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nodded. ‘We’ll leave you to it, then,’ he said and, much to Bill’s relief, led the way back upstairs.

EIGHT
    A lec and Naomi had gone out house hunting. Truthfully, neither of them really wanted to settle in this current location in the Northamptonshire countryside, beautiful though it was. It was just that bit too far from the sea for Alec’s liking. They examined what Alec told her was a very nice looking bungalow in a quarter acre garden and while Naomi agreed that there seemed to be lots of space in the big rooms and the roses in the garden were lovely, the kitchen and one of the bedrooms smelt of cats and she wasn’t convinced that even stripping out the carpets and scrubbing the boards would get rid of that particular stink. Napoleon forgot himself for a moment and hoovered eagerly at the new scents, then remembered he was supposed to be working and pressed himself close to Naomi’s leg.
    â€˜Who lived here?’ she asked.
    â€˜An elderly lady,’ the estate agent told her.
    And her cats, Naomi added silently.
    â€˜And, yes, it does need work. We said that in our details.’
    â€˜New kitchen and bathroom for a start,’ Alec said.
    â€˜Well, yes, but once it’s done … she was a very elderly lady. Had to go into a home and then she died.’
    So, what happened to the cats, Naomi thought.
    â€˜And now the family want a quick sale, so hence the good price.’
    â€˜Not so good once you take account of all the work that would have to be done,’ Alec objected. ‘New kitchen, new bathroom and we’d have to install an en suite and the windows look like they haven’t been painted in decades …’
    â€˜I’m sure they would be open to offers,’ the estate agent said firmly. ‘It’s still a very good buy …’
    Naomi tuned them out and listened to the sad little house. She could hear how large the rooms were and almost catch the sounds of the ghosts that had once loved this place. It could be lovely, she thought, but it was not for them. She wondered what was.
    They returned to their car and, without bothering to ask her, Alec phoned and cancelled their next booked viewing.
    â€˜It’s not working, is it?’ he said.
    â€˜Not really. No. Maybe we should just go back home? Try and make it ours again.’
    â€˜Do you think we could?’
    She hesitated and then shook her head. ‘No. You know what’s strange, Alec?’
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜The one place I keep thinking about, thinking maybe I could settle there was that little cottage down in Somerset.’
    She could feel Alec’s disbelieving stare. ‘I’d have thought that was one place you’d never want to go back to. Naomi, I nearly lost you there. I couldn’t …’
    â€˜Alec.’ She laid a hand on his arm, stroking the smooth fabric of his shirt. ‘I know it isn’t logical, but you know, I won that one. I scored a victory. It turned out all right. Since then, not much has. You know?’
    She could almost hear the wheels turning as he processed that and tried to work it out. Alec started the car, signalled and pulled slowly away.
    â€˜That last place stank of cats,’ she said.
    â€˜Yes, I noticed. The bowls and litter tray were still in the kitchen, four bowls so presumably four cats. And there was a book on the living room chair. It had been left open and there was a pair of glasses next to it and a cup on the table and hair brushes on the dressing table. It was as if she’d just walked out.’
    â€˜I think she died there,’ Naomi confirmed. ‘Despite what the agent said. People don’t like to think about that, do they? Even though it’s inevitable if a house has any age to it.’ And if the death had been a violent one …
    â€˜Alec, accept that cash offer for the house. I don’t think we’ll better it, not even if we wait.’
    â€˜You