Both doors to the Range Rover slammed shut and the debate restarted. Today was going to be a long one for some people.
“Well, I hope that’s sorted by Monday morning, whatever it’s about.” Alice sounded concerned. Tom looked to her and realised she too had been watching the exchange. Saffy was oblivious, already onto an exploration of a patch of daffodils and a number of ducks who were approaching her in the belief she might feed them.
“You know them?”
“Yes. Don’t you?” Alice sounded surprised. He shrugged. The engine fired up and reversed out of its space at a more measured pace than he’d anticipated. Alice noticed his watchful gaze whereas she had already averted her eyes, focussing on her daughter. “That’s Colin and Marie.”
“From the surgery?” Tom spoke, watching the vehicle approach the main road, indicate and pull out, accelerating away. Alice nodded. “Do you think they saw you?”
“Yes. Certain of it.”
“That’ll be awkward when you’re making tea.”
Now it was Alice who shrugged. “I expect they’ll pretend it never happened.”
“They often like that?” He wasn’t really into gossip but the atmosphere where you worked could really affect your mood. He should know, after all.
“I don’t really see much of them.” She sounded disinterested. “Once I’m onto my patient list and they are seeing theirs, you don’t really come up for air until the end of the day.” He admired how much energy Alice put into her job. As far back as he could remember, she wanted to help people. Her graduation from Nursing College, and subsequent move to Norwich, coincided with his acceptance into the job and he relocated at a similar time. It seemed like their childhood friendship would remain exactly that, something in their past. Now though, somewhat happily of sorts, they both found themselves back home, each with their own story to tell – and equally reticent to share it.
“Maybe it was a cross word that quickly passed.”
She looked down the road, the car having long since disappeared from view. “More likely they saw me and took an educated guess at who you were.”
Tom found his curiosity piqued, intercepting her gaze with a half-smile. “So, you talk about me, then? At work, I mean.” She flushed, much as she used to years ago when embarrassed but didn’t reply. “What do you tell them?”
“To make sure their cars are taxed.” The jibe was cutting. Alice was back on form and it made him laugh. Sapphire reappeared, begging for something to feed the ducks with, swearing blind that crisps would do. Everybody likes crisps. “Now, can you unlock the car, please? This bag is getting heavy.”
Janssen picked his way along the access road running up to Holkham Beach, aware of the number of children charging about excited at the prospect of the day ahead. The road was dead straight, lined on both sides by pine trees, with parking allocated to both left and right. Despite early spring returning to a cold snap, today promised to be glorious and the spaces were filling up with families keen to exploit the four mile stretch of golden sands along with the nearby nature reserve. It was still early for most and therefore they managed to park close to the barriers, cutting off the road from the reserve, the last point where members of the public could drive to.
Sapphire trilled away cheerily in the back seat and Janssen exchanged a knowing smile with Alice. The little girl had been looking forward to this day all week. Leaving Alice to get their coats out of the boot, the wind may have dropped but the temperature was still only a touch above freezing point, and he walked the short distance to buy a parking ticket. Balking at the price, he only just managed to gather together enough coins to pay for half of the day. It would be enough. Saffy would get bored. By the time they’d eaten the picnic they brought with them, she would be ready for something else.
Retrieving the ticket from the slot, he returned to the car. Saffy and her mother were standing alongside the car, playing patty cake as he approached. Both offered him broad smiles as he came past, reaching in through the open passenger door and sticking the ticket to the windscreen.
“How long did you get?” Alice asked casually.
“We’ll be okay until lunchtime.” Stooping, he picked up the bags containing their food and another with assorted spades and sand castle buckets, along with a frisbee. “Let’s go!” If the truth were known, he was as excited as Saffy at the prospect of a morning on the beach. Some of his favourite memories were of days spent with his parents and friends hanging out on the sands. Not necessarily here, but Norfolk was blessed with a magnificent coastline. Some days they would be out in the depths of November engineering architecturally unsafe castles and their associated fortifications. If they were solid enough to stay up until the tide came in, there was an equal chance that the children would gang together and destroy them themselves at the end of the visit, just for the fun of it.
Within two steps of leaving the car, his mobile rang. Reaching into his pocket, he took out his phone. It was Eric Collet. He was manning CID today. There was no way he would bother him unless it was important. Waving the others on, he held back to take the
