"I'm sorry," she said. He thought she was going to say something else as they locked eyes. He saw something in them beyond the exhaustion and the fear he'd recognised the previous night. Now he saw pain.
"Okay. We'll talk later?"
She smiled weakly, offering a curt nod.
"I spoke with your mum last night," he said. She stopped, turning back to him with an unreadable expression. "I wondered if she might take Saffy today. I'm presuming she's not going back into school today?"
"No. I hadn't planned to send her. Not until she's ready. What did Mum say?"
"That she was free and would gladly help."
"Did you tell her… where I was?"
"No. I figured you'd not want to be asked too many questions." The irony of that statement was not lost on him. "She'll be here for nine."
"Right."
Alice turned and made her way up to the landing without looking back. She pushed open Saffy's door and disappeared from view. Tom braced himself on the banister, blowing out his cheeks. Russell appeared at the threshold to the kitchen, cocking his head. Tom looked in his direction and the dog barked a solitary woof at him, the usual sound he made when expecting to be fed.
"Okay, little man," he said, heading through to the kitchen. Russell went to where his bowl was in the corner of the room and sat down, watching Tom expectantly. By the time he'd filled the water bowl, opened a can of dog food and made his way back upstairs to take a shower, he found Alice snuggled up with Saffy in her bed. Both were sound asleep, Alice with her arm across her daughter and Saffy holding her forearm with her right hand. Whether she'd woken as her mum got into bed, he couldn't say, but she certainly sensed her presence. He could see Alice had been crying. Not since she'd come home, but at some point during the night.
Retreating from the room, he closed the door as quietly as he could, making a mental note to oil the hinges as soon as he could find the time. He showered in the ensuite bathroom and got himself dressed, leaving the house before either of them woke up. Stopping off at his usual haunt to pick up coffee, he brought several cups to take away, barely passing the time of day with his friend unlike usual.
The short journey to the station was unsettling. He could feel the anxiety mounting as he drove the last few miles. Tamara would be waiting for him. She would know he'd have questions, demands even, and she wouldn't avoid his scrutiny by slipping away. She'd allow him to have his say. And he intended to once he knew what was going on. Entering the ops room, he found Eric at his desk stifling a yawn. Was he here all night too? Eric looked up, the surprise on his face switching swiftly to anticipation, but anticipation of what Tom couldn't tell. They were all on unfamiliar ground this morning.
"Morning, Tom," Eric said, very formally, as if that was the best thing to do. Tom knew he'd have been worrying about how to greet him from the moment he came into work. It was written all over his face. A face that was way too fresh to have been up all night. But he knew what had played out. It was clear in his tone.
"Morning, Eric," Tom said, handing him a coffee and then looking around the office. "Just you?"
"Yes. Well, no…"
Tom raised an eyebrow as Eric went to sip at his coffee, instead placing it down on the desk.
"I mean, I saw Cass on her way out as I was coming in. She was going to get some sleep after… well, you know."
"The DCI?"
"In your office."
Tom looked across the room, seeing Tamara sitting at his desk, watching him through the blinds.
"I think she's waiting to speak to you."
He nodded, patting Eric on the shoulder as he headed for his office. Glancing towards the information boards on the wall, he felt his stomach flutter as he saw a picture of Alice stuck to the top right-hand corner of the whiteboard, a red arrow drawn in thick marker pen linking it to the victim. Tamara rose from behind his desk as he entered.
"Morning, Tom. Close the door, would you?"
He did so, and then came over, setting a coffee down in front of her.
"Thanks." She smiled. "Peace offering?"
"Are we at war?"
"I'd be surprised if you weren't angry with me."
"Bloody livid," he said, sipping at his drink.
Tamara inclined her head, exaggerating a grimace. "You do livid… in an understated manner."
The comment thawed the atmosphere. She had her reasons for doing what she did. Now he had to understand them.
"I'll cut to the chase," she said. "We have two witnesses who can place Alice at the scene."
"Yes, you said as much last night," Tom said, pulling a chair from the side of the room and sitting down, leaving his own for her. "Are they credible?"
"I shouldn't be sharing any of this with you, Tom. You understand that, right?"
"I'll be discrete."
Tamara accepted his word, sitting down across from him. "They are credible. As far as we know they have no connection with the deceased aside from living and working nearby. Both of them know Alice, recognising both her and Saffy. A car matching hers was also there for much of the afternoon on the day he was killed. I held off until I had no choice but to bring her in. Did you know she was there?"
"No, of course I didn't."
"Okay. What was she doing there?"
Tom shrugged, trying to think through the possibilities. "They have a shared history, a child. They're going to spend time together."
"All afternoon?"
He was rocked by the revelation, although he tried hard not to show it. Tamara was attentive. Did she see how thrown he was. Casting his mind back to when he got home from work that night, the night before Gage was found
