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‘Doesn’t she have family she can go to?’
‘Nope. She and Tom are both orphaned. He was raised by his granny who’s also dead, apparently.’
Kitty raises her eyebrows. ‘What about friends, or siblings?’
‘She’s an only. I asked about friends, but she said they either had babies and she couldn’t impose, or she wasn’t close enough to them. I didn’t want to pry. I felt sorry for her.’
Kitty makes a ‘that’s awkward’ face.
‘I know,’ Sasha says. ‘She doesn’t seem to have a support network at all.’
‘I hope the detectives are treating her kindly.’
‘If they think it’s murder, she’ll be a suspect.’ And from what Sasha has heard, Nicole already is. She watches Kitty’s reaction to her words. Sometimes she wants to shock Kitty, because Kitty always seems so comfortable, so lacking in ambition and imagination and so accepting of her role, and occasionally Sasha would like to see her display some reaction to the fact that she spends most of her days cooking and cleaning for other people. How can she possibly be happy like this? Sasha would never settle for it. Though, obviously, she doesn’t want a full-on revolt from Kitty. What a nightmare it would be to roll back the years to the time when Kitty had the upper hand over Sasha and Olly, when they’ve worked so hard to be where they are now.
But Kitty doesn’t seem shocked. ‘It’s usually someone you know,’ she says. ‘The police always look at partners first. I learned that off the TV. You know I like my crime programmes.’ Sasha pictures her sitting alone in the Coach House, her face bathed in the light of the television screen.
So far as Sasha can tell, Kitty never has visitors there. She lives an extremely modest life within the Manor’s grounds. Sasha knows she should be grateful for that because she’s no idea what she and Olly would do without Kitty, but still, she can’t help feeling contemptuous of the smallness of Kitty’s life, too, though she would never dream of letting it show. She’s not stupid.
Kitty runs a finger across the top of an old chest of drawers. It’s hundreds of years old, Sasha learned when she first moved in here, the top of it warped with age. She finds it ugly.
‘Needs a wipe,’ Kitty says, though Sasha can’t see any trace of dust and sometimes suspects that Kitty creates tasks, to keep herself feeling useful. ‘I might add this room to today’s list.’
‘Can you help me prep the Great Hall first?’ Sasha asks. ‘For my class at eleven.’ She wants Kitty out of the way. What she overheard needs consideration, and she needs to tell Olly about it. She thinks he’ll be pleased.
‘I dusted in there first thing this morning, and tidied the kit, but I think the flowers could do with refreshing,’ Kitty says.
‘Thank you.’ Sasha manages a smile. Kitty responds well to gratitude and to praise. She likes to be liked.
‘You’re welcome.’
Sasha feels momentarily unsettled by Kitty’s tone. Was it sarcastic? No, she thinks, I’m being paranoid, that’s all. Kitty’s fine, she’s always fine. Though Sasha can’t deny that occasionally she’s afraid that Kitty hates her, and this is one of those moments, but it passes as they go their separate ways and Sasha’s mind returns to processing what she overheard.
As she steps into the hall, the detectives emerge from the kitchen and Nicole follows, looking worn out as she shows them to the front door.
Sasha watches from the shadows as they say their goodbyes, then steps out into the light once the detectives have gone. ‘Are you okay?’ she asks.
Nicole’s face collapses. ‘They treated me as a suspect,’ she says.
‘Oh, God no,’ Sasha says. ‘Why? Come here.’
She puts her arm around Nicole, takes her back into the kitchen and sits her down. Nicole stares out of the open window. Sasha gives her a few moments. Fronds of wisteria creep through the window and onto the sill, tendrils reaching for something to grip. I need to ask Kitty to prune that, Sasha thinks.
‘I didn’t do it,’ Nicole says. ‘I told them I was at the County Show, but they acted like they need proof I was there, and I don’t know if I can get it.’
Sasha listens with interest. Is Nicole really so naïve as to think the police will just take her at her word? How useful.
‘It’s stupid to act as if I did something to Tom. Why would I? Why are they wasting their time? He fell. He tripped and fell.It was an accident. What other explanation is there?’
Well, Sasha thinks,there’s the money. If you wanted it all for yourself that would be a hell of a motive. Or it could have beena burglary gone wrong. Or, based on what Sasha just overheard, there could be suspicion that Tom was buying sexual services, which could have really upset Nicole if she found out. Enough to kill? The police will wonder.
She says, ‘Of course you didn’t hurt him. You loved Tom. It was plain to see.’
‘Was it?’
‘Oh, sweetie, yes. You had a fantastic connection, so special. You were soulmates. Even though we haven’t known you for long, I could see it. Olly said so, too.’ She’s lying; all she saw was a pair of unremarkable people sharing a dull life together. The only interesting thing about them was their lottery win.
Nicole looks at Sasha gratefully. ‘Thank you. We did. We really did. We were childhood sweethearts.’
