Carlos broke eye contact and headed indoors with Lady close to his heels. His lively companion soon made herself at home, running enthusiastically around the living room, excitement overwhelming her. He stopped to admire his sister. As her big brown eyes looked at him affectionately and her round face broke into a huge grin, his heart melted.
‘You’re looking good, Sophie, and wow! What about this?’ His arm extended to envelop the large open-plan lounge-diner. ‘A bit bigger than your last place.’ Carlos took in his surroundings. Sophie had married in the spring and she and her husband, Gary, had moved six months ago into their first owned home: a large detached cottage on the edge of the village. It was the first time Carlos had visited their new place in Peak Hollow.
‘Thank you. We love it here. The cottage is just what I’ve always wanted; plenty of space and room for a family.’
Carlos’s mouth dropped open.
‘No, Carlos. I’m not pregnant. Yet. But we would like children in a few years’ time. You know I love kids.’
‘When they come along, I’m sure they’ll be wonderful. I can’t wait to see little Sophies running around the place. By the way, where’s Gary?’
‘Working late as usual,’ she sighed. ‘You men are all the same.’
‘Whoa! That’s so sexist, Sophie. And as you well know, in this particular man’s case, Rachel works as much, if not more than I do.’
‘I stand corrected. Just a figure of speech; he’ll be home soon, anyway.’
His sister walked through to the kitchen and put the coffee percolator on. Carlos followed. The interior contrasted with the property’s age and was tastefully decorated with fashionable ash-grey paint and smart laminate flooring, now covered in muddy pawprints. He grimaced.
The expansive tile-floored kitchen was dominated by an island in the centre with a table in a recess. He parked himself on a stool at the island while his sister made coffee, feeling at home immediately. He and Sophie had always been close. It didn’t matter that they lived a hundred and sixty miles apart, he would make the effort to see her. They were the only two of their family still living in England. Their parents and older brothers had moved back to Florence in Italy while Sophie was at university, and Carlos felt responsible for his baby sister, even though she was only a few years younger than him at twenty-six. Now she was married it was different, but he had promised his parents he would always take care of her, and this duty – albeit more of a pleasure – he took seriously.
‘How is Rachel? It’s such a shame she can’t join us.’ Sophie’s voice pulled him from his reverie.
‘She’s good. Working too hard, as usual. On nights right up to New Year. After that, she moves to London, so I’m not complaining. I’m hoping to nip up to Leeds while I’m here to take her out for a Christmas celebration before one of her shifts.’
Carlos’s heart pounded as it always did when he thought about the woman he’d been dating for just over a year. Sometimes the love he felt for her threatened to overwhelm him. Rachel worked as police officer and they had met on a cruise ship when he was working two cases. Rachel’s beauty had distracted him from the moment they met, and as it turned out, she was the one who had saved the elderly woman he was supposed to be protecting.
He reached into his rucksack and brought out a dog bowl. ‘Would you mind filling this? Lady needs a drink.’
Sophie took the bowl and filled it before setting it down on the floor. Lady gulped the water down as if she hadn’t drunk in days and almost finished the bowl, dribbling water on to the pristine white tiles.
‘Yuck! Is she always this messy?’
‘Only when she’s thirsty,’ he laughed. ‘Dogs are always thirstier after car travel, it seems; either that or she’s showing off.’ Carlos unpacked another bowl from his rucksack and pulled a bag of dried dog food from his suitcase before filling that too and laying it on the floor. ‘Sorry about the mucky pawprints.’
They were interrupted by the front door opening. Sophie’s eyes lit up again as she ran through to the lounge. Carlos followed.
‘About time too!’ She hugged the tall, wiry Gary who leaned down to kiss her. His sister was a whirlwind and was well and truly besotted with this most unlikely of matches.
‘Sorry, Soph. We have to finish the project before the Christmas break.’ He smiled down at her.
Carlos coughed.
‘Hello, Carlos, I saw the Capri. She’s looking good. Welcome to Peaks Hollow. How do you like our new home?’ Gary shook Carlos’s hand. He was the exact opposite of Sophie: a reserved Englishman, tall and lanky compared to her, but it was obvious the man adored his wife as much as she did him.
‘Love it. I approve of the choice. Almost on the edge of the village, too. It beats London flats, that’s for sure.’
‘And this must be Lady.’ Gary bent down to stroke the excited dog who was running circles around him, flicking his legs with her tail.
‘That’s her, and she likes you, so that’s a good sign.’ Carlos laughed as Gary cautiously stroked her belly while she rolled on to her back, keeping enough distance not to allow dog hairs to meet his neatly pressed trousers, Carlos noticed.
The happy trio retired to the kitchen and chatted excitedly. Lady settled down at Carlos’s feet.
‘What are you working on that’s so urgent it can’t wait until after the festive season?’ Carlos asked.
‘Come on, Carlos, you know better than to ask him about his work,’ Sophie scolded.
Gary worked for Rolls Royce in Derby as a scientific development manager and Carlos knew his work was highly confidential, but that wouldn’t stop him asking. Industrial espionage was a real threat in big business, according to his brother-in-law. ‘All I can say is it’s something very exciting and we have to finish stage one by Christmas Eve.’
Carlos raised an eyebrow. ‘Electric cars are old news, you know.’
Gary jumped. ‘No-one has seen the likes of this project. It’s groundbreaking, and I didn’t say it was a car.’
Carlos grinned widely and shot a smug look Sophie’s way.
‘Don’t be irritating, Carlos, and don’t imagine for one minute you know what my husband’s working on.’ Sophie frowned. ‘Anyway, what about you? Any exciting cases lately?’
‘Not exactly, but I am still wrapping one up – another reason I chose Derbyshire for Christmas.’
‘That’s so flattering, brother. Did you hear that, Lady? He’s going to make you work over Christmas.’ Sophie appeared to be warming to having a dog around and knelt to stroke Lady’s ears. The spaniel’s eyes were as big and brown as Sophie’s; it brought a smile to Carlos’s face seeing the two girls gazing adoringly at each other. ‘That’s the real reason you’re not in Leeds.’ It was his sister’s turn to look smug. The easy banter came automatically whenever they were together.
‘Life’s never dull for a private detective; you understand that, Sophie. I miss your help, to be honest, so I’ve had to take on a new guy.’
‘Remind me I need to speak to you about something important later.’
Carlos raised his eyebrows quizzically, but Sophie’s attention was now taken up with chopping vegetables.