Just after three in the afternoon, Ellen suggested a stroll with the dogs around the village and up into the woods. Laura had returned from the beach via the butchers, with a large piece of pork, and they had been poring over recipes ever since lunch. Eventually they agreed on a straightforward roast with some apples from the tree in the garden, but Ellen was adamant that the sweet chestnuts up in Dunwich wood would be ripe and the perfect accompaniment.
They walked and chatted about everything and nothing. Books they've both read recently, a play they were planning to see at the end of November. Laura asked again about Alec, and was reassured when Ellen dismissed the topic lightly. As was her way, Laura had said very little about herself. It wasn't that she was deliberately evasive…she was just far better at asking questions and listening than she was at holding forth. The woods were practically deserted, the daytrippers long gone. They located the chestnut trees easily, and soon had filled the small basket with the shiny brown nuts. Ben and Jerry, Ellen's enormous Labs assisted in the task, prickling their inquisitive snouts on the sharp casings. The task completed, they set off back in the direction of the cottage.
"So what's new with you?"
Laura started slightly, her thoughts having been on the sound of waves receding behind them as the wind picked up along the cliff,
"Me?"
Ellen smiled patiently, well-used to Laura's reticence.
"Just normal….extra normal."
"Any interesting cases?"
Laura launched into a detailed description of the latest puzzle from Peterson's case, and pretty soon even Ellen's analytical brain had lost track of which parts of the tests were contradictory. She furrowed her brow, though, and biting her lip maintained her best impression of understanding.
"…And so the insulin spiked several minutes after the data from the paramedics timed the death, which means that it must have been part of the intravenous feed…"
Ellen smiled, suddenly seeing the solution,
"…and so it was the nurse? The one who had looked after him for over a decade?"
Laura nodded, the excitement at the solution tinged by the tragedy of the crime.
"Was Peterson the cute one?"
Laura smiled patiently, fixing Ellen with a knowing look,
"Both you and I know that I'm not going to answer that…"
Ellen pouted and stuck out her tongue, making Laura shake her head and laugh out loud.
"You're a complete idiot, you know that?"
Ellen merely shrugged and chivying the largest and slowest of the dogs on, decided to give the subject a break. Laura was impossible to tease at the best of times, and there was definitely something on her mind this weekend. She hadn't asked…she knew it would have the opposite effect anyway.
They walked slowly now, the dogs visibly tiring. Laura adjusted her scarf as the autumn chill began to settle around her shoulders,
"Robbie and I have started seeing each other"
It took every drop of Ellen's training not to let the expression of shock and confusion show on her face. The only sign she gave of hearing the softly spoken words was a slight shift in her gait and a curious glance to the side.
"Really?"
"Hmmm…"
Things began to fall into place…the edginess, the strange fluctuation between enthusiasm and withdrawing into herself, the quietness. Goodness. They exchanged another glance, and Ellen was surprised to see a steely determination in her friend's eyes.
"Are you sure?"
Three little words. Ellen knew exactly what to say, which button to press and how hard.
To her credit, Laura only hesitated a moment.
"Yes, I am"
Silence. Nothing but the crunch of leaves under their feet. Laura knew how Ellen would play it…she'd wait. She wouldn't say anything, she'd just wait and let the uncertainty reveal itself. As it inevitably would. As it always did. They crossed another path, the canopy of trees gradually growing denser, the light paler as the sun began to set.
"He's a good man, Ellen"
"Laura, he deserted you…he accused you of withholding evidence, he let those people take you, and he didn't even have the decency to visit you afterwards. He disappeared for weeks."
"I know."
She knew that Ellen wouldn't labour the point now, she didn't need to. As she'd anticipated, her friend did not approve, and there would be no dissuading her until she had clear evidence to the contrary. And after the hours she'd spent on the phone to Ellen during those weeks after her attack, she couldn't really blame her. It seemed futile to argue. In spite of the painful memories, though, she felt strangely, fiercely protective of him. It didn't matter what Ellen thought, not really. It didn't matter what anyone thought.
They walked in silence for a long while, the leaves crunching under their feet, the cool evening light fading as the sun dipped below the horizon. As they reached the edge of the village, though, Ellen quickened her step to catch up with Laura, and took her hand in hers, squeezing her fingers tightly, by way of silent apology. It wasn't a retraction, Laura knew her too well to read it as that, but definitely a reconciliation.
It was just after seven, after she slid the heavy roasting pan into the Aga, that Laura snuck back out to the beach. It was a bizarre, eerie place, Dunwich. A whole town lost to the sea, sunk beneath the waves. The beach was empty, the dim lights of a few fishing boats far out, but the moon was almost full. The whole cliff was visible, its rough edges hewn away by the storms of many winters. She shivered a little, in spite of the enormous coat she was wearing, and sat down on the shingle.
She hadn't really needed to leave the house to call him, the signal was fine in her room, but she wanted some space nonetheless. Ellen had judiciously opted not to mention the subject once they'd got home, and she didn't want to open the discussion again. Not that it had been a discussion.
She extracted her phone and with chilled fingers, located his number.
"Hi Laura…how's it going?"
She smiled, the tension of the afternoon immediately easing at the sound of his calm, deep voice,
"It's good. I'm sitting on the beach"
"What the bloody hell are you doing sitting on the beach in the dark?"
She giggled, and wrapped the coat tightly around her,
"I'm enjoying the peace and quiet…and escaping Ellen's judgmental ears"
"So you told her…"
There was caution in his voice, and she wondered if he was as nervous as she had been,
"Mmmm. Do you mind?"
"Of course not…look I can't go into it all now, but I think it was a good idea"
Again, she heard the hesitation in his tone and put two and two together,
"You're not on your own are you?"
"Nope…but it's fine. I haven't got anything to hide, pet"
She smiled, partly from the casual way he used the endearment, partly because of his honesty. She couldn't resist,
"You realise that James is going to want a full postmortem when he gets back, don't you?"
"Well, that's not really my line of expertise, is it? Might have to defer to your superior qualifications an' all that"
"You're teasing me Detective Inspector…"
He glanced over at Gray, and decided ruefully that flirting shamelessly on the phone with Laura wasn't the most profession demonstration he could give. He sighed audibly, and sensing his frustration she changed the subject immediately,
"So how's it going?"
"Fine. Should be charging them on Monday morning; things are tying up nicely actually, for once"
"That's great."
"Is everything alright?"
"Hmm…fine."
A fisherman was trudging across the shingle, his rod bag swung across his back, the storm light swinging gently as he moved.
"You just seem a bit quiet"
"I'm fine, Robbie…just tired. We did a lot of walking today"
"So how's Ellen? Has Alec made an appearance yet?"
"She's….well, she's Ellen. He's long-gone, and she's throwing herself into her work as usual. She's actually pretty good, all things considered. To be honest, she's been more interested in my mental health than her own"
"Now you have got me worried, pet…"
"I'm fine. She's overreacting, as usual. If Ellen had her way, we'd all be in therapy and would sit around talking about our fears and regrets all day long and nothing would ever get done."
She said it lightly, with a faint chuckle, and yet something rang a little hollow. But suddenly conscious of his audience, Robbie thought better than to pry,
"Well, as long as you're having a good time"
She smiled wryly and leant back on the shingle, looking up at the stars. It was a beautifully clear night. It would be bitterly cold in the morning, and her breath was almost visible,
"I'm fine. I'm looking forward to Monday night...it will be good to see you"
It sounded strangely formal, but he shrugged it off,
"Me too. We need to talk, Laura, I know that…"
"I don't want it to change anything"
She said it hurriedly, the words spilling out before she'd really given them conscious thought. He frowned, hearing the anxiety quite plainly, and he spoke slowly, carefully,
"It won't. I promise. Don't worry."
"OK"
Her voice was quiet, but calm, and he hoped it was enough,
"Look, I need to crack on here…are you ok?"
"Yeah, just enjoying the stars…and freezing to death"
"I wish I was there…apart from the freezing bit. Can't say that sounds quite so appealing."
"I wouldn't be freezing if you were"
He grinned at the thought, and cast a quick glance at Gray who, he suddenly realised, had put on his iWhatever and was listening to something through the earphones, bless him.
"What time are you back tomorrow?"
She sighed,
"I'm not sure. I wasn't planning to drive home until Monday…the roads will be quieter in the morning after the rush hour"
If he was disappointed, he hid it perfectly,
"Sounds like a plan. Just so long as I get me dinner"
"Any idea what you'd like?"
"You know me, anything that doesn't come out of a plastic tray would be a treat"
She chuckled, her mind already filling with ideas,
"You're going to have to learn to cook, you know…I do have some standards…"
He smiled, making a mental note to quiz Hathaway on his return for some books,
"I'm very good at carving up, you know…"
She tutted and outright laughed at him,
"No way…that's definitely my area of expertise"
"Aw…you're disgusting, you know that, don't you?"
She smirked, amused, as always, by his obvious shudder of horror,
"I know….but it's why you love me"
The words tripped out easily, thoughtlessly, and the whisper of a pause before he answered stretched out between them,
"Hmm…I suppose it must be"
He smiled to himself as she took an audible deep breath. He was pretty certain she hadn't meant to say that. There was a pause, and he could almost hear the cogs turning,
"So are you having anything nice for dinner then?"
She smiled, thankful that he hadn't pushed her,
"Yes…roast pork. In fact, I probably should head back to the house and get the vegetables on"
He groaned,
"Aw man that sounds good…remind me again why I'm sat in the office with the remains of a cheese toastie and a can of Red Bull?"