But he turns off the engine nonetheless and gets out of the car. Stares at the house for a while. Thinks about getting back in the car. Starts walking up the driveway.
It’s been a while.
He rings the doorbell, hears the all-too-familiar chime. For some reason he expects it to have been changed.
She has definitely changed, though.
When she comes to the door, the first thing Cody notices is that her hair has gone. Well, not entirely gone – she’s not imitating a boiled egg in the way that Parker probably is right now – but she has had her flowing locks shorn into a pixie cut. It comes as a shock, but he still finds her stunningly beautiful.
‘Hi, Devon,’ he says.
Shock has registered on Devon’s face, too. ‘Hello, Cody.’ Like almost everyone else outside of family, she always calls him by his surname.
‘I, er, I was just passing, and I thought…’
He’s not sure whether she looks pleased or not. She’s certainly not overjoyed. And now he is even more convinced that he should have kept on driving.
‘Come in,’ she says.
‘Are you sure? I don’t want to be any bother…’
‘Just come inside.’
He follows her through to the living room. Not many changes here, he notes. Although…
The photographs with him in have been removed.
Something falls inside him.
‘I like your hair,’ he says, forcing himself to sound cheerful.
She tugs gently at the strands on her neck. ‘Thanks. Felt it was time for something different.’
He wonders if that’s also aimed at him, then decides he’s overthinking.
‘How are you?’ he asks.
‘Good. Good. What about you?’
‘Sound. I was just…’
‘Passing. Yes, you said.’ She waves a hand to indicate his suit and tie. ‘Work?’
‘Yeah. The usual.’
‘A murder?’
‘Yeah. You heard about the woman found dead in Caldy?’
‘I did. You think the husband did it?’
‘Probably. He’s done a runner, though.’
Cody decides it’s best not to bring the Sam Ridley killing into this. He didn’t come here to talk about the job.
‘Well, you won’t find him here,’ she says.
Cody laughs, but he knows she’s still waiting for him to explain his presence.
‘How are your folks?’ he asks.
‘Great. Dad’s done his back in again, but other than that… Seen much of the Cody clan?’
‘As much as ever. Which means no, I haven’t.’
She smiles. ‘Cody, why have you come here today?’
‘Well… it’s a Sunday, so I assumed you wouldn’t be working, and I was in the area, so—’
‘Yes, but why?’
A good question. To which he does not want to give an honest answer. That answer being the things that old Mrs Washington and young Megan Webley said to him about finding himself a partner. He has thought a lot about his situation since he received all the unsolicited advice, and what he has decided is that one of the reasons he hasn’t done anything about it is that he doesn’t really know where he stands with the woman now sitting opposite him.
‘I thought… I just thought it would be nice to have a chat. A catch-up.’
‘Didn’t you think it might be a good idea to phone me first?’
‘No. I mean, I didn’t think. It was an impulse thing. Is this an inconvenient time?’
