Cruel Comfort (Evan Buckley Thrillers Book 1)

by James, Harper

  Evan couldn't think of any gentle way to ease into the questions he wanted to ask. He didn't know how much Doyle had told her. He needn't have worried; she carried on without waiting for him to say anything.

  'She said you wanted to ask me about when I left my husband.'

  'I realize this might be difficult...'

  'It's ancient history. Don't worry about me. Just ask me what you want to know.'

  'I wanted to ask if you...' He couldn't think of a nice way to put it.

  'Ran away with another man when I left my husband?'

  'Yes.'

  'The answer's no. I ran away on my own. Does that help you?'

  He was finding the conversation very unsettling. The strange combination of her directness coupled with her lovely voice made it difficult to think clearly. He got the impression you could ask her anything.

  'I ... think so.'

  'You don't sound very sure.'

  He could hear the amusement in her voice and wondered if she was used to having that effect on people. On men in particular.

  'I'm not.'

  'Would it be easier if you came over to see me?'

  'I thought you didn't want anyone to know where you are.'

  She laughed. It was a lovely laugh too. It made him wonder about the mouth that these lovely sounds came out of. 'I think Ginny is being a little melodramatic.'

  She gave him an address which was only about a hundred miles away.

  'You didn't go far,' he said.

  'Why would I? That idiot Max never leaves the house and there wasn't anyone else to worry about. Can you come straight over? I have to go out later.'

  Evan decided he could visit Faulkner later and he didn't want to risk her changing her mind. He told her he'd be there in a couple of hours. Then he turned his phone off so that she couldn't ring back and cancel.

  Barbara Schneider was everything her laugh and phone sex voice promised and some. She was attractive in a slightly tarty sort of way, with a little too much makeup for this early in the day. The lips that let slip the wonderful sounds were full and coated with dark red lipstick. She was shapely too; broad across the beam - in a good way - but cinched in at the waist and with a huge bust to top it all off. The bust was very much on show. You don't get half a dozen of those in an egg box, Evan thought, as he admired the magnificent display. Is this for my benefit?

  He almost felt sorry for Max Schneider and his doomed attempts to keep this much woman in check. What had she ever seen in him unless he was equally impressive in the downstairs department?

  Evan looked around, not exactly nervously, as he entered, to see if there was any evidence of a man living there. He was starting to feel a bit like an unsuspecting fly that had just been tricked into entering a big, fat spider's web.

  To go with the totally inadequate sweater she was wearing that morning, Barbara was wearing a skirt that was a little too short for her age and the size of her backside. It also slid up easily and alarmingly over her powerful thighs when she sat down. Evan wouldn't have wanted to get his head stuck between those, especially not with his damaged ear. Just don't ask me to call you Babs.

  'What happened to your face?' she asked.

  'A dissatisfied client,' he said, and grinned.

  She smiled back, revealing perfect teeth. Was that the tip of her tongue poking through?

  'I don't believe that for a minute. You look like Mr. Satisfaction Guaranteed to me. Anyway, what do you want to know?'

  Evan was having difficulty stopping himself staring at her chest. His eyes just kept slipping downwards. As a result he was making himself stare at the point where her eyebrows met. It was a trick he used when talking to people with crossed eyes. He never knew which one to look at and this trick made it look like you were looking at both of them and not favoring one or the other.

  He was doing it now because if he stared too fixedly into her eyes she would think he was hitting on her, but every time he averted his eyes they immediately dropped to her breasts. The problem was it made him look like he was holding his head stiffly.

  'Have you got something wrong with your neck as well?' she asked with a hint of a smile. She knows exactly what she's doing.

  'I slept badly. Anyway, let me start from the beginning.'

  He told her the basic outline of the case; about Daniel and then Robbie disappearing and the rumors about Robbie running away. He missed out the nastier rumors and he didn't mention any names.

  'So you want to know if I ran away with the father.'

  She shifted in her chair and her skirt rode up some more to reveal the lacy tops of her pantyhose. At this time in the morning? Evan was aware of faint stirrings in his own underwear. He'd noticed before how frisky he felt when he had a bad hangover.

  He had a theory that a really bad hangover makes your brain think you’re actually dying. You then get an instinctive reaction from your body - one last ditch attempt to procreate and carry on the genes before you die. It was nature’s way of keeping the species going. He was sure there was a large body of scientific evidence to back it up.

  It was nothing obvious at this stage but he didn't want it to go any further. Unfortunately, it seemed like Babs (he had to admit it was the only thing to call her) had exactly the opposite idea. He was sure she kept glancing down at his crotch. He crossed his legs primly, which made her smile again.

  'You'd have to tell me his name first,' she said.

  Evan opened his mouth to tell her when she said, 'No need, you're talking about Robbie Clayton aren't you.'

  'Yes. So you knew him.'

  'I knew him before I ran away. You've talked to Ginny so she probably told you what my husband was like.'

  Evan nodded. 'I've met him too.'

  'Lucky you! You’ve seen the amusing side of him, no doubt. Amusing if you can laugh at his stupid antics and then leave; not so amusing if you live with it day in day out. But it’s not all harmless fun.’

  ‘I know. I saw the temper as well.’

  Well, it was a lot worse than you saw or Ginny said, I can tell you. I didn't tell her, or anyone else, the half of it.'

  Again Evan nodded and made encouraging please-continue noises.

  'I was a very attractive woman back then,' she said, putting the emphasis on the very, and then paused. And paused. It was a fishing expedition, but Evan wasn't biting. She didn't seem to mind. 'I had all the young men flirting with me and it drove Max wild. So he used to beat the shit out of me. Try to make me less appealing.'

  Evan made the appropriate sympathetic sounds.

  'It was very flattering, but that's all it was to begin with. I was married and I took that seriously. We went to Church regularly.' Good God, I hope you didn't go dressed like that. At least you took the priests' minds off the altar boys for a while.

  'But Max was a real shit.' Her whole body seemed to crumple in on itself as the memories came flooding back. 'Then I met Robbie and everything was different from then on.'

  'But he didn't run away with you?'

  She shook her head sadly. 'No. I begged him to and I think he would have come with me...'

  'But then Daniel disappeared.'

  'Yes. He changed then. It brought his family life back into focus. I was just a bit of fun on the side. He was obsessed with finding out what happened to his boy.’ Her gaze passed straight through Evan, back in time to what might have been. ‘Compared to that I wasn't important any more. Not important enough, anyway.'

  Suddenly it was a very different woman sitting in front of him. The clothes were the same but now they were just inappropriate, not provocative. Or had that all been in Evan's mind (and underwear). The body inside the clothes didn't look quite so full and bursting with life; more like someone had pulled the stopper out of an inflatable mattress. Bumps and hollows in all the right places but not very exciting.

  'I'm really sorry I had to bring all this up again,' he said.

  'It's not your fault and in a way it's made me feel better too.'r />
  'How's that?'

  'I never knew Robbie had disappeared as well as Daniel. I thought he just went back to his happy family life, with or without the boy, and forgot all about me.'

  'I don't think he'd ever have forgotten about you,' Evan said, hoping he hadn't overdone it. He wasn't sure if he wanted to bring back too much of the original Babs.

  'What do you think happened to him?' she asked, as if she hadn't heard.

  'I think something bad happened to him as well. He's not with his wife, and he's not with you. The police think he ran off because he killed Daniel. I don't believe for a minute he did anything to Daniel and I think if he'd run off, he'd have taken you with him.'

  She smiled at the compliment and it was if a light had been turned back on inside her. 'I think you're right. He couldn't have hurt that boy in a million years. And he might have chosen family over me, but if he was going to turn his back on his family, he'd be with me now.' Her spirits seemed to be fully recovered already.

  'Did he have any suspicions about what might have happened to Daniel?'

  'Not really, but I know he didn't agree with the police. They thought it was the boy's teacher, but Robbie didn't buy that. I can't remember what it was now but he thought their "evidence" ' - she did the quotes thing with her fingers - 'was pretty thin. He thought the teacher was a pretty good guy.'

  Evan knew she was talking about Hendricks’ evidence but didn't say anything. 'Did he try to find out what happened?'

  'I don't really know. I know he felt really guilty, as if it was his fault; as if it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't...'

  Been with me?

  She couldn't finish the sentence, just sat looking down at her hands in her lap. Then she looked up at Evan. 'I think he also blamed me in a way because he was with me that afternoon. There; I've said it.' She took a deep breath and bit down on her bottom lip.

  Evan hoped she wasn't about to cry. 'I don't think it would have made any difference if he was with you or getting drunk in a bar, which is what he said he was doing.'

  She smiled at him again. 'Thank you for saying that. You know, you're the first person I've talked to about all this. You don't exactly go up to people and say, Hi, I'm Babs; I was in bed with a married man when his boy got abducted. It tends to limit the number of dinner party invites you get. Turns you into something of a pariah.'

  She shifted in her chair and her knee brushed Evan's. He jumped slightly and a shiver rippled through him.

  'He didn't say anything about trying to find out what happened himself? 'Evan said in an attempt to stop her descending into a pit of remorse and self pity again. And to take his mind off the effect she was having on him.

  'No, we never saw each other again. What with all the interest in the disappearance and everything else, he couldn't have risked it even if he wanted to. The one thing I can tell you for sure is that he didn't run off with me.'

  Evan was pleased to hear what she said; he truly believed something bad had happened to Robbie. It meant he wouldn't have to go back to Linda and tell her that her Robbie had run off with another woman - just like all the old gossips said.

  That was a huge relief, but he immediately felt guilty. Once again, the price of his peace of mind was another person being dead.

  'None of this helps you, does it?' Barbara said, laying her hand lightly on his knee. In any other situation it would have been a gesture of comfort or support, but not today.

  'I'm afraid not,’ he said, his voice suddenly gravelly. ‘I feel like I've gone backwards.'

  'A bit of a wasted journey. All that way for nothing. We wouldn't want that, would we. Can’t have you going away empty handed.' There was something in her tone of voice. Something primeval and predatory. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled. From where he was sitting he could see exactly what he’d like to fill those empty hands with; they were rising and falling steadily as her breath quickened, the nipples clearly visible now through the thin material. His fingers ached to reach out and touch them.

  'I hope you don't mind me saying,' she said, leaning forwards to give him a better view down her top, 'but I couldn't help noticing how you can't take your eyes off my breasts.’ She looked down at them herself as if seeing them for the first time. ‘I know you've tried; given yourself a stiff... neck trying, but you still need to work on it. Some people might not like it.'

  From the way her lips parted and her tongue darted out and ran along her teeth, it was clear she didn't count herself in that number. Some people liked it a lot, in fact. He could feel the heat coming off her body and smell her perfume.

  He didn't see the point in trying to deny it. The evidence against him was growing by the minute. Now it was her who couldn't take her eyes off him. He swallowed thickly. He was sure his tongue was hanging out of his mouth by now.

  'It's got me slicker than deer guts on a doorknob,' she said, 'if you know what I mean.'

  Evan thought he had a pretty good idea. He also couldn't see any good reason why he shouldn't get up and sit down next to her before it was too late.

  CHAPTER 25

  Driving back from Barbara's house, Evan felt more relaxed than he had since he couldn't remember when. Bryan Adams' Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven was playing on the radio, which was maybe a bit strong for how he was feeling, but he was still feeling pretty good.

  He would have liked to have come away with some ground breaking insights into the case but he was happy enough with his consolation prize. He marvelled, as he had many times before, at the way people reacted to bad news by reaffirming their own life in the most basic way - although basic wasn't really the right word for some of what they'd got up to.

  Now he had to decide whether to go round to see Faulkner and ask him whether he knew anything about the possibility of Hendricks changing his name. Surely that would have come up in their investigation.

  More importantly he wanted to see Faulkner's reaction to the fact that it was looking highly unlikely that Robbie Clayton had killed his son and run away. It wasn't conclusive proof by any means, but he believed Barbara's story. Robbie Clayton sure as hell wasn't living there now and he doubted he ever had been. It was still possible that he'd run away on his own, but he didn't think it was likely.

  The afternoon's extracurricular activities had taken quite a bite out of his day, but he decided to go anyway. One thing was for sure - he wouldn't be going for another beer with him after what happened last time.

  Despite his best efforts he'd somehow managed to get his damaged ear caught up in the elastic of Barbara's pantyhose when she clamped his head tight between her thighs and refused to let go. Now it was hurting like hell. At the time, the sight of her heavy breasts bouncing and swinging wildly as she laughed uncontrollably while he clutched his ear had made it worthwhile, but now he wasn't so sure.

  It was still light when he got to Faulkner's trailer park and there was an old Dodge Ram pickup truck parked next to Faulkner's car in the driveway. He parked behind it and got out and walked up to the trailer. Inside he could hear two men's voices. They weren't shouting but it was a fairly heated conversation. He knocked on the door and waited. The voices stopped abruptly and after a few moments silence Faulkner opened the door.

  'What the hell do you want?' he said, stepping outside and closing the door behind him. Evan caught a quick glimpse of the back of the other man inside before the door closed.

  'It's nice to see you again too,' Evan said. 'I thought you'd be interested to hear how I'm doing after you took me to that bar the other night.'

  'You're right; I haven't been able to sleep at night with the worry. Anyway, I'm in the middle of something right now. Can this wait?'

  'Sure - I just wanted to let you know I went to see the woman Robbie Clayton was seeing before he disappeared. I think it's pretty certain he didn't run off voluntarily.'

  He watched Faulkner carefully to see how he took the news. As far as he could see, he might as well have been telling him what he
'd eaten for breakfast for all the reaction he got. Maybe his eyes narrowed a fraction but that could have been the late afternoon sun slanting through the trees.

  Faulkner snorted. 'I'd be interested to hear what kind of proof you think you've got,' he said, 'but I'm busy right now. What are you doing tomorrow?'

  Evan was momentarily distracted by a movement at the window behind Faulkner, but it was too quick for him to get a look at Faulkner's visitor. Faulkner waved a hand in front of Evan's face.

  'Sorry. I've got a pretty full day sitting around, kicking my heels, but apart from that I think I can fit you in.'

  'Don't be a smartass. If you can haul your lazy ass out of bed in the morning, why don't you come back about seven tomorrow morning and I'll take you fishing.'

  'Fishing?'

  'Yes, you know - you go out in a boat with a rod and a reel and catch fish. Millions of people do it every day. It's called a hobby.'

  'Who's being the smartass now?'

  'I'm going anyway. If you're here by seven, you can tag along. I've got enough gear for both of us. There's an added attraction for you, too.'

  Evan didn't really want to give Faulkner an easy shot at him, but he asked 'What's that?' anyway.

  'Even you should be able to see McIntyre coming if you're half a mile from the shore in the middle of a lake.'

  He’d almost forgotten about McIntyre. Driving away from Faulkner's place he knew he had to think of a way to deal with him. He didn't want to risk meeting him even if it was somewhere public; the man was clearly a maniac.

  An idea started to form in his mind. It wasn't perfect but it was the best he could come up with. He still had Kevin Stanton’s numbers in his phone; he'd never rung the home number but he'd taken it down just in case he couldn't get him on his cell.

  No time like the present. He pulled onto the shoulder, found the number and hit the dial button. She picked up straight away.

  'Mrs Stanton, my name's Evan Buckley.'

  There was a long silence. He wondered if she was still there. 'Hello?'