“I heard that the police were in Cara’s house. It came from Caleb who’d heard it this afternoon, so it could be gossip. That’s not why I’m here though.” I wondered why I was being about as coherent as half-drunk teenager.
“Why are you here then? Is something the matter?” Worry came back in a tidal wave.
I shook my head and grinned, hoping I looked cheerful rather than weirdly stalker-like, which I definitely wasn’t.
Was I?
Romy was attractive and intelligent, and it’d been good to talk to her on Friday night, to have an adult conversation that wasn’t about education or divorce. But divorce was a topic because that was what I’d been going through and going out with the first woman I found attractive who seemed to be interested in me – judging by the way she was blushing right now – wasn’t the best idea for anyone.
“I went for a walk after dinner. Which was at the Puffin Inn again. I didn’t know where you lived – or at least I didn’t know how to get there. I found you by mistake.” I was definitely waffling.
But she was laughing now, which was a win given she’d looked almost terrified before.
“Wine?” Was her response.
“It’d be rude not to. As long as it’s not crap? Do you drink the stuff out of boxes?” I had my own fear of boxed wine, one stemming from being drunk as a sixteen-year-old and puking my guts up for the remainder of the night.
“I definitely don’t. You can chose between a sauvignon blanc or a rosé – the red isn’t open, I’m afraid.”
“What are you having?” I followed her having already walked into the front garden, through the gate into the back where Mia and Heidi were playing in a mud kitchen.
“Rosé. I’m hoping my mood turns rosy with it. Come through and excuse the mess. I could say having two children around makes it messier, but this is Heidi’s work. She’s like a hurricane.” She led the way through the back door into the kitchen, which was much tidier than my own and I hadn’t been doing any cooking.
The fridge was a retro style one, the kitchen large and modern, a surprise given how the front of the house looked. Romy produced the wine and poured two large glasses, offering me one at the same time as taking a mouthful from her glass.
“So Cara’s house?”
She swallowed and nodded, sitting down at the kitchen table which had a neat pile of colouring books on it and a pot of pens.
“The police got the key off the landlord – which they possibly should’ve done on Friday. For all we know she could’ve had an accident indoors and we wouldn’t have known.” She toyed with a pencil crayon from the pot.
“Although Mia did say Cara had told her she was going away.”
“True. Anyway, Cara wasn’t in the house, but someone had been. The place had been ransacked. We were meant to go in and pack some of Mia’s things, her toys and clothes that she wanted to have with her, but we weren’t able to go in because they needed to get forensics in. My friend – Liv – is a detective sergeant and she was there when we turned up. She said it looked like someone had been in there looking for something.” Romy took a smaller sip. “That’s nice. I feel guilty for having a drink in case I need to take Mia somewhere, but I think she might be staying with me for a while, so –” she shrugged.
“If you need a lift anywhere, I’m sure there’d be someone who could help out.” It couldn’t be me as I’d now had a drink, but any other time I’d offer.
“There would be. And I checked with the social worker who said it was fine, I could carry on like I was when I just had Heidi here. Liv’s coming round in a bit with some of Mia’s things and an update – I take it school hasn't been told anything?” She put down the crayon but I could tell she was itching to carry on fiddling with it.
We had fidget toys for the children in school, especially for those who found fiddling with something helped them to concentrate or made them feel calmer. I made a note to get some for Romy.
As a friend, or potential friend. The parent of a pupil in my school.
That was all.
“We’ll probably be called to a meeting tomorrow. Could it’ve been Cara who was looking through things in her own home? Did it look like anyone had broken in?”
“Not from the front, although someone could’ve gotten in from the back. Cara could even have left a door unlocked, or she might’ve left the key like she promised Mia and someone else got it. Shit – I should’ve mentioned that to the police.” She sounded irritated.
“Tell your friend when she gets here. Did she mention when they thought someone had been in?”
Romy shook her head. “Nothing and I didn’t think to ask. The social worker – Sue - was with us and I’d just had a meeting with her about Mia staying with me, so everything had been a bit, well, everywhere. She took Mia and Heidi for ice cream after so I had an hour to myself, which was good because I could do a food shop without Madame Sugar Addict asking for chocolate every two aisles, and I’m rambling.”
I was also smiling.
“You’re allowed to. You’ve had a busy day.” A strange one too, I guessed. “So Mia’s staying with you on a special guardianship order?”
“She is. I think a judge has to approve it, and they have to do checks on me and Joel’s mum because she’ll help out babysitting sometimes, and there were lots of questions, which I get, because they need to make sure I’m not some unsavoury character.”
