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‘Like a charm. Can I just say, this place is sensational,’ Kitty says. ‘Absolutely gorgeous. The house and the view. There’s so much light. Did you tell the architect what you wanted?’
‘We said we wanted to make the most of the view and we let them have free rein on the first design, but we got more involved in the process after that. We wanted to make sure it included all the things that were personal to us.’
‘You two put your heart and soul into this place, didn’t you?’
‘It was our baby.Isour baby.’
‘It’s very special.’
Nicole looks around. There are traces of Patrick still here: cushions that haven’t been plumped and arranged how she likes them, a dirty coffee cup on a side table. She picks it up. ‘Thank you. I wish it wasn’t in such a state. I haven’t been keeping it as clean and tidy as I’d like.’
‘Do you do all the work yourself?’
Nicole nods.
‘It’s a lot.’
‘I know. I’ve been thinking I might get some help, but I didn’t want to hire anyone at first. I didn’t want us to get above ourselves, you know? I mean, I know you work for Olly and Sasha, but no one in my family has ever had a cleaning lady, let alone a housekeeper.’
‘If you need help, you should get it. You must be kind to yourself. Especially now. You’re going through something terrible. After my husband died, I felt totally at sea for a very long time. I still feel that way, sometimes, and he died of cancer. So, we knew what was coming. We understood that he’d been let down by his body. Tom’s sudden death is so much worse.’
Nicole feels her eyes brimming with tears. ‘There’s all this noise about how Tom died and why he died, which are things Iwant to know,needto know, but in the middle of all of that, the worst thing is that I miss him terribly.’
‘I know that feeling well,’ Kitty says.
‘I’m sorry your husband died, too,’ Nicole says.
‘Permission to hug?’ Kitty asks, and Nicole nods. Kitty hugs her briefly, gently. She smells clean and fresh, of laundry detergent and soap; her blouse is soft on Nicole’s cheek. When she lets go of Nicole, she says, ‘While I’m here, I would love to help.’
‘Thank you, but you’re my guest. It’s very good of you to be here at all.’
‘Can I give you some unsolicited advice?’ Nicole nods. ‘While you’re in such a vulnerable place emotionally, you must be careful that nobody takes advantage of you. Being a widow isn’t easy. Be on your guard, especially with everything you have.’
‘They warned us about that when we won the money,’ Nicole says. ‘We’ve been very careful.’
‘Be even more careful, now. Don’t let anyone else tell you what’s best for you.’
‘I will.’ Nicole thinks about this for a moment. ‘Can I ask you something? Do you think I should be leaning harder on the police? I’m afraid it’s going to get in the press and turn into something sensational if they don’t figure out what happened soon. Tom’s death, this place, it’s a story. Especially if people think he was murdered.’
Kitty looks thoughtful. ‘There is another way of thinking about this. If you consider that outside attention is inevitable.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Let’s say, just for the sake of argument, that Tom’s death wasn’t an accident. Don’t you want the police to leave no stone unturned?’
‘Doyouthink it wasn’t an accident?’
‘I don’t know what happened to Tom. Butifit wasn’t an accident, I’d want whoever did this to pay for it.’
‘What are you saying?’
‘Maybe you shouldn’t be afraid of the press but use them to ask for information and to put pressure on the police. Maybe someone else has seen this vagrant man who has been lurking around.’
‘I could offer a reward.’
‘You could.’
‘I should ask, though.’
