"Great. Thanks for that," Tom said, looking at Eric who was making a note.
"I'll see you out, Inspector," Elizabeth said, standing up and encouraging Tom to take the lead with an open hand.
Daniel sat down as they left the room, crossing one leg over the other and drumming his fingers on his thigh. They reached the front door, Eric opening it and stepping out before Elizabeth placed a restraining hand on Tom's forearm. She glanced back the way they'd come, presumably to check her husband wouldn't overhear. She seemed nervous, agitated.
"Is there something else, Mrs Crowe?" he asked.
"My husband… is an opinionated man, Inspector."
He smiled politely. He agreed but didn't say so. She looked behind them once more.
"Mary and I… we were friends, Inspector. Good friends."
Tom was intrigued. He never would have got that impression if she hadn't said so. She hadn't shown much of a reaction when discussing her up until now.
"I shared her views on the switching station. Neither of us had an objection to the wind farm proposal itself. We both thought that was a step in the right direction." He got the impression this would come as unwelcome news to her husband. "There really is no need for Daniel to be so upset should the station go ahead somewhere else. Daniel did get a little worked up at the weekend after a meeting with the renewables company. They were fearing they might not get the go ahead this week from the planning inspectorate. But, as I said to Daniel, it's not like we need the money. Look around you. It's not as if we are wanting for anything. We have enough."
Tom nodded, waiting to see if there was anything else forthcoming. It didn't appear so.
"Okay, Mrs Crowe. Thank you. I'll bear it in mind."
"Is my husband a suspect?" she asked.
He thought he heard an edge of fear in her tone.
"Why do you ask?"
She shook her head. By the look on her face, she immediately regretted asking the question.
"Because you're here, I suppose."
The answer was unconvincing.
"Just doing some background work, Mrs Crowe. Purely routine."
She smiled weakly, nodded and allowed him to leave. The front door was closed before they reached the car.
"What do you make of that?" Eric asked.
Tom cast a glance around them, admiring the grounds. He could see a pool to the rear. The patio alongside had a wonderful view out to sea.
"I don't know," he said. "There's one thing Elizabeth Crowe hasn't learnt in the course of her thirty-five-year marriage."
"What's that?" Eric asked, opening the car door and glancing across the roof at him.
"Men like Daniel Crowe," Tom said, inclining his head back towards the house, "they never have enough."
Chapter Twenty
Saffy appeared at the window as Tom pulled into the drive. It was a welcome familiarity. One he'd missed in recent days. He smiled and waved from behind the steering wheel. She waved back but clearly not quite with the same verve as usual. How he had taken for granted the simple pleasures derived from a little girl's welcoming smile. Once inside the house, both Saffy and her shadow, the dog, ran into the hall to greet him. He dropped to his haunches and she flung her arms around him, holding him as tightly as she could, but her arms couldn't encompass his massive frame. Russell lifted his front paws onto Tom's knee and excitedly attempted to put his nose in between the two of them. Thankfully, he wasn't one to lick.
Tom scratched behind the dog's ear, the terrier angling his head into the movement, his eyes fluttering. Standing up, he kept Saffy in his arms, much to her satisfaction, and headed to the back of the house. Alice was busying herself with tidying up from dinner. The dirty plates were ready to be loaded into the dishwasher and the aromatic smell of spices hung in the air. He felt guilty.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realise it was so late," he said, glancing at the clock. "I should have come home sooner."
Alice glanced over her shoulder at him, rinsing a pan under the tap before strategically placing it in the machine. "No matter. There's a plate in the oven keeping warm."
He smiled his thanks, carrying Saffy towards the space between the dining and living room. He swirled himself from left to right as she withdrew from him a little and he got to see her face. She was smiling. It was the first time he'd seen her do so for days.
"Hey, have you lost another tooth?"
He was almost sure the gap in the top row was wider. She shook her head, still smiling, and reached up to pinch one of her eye teeth between thumb and forefinger, demonstrating the movement with a wobble.
"Not yet!" she grinned.
Her adult teeth were pushing through, forcing out the smaller ones to the side.
"Good. The tooth fairy will be going bankrupt at the rate you're losing them."
"What's band crupt mean?"
"Bankrupt. It means having no money and not being to pay your debts."
Saffy's eyebrows knitted together and he realised he could be here for quite some time if he wasn't careful.
"Now, where do you want me to put you so that I can eat my dinner?" He swung her to the right, tilting her towards the dining table. She leaned in closer as if fearful of falling but did so with a smile. "You can sit at the table with me." He swung her back the other way, facing the living room. "Or I can deposit you on the sofa!"
"Sofa!"
He obliged, bouncing through into the living room where he flipped her so she was horizontal in his arms, swung her from left to right, and on the count of three dropped her onto the sofa from waist height. She squealed in delight and, just for a moment, the burden of grief seemed to have lifted from her.
"Right, young lady. I'm hungry."
She beckoned him closer in a conspiratorial manner. He leaned over her and she cupped her hands to
