Chapter 3
She was perched on the dresser watching him adjust the clip on tie. An amused expression lighting her face, "You really should have opted to tie your own."
Pulling at the tie, he grumbled, "If you'll recall you always tied these. I never learned."
A fleeting look of sadness rippled across her features, "Then a clip on will have to do. A little to the left." He made the adjustment, staring fixedly into the mirror. "I've always liked you in formal attire."
"And all of these years I thought you loved my working class demeanor."
"Oh, I do. But as a change of pace this is delicious."
He scoffed, "Delicious."
Leaning into him, she lowered her voice to a husky voice. "Did you never notice your formal wear always ended up in a pile on the floor at the end of a night?"
"Fat chance of that happening tonight."
"The Chief Super not to your liking?"
"It's bad enough I have to go to this thing, there's no need to torture me."
She cocked her head toward the other room, "Not so loud, the dishy sergeant will wonder who you're talking to."
"Dishy? Really?"
"Oh yes, I bet he looks really good in formal wear." Her laughter followed behind him as he started talking to James. "And out of it."
She wasn't waiting for him when he got home. The evening hadn't been a complete bust. He was fairly certain he'd rattled Linn, too bad he hadn't been able to keep up with him. At least it had gotten him out of the evening early.
He was changed and making a cup of tea when he heard her, "I missed the show."
"It was boring, chamber music or some such."
"I know, I rather like Schubert. Much better than Wagner. The show I meant was you undressing."
"Not sure my undressing is a show. Wait, you were there?"
She rolled her eyes, "Well you didn't think I just sit around here waiting on you to come home. I spent our entire marriage doing that. At least then I had the kids to keep me busy."
"Val…"
"I'm not complaining, Robbie. I loved our life, but it would have been nice to have had you in it more often. To actually have had another half."
"You heard the Chief Super? I'm not looking for another half, Val. Not now, perhaps never."
"I hope that's not out of some misplaced sense of loyalty. Because I want you to be happy."
Walking away, he switched off the lights, ending the conversation. "Who says I'm not happy?"
Standing in the dark, she didn't follow him. Merely whispered, "I do."
He pulled on his tie as he walked through the door of his flat. The squeaking hinges made the pain behind his eyes increase. As soon as he changed, he would get rid of that noise.
"Don't."
He shook his head, not in the mood to see her, hear her. "Don't what, Val?"
"Don't fix the squeak."
"It annoys me."
She shrugged, "I like it. It lets me know you are safe."
"The flat's not that big, you'd hear the door opening."
"Do you remember our first flat?"
He shook his head, "Not really. I'm sure it was awful."
She laughed, "Oh, it was. The plumbing made awful noises, the hot water didn't work half the time and you worked horrible hours, deep into the night."
"What's the point, Val?"
"The door to the flat squeaked. It always woke me when you came home in the middle of the night. I begged you to fix it. You told me no because it was our warning against intruders." He laughed, scrubbing his hand across his face. "I grew to love that squeak because it meant you were home, were safe."
"Val?"
"Don't fix it, Robbie. For me?"
Knowing he'd lost the fight, he nodded. "The squeak stays."
"You look beat."
"Case hit too close to home."
"Don't let her anger poison who you are, Robbie."
"I'm angry, Val. I understand her thinking. The person who killed you stole our life."
She shook her head, "No, Robbie. He ended my life but you're still here. Don't let him end both of our lives."