Exiles (Aaron Falk #3)(69)

“Hey, has Dwyer asked any of you to go over your statements from the night?” He blinked as Charlie shook his head, then looked to Raco and Falk. “No? What about Shane? Naomi?” Rohan glanced to the barn door, where Naomi was still talking to Rita.

“I don’t think so,” Charlie said. “Not that I’ve heard.”

Rohan gave an odd reflexive laugh. “Just me, then.”

There was a silence.

“He can ask the rest of us anytime, though,” Charlie said. “We’re always around.”

Rohan didn’t look convinced. “I suppose so.”

“Can I ask what he wanted to check?” Raco said.

“Mainly things I thought we’d already gone over,” Rohan said. “A few times. Like, why didn’t Kim and Zoe come to dinner with my parents and me?”

“And what did you say?”

“The same.” Rohan watched the girls playing and lowered his voice. “That Kim and my mum didn’t always see eye to eye. I mean, nothing serious, they got along okay. But Kim wasn’t keen on dinner with them, not on the first night. Which was fine, because it wasn’t really a social thing, anyway. I wanted to talk to my dad about the tests he’d been having. Recovery, care implications, stuff that’s a lot easier in person and without a baby dominating things.” He shook his head. “But Kim could have come. Of course she could have, she was my wife. She was the one who said she didn’t want to.”

Raco nodded. “Maybe—”

“I should have questioned it,” Rohan cut across him suddenly, as though Raco hadn’t spoken. “I didn’t, though, did I? Because it was easier for me if she and Zoe weren’t there. But I should have.” He pulled a hand down his face. “Jesus. Kim always held her cards so bloody close to her chest.”

Charlie made a soft noise in his throat, and Rohan looked up sharply.

“You don’t agree, mate?” His voice had barely changed, but somewhere in there, Falk heard a blade-fine edge.

“No, I do, actually.” Charlie’s voice, too, had the faintest undercurrent. He pushed a chair in, and it scraped against the concrete floor. “Of course I do. We’ve all learned stuff about Kim over the past year.”

“Like what?” Rohan was watching him closely now.

“Mate. You know what.” Charlie didn’t meet his eye. “Like why she completely avoided the reservoir for the best part of twenty years.”

Rohan’s face went still for a moment, as though processing. Confusion crumpled into a frown. “What are you talking about?”

“Jesus, Rohan. Come on.”

“You mean—?” The man looked genuinely lost. “What Naomi said? About what happened at the opening-night party back at school?”

“Yeah, of course.” Charlie glanced toward their daughters, and dropped his voice. “And don’t pretend Kim had told you about it, either, because I bet she hadn’t.”

“No, but—” Rohan was still staring at Charlie. “But—sorry. What do you mean she avoided the reservoir?”

It was Charlie’s turn to stare. “I mean exactly that. Kim never went down there. Ever, really. She didn’t make a big deal of it, just always had some excuse. The weather, or other plans, or she wanted to go the long way. Stuff like that.”

“But she lived here for years.” Rohan sounded incredulous. “Everyone goes down there.”

“Before the night of that party?” Charlie said. “Yeah, then. But not after. I can’t think of a single time. I mean, did she go down there with you?”

There was a silence, and Falk could almost see the memories flickering behind Rohan’s eyes.

“No. But we didn’t live around here when we were together,” Rohan said at last. He looked disturbed. “Have you told the police?”

“Yeah, of course. I told Dwyer at the time that Kim must have been in a seriously bad state to”—Charlie concentrated for a long moment on straightening a chair, cleared his throat—“do what she did, because normally she never went near the reservoir.”

Rohan stood very still, his eyes fixed on Charlie. “I really wasn’t aware that she didn’t like to go there.” They all heard the soft note of disbelief.

“Well.” Charlie shrugged. He pulled another chair down, and the stack rattled. “Maybe I’m wrong. You were married to her. You would know.”

There was a silence. The two men looked at each other, then Rohan shook his head just once, a tight, frustrated movement.

“Zoe?” He raised his chin and called across the barn. “Time to go, sweetheart. Oh, great, thanks,” he said as Zara carried the toddler over and passed her into his arms. Both girls seemed to pick up on the atmosphere instantly.

Zara glanced at her dad. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Charlie and Rohan said at the same time, and Rohan hoisted his daughter higher on his hip. “Listen, thanks for playing with her, Zara. It’s nice for her to get to see you.” He raised a hand, managing to take in everyone but Charlie. “Right, we’ll catch you all tomorrow.”

Charlie didn’t say anything. He leaned against a table and watched as they walked away. At the barn door, though, Rohan suddenly seemed to hesitate. He squinted toward the sunlight, then back again, as if silently arguing with himself.