“Good genes and all that. See you in the morning.”
Katy waved goodbye and watched Charlie drive away. Her gaze drifted to the window on the first floor where she spotted Ethan Romero staring out of the window at her. He turned and started shouting at the woman who had also come to the door. It was clear they were arguing as he was wagging a finger at the woman and Katy could hear their raised voices, but couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Romero closed the curtains, but the shouting continued. Katy decided to leave the couple to it and jumped behind her steering wheel. On the way home, she recapped the conversation she’d had with the man who refused to allow them access to his home. Why was that? Did he have something to hide? Could he be behind the other murders? Had one or all of the men pissed him off recently and he’d taken revenge by doing away with them? No, that can’t be right, can it? We’re looking for a woman. What about his wife, or the woman at the house? Could she be the woman who had killed the others and the two innocent walkers? Was that even feasible?
During the drive home, despite feeling tired, the questions reverberated around in her mind without the answers revealing themselves.
She wearily parked the car and opened the front door of her home. AJ entered the hallway and leaned against the doorframe to the lounge. “How are you doing? You look shattered. Have you eaten?”
After slipping off her heels and coat, she padded across the hallway and planted a kiss on his lips. “Yeah, I’m still stuffed. Charlie and I ate a whole portion of fish and chips each. I think I’ll stay clear of the scales tomorrow.”
“Nonsense, there’s nothing to you. I made a cottage pie, but we can all share it for lunch tomorrow, it’s no big deal.”
“That’ll be lovely. Umm… I have a confession to make.”
His mouth twisted from side to side. “Go on, surprise me.”
“I have to work in the morning.” His shoulders slumped and his head dipped. She placed a finger under his chin and pulled his head up again. “I’ll be home by one, I promise.”
“Why don’t I believe you, Katy?”
He stood upright and went into the lounge. Sensing there was about to be an argument. Katy followed him into the lounge and closed the door so they didn’t wake Georgie. “AJ, you know I wouldn’t entertain going in on the weekend if I didn’t think it was necessary.”
“You need to have some time off. I’m not a grouchy bugger, you know that, but bloody hell, love, what will it take for you to show us some consideration now and again?”
Stunned by the acidity in his tone, Katy’s mouth hung open. She recovered and shook her head. “Love, let’s not do this now. I had every intention of not coming home until midnight, but here I am…” She glanced at the clock on the wall and winced. It was eleven-forty-five. “Ouch, where did the time go?”
“See, you have no concept of time. Your daughter was in hospital last month and you’ve barely spent any time with her since she came out. I’ve had to put my own business on hold to care for her.”
Ashamed, she nodded and whispered, “I’m sorry. I have so many balls in the air right now.”
“You need to sort out what your priorities are, Katy. I’m not having a go at you, adding to your stress, all I’m asking is that you take a step back now and again and think about your family. You’ve become too reliant on me picking up the pieces.”
She gazed into his eyes and saw only sadness there. Katy hesitated for a moment, willing him to open up his arms to draw her in. It never happened. In the end, she mumbled another heartfelt apology and retired to the bedroom.
AJ joined her ten minutes later. It worried her how he chose to cling to his side of the bed, not daring to let their bodies touch. Katy turned to face him. Taking the initiative, she slung an arm around his waist and shuffled closer. She kissed his bare back. Glad that he neither flinched nor tried to shrug her off; that was a good thing, wasn’t it?
He let out a long sigh and she whispered yet another apology. AJ turned in her arms, his face an inch or so away from hers on his pillow. “If I didn’t love you so much, all this would be so much harder.”
Tears welled and she smiled. “I promise to do better. Manage my time better and not to let work dominate my life as much from this day forward.”
“Stop!” He pulled her closer and snuggled into her neck. “Don’t promise something that is out of your grasp to fulfil, Katy.”
“I’ll see to it. Make sure this type of thing doesn’t happen again. We’re so close to breaking this case though, you know how it is. But if it comes down to the job or losing you and Georgie, then I know the sacrifices I need to make, sweetheart.”
“The last thing I want is to force you into choosing between us and your career, I’m not the type to bully, you know that. Forget I said anything, I’m concerned for Georgie’s sake, that’s all. She spent most of the day asking why Mummy doesn’t want to spend time with us any more and it touched a nerve.”
Katy gasped and could do little to prevent the tears spilling onto her cheek. “Ouch! Out of the mouth of babes. Honestly, once this case is over, I’ll try not to let work get in the way of our time together again.”
“Okay, just be aware that broken promises affect us all.”
He kissed her, a long, deep kiss that did everything to reassure her that their relationship would stand the test of time… if she stood up to her end of
