Flirting With Danger

by Jade Winters

  ‘Okay, bossy pants, keep your hair on.’

  Outside Astrid walked along the row of shops, peering in through the windows. Reaching the end of the road she found a bench and sat down. Closing her eyes, she inhaled a mouthful of clean country air and said a silent prayer that Roxy would agree to the interview. The quicker she sent a report back to Ross the more time she would have to concentrate on her more important project.

  She was still unhappy about having to shelve it to cover a missing person’s story. It wasn’t that she thought Ross didn’t care about the corruption she had uncovered. He was scared. Of both the repercussions and having Astrid as the reporter uncovering it. She totally got where he was coming from. Sometimes she wasn’t too sure herself. What if she got this one wrong? If the story went to print and the whistle blower got cold feet, she would be thrown to the wolves. Only this time there’d be no coming back. She’d be in the reporter’s graveyard for life.

  Everything revolves around money. Astrid was sick of it. More than that, she was sick of people not being held accountable for their actions. Especially those who held positions of power. People like the MP, Lloyd Jenkins, who was taking back handers from lobbyists to drive through legislation for large corporations. How did she know this? She had been contacted by a whistle blower. It was unspeakable to think that he was abusing his power in such a manner and he needed to be stopped.

  Callie touched her arm. ‘Astrid! Hello. Anybody home?’

  Startled, Astrid spun around. ‘Sorry, I was miles away.’

  Callie remained close by. ‘Roxy said she’ll meet you this evening. Twenty minutes max.’

  ‘I suppose a thank you hug is out of the question,’ Astrid said in a tone half playful, half wistful.

  ‘What do you think?’

  ‘Oh sod it, come here. You’re too formal. You need a little human contact to soften you up.’

  Astrid pulled her into a hug and Callie struggled half-heartedly out of her arms. ‘That wasn’t too bad now, was it?’

  By the expression on Callie’s face, she had to concede it must have been. Astrid couldn’t figure her out in the slightest. She’d never met a woman who blew hot and cold so quickly. One minute Callie was giving off a vibe that the deep attraction between them was mutual. Then in the next moment she was cold, like she couldn’t stand the sight of her.

  ‘Now you’ve got your interview, I’m sure there are plenty of things you can do to while the day away,’ Callie said walking away.

  Here we go again. This woman has issues.

  ‘Fine. If you want to play it like that.’

  Callie stopped in her tracks. ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘Have you got a twin sister hidden somewhere? I think you have. An ice cold, bitchy one who seems to be in control of the warm, affable one.’

  Callie bent over, making a play of tying her boot laces. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘Yes you do. If that’s how you want to behave, fine. Knock yourself out. Just as long as you know you ain’t fooling anyone.’

  Callie stood up, looked Astrid straight in the eye, and said, ‘Are you leaving or what?’

  ‘Actually, I was thinking of hanging out here with you. That’s until you started giving me the cold shoulder. Again.’

  There was something in Callie’s eyes that drew her in. Like a magnet, she couldn’t let go. Astrid knew how to read body language. It was part of her job to know when someone was lying, feeling nervous, or was about to physically assault her. Looking at Callie, she knew the words that left her mouth were in stark contrast with what her body was saying. It was open. Facing her, unprotected. It was obvious Callie was fighting what she felt for Astrid. What wasn’t obvious was why. What was it that was holding her back? That had such an iron grip on her heart that she wouldn’t let anyone in.

  ‘Cold shoulder? I don’t know if you’ve realised but I have a business to run. I can’t just drop everything at a moment’s notice and hang out. I do have things to do.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Rock climbing.’

  The weather had improved immensely. The grey skies finally giving way to rays of sunshine.

  ‘Great. That’s even better. If you don’t mind, I’ll come with you. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at rock climbing.’

  ‘Actually I do mind. In fact, I mind very much. And anyway, you’re hardly dressed for it.’

  Jesus, what’s it going to take to knock down this woman’s wall? Having never met anyone so stubborn in her life she was at a loss what to do. Just keep chipping away until there’s nothing left was the solution she came up with. ‘In that case I’ll just sit in your office and wait until you’ve finished.’

  ‘You can’t because I’m closing the office.’

  Callie wasn’t going to win the war of words. For every comeback, Astrid would have an answer. ‘Then I’ll sit outside.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, you’ll freeze to death. These weather conditions aren’t going to last long.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll have no problem thawing me out when you get back.’ Astrid took a few steps towards her. ‘So what’s it to be, your ladyship? Can I tag along?’

  Callie looked infuriated about being backed into a corner. ‘Grrr, if you must. But I’m telling you, I don’t want you questioning any of my staff about Lexi. And you stay down on the ground. No attempting to climb. Promise?’

  Astrid stood on tip toes and saluted. ‘Scout’s honour.’

  Chapter Twelve

  Keri felt like a common thief as she crept around Astrid’s bedroom. It hadn’t taken long to find Astrid’s room. With no other guests staying at the B&B, the rooms were undisturbed bar the one in which she stood.

  Opening drawers and cupboards as quietly as she could, Keri ignored the underwear. The lace bras. The Mickey Mouse pyjamas that made her smile. Now I would love to see her wearing those. She’d look so cute.

  So far the invasion of Astrid’s privacy had revealed nothing. Downstairs she could hear Elaine moving around. When Elaine had kindly offered to make Keri a late English breakfast, she’d eagerly agreed. Not because it was something she ever ate. It wasn’t. Just looking at the grease and fat was enough to give her a heart attack. No, she had agreed to keep Elaine busy while she went rooting through Astrid’s stuff.

  Leads. That’s what she was looking for. Names of the person or persons who had stabbed her dad in the back. Individuals who knew nothing of being loyal to those who looked after them. Even as she thought it, she realised how pathetic and feeble it sounded. Her father was a crook. End of story. There wasn’t any other name for it. And I’m his accomplice.

  Kneeling down on the hard wooden floor, she felt under the bed. Bingo. A laptop. She carefully pulled it out, placing it on top of the bed and opening the lid. Expecting to see it password protected, she was surprised to see it wasn’t.

  Quickly moving the cursor along, Keri clicked on files. Lists of titles appeared. Far too many for her to scan in a short space of time. Holding down the search key she typed in corruption. No file. Lloyd …. The same. She rested her head on the edge of the bed. As a reporter herself, what file name would she give it? She thought for a few seconds, then typed in scandal.

  A list of files appeared.

  Hovering the cursor over the top one, her finger tips ready to press enter, she heard her name. ‘Keri, your food is ready.’

  Damn. She had to think quickly. Either take the risk and read it. Or come back at another time. Now she knew what she was looking for, she chose the latter. Closing the lid, she slid the computer back into place and checked she hadn’t left anything in the room disturbed. As stealthily as a cat, she slid out of the door and made her way downstairs.

  In the kitchen, Elaine had laid her plate of food out on the table. A steaming hot cup of tea next to it.

  ‘Wow, it looks great,’ Keri lied, feeling her stomach turn. She was glad she remembered to bring a plastic bag with her. As soon as Elaine left her alone she would th
row as much food away as possible. There was no way she was going to clog her arteries. Not even for her dad.

  Keri picked up the mug of tea and took a sip. ‘So have you any idea when your guest reporter is coming back?’

  ‘That’s if she’s coming back at all,’ Elaine said laughing to herself.

  Prodding a rubbery sausage with the tip of her knife, Keri said, ‘She isn’t staying somewhere else, is she?’

  ‘Oh no. She’ll be back, but …’ Elaine threw her a sidelong mischievous glance. ‘No. I shouldn’t say anything.’

  Keri rose from her chair and joined Elaine at the sink. ‘Go on. I love a bit of gossip.’

  ‘It won’t mean much to you, but my friend has got the serious hots for the reporter staying here.’

  ‘You’re kidding?’

  ‘Nope. But Callie being Callie she would rather die than admit it.’

  The muscles around Keri’s throat tightened. ‘And how does this reporter feel about her?’

  ‘The same, if today was anything to go by. It was so cute, like being at school and not knowing if the person you’re mad about even knows you exist. I’m sure they’ll get it together soon.’

  Keri’s hand found the worktop to hold herself steady. Astrid sure doesn’t waste time. It was a huge dent to Keri’s ego, that less than forty-eight hours had passed since they were in bed together and Astrid already had her eye on someone else. I’ll have to do some digging on this Callie and see what she’s all about.

  ‘I hope Callie knows what she’s letting herself in for,’ Keri said aloud, before she realised her mistake when Elaine looked at her with a puzzled expression.

  Quickly backtracking she said, ‘I mean, reporters have a worse reputation than sailors.’

  ‘Oh right.’ Elaine dried her hands on a tea towel. ‘You’d better get your breakfast down ya before it gets cold.’

  ‘If you’ve got things to do, don’t let me stop you.’

  ‘Are you sure? I thought you might like some company as you just got here.’

  I can’t face Astrid. Not now. I hope Helen’s free.

  ‘No it’s fine honestly. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to nip out for a while anyway.’

  With Elaine busying herself in another part of the house, Keri scraped her breakfast into the bag and dumped it in the neighbour’s bin next door as she left. Her mind was in a tizzy which was an unusual state for her. Astrid hooking up with someone else meant a road of problems lay ahead. If, like Elaine had guessed, that Astrid was sweet on this woman she had little chance of getting close enough for her to trust her. What the hell am I going to tell dad?

  Nothing. You say nothing. Just pretend that everything’s going according to plan. The same way I’m going to have to pretend that Astrid kicking me to the kerb for someone else doesn’t hurt like hell.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Scout’s honour my arse. The only word Astrid kept was not attempting to climb. And that was only because she later found out that Astrid had a fear of heights. During their break, Astrid had managed to work her way around the whole team, garnering as much information as she could on Lexi and her parents. She had done this without the aid of a pen and paper. Instead her approach had been conversational. A question here, a probe there. Before Callie realised what was happening, everyone had provided her with a piece of the puzzle.

  Placing the ropes in the boot at the end of the lesson, Callie imagined putting Astrid on a train and sending her back to Manchester, until she realised with a jolt to her heart that she’d actually miss having Astrid around. In the short space of time they’d shared together, Astrid had grown on her. Callie liked her bull in a china shop approach. Her tenacity. She liked the fact that when she caught Astrid looking at her from afar, despite the distance it sent tingles of pleasure down her spine.

  The phone in her pocket vibrated. Digging it out she read the text message from Roxy. She was ready for her interview.

  When Callie relayed the information to Astrid as they got into the Jeep, she didn’t seem as eager as she had been earlier that day. In fact, instead of her usual enthusiasm, her response was somewhat muted. At first Callie put her mood down to nerves. Maybe she’d never interviewed someone famous before, but she soon dismissed that. She doubted interviewing the Queen would ruffle Astrid’s feathers. This was a side of Astrid that was new to her.

  ‘You’re quiet,’ Callie said, briefly glancing at her as she pulled out onto the road. ‘Something on your mind?’

  Astrid’s eyebrows furrowed. ‘Just thinking.’

  ‘About?’

  She was quiet for a few seconds before answering. ‘What one of your colleagues said.’

  ‘Which was?’

  ‘That Lexi was very close to her parents.’

  ‘She was, is there something wrong with that?’

  ‘If that’s the case, why weren’t they out looking for her with the rest of the searchers? I mean isn’t that what any parent would do? If that was my kid out there, I’d be pounding the streets day and night.’

  ‘Roxy did go out on the first day.’ Callie’s voice faltered for a moment; she gazed steadfastly ahead at the lorry in front of her. ‘She just thought it better to be at home in case Lexi called. The same with Robert.’

  Callie frowned, not comfortable with Astrid’s line of thought. When she’d arranged the interview, she had imagined Astrid’s focus would be on Lexi, not her parents. She didn’t like this one little bit. Without warning she pulled the Jeep over and parked on a double yellow line, ignoring the angry drivers blowing their horns at her sudden action. She faced Astrid who was now sitting upright looking at her as if she’d lost her mind.

  Callie’s tone left no doubt that she was majorly pissed off. ‘Are you implying Roxy and Robert have something to do with Lexi’s disappearance? Because if you are, I’m gonna turn this car around right now.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, just drive. I told you I was just thinking, that’s all.’

  ‘I hope so. Robert and Roxy are the last people on earth that would harm somebody,’ Callie said flipping the indicator. She pulled out onto the now empty road and carried on towards Roxy’s place.

  Callie wasn’t stupid. She knew it was protocol, by the police anyway, to always look at the immediate family and move outwards, but even so, she doubted they would be as blatant as Astrid with their accusations.

  It wasn’t until they pulled up outside Roxy’s cottage that Astrid spoke again.

  ‘So how long have you known them?’

  ‘Roxy and Robert?’

  ‘Uh-huh.’

  Callie switched the engine off, but made no attempt to exit the Jeep. ‘Years. Well, Robert anyway. I only met Roxy when she started seeing Robert.’

  ‘And Roxy doesn’t have any children of her own?’

  ‘No, she never wanted any.’ Her voice was blunt to the point of condescending. ‘Does that mean she’s the big bad stepmother who hates children, so she makes them disappear? Not all women are cut out for motherhood, you know.’ She let her voice trail away to nothing when she saw how taken aback Astrid was.

  The mere mention of the word ‘mother’ was still a trigger for Callie. It brought too much emotional baggage with it. Her mother leaving had shaped the person she was today. Untrusting. Insecure. Emotionally unavailable. Not to mention aloof. Yes, she was well aware of her many shortcomings but she hadn’t seen them as a problem. Until now.

  ‘I know that. I just want to make sure I don’t bring up any sensitive subjects,’ Astrid said as they both exited the Jeep.

  ‘Just keep your focus on helping to find Lexi and it’ll be fine,’ Callie said walking towards the house.

  Roxy answered the door wearing jogging bottoms and a creased t-shirt. Her eyes were red and puffy. Hair frazzled. In her hand, she held a half smoked cigarette. Callie was alarmed. Roxy didn’t smoke. Well she hadn’t in all the time she had known her. Neither had she seen her look such a mess. Roxy was one of the smartest dressers she knew.
Unlike Callie who was more comfortable wearing cargo trousers, vests and sturdy boots.

  ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Callie asked in a lowered voice.

  With her empty hand, Roxy combed her fingers through her hair. ‘Robert insisted.’

  ‘Still, if you’re not comfortable.’

  ‘It’ll be fine.’

  Callie stepped aside. ‘Roxy. This is the reporter I told you about. Astrid from The Daily News.’

  ‘I’m sorry to have to meet under such distressing circumstances,’ Astrid said with such genuine warmth, Callie once again rebuked herself for being so judgemental.

  ‘Thank you. Come inside. Robert’s waiting in the living room.’

  They both followed Roxy inside, with Callie giving Astrid what she hoped looked like a grateful smile.

  ‘Robert.’ Callie briefly hugged him. ‘This is Astrid.’

  He held out his hand and gave her a quick handshake. ‘Please take a seat. Where do you want to start?’

  Astrid and Callie both sat on the leather sofa. ‘At the beginning if you don’t mind.’

  Robert looked puzzled. ‘The beginning?’

  ‘Yes. Say two days before she went missing. Did anything out of the ordinary happen?’

  His eyes narrowed and he lowered himself into the armchair opposite them. ‘Like what?’

  ‘Any trouble at school. Problems at home—’

  ‘There were never any problems at home,’ he said cutting in defensively.

  ‘I’m not saying there were, Mr. Palmer. I’m just trying to get a picture of Lexi’s daily life.’

  ‘She was a normal, happy, well-adjusted teenager. We never had any problems with her, did we, Rox?’

  Standing by the plasma fireplace, Roxy stubbed out her cigarette and lit another one straight away. ‘No. No trouble at all.’

  ‘Okay, so Lexi’s home life was perfect.’

  The disbelief in Astrid’s voice wasn’t overt but Callie caught it. Robert wasn’t exactly coming over in a good light. More like a father in denial.