Page 92 of The House Swap

Either Tom was innocent, or he was a bloody good actor.

‘I don’t know,’ she admitted, the fight seeping out of her. ‘I just… It’s your place.’

‘It is. But you have to know I would never do that.’

No. The Tom she knew wouldn’t. She believed him.

‘Can you send me a photo?’ he asked, calmer now. ‘I want to see.’

‘Okay,’ Poppy agreed, putting him on loudspeaker while she put the device on the counter and snapped a shot, careful to get the lens in.

‘We’re assuming it was put there for you,’ Tom said, as she uploaded the photo. ‘But that thing was on the ceiling before I moved in.’

He sounded a little shaken, and for the first time, Poppy realised that perhaps this wasn’t directly about her.

‘Do you know who lived here before?’ she asked.

‘No, it was empty when I bought it. So maybe it was just left there and it doesn’t work.’

‘Oh, it works. There’s a red light on it,’ she told him, putting paid to that theory. ‘I think it’s recording.’

‘Great,’ Tom said, falling silent.

Poppy suspected he felt as violated as she did.

If Tom was innocent, and she believed he was, then who the hell else would be recording what was going on inside the villa?

Martin’s name popped in her head. He was often around, had a key for the property, and he gave off a weird vibe. Maybe he had swapped the smoke alarm for the camera. But for what gain?

Not sure how Tom would react, she mentioned his name.

‘I trust him, Pops,’ he said, immediately coming to Martin’s defence. ‘He looks after all of the villas. He’s a good man.’

‘What about the people who lived here before? Did he look after the villa for them too?’

There was an uncomfortable silence.

‘I believe so. He knew where everything was when I moved in.’

Tom sounded so resigned when he spoke those last words, Poppy couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

‘I think you have your answer,’ she said quietly.

‘No,’ he disagreed. ‘There’s no actual proof it’s Martin. We can’t jump to conclusions.’

Poppy thought back to her boat trip earlier.

‘Did you know he was going to be taking me to Spinalonga?’ she asked. ‘Did Kostas tell you?’

Again, she could tell she had shocked Tom.

‘No, I thought you had gone with Kostas,’ he said, before adding, ‘So it was just you and Martin?’

‘Yup.’

Poppy deliberated. Should she tell Tom what had happened?

She decided she would give him an abridged version, focusing on the fact that Martin hadn’t helped her when she’d struggled in the water.