Did he follow to find out?
And was he actually just hoping to catch sight of the woman who’d caught his fancy?
Debating, he stood on the bank for a moment before he decided to make his way inside.
He’d have to think of a reason why, but he’d worry about that in the moment.
Giving his head a shake, he started for the office, realizing that Warrington never seemed to disappoint.
He’d not met a woman who’d captured his interest for such a long time. But here, something out of the ordinary never failed to happen.
With that in mind, he opened the door to see the three woman all sitting in front of the constable, each with her hands folded in her lap as they quietly asked questions.
It was the constable himself who grew louder with each sentence spoken.
“What are you suggesting, my lady?”
“I am not suggesting anything, constable. I merely asked if you’d retained the records of anyone you might have questioned in this village or others,” the tall one asked.
“Her drowning was ten years ago. Of course I didn’t.”
Drowning? Ten years? He stood up straighter.
It had been ten years since he’d left here. Since he’d saved that girl and lost another…
“Do you remember anyone that you might have spoken to in any of the villages?” She looked over to the middle woman, the two of them exchanging a glance.
But the third… The one who’d caught his fancy outside twisted her hands together. “We have appreciated your work a great deal, constable.”
The constable smiled at the other woman. “Thank you, Lady Laurel. I was always happy to serve your family.”
“And pleased to give interviews,” the tall one said, leaning forward.
“I beg your pardon?” he asked sharply.
She didn’t move back, despite the rising volume of his voice. He even spit a bit as he spoke, his teeth beginning to show. But Parker had to admire the woman’s spunk, even if she was unlikely to get much information if she continued down this path.
“Well, sir. I did notice that you gave an interview to a different newspaper nearly every day for two weeks’ time.”
“What are you insinuating?” he growled out, rising from his seat.
The woman did not move. “I am simply stating a fact.”
“A fact?”
“Yes. They are points that are not colored by opinion.”
“Charlotte,” the middle woman said softly. “This is how you really incite irritation.”
“Do I?” Charlotte asked with a small shrug.
“I do not need you to define what a fact is,” the constable said, now menacingly leaning over the desk.
“You asked,” Charlotte responded. “But since I have told you my point of data, I may as well ask the follow-up question. If you were giving daily interviews, when did you have time to investigate?”
The third woman gasped as the constable spluttered unintelligibly. Parker did all he could do not to laugh. It was an excellent question, though unlikely to get the woman the information she wanted.
But Charlotte continued. “You clearly did not travel very far. Which villages did you visit? How many people did you speak to?”