by A L Fraine
“Well, fuck me then, I guess.”
“Sorry, sweety,” Kate said, reaching a hand out to his. “I’m meeting some friends tonight for a drink. It’s been arranged for days. In fact, I’m already late. But I’ll make it up to you, I promise. You can have me all to yourself, tomorrow, okay?”
“I’ll look forward to it,” he said smiling. “Which friends are you meeting?”
“Dani and Harper. We’re just going to a pub in Leatherhead.”
“Your local, then?”
She shrugged. “Not really, but. I’m looking forward to catching up with them. I think they’re curious about you.”
“Me?” he asked, curious. “Maybe I should tag along?”
She smiled. “That’s nice of you to offer, but I think this will be a girly night.”
“I’m kidding, it’s fine. Go on, get out of here. Have some fun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” she said, and grabbed her things.
Jon watched her go before wandering to his office. He might as well stay on and have another look through some of these calls and reports.
9
“Anyway, that’s enough about me and my boring life. Tell me about this new man, Kate. Stop holding out on us.”
Kate smiled and felt herself flush as Dani spoke.
“Yeah, come on. Stop keeping us in suspense. You can’t arrive here late and not tell us who he is.”
“I’ve told you about him,” Kate protested, looking at Harper.
“Oh, I see how it is,” Dani said. “Telling her but not me.”
“She likes me better,” Harper said with a wink.
“Shut it, you.”
“Alright, alright,” Kate said. “His name’s Jon, and I met him at work.”
“He’s a Police Officer?” Dani asked.
“He’s her boss.” Harper nudged Dani with her elbow and followed it with a saucy wink.
“Oh, I see. You cheeky minx. Sleeping with the boss, are we? I see how it is.”
“It’s nothing like that,” Kate protested, knowing this would likely come up.
“Yeah, of course it isn’t,” Dani said, giving her a look.
“You can imagine, right?” Harper said.
“Oh yeah. I bet she’s going in there in short skirts, sitting on his desk and twirling her hair. ‘How about we talk about that promotion, Mr boss man? I’m sure I can make it up to you. You know I’m not wearing any underwear today.’” Dani blew a kiss into the air and burst out laughing. Harper joined her as Kate smiled and gave her head a shake, her cheeks burning.
If you can’t beat them join them, Kate thought as she leant forward. “So, you think that would work then, do you?”
Harper snorted. “From you? No chance. How often do you even wear heels? You’d end up flat on your face before you even reached his office.”
“Come on then, what’s he like really?” Dani asked.
“He’s nice. He’s from up north. He worked for the Nottingham Police, but got transferred down here.”
“Pissed some people off, did he?”
“There was an opportunity, and he’d been considering a move anyway.”
“And, he’s a higher rank than you?”
“He’s a DCI, yes.”
“How old is he?”
“Thirty-five.”
“There’s a bit of an age gap between you, then. You’re what, mid-twenties now?”
“Twenty-six,” Kate confirmed. “But, it doesn’t feel like there’s much of an age gap. I don’t really notice it, to be honest.”
“Does he have kids?” Dani pressed. “He must have some baggage to be single at thirty-five.”
“No kids, no. His last long-term relationship ended about five years ago. She died.” She didn’t want to go much further than that. No need for the grisly details.
“So there is some baggage.”
“A bit, but nothing major. He’s moved on, and we just kind of hit it off, I guess.”
“Are you happy? That’s the main thing.”
“Very, yes. He’s great, seriously. I’m having fun.” Thinking of him made her smile.
“Then you can’t really ask for more, can you?” Dani said. “That’s great. So, with me married and you loved up, it’s only dear old Harper here that we need to get paired off. Or, do you have any news for us?”
“Sorry, no. I’m still free, single, and loving it, ladies.”
“Really?” Dani asked. “You mean, you don’t want to find men’s used underwear on your bedroom floor?” Dani said in mock horror. “I’m shocked, Harper. Shocked. Who doesn’t want that in their lives?”
“Well, I do enjoy waking up and not having a lump roll into me, poking his thing into my thigh, wanting a quicky before breakfast.”
“Girl, if you’re going to call it a ‘thing,’ then you won’t be getting any, will you.”
Kate laughed. “Great advice.”
“Don’t follow Harper’s example,” Dani stage whispered to her. “You might scare him off.”
“Noted,” Kate said. “Right, looks like you two are running a little low. How about I get this round in. What do you want?”
“Are you sure?” Dani asked.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Least I can do.”
“Okay. Just a white wine, please.”
“Same for me,” Harper said. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Be right back,” Kate said and left the table. The pub wasn’t heaving, but there were still enough in that she had to weave her way through the crowd.
Reaching the bar, she got the barman’s attention as he finished off someone else’s order. He asked her to wait a moment.
“Getting a round in for the girls?”
Kate glanced right at the dark-haired woman sitting at the bar beside her.
“Mmm,” Kate said, looking away. She didn’t want to engage with her too much. Besides, she looked like she was dressed up to meet someone in that black and red dress and heavy makeup.
The barman approached. “What’ll it be?”
“Two large house whites, please.”
“House whites, okay,” he said, and went to work, grabbing glasses and the bottle from the fridge.
“Not getting one for yourself?” the woman asked.
Kate frowned to herself without looking over. “I’ve already got one.”
“Aaah, going easy then. Probably a good idea, with your job.”
“What?” Kate looked up and locked eyes with the woman. She smiled at Kate, and there was something eerily familiar about her. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, it wouldn’t do for a public servant like you to be seen out, getting too drunk, would it.”
Then it hit her. “Sydney!” The woman from the Russell Hodges case. His girlfriend. The one who stole millions from him and seemed to take an interest in Jon.
The woman smiled. “That’s not my name. You can call me Ariadne.”
“I don’t give a shit what your name is. What the hell is this? What do you want?”
“Nothing,” she said, the words dripping from her scarlet lips as she twisted on the stool to face her. “This could just be a beautiful coincidence.”
“Yeah, right, and I’m the Dali Lama. What do you want, Sydney?”
“Ariadne, Kate. My name is Ariadne.” Her tone was serious. “Get it right.”
“Or what?”
“Or nothing…” Her smile said different.
“Are you threatening me?” Kate asked, thinking about her comment about the drinks and her general tone.
“I would never be so crass, Kate.” Ariadne stood up. “No. I’d like to be your friend.”
“No fucking way.”
“Don’t dismiss me quite so quickly, Miss O’Connell.”
Tired of this woman’s veiled threats, Kate stepped in closer, getting in her face. “Listen to me and listen good, bitch. You keep away from me, and you keep away from Jon too. If I get even a sniff of you—and believe me, you st
ink—I will make it my personal mission to hunt you down and lock you up until that fresh young skin of yours is old and wrinkly. Do I make myself clear?”
Kate’s heart pounded in her chest as she clenched her fists in mounting agitation.
Ariadne let a smile play over her lips as she pressed a little closer, making Kate feel uncomfortable. “My, my. That was amazing. Such passion. I bet you’re a demon between the sheets. I’d love to sample that one day.”
Kate stepped back. “No thanks.”
“Are you sure? I know a little about you, Kate. Your history, your past… your previous relationships…” She let the comment hang in the air.
“You know feck all.”
“I know that I like that fiery Irish temper of yours. It’s the red hair, isn’t it? Brings out the passion. I like it.” Ariadne licked her lips. “Makes me horny.”
Kate shivered.
“Here you go,” the barman said, placing the glasses down on the bar beside her. That’ll be—”
“Here,” Kate said, thrusting a twenty-pound note at him as she kept one eye on Ariadne. “Keep the change.”
“Err, okay, thanks.”
“Generous,” Ariadne commented as the barman walked away.
“Unlike you,” Kate snapped, and picked up the drinks. “Keep away from me.”
“Give a kiss to Jon from me,” she purred.
Kate very nearly spat at her, before turning and storming back to the table where her two friends were chatting idly. She put the glasses down a little too forcefully and spilt a few drops of wine on the table.
“Whoa, careful there.”
“Sorry,” Kate said, feeling shaky and stressed. “I…”
“Everything okay?” Harper asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, lying. “I’ll just be a minute.” Kate turned and looked back at the bar, but there was no sign of Ariadne. A quick glance around revealed nothing either. But she didn’t fancy sitting down while she was so worked up and strode quickly across the room to the ladies and disappeared inside. Finding an empty cubicle, she sat and buried her head in her hands as she did her best to catch her breath and slow her heart rate.
What was it about that woman that got her so riled up? She seemed to just have a way about her that got right under her skin. Was she threatening her? The way she spoke about the drinks, and then the whole thing about her past. What did she know? Certainly, nothing came to mind that Jon didn’t already know.
She mentioned relationships, what was that all about? It was as if Ariadne wanted to… No, she didn’t want to think about that.
Kate stood up and turned around on the spot, shaking her hands out, trying to expel the nervous energy from her body. Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing, taking a long breath in through her nose, holding it, and then breathing out through her mouth. She repeated it several times, placing her hand on her chest as her heart rate slowed to something a little less frantic.
This, she decided, was what Ariadne did—or Syndey, whatever her name was. She seemed to relish getting people worked up and flustered, making them uncomfortable. That’s all it was. It was a game to her and nothing more.
Slowly, Kate brought herself under some semblance of control and reached for the lock on the door. For a moment, she felt suddenly terrified that Ariadne would be out there, in the ladies’ loos, waiting for her on the other side of this door.
Steeling herself, Kate opened it. But there was no one. She washed her hands and walked out, stopping again as she stepped into the bar to look around. But she couldn’t see Ariadne anywhere.
On a whim, Kate pulled out her phone and opened the text thread to Jon. She started typing.
Guess who I just ran into in the pub? Sydney! But she calls herself Ariadne now. I think she threatened me, but I’m not sure. Have no idea what she was up to. She’s gone now, though. Talk later. X.
She hit send and made to head back to her friends.
“Um, excuse me.”
Kate turned to see a young man walking over and gave him a curious look. Who the hell was this?
“Sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to say hi.”
“Well, you’ve said it, so…”
“I know. But, I wondered if I might get you a drink?”
“Really?” Kate frowned. “No thanks, mate. I’m with some friends.” She turned to go.
“I just want to ask some questions, Detective,” the man said, moving to follow.
Kate stopped and turned. “What?” Why did everyone in here seem to know she was a Police Officer?
The man seemed a little surprised for a moment, but then smiled and offered his hand. “Hi. I’m Scott Wells.”
Kate glanced at his hand and then back at his face without shaking it. “You’re a reporter.”
He held his hands up and shrugged. “Guilty as charged. Well, I’m a blogger, really. I follow local news stories. So, I wondered if I might, you know, chat with you?”
“Mate,” Kate said, taking a step closer to him. “Read my lips. Piss. off.”
The man stared at her, slack-jawed as Kate rolled her eyes and walked back to her friends, exasperated and shocked at the man’s balls.
Returning to her table, Kate dropped into her chair with a sigh.
“You okay?” Dani asked.
She decided she wouldn’t mention Ariadne, but the reporter was fair game. “You’ll never believe what just happened to me as I came out of the loos.”
10
Scott returned to his table, well away from where DS O’Connell was sitting with her friends. Approaching her was a bloody stupid idea, and he wished he’d never bothered, now.
He couldn’t quite believe his eyes when he’d seen her walk into the ladies’ room. She was one of the detectives on the missing boy case, the biggest case Scott had ever covered.
Thinking back, he wasn’t really sure what had come over him. Did he really think he’d get something useful by accosting one of the detectives when she was off shift, drinking with her mates after she’d just been to the toilet?
He’d been a bloody idiot, and wasn’t surprised that she’d blown him off. Had the roles been reversed, he would have done the same. Part of him wanted to walk over to her and apologise, but who knew how that would go?
Very badly, most likely. Scott returned his attention to the opinion piece he’d been writing about the case and came to the conclusion that it was all shit. No one would be interested, and no one would read it. He was doomed to failure as a blogger.
In frustration, he slammed the top of his laptop shut and leaned back with his arms crossed. His gaze roamed over the bar as his mind raced with a million thoughts running through his head, tumbling over each other as they fought for his attention.
Without really thinking about it, his eyes came to rest on someone sitting in the shadows across from him. She was kind of hidden away back there, and as he realised he was actually looking at someone, she smiled at him.
Scott looked away, suddenly self-conscious.
Had she smiled at him?
Curious, he glanced back. She was looking right at him, and smiled again. She was stunning. Long, dark hair, ruby lips, chiselled features, and a curvy figure. Wow. She was something else.
She winked at him.
Scott couldn’t quite believe what he’d just seen. Wondering if he was imagining things, he looked around, hunting for some huge, hulking boyfriend.
He saw no one. Was she really looking at him?
Bringing his gaze back to the woman, she gave him a knowing look. Getting to her feet, she walked over, her hips swinging her eyes locked on his.
“May I?” she asked, waving towards the space beside him.
“Aaah, yeah,” he replied, bewildered by this turn of events. The woman slid into the booth beside him on the soft cushioned bench. Scott caught himself admiring her slim figure and the way the dress clung to her curves. He forced himself to pull his eyes away as heat burnt in his cheeks.
/> “Hi,” she said, her voice soft and inviting.
“Hello,” he replied, and stared at her. She was so close to him. “Um, how are you?”
“I’m very well, thank you. Better now that I’m sitting here,” she said and inched closer.
“Oh, well. Thanks.” How was he supposed to reply to that? He decided to introduce himself. “I’m Scott…”
“Scott Wells. I know. I’ve read your blog.”
Utter shock washed over him. “You have?” He’d never met anyone who’d read his stuff before.
“Of course. You’re very insightful and a gifted writer.” She shifted across, coming closer, her arm touching his. “I’m a big fan.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. It’s a real thrill to meet you, Scott.”
He could feel his heart thumping in his chest, as his mouth felt suddenly dry. “I…err…thank you.” A thrill? To meet him? What was going on?
She reached out and ran her fingers sensuously over the laptop on the table, before leaning in and whispering in his ear. “Working on something new?”
“Um, well. Hahahh. Just a little something about the missing boy case. You know it?”
“Indeed I do, and I bet, with your writing skill and insight, your article could be the authority on the case.”
This was insane. Who was this woman? “Well, I don’t know about that.”
“I beg to differ.” She reached up and pulled his chin towards her, so he was looking right into her eyes. She gazed back at him, her eyes sparkling as their noses brushed against each other. “I could help.”
He could barely breathe. “…ah…how?” he asked as her hand came to rest on his thigh, and then headed north.
“In all sorts of ways,” she answered as he felt himself respond to her touch.
“I don’t even know your name,” he asked, trying to lift his mind out of the gutter.
“You can call me… Sydney.”
11
The room was small, dingy, and dark. Milo was sitting on a ragged sheet of cardboard he’d found, hugging himself as he stared into the mostly featureless darkness. His eyes stung from the seemingly endless tears he’d shed, but now he just felt raw, afraid, and alone.
