along without you very well lately. I can do that again.’
Then, uncharacteristically, he’d raised his voice. ‘Will you stop this? I’m tired of fighting with you. All these years, every time we get close, we let something come between us and one of us lashes out or walks away. I’m sick and tired of it, Carol. I want us to be at peace with each other. You’re right. Neither of us has anyone else who even comes close to the way we understand each other. You can’t manage without me and I can’t manage without you.’ He punched one fist into the other palm. ‘Just. Please. Stop it.’
Carol reached out blindly to Flash, who laid her head on her mistress’s lap. She fondled the dog’s soft ears, buying herself time. When she could trust her voice, she said at last, ‘If we’re going to Bradfield, we’d better go via the builder’s yard and the bed shop, then. I’ve got a spare set of keys for the Landie and we can swing by Halifax nick and pick up the other set if we’ve got time.’
And that was that. As settled as anything could be between them.
As they crested the moor, he took his second gamble of the morning. ‘By the way, I’ve arranged for us to meet Paula for a coffee,’ he said.
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake,’ Carol muttered. ‘More humiliation.’
‘You don’t have to tell her if you don’t want to,’ he said. ‘But she might already know.’
‘She’ll know. The thin blue grapevine will have been working overtime.’
‘Whether she knows or not, she’s not going to judge you. Not Paula. But that’s not why I want to see her.’
Carol swivelled in her seat, her curiosity piqued. ‘Why, then? What are you up to?’
‘There’s something bugging me about Jasmine Burton’s suicide. And because of that, I want to know more about Kate Rawlins too.’
Carol’s mouth lifted at one corner in a crooked smile. ‘You’re still suborning Paula to do your heavy lifting, then?’
‘I’d do it myself if I could, but she’s the one with her hands on the levers. And she keeps in touch with Stacey, who isn’t averse to doing foreigners for an old friend either.’
‘One of these days you’re going to land her right in the shit. And she won’t have me to pull her out of it next time.’
Tony gave a wry laugh. ‘That’s not fair. Paula and I have been a good team in the past. If it hadn’t been for her going the extra mile and dragging you out from under your stone, I might be languishing in prison right now.’
Carol’s look was sour. ‘You say that like it’s a good thing.’
‘It is from where I’m standing. Anyway, I thought it might be interesting to see what she can find out. It might keep us amused, you and me.’
‘What? A fake investigation? You think that’s what I need at this point in my life?’
He’d shrugged. ‘It might not be fake. Depending on what Paula turns up. Come on, Carol. I know you’ve developed lots of new skills lately but you’ve got a bunch of existing ones that need a bit of exercise too.’
She’d groaned. ‘Enough. So before we even spoke this morning, you were expecting me to come into Bradfield with you? What? You don’t trust me alone? You think as soon as you were out the door I’d be calling George Nicholas to fetch me a bottle of vodka?’
Tony tried to look hurt. ‘It never crossed my mind,’ he lied. ‘I merely thought you might appreciate a change of scenery. And somebody else’s company apart from mine.’
Carol muttered something under her breath but let it lie. He was, he thought, making some progress, even if he felt as if his skin was being flayed from his body with every step forward. He kept reminding himself of what he knew in his heart. Nobody was worth it more than Carol Jordan.
When Tony had texted her the night before, Paula had startled Elinor by squealing with delight at the prospect of seeing him and Carol at the same table, actually talking to each other. There were few things more painful than
Then, uncharacteristically, he’d raised his voice. ‘Will you stop this? I’m tired of fighting with you. All these years, every time we get close, we let something come between us and one of us lashes out or walks away. I’m sick and tired of it, Carol. I want us to be at peace with each other. You’re right. Neither of us has anyone else who even comes close to the way we understand each other. You can’t manage without me and I can’t manage without you.’ He punched one fist into the other palm. ‘Just. Please. Stop it.’
Carol reached out blindly to Flash, who laid her head on her mistress’s lap. She fondled the dog’s soft ears, buying herself time. When she could trust her voice, she said at last, ‘If we’re going to Bradfield, we’d better go via the builder’s yard and the bed shop, then. I’ve got a spare set of keys for the Landie and we can swing by Halifax nick and pick up the other set if we’ve got time.’
And that was that. As settled as anything could be between them.
As they crested the moor, he took his second gamble of the morning. ‘By the way, I’ve arranged for us to meet Paula for a coffee,’ he said.
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake,’ Carol muttered. ‘More humiliation.’
‘You don’t have to tell her if you don’t want to,’ he said. ‘But she might already know.’
‘She’ll know. The thin blue grapevine will have been working overtime.’
‘Whether she knows or not, she’s not going to judge you. Not Paula. But that’s not why I want to see her.’
Carol swivelled in her seat, her curiosity piqued. ‘Why, then? What are you up to?’
‘There’s something bugging me about Jasmine Burton’s suicide. And because of that, I want to know more about Kate Rawlins too.’
Carol’s mouth lifted at one corner in a crooked smile. ‘You’re still suborning Paula to do your heavy lifting, then?’
‘I’d do it myself if I could, but she’s the one with her hands on the levers. And she keeps in touch with Stacey, who isn’t averse to doing foreigners for an old friend either.’
‘One of these days you’re going to land her right in the shit. And she won’t have me to pull her out of it next time.’
Tony gave a wry laugh. ‘That’s not fair. Paula and I have been a good team in the past. If it hadn’t been for her going the extra mile and dragging you out from under your stone, I might be languishing in prison right now.’
Carol’s look was sour. ‘You say that like it’s a good thing.’
‘It is from where I’m standing. Anyway, I thought it might be interesting to see what she can find out. It might keep us amused, you and me.’
‘What? A fake investigation? You think that’s what I need at this point in my life?’
He’d shrugged. ‘It might not be fake. Depending on what Paula turns up. Come on, Carol. I know you’ve developed lots of new skills lately but you’ve got a bunch of existing ones that need a bit of exercise too.’
She’d groaned. ‘Enough. So before we even spoke this morning, you were expecting me to come into Bradfield with you? What? You don’t trust me alone? You think as soon as you were out the door I’d be calling George Nicholas to fetch me a bottle of vodka?’
Tony tried to look hurt. ‘It never crossed my mind,’ he lied. ‘I merely thought you might appreciate a change of scenery. And somebody else’s company apart from mine.’
Carol muttered something under her breath but let it lie. He was, he thought, making some progress, even if he felt as if his skin was being flayed from his body with every step forward. He kept reminding himself of what he knew in his heart. Nobody was worth it more than Carol Jordan.
When Tony had texted her the night before, Paula had startled Elinor by squealing with delight at the prospect of seeing him and Carol at the same table, actually talking to each other. There were few things more painful than
Similar Books
