Casey went back down to the courtyard and over to the bench outside Tony’s flat and underneath Emma and Daniel’s balcony. It was hard to remember that Emma had died just a metre from where she was sitting. It was incongruous, didn’t seem to make sense. What had happened?
Rob came down quietly and sat at the other end of the bench with his phone face up in his hand. At that moment the cat appeared between them and they both jumped
“Christ” muttered Rob “like a Nepalese Gurkha” Casey looked confused and Rob explained “they fought with the British army and were so stealthy that the first, and last, thing you saw was the knife that killed you.” An awkward silence followed as they both stared at the spot Emma had died.
“Rob did something happen between you and Emma?”
Rob shifted uneasily and glanced at his phone and up at the balcony of his flat.
“What do you mean?”
“At the Christmas barbeque.” Casey was glad it was dark as it made it easier to ask uncomfortable questions. She stroked the cat who was still sitting between them and watched Rob’s growing distress. He stared at his phone and then dropped his head into his other hand, rubbing his head. Casey forced herself to stay silent and could feel Robs inner turmoil as he shifted around on the bench, rubbed his eyes and kept glancing up to his flat. Finally, Casey cracked. What had he done?
“Rob, it can’t have been that bad, surely?”
Rob groaned and took a breath.
“It was nothing. I mean it was something and I have regretted it every day since. I was very drunk. We had just moved here because when we found out about Yuki’s cancer, we knew money was going to be tight, so we downsized. Yuki had just started chemo and she was so sick, and so brave. I was trying to negotiate time off work so I could look after the kids as well as Yuki. And then at the barbeque I got drunk and I made a stupid, embarrassing, clumsy pass at Emma. She just pushed me away, but I hate myself for it.”