"Mary with those damn birds… putting them before her own blood… and you," she sneered. "You disgust me."
Tom felt a pang of sympathy for the man opposite, seeing the depth to which the remark cut. It was no wonder he chose to keep his attractions secret from his mother and seeing how positively venomous she could be, it was not such a leap to imagine her lashing out at her sister. Perhaps the sisters were more alike than it at first appeared. Forensics officers would be revisiting the house soon. Whereas before they'd only searched the study, now they would be treating the entire house as a potential murder scene. Mother and son had done well to try to circumnavigate the investigation, almost succeeding, but he was confident that if Mary was killed here, then they would find evidence of it.
He spared a momentary thought about family. That these people could live in and around each other for decades, as close to each other as anyone could be, only to see those relationships undone by the basest of human emotions.
That of greed.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Summer finally arrived on the last day of June with a southerly wind drawing a humid weather front up from southern Europe. It seemed fitting that this day, the day Adrian Gage was laid to rest, was bathed in warm sunshine offering the promise of a brighter future than an overcast, dreary experience. Tom heard the service end, but by this point both he and his team had already stepped out of the church. The turnout was high, making the interior of the church standing room only with mourners crammed in and even spilling outside where a speaker system had been rigged up so those who couldn't get in could still be a part of the service. Adrian was a popular figure who'd amassed a lot of contacts over the years, contacts who obviously described themselves as friends. This was no mean feat when considering he spent most of his career freelancing, drifting from story to story with no fixed employer.
Evidently he was highly rated both personally and professionally. Tom found himself forced to see the man in a very different light in contrast to the opinion he'd held for so long. Although Alice had never sought to negatively influence his opinion, as exes often tended to do, he thought Adrian was a lazy parent and likely a terrible husband. After all, the number of times he let his daughter down was unforgivable, no matter what the justification. However, it wasn't as clear cut as that. A lesson learnt following the late-night visit of Carol, Adrian's sister, who explained the distance he put between himself and his family was largely down to keeping them out of harm's way following repeated threats to their safety.
Tom could relate. He would always try to keep both Alice and Saffy safe. But here too was how the two men differed in approach. No matter what the sacrifice, Tom was certain he would take the necessary steps to make it so, even if that meant sacrificing his career, his passion, to keep them out of harm's way. Adrian didn't, or at least he hadn't until this last investigation. Unable to turn back the clock, because Alice refused, he must have felt adrift as to where he was heading but only for a few minutes as fate saw to it that he need not have to reconsider his plans. Liam Hansell took care of that.
"I'm sorry."
Tom snapped from his reverie, glancing to Cassie standing alongside him. Tamara and Eric had drifted away a few steps and were having their own conversation in hushed tones.
"Sorry, what did you say?"
"I was apologising," she said. "I was so caught up in the theory of Alice as the primary suspect I couldn't see past it."
He shook his head. "Don't worry—"
"Ah… but I do. I figured you were so close to her that your objectivity was compromised by your emotional involvement and… and I dismissed what you were saying. I didn't pay it proper attention."
Tom cut a wry half-smile, his hands in his pockets as they made their way from those gathered outside. "No, you were right," he said, glancing sideways. "I was… am… emotionally attached to the case." He reached out and touched her forearm, bringing them both to a standstill. Tamara looked over at them from where she and Eric were talking. "And my objectivity was compromised."
Cassie smiled gratefully.
"But," he said, inclining his head to one side, "let's keep that between us, yeah?" She nodded. "It wouldn't do my reputation any good to be seen as emotional."
"Perish the thought."
They both smiled. People leaving the church saw them turn back to see the family walk out first, led by Carol, Adrian's sister. Her partner walked alongside her, the two of them hand in hand. She was the only direct family Adrian had; their parents having died in recent years. Behind her came Alice. Saffy was in her arms, her legs wrapped around her mother's waist, head buried in her shoulder. Alice managed the weight, which was not insignificant, carrying Saffy with apparent ease. Tom admired how she managed to do whatever she had to in order to meet her daughter's needs, no matter how much of a challenge it was.
Alice and Carol stepped to one side offering mourners the opportunity to speak with them if they chose to. Alice lowered Saffy to the ground and she looked around, trying to see through the press of people leaving the church. Tom lost sight of her but only for a moment. The mass of curls was visible slipping between the legs of those waiting to pass on their condolences, Saffy making a beeline straight for him. He dropped to his haunches as she ran up to him launching herself into his arms. He hoisted her up as he rose, her arms gripping him tightly. She stared straight into his face, hers barely a hand span from his.
