What Once I Was

Chapter 10

I'd been sitting in the conservatory watching blackbirds hop about the garden, pecking for worms near the freshly sprouted flowers that grew every year. It was quiet. Rover bounded through the grass, sending birds scattering for safety. I called out at him, tapping on the glass as he trampled through my vegetable patch. With tongue flapping, Rover jumped over the small fence separating my cucumbers from the lawn. 

Robert had retired to our room for a mid-afternoon nap. I made the most of the tranquillity, settled with a hot coffee and the latest book I'd borrowed from work - The Billionaire's Son. I was, am, a sucker for a good cliché romance and what better book than one published by Mills & Boon.

I pulled a knitted throw closer to my chest, turned the page and lost myself in a world where broken men were romantic, with eyes for one woman. So very different from the life I had been granted. What I would give to be minding my own business, stacking books on the shelves at work, for a tall, dark and handsome stranger to come and whisk me away. Oh the joy I would have. I could feel myself blush at the thought, but what woman doesn't want a man who knows exactly what it is he wants? A man that only wants her.

Rover's scratching and yapping through the glass doors pulled me, kicking and screaming, from a place I felt most at home. He was like a child at times, always wanting my attention when I was in the middle of something. I couldn't stay made at him though, he was far too sweet and innocent. 

"Alright boy, I'm coming." I said, carefully nestling a bookmark between the pages, separating the two lovers for a moment longer.

A soft breeze caressed the exposed skin of my shoulders, the scent of freshly mown grass bringing with it the promise of sore eyes and endless sneezes. Rover pushed past my legs, racing for his bowl of water in the kitchen.

Door clicking shut behind me, I resumed my position on the wicker chair and let myself drift back into myself.

It was a perfect Sunday afternoon.

Until it wasn't.

I'd started preparing dinner, the aroma of spices and tomato sauce herding Robert from our bed. He perched himself at the dining table with no offering of help.

I had just served dinner when a rapping at the door startled me. Robert and I looked at one another. We hadn't been expecting visitors. I wrung my hands together, watching earnestly as he investigated.

"It's the police." He said through gritted teeth, his head pulled back from the peephole.

Straightening my skirt and blouse, I flicked the kettle on and set four mugs on the countertop. The two officers that stepped through the door differed from the last time; both male and robust looking. Uneasiness slithered through my veins like a snake.

"Mr Collins. Mrs Collins," the first officer said, tipped his hat, his presence dominating the suddenly small kitchen. "I'm Officer Riggs and my colleague here is Officer Banks. We'd like a quick word if you don't mind."

Robert and I looked at one another, tension mirrored between us. Officer Rigg's tone was that of seriousness. Though we knew he wouldn't declare Naomi's body found, there was something I couldn't quite pinpoint that instinct told me would surface.

"Please have a seat." I said, proffering a tea. He took it with a smile and a nod, placing it on a coaster, taking care not to spill and of the boiling liquid.

His colleague took the seat opposite, copying the movements of the first male. We waited for one of the two men to speak, to rip the bandaid and tell us the news we already knew. I watched Robert cross the room, scratch Rover's ear and lean against the worktop. His body was rigid, fighting to regain the dominance the two other men had commandeered.