The Look of Love

by David George Richards

Adam smiled. “Yes, I would, even though it might be somewhat unsuitable. But I must confess that, even with the bandage, I have found your body most pleasing to the eye. In fact it is only overshadowed by the perfection of your face, and the strength of your wit.”

  “And the level of your flattery!” Chrissy added. “I’ve already said yes, so cut it out!”

  Adam bowed gracefully. “As you insist.”

  Chrissy pointed a finger at him. “This isn’t over yet! I’m only coming out with you for revenge! I’m going to have a good think tonight, and tomorrow I’m going to get you!” She took his coat from her shoulders and handed it back to him.

  Adam took his coat and smiled again. “I look forward to it immensely. Until tomorrow night.”

  “Until tomorrow night.”

  Adam turned and walked back down the path. He waved after he got into the taxi. Chrissy waved back and the taxi roared off.

  Chrissy closed the door, locked it, and turned to find her mother standing at the top of the stairs, staring down at her. She didn’t look pleased to see her.

  “Alright madam!” she said sternly. “Where have you been? And what do you think you’re doing coming home at this time? Do you know it’s after five? Me and your father have been worried sick! Worried sick, I tell you! And who was he? Your latest boyfriend or his father?”

  “Oh, mum!” Chrissy said in embarrassment. “How long have you been there?”

  “Long enough to see that he was a lot older than you! What are you thinking? Tell me where you’ve been until this hour! Tell me this minute!”

  “Well, if you must know, I’ve been knocked down by a taxi and I’ve spent the last six or seven hours sitting in casualty at Manchester Royal. And if you don’t believe me, where do you think I got this bandage? Boots?”

  Veronica Davis squinted down the stairs, saw the bandage and the battered appearance of her daughter’s clothes, and immediately came bounding down the stairs.

  “Oh, my baby!” she cried, enveloping her daughter in her arms. In an instant, everything else had been forgotten. “Are you alright? What happened? Come and sit down? Does it hurt?”

  “Oh, stop fussing, mum! I’m alright! It’s just a couple of bruised ribs.”

  “Bruised ribs! Show me! Let me see!”

  As her mother continued to fuss over her, Chrissy heard her father’s voice from upstairs.

  “What’s going on?” he called.

  Veronica answered him. “Your daughter’s been run over, and you’re lounging in bed, that’s what’s going on!”

  In a few seconds her father had joined them downstairs, and Chrissy had to endure more questions and even more prodding and hugging, until, finally, she had convinced both her parents that she was alright, and they all ended up in the kitchen. Only Chrissy’s brother was now still asleep, snoring and oblivious.

  Veronica put on the kettle and sat down next to her husband. Both of them waited patiently and expectantly, staring at Chrissy across the kitchen table.

  “Oh, alright then!” Chrissy said in exasperation. “His name’s Adam Campbell and I’m seeing him again tomorrow night. Okay?”

  “How old is he?” her mother asked.

  “Thirty-nine.”

  “Thirty-nine! That’s twice your age! He’s old enough to be your father!”

  “Oh, mum!”

  Then her father asked, “What does he do?”

  “I don’t know,” Chrissy replied, slightly annoyed with herself for failing to ask. She promised herself that she would rectify that on their next date.

  “But he must do something!” her father pressed her.

  Chrissy thought for a moment, and then she said, rather enigmatically, “He breaks little girl’s dreams.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Saturday

  Victoria sat bolt upright in bed. The sudden movement was ill advised, and she swayed slightly and clutched at her head with one hand and at her stomach with the other. There was a banging in her head and a deep ache in her stomach. The ache eased as she lay back down again, but the banging continued. It was a moment before she realised that the banging was real. She had a headache alright, but the banging was outside her head, not inside. It seemed to be coming from somewhere below her. She looked around and realised that this wasn’t her flat in the hall of residences.

  She sat up again; more gingerly this time, threw back the covers and sat on the side of the bed. The banging seemed to have stopped at last. She looked down and found herself wearing a pink cotton nightie with a Disney character smiling up at her. She turned her head slightly so that she could see it the right way up. It was a very cute rabbit.

  The door opened and Louise came in. The movement surprised Victoria and she looked scared as she dived back into bed and covered herself up. Only when she saw that it was Louise did her expression soften, and she sighed with relief.

  “Oh, it’s you!” she exclaimed. “I couldn’t think where I was for the moment.”

  “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you,” Louise said, coming to sit next to her on the side of the bed. She smiled at Victoria and reached out to brush her tangled hair. “I’m glad to see you’re awake at last, I was beginning to get worried.”

  Victoria glanced around the room. “How did I get here?”

  “I brought you home last night. You were in a right state. How do you feel now?”

  “Terrible!” Victoria moaned. She rubbed her stomach again. “My tummy and my head feel very sore. And my back aches. It’s not usually this bad after a binge. Even my face aches. I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus.”

  “I don’t think this was any ordinary binge, not even for you!” Louise said with a smile. “I suppose you don’t remember being beaten up?”

  Victoria stared up at her and shook her head. Louise took a mirror from the dressing table and handed it to her. Victoria stared at her bruised face, her mouth open in shock. Her right eye and nose were heavily bruised, there was a bright red scratch down her cheek, and her lip was split. The general colour scheme was purple, green and yellow for the bruises, red for the wounds, and pale white for everything else.

  “Oh, bollocks!” she exclaimed. “I’ve really done it this time.” She dived under the covers and pulled up her nightie to check her stomach. Louise knew when she found the bruises when Victoria gasped, “Oh, Jesus…”

  “It could have been worse,” Louise said, and told Victoria how she found her in the toilets and had to rescue her with the fire extinguisher.

  Victoria grinned, then hastily grabbed her split lip, uttering an, “Ow!” before adding, “I wish I’d seen that! I bet you froze their tits off!”

  They both laughed, and then Louise asked tentatively, “Do you remember anything else about last night?”

  Victoria swallowed and looked thoughtful. “Not much. I never do, really. I remember some of the stuff from early in the night. Meeting at the bar, Jo’s boyfriend, seeing you…” Victoria’s voice trailed off and she suddenly looked very upset. “I didn’t get into a fight with Chrissy, did I?” she asked anxiously. “Oh, no! Don’t tell me I had a fight with Chrissy! She’ll never forgive me!”

  Not being able to remember everything that happened the night before, and even being beaten up, hadn’t seemed to bother Victoria that much. But the possibility that her friendship with Chrissy might have come to an end did bother her. As more of the details of the previous night came back to her, Victoria got more and more emotional, and she began to cry. But it wasn’t just a few tears; it was really heavy, wailing, baby stuff. It surprised and worried Louise, who quickly put her arms around Victoria and did her best to comfort her.

  “Chrissy will forgive you, I’m sure she will!” Louise tried to convince her.

  “No, she won’t!” Victoria insisted between sobs. “She said horrible things to me! I remember now!”

  “But you were both drunk! You probably said things that you didn’t really mean!”

  “Chrissy wouldn’t say those thin
gs if she didn’t mean them! I’ve known her since I was three, and I know! She hates me! And it’s all my fault!”

  “She doesn’t hate you! She was just upset, that’s all!”

  “But it was my last chance!” Victoria wailed. “She told me so! And she told me to behave! But I never can! I can’t help it!”

  “She’ll forgive you! Just explain everything to her!”

  “No she won’t! It’s not fair! I hate myself! I’m so stupid!”

  Victoria became angry and she began to pull violently at her own hair. Louise quickly grabbed her hands and stopped her.

  “Stop that!” Louise shouted in such a stern voice that it made Victoria jump. “Stop blaming yourself! Yes, you were drunk! You did some stupid things, and Chrissy has a right to be angry with you! But if you’ve been friends for as long as you say you have, then I’m sure she will forgive you. Now stop crying! You’ll see Chrissy on Monday in class, and you can tell her then that you’re sorry. Tell her you got beaten up. She’ll forgive you, I’m sure she will.”

  Victoria seemed to calm down at last, but she still wasn’t convinced. “But you don’t know her,” she muttered with a sniffle, rubbing her face. “She can be really hard!”

  “I’ve only known Chrissy for a short time, but she seems sensible enough to me. I’m sure she will listen to you. She’s probably just as upset as you are. So stop worrying.”

  “Will you talk to her for me?” Victoria suddenly asked, grabbing hold of Louise. “She’ll listen to you! You explain what happened! I’ll say I’m sorry! I promise I will! But if you talk to her first, I’m sure it will help! Please, Louise! Please!”

  Louise stared at Victoria’s earnest and appealing expression and couldn’t refuse. She wiped the last of the tears from Victoria’s face and said softly, “Of course I will.”

  “Thanks!” Victoria said with a grin. Then she seemed to forget everything as another thought entered her head. “What time is it?” she asked in sudden alarm, and grabbed hold of Louise’s wrist. Victoria twisted her head round to get a better view of Louise’s watch. “Half past two! Bloody hell!” she exclaimed in annoyance. “The days half gone! And I was supposed to be packing this morning!”

  “Packing? Why?” Louise asked, totally surprised by the change of subject and mood.

  “Oh, that pigging warden at the residences reported me to the University for what happened last week,” Victoria said, talking quickly. She began to move her feet back and forth under the covers as she spoke, watching the little mounds they made moving about. “They weren’t too happy about my drunken binges and the effect it might have on the other students. They were very polite and all that, but basically they told me to sod off and that I had to move out this weekend. I haven’t even found another flat yet. Were we alone last night?”

  The question caught Louise by surprise. “Er, yes,” she said hesitantly before quickly going on. “Where were you going to stay?”

  Victoria shrugged. The movement caused her pain and she flexed her shoulders gingerly. “I’ll doss at Zach’s place until I find somewhere. He won’t chuck me out of bed.”

  “You can stay here,” Louise said almost too quickly.

  “What?”

  “I have a flat with two bedrooms,” Louise explained. “This one is the spare room. It’s always empty. You need a flat and someone with notes to use to catch up with. I could do with a little help with the rent, and I get a bit lonely on my own. It’s a perfect arrangement.”

  Victoria was completely surprised by the idea. “Are you sure? You hardly know me, Louise.”

  “After last night, I think I know you pretty well.” Louise almost blushed as she spoke. She hoped Victoria didn’t notice.

  “And even after last night, you still want to share?”

  “Yes! Definitely!”

  Louise couldn’t hide her enthusiasm. For her the very idea of sharing a flat with Victoria was a dream come true. It was a dream she had often had in the past, but on those occasions she had always been disappointed. The girls she had liked had faded away just like the dream, and she had begun to think that this day would never actually come. And now here it was. And this time it was going to be different. After last night, Louise couldn’t even bear to think about rejection. Her love making with Victoria had been far more exciting and pleasurable than anything she could ever have imagined. Victoria had to say yes, she just had to.

  Victoria didn’t have to think about it for long. She looked around at the room and nodded her head. “Yes. Okay, Louise. Why not? It would do me good to have someone sensible around. Someone who can get me to classes on time, and who can tell me off when I’m getting out of control. But be warned!” she held up her finger. “They don’t call me Tori Canyon for nothing you know. You’ve seen the results when I wreck. Not just last night, but my flat last week. The fall out can be awful, and I can be a real pain in the arse. I don’t mean it. It’s just the way I am. So if at any time you get sick of me, if I trash the place, or get you into trouble, just chuck me out. I’ll understand. Okay?”

  Louise couldn’t care less if Victoria trashed the place right now. She nodded and smiled. “Okay.”

  “Right, then!” Victoria threw back the covers and got out of bed. “I better get up. I haven’t packed any of my stuff yet. But if I’m going to move in, I want to get it all over with today.”

  “I’ll help you, don’t worry!” Louise said, standing up. She was ecstatic.

  Victoria looked around. “Where are my clothes?”

  “Ah!” Louise said. “They’re in the washing machine.”

  Victoria stared at her. “But what am I going to wear?”

  “I’ll lend you something. Come and have a look in my wardrobe.” Louise led the way into her bedroom. “I don’t think your outfit from last night would have been so suitable in the day time anyway!” she remarked on the way.

  Victoria followed Louise into her bedroom and looked around. Somehow it felt familiar. “That’s true,” she said thoughtfully. “But it wouldn’t have been the first time that I went home in the morning looking a right prat!”

  Louise laughed as she opened her wardrobe. She took out a pair of jeans and a light blue sweater. “You’re a bit taller than me, but I’m a bit bigger, so these jeans will be a bit baggy, but they will probably fit you.” She turned to find Victoria standing in front of her. She wasn’t smiling.

  “Are you sure we were alone last night?” Victoria asked Louise.

  The smile faded from Louise’s face. “Yes,” she replied simply.

  “Did you undress me and put me to bed?”

  Louise felt her heart pass her stomach on its way to her feet. She swallowed nervously. “Yes.”

  “Was it you?”

  This was it. It was all over. The bubble was about to burst and there was nothing Louise could do to avoid it. Her shoulders sagged and she sighed as she admitted, “Yes.”

  The banging noise started again and Victoria looked down at the floor. “What’s that banging?” she asked Louise.

  “Oh, that’s just Rosie smacking their toaster,” Louise said forlornly.

  Victoria stared at her in obvious puzzlement.

  “It doesn’t switch off when it’s supposed to unless you hit it just right,” Louise explained.

  There was a louder bang, and then silence.

  “That must have got it!” Louise said, smiling rather hopefully.

  “How often does that happen?”

  “Only when they’re having toast.”

  Victoria sighed. “That figures!” She took the jeans and sweater Louise was holding and stared at her for a moment. “I guess this means that you had better wait outside while I get dressed.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  A Gruesome Discovery

  Detective Sergeant John Connors walked down the alley with a uniformed officer. He had receding dark hair that was already going grey, and he was slightly overweight. He put his weight down to the unsocial hours and too
many pub lunches. But it was only an excuse. Eating was his last and only vice. At forty-nine, he was divorced and lonely, and at that age in his job when promotion or pension become very close runners.

  Connors had been a police officer since he was eighteen, long before the constable walking beside him had been born, and he was beginning to get tired of it all. There were too many dead bodies, too many horror stories. And no matter what the crime statistics might say, it always seemed to be getting worse. He was getting to the end of his race, and his superiors knew it. He had been passed over for promotion once too often, but in a way it suited him. The only exercise he took was mental exercise, and if he ever got trapped behind a desk he knew that he wouldn’t last long.

  “So what have we got here?” he asked the Constable.

  “Dead girl, sir,” he replied. “Aged about sixteen to twenty. She was found by two children riding their bikes through the ally at around two o’clock this afternoon. DC Shawcroft is already here.”

  When they got to the scene they found several police officers, the pathologist, and the whole forensics crew in their white outfits all waiting for them. Detective Constable Michael Shawcroft was kneeling by the body with the pathologist. He stood up to greet his boss. He was in his mid thirties, about six foot tall, with short, fair hair and very cool blue eyes. He stood almost a foot taller than Connors as he shook hands with him.

  “Sorry to get you out on a Saturday, sir, but I thought you might like to see this before they took her away.”

  Connors nodded. “You thought right, but at times like these, I’d much prefer football duty.” He looked down at the body.

  Lying on her back on the ground was a slim young woman with long, light brown hair. Her head was turned at a funny angle, and her arms and legs were flung out. She was wearing a very skimpy and short dress. Both of the straps on her dress were off her shoulders and she was missing both shoes. There was some slight bruising on both her upper arms, and her finger nails and toe nails were all painted with light blue varnish. Her eyes were open and completely lifeless.