Chapter Text
As luck would have it, the agency had a case that required Strike and Robin to make a stop in Nottingham to investigate a person of interest, so they set out in Strike’s BMW on a Thursday morning, late in January, planning to spend the day on their investigation, and then to head on to Masham the following morning.
The client, whom they had nicknamed “The Sheriff,” was convinced that the manager of one of his business’s branch locations was trying to start a competing business, and he wanted proof. The manager in question was the client’s nephew, which made the case all the more delicate, and Strike and Robin wanted to observe how the nephew, whom they had nicknamed “Mr. Hood,” operated in the field. So, Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Hall had booked several appointments to look at homes in the West Bridgford area of Nottingham, to be used as a retreat from their hectic lives in London, and as a convenient base for Mr. Hall’s frequent work in Nottingham.
Robin was wearing a dark wig, chunky jewelry, and simple, flowing clothes that made her seem older than she really was. Strike had opted for his suit, a clean shave, and his hair was cropped so close to his head that the curl was almost nonexistent. They exuded a sense of middle-age and wealth, with just a hint of artiness.
Mr. Hood showed them three contemporary homes, all boxy and shiny and made of glass and metal. Mr. and Mrs. Hall seemed less-than-impressed with the offerings.
“It’s lovely, but it feels so sanitary, ’ said Mrs. Hall.
“Yes,” said Mr. Hall. “We were looking for something, oh, I don’t know, gritty .” Mr. Hall gestured vaguely. “But safe, ” he added.
Mr. Hood nodded, and then suggested that they might be interested in a property that was not part of the firm’s official listings. An old warehouse in an up-and-coming part of town, that was in the process of renovation and still had several units available. And with that, Robin and Strike were able to gather all the evidence they needed before dinner.
***
Since Robin and Strike had finished their work so early, they could have driven to Masham for a late arrival Thursday evening. But Robin, who was still not entirely sure how this weekend might play out, told Strike she’d rather they had a night to themselves as planned, rather than rush north.
Their holiday in Cornwall had been perfect. Everything from the AirBnB, which gave them a sort of autonomy and refuge, to the open delight and acceptance of all of Strike’s family towards their relationship, had left Robin with such a warm feeling, that she was actively looking forward to the following Christmas. Strike also had been pleased, and the experience had so warmed relations between him and his sister that he had voluntarily agreed to spend the entire Sunday after their trip to Masham at his sister’s house, enduring Adam’s birthday party.
Robin’s mother had been eager for details about her holiday, and about Cormoran’s family, and Robin felt that Linda had quite warmed to Cormoran simply from hearing the accounts of daily life in St. Mawes. Robin felt a bit guilty that she had purposely sent Linda snapshots of her and Cormoran doing very benign and family-oriented things over the holiday, including one that captured Strike and Jack playing soldier together. She felt that this was somehow manipulative, although in truth, their week had been lovely and filled with domestic activities. Now that things were out in the open, Robin found it easier to talk to her mother, although she still held back certain feelings or emotions. As happy as she was, she somehow did not want to talk to her mother in depth about the relationship.
In the meantime, Linda had phoned to ask what kind of food they would like during their visit and whether Cormoran had any dietary restrictions, a question that made Robin choke on her tea. Her brother, Martin, had texted to inform her that their mother was undergoing some level of anxiety trying to decide if she should prepare Stephen’s bedroom for Strike, or if Strike was planning to stay with Robin. Via Martin, Robin had relayed that only one bedroom would be necessary, and told Martin that if there was any problem with that, she didn’t want to hear about it.
Then there had been the text exchange with Martin where he had informed her that there was quite a lot of discussion at home about whether or not Robin knew and if Robin couldn’t guess what that was then he wasn’t going to tell her. Robin knew they were referring to Matthew and Sarah’s baby, whom, she presumed, had been born several months earlier. She was almost proud of her mother for refraining from bringing it up to her. She had written back to Martin to let him know that she knew the essentials, but not the final outcome, and he had texted her back an image of a creepy little boy with a gas mask from an episode of Doctor Who .
Stephen and Jenny were planning on visiting Saturday with Annabel, and Jonathan had mentioned that he might try to stop by as well. Robin had not planned much of anything; she assumed her family would take charge in some way, and her main hope was that the weekend was not too stressful and that everyone would learn to interact tolerably well with each other.