Frozen Grave (Willis/Carter #3)(47)

‘Maybe – I’d have to retrain – everything’s moved on since I learnt. What about you? How’s the gardening business?’

‘It’s good. It’s difficult to work through the winter but I manage. I need to find something else to do really. I’ve lost my way a bit, I think. I used to be good at building stuff; loved designing things. I might give that a go again one day. It’s hard sometimes to get yourself moving, isn’t it? I was thinking of asking Mr Ellerman if he might have any work for me in Spain – you know, on the houses he mentioned to me?’ He looked up at Dee, hopefully.

Dee smiled and nodded. ‘You’ll have to ask him. You have children, don’t you Mike?’

‘I have two, yes. I get to see them every weekend.’ He looked across the table and held her gaze. ‘My wife and I are separated.’

She looked down at her tea and held the mug with both hands. ‘How lovely for you to spend time with your kids.’

‘Yes, I wish it was more. I wish they could live with me but – you know how it is – there’s no way you can make a break-up any different than it is. It’s a painful process for everyone involved.’

‘Yes.’

‘Mrs Ellerman – if you don’t mind me asking – are you okay? You seem a little upset today.’

‘Thank you for asking, Mike, but I’ve just got a lot on my mind.’

‘Mr Ellerman’s away a lot, isn’t he? It’s a big house to be rattling around in all week on your own.’

‘Yes. But I don’t mind. You get used to being on your own, don’t you? Sometimes it’s much harder being with someone than being alone.’

‘I know all about that. I never thought I could live alone – but you get so used to it. I think I’d have a hard job finding someone now.’

‘You don’t have a girlfriend?’

‘No. I have the occasional date. You know – I’m on a couple of dating sites.’

‘Meet anyone nice?’

‘Yes, but I’ve also met a lot of women who scare me.’

Dee laughed. The sound even surprised her. She hadn’t heard it for so long.

He finished his tea and stood. ‘Better get back to work.’

Dee tidied up and then went upstairs armed with clean washing to put away. She went to stand at the window overlooking the front of the house.

Mike was putting on his protective helmet and doing up the strap beneath his chin. He stopped and looked up to the bedroom window; he smiled at her and then his eyes went towards the driveway. She knew who it was by the way Mike reacted. But today was only Thursday: JJ usually made his way home on Friday.

Dee heard her husband’s key in the front door.

‘Dee?’ Ellerman closed the door and threw his keys on the table in the hall. He went to see if she was in the kitchen.

‘Dee?’ He climbed the stairs, then stood watching her from the doorway. She was staring down towards the garden still. Mike was busy slicing through a fallen trunk with his chainsaw.

‘We should sort this room out.’ Ellerman walked in and stood behind her, breathed in her smell. Her long dark hair was plaited down her back; from behind she still looked like the schoolgirl he’d met. From the front she was just the ghost of her. ‘We can’t keep it as a shrine to Craig. Dee? Come on, let’s go downstairs.’

‘I like being in here.’

‘I can see it’s upsetting you.’

‘It’s not being in here that upsets me. Being close to Craig could never make me cry. Only missing him every day does that.’

Ellerman went down the stairs and out to talk with Mike outside. He looked up, to see Dee watching them from the bedroom window. She had one of Craig’s T-shirts in her hand. She lifted it to her face and he saw her breathe in the smell of their son. Then she was gone from the window and Ellerman talked through the plans for the garden with Mike for ten minutes whilst he packed up. Dee opened the front door and came out of the house, pulling her hat down over her ears. Mike stopped talking as she walked towards them; he was packing his tools away in his van.

‘Which class is it today then?’ he asked.

Dee smiled at him and Ellerman thought how she seemed coy; she and the gardener seemed to know one another on a personal level. They must have chatted before, properly chatted.

‘Car maintenance.’

‘Can you have a look at my van for me – there’s a funny sound coming from the engine.’ He grinned.

Dee smiled. ‘I’m not that good yet.’

‘Where are you going?’ Ellerman asked, feeling like the stranger.

‘I always go to my car-maintenance class on a Thursday.’

‘What are you going to be doing today?’ asked Mike. ‘Is it an oil change again?’

‘No. The teacher is taking us to a working garage to show us how to do a full service.’

Mike looked impressed. Ellerman looked bemused.

‘Your wife will be able to save you a fortune, Mr Ellerman.’

‘You must be kidding – she’s not going near my cars. See you later, darling . . .’ Ellerman turned back to Mike, who was still busy packing up his van. ‘How much do I owe you?’

‘It’s three weeks – so that’s three hundred.’