25
down on the table next to her plate.
“Can you put that away please?” Tim said. “This is supposed to be date night.”
Paige rolled her eyes. “Date night? What are we, an old married couple?”
“Is that so bad?”
“It just sounded… lame.” Paige pushed green beans around her plate. “How’s work?”
“Work is fine. I saw the little one earlier today. I think she smiled at me.”
“The little what?”
Tim made an irritated noise. “You can’t keep avoiding this Paige.”
“I’m not.” Paige stood up. “Listen, Roman was asking about Sophie and I need to find out what’s going on. She’s having a rough time. I need to check on her.”
This was true, Paige reassured herself.
“We haven’t finished dinner.”
“Mostly, we have.” Paige shoved a few beans into her mouth. “I’ll do the dishes when I get back. I’ll only be an hour. Bye!”
As she grabbed her bag and headed out to the car, she texted Sophie.
Quick drink at your local? She messaged, wondering what she would do with herself if Sophie said no. It was only eight o’clock, but she knew that Sophie sometimes got into her pyjamas straight after work. If Sophie wasn’t up for it, Paige mused, maybe she could check in on Leo. They’d barely spoken in days, and even if clinical memory problems were not in her area, she could still probably help with his Jane Doe at least a little bit.
But as it turned out Sophie was keen to meet up.
Yes please, she replied. Victoria is stomping around slamming doors. She’s driving me nuts.
Roman let himself into his home, dread already churning in his stomach. He looked around the door to the living room and saw Anya sitting on the couch with a magazine. The TV flickered silently in the background and soft jazz was playing from the stereo. The scene looked so peaceful and idyllic that Roman almost had second thoughts about the conversation he knew they had to have.
Until she looked up, saw him, and scowled. “You’re home.”
It was almost an accusation. Roman sighed.
“Not out with your stalker tonight?”
“She’s not… That wasn’t Sophie.”
“Yes it was.”
“She has a sister who looks a lot like her. She’s been causing trouble.”
Anya frowned. “You sound ridiculous.” Suddenly she tossed her head. “You know what? I don’t even care. I literally do not care what you’ve been doing.”
Roman eyed her for a moment. “That’s becoming pretty obvious.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“It’s also obvious that this isn’t working. We both know it. Why do we keep trying? Why are we pretending.”
Anya’s lip lifted into a sneer. “Good question. I’ve wasted so much time with you. Why am I still here? Why am I still festering with you in this crappy house?”
Paige and Sophie were halfway through their respective glasses of Shiraz and Malbec. They’d already chatted about the progress of the case—agreeing that it felt as if they were getting closer, even if they didn’t have a clear suspect.
After Paige had said her piece about Tim and his growing obsession with babies, she took a sip of wine and eyed Sophie. “Can we talk about Roman now? He called for you.”
“He’s left a couple of messages.”
“I think he found your wallet.”
“Oh, right.” Sophie looked uncertain. “That’s not what I…” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I guess I’ll message him when I get home. Thanks for buying this, by the way,” she added glumly, gesturing at her glass.
“What’s wrong?”
“Things are a mess.”
“But you don’t want to talk about it?”
“Wade and I have pretty much broken up.” She lifted her shoulders. “I mean, can you even call it breaking up when we never really got a chance to start?”
“When did that happen?”
“The night of your barbecue. I didn’t go home… I went to Wade’s.”
“Drunken visit, huh? But not the good kind, I take it?”
“Not at all.”
Paige nodded, waiting.
“I broke up with him then fell asleep on his couch.”
“But are you sure it’s over? If you were drunk you could say you didn’t mean it. He might let it go. He’s pretty keen on you.”
“I told him the reason I couldn’t be with him.”
“The real reason? You mean—”
“Roman. Yes. I told him about Roman. And he wasn’t surprised. It was a very clear and very effective message.” Sophie shook her head.
“On a scale of one to ten, how awkward was it the next morning?”
“A million.” Sophie palmed her hands on her forehead. “Ugh, I’m such a mess right now. Damn you, Roman,” she whispered.
“But you’re not going to call him back?”
“I will. Just not right now. I can’t.”
“Fair enough.” Paige gestured at Sophie’s now empty glass. “Another one or…”
“Ready for home, I think,” Sophie said. “But I feel a bit better after talking. To get out of the house and away from Victoria and her mood was good. Thanks.”
“What’s Victoria’s problem?”
“I have no clue. To do with some guy, I think. I sort of want to know, but also, not at all.”
They stood up.
“I’ll give you a lift home,” Paige said.
“But—”
“I know it’s nearby, but it’s dark.”
“Okay.”
Less than a minute later Paige pulled up outside Sophie’s place.
“I’m sure it will all work out,” Paige said cheerfully.
“I hope so,” Sophie said, getting out. “See you tomorrow. Meet at the office and figure out what’s next?”
“Yep.”
Paige tooted once, then accelerated to the end of the street.
Sophie waved goodbye and turned to walk up the footpath, but before she even got to the gate, a hand clamped over her mouth and everything went black.