“The house is secure. When Roe does something like that, you know only he can break into it.” Roman rested a hand at the back of Amelie’s neck, a gesture that seemed too intimate to watch.
“I know. But knowing Romy she’ll be brooding over what’s happened and making it her fault.”
I slid off the stool I’d been sitting on. “Hold my breakfast. I’ll go and see if she’s home. She’s probably having a party back there.” I doubted it, given what’d happened to Cara’s house. “Is Liv still around?”
“I’m not sure,” Amelie said. “They were speaking to residents about an hour ago. But I don’t know where she went after that.”
I downed the coffee quickly, which was still probably too hot, and walked at pace back towards the cottages. A couple of police cars were on the road, one slowing down next to me.
“Cassian,” Liv shouted out of the passenger seat. “Have you seen Romy?”
“I’m on my way to her now. Going to see if she wants to watch the rugby in town.” I stopped walking, the police car now stationary.
“Good. She might. You heard what happened with Cara’s house and next door?”
I nodded. “Found out from Amelie.”
“Whoever did it is brave. We’ve had regular patrols going past Cara’s as well as Romy’s, and they managed to get inside and rifle through everything that they didn’t do last time, then tried next door.”
“How did they get in?”
“The key. Probably the key left out for Mia last week. They got into Jayne’s with her spare key as well, which she kept under a plant pot on the step – not obvious at all. You’re a big city boy,can you get Romy to check where she might have things that make it easy to get in or out of her house? I was going to head up there now, but the boss wants us in for a briefing.”
“Will do. I’ll sleep on Romy’s sofa if she’s worried. Wouldn’t be less comfy than the bed I’m in.”
Liv gave me a long and very judgemental look. “Hmmm.”
“I’ll let you get to your briefing.”
I was at Romy’s five minutes later, sweat on my brow. Romy’s car was parked on the road, although that didn’t mean anything as Puffin Bay was a short walk away, but I heard music as I opened the gate.
The bangs I made on the door when I knocked could’ve woken the dead, but they didn’t wake Romy’s attention. I tried the door. Locked. At least that was one good thing.
I walked around the side of the cottage, a lilac tree ambushing me with a mouthful of leaves. The music was louder, suggesting Romy was in the garden. I tried the gate lock, that was secured too.
I called her name, two, three times.
No answer.
Time to test Roe’s system. I used a nearby wheely bin to get leverage, jumping up onto that and then over the gate, the drop enough to make a noise but not enough to break a leg or two.
There was still no indication from Romy that she’d heard me. I headed down the side of the cottage, my heart rate hitting those rapid beats. I was concerned that she hadn’t heard anything. Was she unconscious somewhere, or just oblivious. Different scenarios ran through my head.
What didn’t was an image of Romy in a bikini, holding a cricket bat.
That was what I got.
“Shit. I’m so sorry.” She rubbed at my arm where she’d caught me with the side of the bat, thankfully not at full whack.
The pain was minimal. The sight of her wearing a blue dot bikini was not. She had curves which I’d not been unaware of before, but in a bikini they were unmissable. And I was staring and not even trying to hide it.
“Are you sure I didn’t hurt you anywhere else?” She squeezed my bicep.
I was hurting somewhere else, but not somewhere I was going to draw her attention to. All blood had headed south, my brain and body processing the most perfect pair of tits I’d ever seen and I hadn’t even seen them properly.
Yet.
“Honestly, I’m fine. Your aim’s terrible.”
