around streets, bobbing into the shops and seeing the historical sites, like the monastery and various supposedly religious relics. The bones of a saint were meant to be held in one of the churches and several of Severton’s traditions stemmed from various religious observances.
Then there were the hikers and the climbers, the people who came to paraglide from the tops of some of the Peaks and teenagers who were looking for somewhere private to hang out away from the eyes of any elders. An hour’s walk away was the Tarn, a deep metallic blue lake, where lovers and kids would hang out on a day like this, seeking privacy and excitement, of any sort.
This evening there would be barbecues and drunken revelry and he wasn’t on duty. Not officially anyway.
“Did your colleague mention anything weird when he checked my place out?” They were almost the first words Abby had said since they’d left his cottage.
Alex shook his head. “Nothing unusual, but he didn’t go in, obviously. We’ll do that now.”
She nodded, taking her bag off her shoulder as they got closer. “I don’t spend much time there.”
“I figured. You’re always working.” She was, either at Scott’s bar or at Sorrell’s hotel. He knew she needed the money and she definitely didn’t spend any of it because she didn’t have time. “What do you do when you get a day off?”
“Go outside. I like this area.”
She climbed. Even though she was thin – he wouldn’t have said skinny – her arms and legs were muscular. She had a climber’s build.
“What do you do outside?”
“Walk. Run.”
Alex glanced at her. “I know you climb.” He took a deep breath. “I used to read your blog until you stopped writing it.”
She stopped walking. They were just outside her door, so it could’ve been that but he knew it wasn’t. He’d just thrown a curve ball, one he’d been holding for at least eighteen months.
“What?”
He shrugged. “Let’s check out inside. Does everything look normal out here?”
She nodded, fumbling with her keys. “You can’t say anything.”
He grinned. “I haven’t so far.”
“How did you know?”
“Dying your hair doesn’t make that much difference. Why did you stop?”
She made a noise that sounded like a frustrated growl.
The door opened and he entered first, stilling as soon as he took three steps inside.
It was a mess. Papers were strewn everywhere and a cushion looked like it had been slashed and the stuffing torn out.
