Mistletoe in the Mortuary (Inspector Rames)

Chapter 9

"You love the skyscrapers." Sebastian stood behind her, possessively close. He met her eyes in the reflection of the window.

"How do you know from just one look?"

"It's not just one look. You kept glancing at the view in your flat."

"You're a good detective." She smiled. "But it's not the skyscrapers that enchant me. It's the signs. They make the city look so alive."

The timer went off, and she slipped past him into the kitchen. She took the pizzas out the oven, then poured them both one glass of red wine and promised herself it would be the limit. God knew she could have difficulty behaving with Sebastian when she was sober.

The dining room was a little grand for pizza, but it was nice to sit at the table as if they were on a date. It helped her to erase the memories of Henry, because Sebastian was comfortable with her. In fact, the first thing he spoke about himself was murder.

"We've officially linked the inquiries of Phillip and Ruth, and I'm the senior investigating officer. Amber was annoyed because she'd already started to sink her teeth into it."

It's the most murderous time of the year. Cassia smiled fondly. "I'm sure something else will keep her busy. And she'll still be a part of the investigation, won't she? You'll have to confer."

"Yes, but she likes being in charge."

"Have you found a link between the victims?"

He sighed. "No, nothing. I've spoken to Karisa Barnes, and Amber's spoken to Tobias Evans, Ruth's son, but neither of them knew the other victim. There's no link on their national profiles or Xplora pages, either -- they didn't go to school together, they've never had a job together..."

His body was tense, and he steered the conversation to her, as he so often did when they said too much about his own work. She talked about decorating the mortuary and an upcoming court date in the New Year, and then the pizza was gone and their wine glasses were empty.

They took their washing-up into the kitchen. While Sebastian dumped it in the dishwasher, Cassia looked across the living space again. Now that she'd been in the flat for a few hours, she realised something was missing... "Aren't you going to put a Christmas tree up?"

Sebastian turned sharply and followed her gaze. Something inscrutable shadowed his eyes. "I wasn't planning on it. It didn't look like you were, either."

"That flat isn't really my home. But this is your home. Don't you like Christmas?" If he didn't, that was going to be a problem. She'd decided her puddings would be seasonal, so she'd have to bake while he was out.

"Christmas is fine. I've just never seen the point in decorating my flat when only I'm here to appreciate it." He ran a hand over the back of his neck. "It reminds me of how lonely I always used to be at this time of year."

She looked up at him. "You were lonely?"

"When I was a child. My parents' arguments were the worst at Christmas, and the more they shouted, the more alone I felt. They turned on me sometimes, and I never knew when that was going to happen. I never knew if today, I could trust them. So I stopped trusting at all."

When you get in too deep, people let you down.

Cassia hated to imagine him as a young boy, listening to the raised voices, alone with his fears. Her heart squeezed. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"They finally divorced when I was eighteen. I got two Christmases a year, both very awkward."

"And now you prefer to spend Christmas alone." She dragged a hand through her hair. "Forget me saying anything about a tree. It doesn't matter."