Mark and Chloe had left for their house, taking baby Lizzie with them. In all the time Ellie had been in his company she had not yet seen Mark relinquish his hold on his baby girl. It was clear that he adored her, and Ellie was glad that he did. After Danny's murder the Latimers needed what little happiness they could get, and by his own admission Mark had missed so much of Danny's growing up.
"I'm glad you're giving Mark a chance," she said now, coming out her kitchen with two cups of tea. Beth looked up at her and nodded her thanks when receiving her mug.
"You made me reconsider, Ell," she said quietly as Ellie sat beside her on the sofa. A fleeting smile flitted across her face, strained by the knowledge of the past. Of how strained and broken their own friendship had only recently been. "I could always count on you to keep me straight."
"Stop you from kicking Mark's arse whenever he ticked you off," Ellie smiled, taking a drink. The two of them sat in silence for a long moment, each wrapped up in their own thoughts; then finally Beth turned to look her old friend in the face.
"Look, I'm sorry for how I treated you, Ellie. It wasn't right, I should've looked at the facts before I pushed you away—"
"It's fine," Ellie interrupted flatly, having no wish to reopen wounds. They had barely even healed, after all. "We're okay now. That's all that matters."
Beth sighed, settling deeper into the cushions. Rain was beginning to patter softly against the roof, lulling and soothing. The signs of a cool late summer storm earlier in the evening had pushed the Latimers and Millers from the beach-side where they had reunited and remembered Danny. The case was done and Joe banished from the shores of Broadchurch—and if he had any sense at all he would stay away, being warned by both Beth and Ellie of the consequences if he didn't. Ellie would never allow a cowardly pedophile around her children and Beth would want the murderer of her child as far away as possible since jail was no longer an option. But they were prepared if he ever did set foot in the town again.
Tom and Fred were in bed now, thank goodness. After the past two days all of them had had Ellie was afraid her boys wouldn't be able to sleep; Tom in particular seemed perturbed that his father was still on the loose even if he had seen the taxi take Joe far from the town. But it was quiet now, and only the two women still sat awake in the house.
"How is it, sleeping in here?" Beth suddenly asked quietly in the silence, nursing her drink carefully.
"Hard," Ellie answered truthfully. "But I've repainted the old bedroom and I've moved down the hall. It was harder at Devon."
"You still work in Devon, don't you?" Beth frowned, looking over at her. She wondered how the drive between the two towns was going to work.
Ellie shook her head, a small grin playing on her face. "I've transferred back to the Broadchurch force."
Beth blinked, straightening in her seat as she sensed a story. "When did that happen?"
"Yesterday afternoon. After the trial ended."
"Why?"
Ellie hesitated. She realized that she had never told Beth about helping Hardy out with Sandbrook, so of course she had no idea that Ellie had been in the police station all day settling the old case. She hadn't told anyone, actually, come to think about it. Claire and Lee had confessed, however, and Ricky Gillipsie had admitted to his accidental killing of Lisa. After two years the case was finally solved.
"I had been helping him solve Sandbrook."
Beth stared at her, taken aback by the answer. Of all the things her friend could have said, that was not one she would have considered. "What?"
