‘Imagination, Penn. We’re role-playing here.’
‘Okay, why am I leaving?’ he asked.
‘Is that important?’
‘Of course. If I’m angry cos she’s cheated on me or broke my Bose headphones, I’m gonna pack a bag, shout a bit and storm out.’
‘Over headphones?’ Stacey queried.
‘Role-playing, Stace.’
‘Okay, what if you weren’t angry?’
‘Then I’d probably sit her down and explain the way I was feeling, the things that had led up to it and try to cause the least amount of heartache as possible.’ He paused. ‘Do we have kids?’
Stacey shook her head, again feeling the sadness for the failed IVF attempts and wondering how that had affected them both in the long term, especially Beth.
‘Okay, so we don’t need to explain it to the kids or wait for them to go to bed.’
‘What time would you leave?’
‘Probably teatime. If I knew what I was going to do, I wouldn’t want to go through the pretence of acting as if everything was normal. That wouldn’t be fair.’
‘Then what?’
‘I would probably have booked a hotel room for a few nights depending on my long-term plans. I mean, there’s the house and possessions to sort out, but I wouldn’t want to address that immediately. That would be insensitive, although I would make it clear that she doesn’t get to keep the vase I was given by Aunt Edith.’
Stacey burst out laughing. It had been a bloody long day. Twelve hours ago, she’d been on the cusp of leaving this team behind forever, and now she was belly laughing cos Penn had invented a whole new reality.
She sobered. ‘Would you take money out of the savings account?’
Penn shook his head. ‘Not without telling her. I’d have to trust that she’d do the same, but no. I wouldn’t touch money we’d built up together. Luckily, Lynne isn’t much of a—’
‘Penn, did you hear what you just said?’ Stacey asked.
‘The money belongs to both—’
‘You called her Lynne. Your fantasy wife is called Lynne.’
He coloured. ‘No, you misheard.’
‘No, I didn’t and you wanna get that seen to.’
He logged into his computer as his complexion returned to normal. Stacey still felt guilty for her own part in the ruination of what could have been a beautiful relationship. She had pretty much barged into their romantic evening during the last case, when she and the rest of the team had been in danger and advised that they weren’t to be alone. She knew that wasn’t the sole reason for the failure, but she still carried the guilt for being the straw that broke the camel’s back.
She turned her attention back to the actions of Gabriel Denton. Everything about him screamed nice guy, and yet it was starting to seem that he wasn’t quite the man people thought he was.
THIRTY-THREE
‘Thanks for the lift, Bryant,’ Kim said as they pulled up outside her house. She’d just sent the other two home, and she was equally ready herself to get this day done.
‘You okay?’ her colleague asked as she got out the car.
‘I’m fine,’ she lied. She wasn’t prepared to admit just how much the day had taken out of her.
‘See you in the morning,’ he said, waving as he pulled away.
He knew she wasn’t herself, and he also knew not to push her once he’d asked the question.