Demon World

by Balvir Bhullar

  Seriously! thought Amanda, nursing her hand. The man’s grip was like a vice.

  ‘Sorry, I do beg your pardon,’ said Driskell in his most sincere voice.

  ‘I just bet you are!’ said Amanda quietly under her breath.

  ‘Pardon?’ asked Driskell, having heard her quite clearly, to his amusement.

  Amanda was about to reply with a smart quip, but was saved by Eileen cutting in, who had been watching the spectacle like a match at Wimbledon. ‘As much as this exchange is enlightening to say the least, it does waste everybody’s precious time,’ she was mainly referring to herself. ‘If you don’t mind, I’d like to know exactly what is going on here?’ she asked sharply. She was used to ordering people about, and expected immediate answers to her questions.

  Driskell composed himself, when what he would ideally like to do was to strangle every incompetent person around him; everyone in the room, in fact.

  ‘Ms Melville? I have asked Ms Knight to come down here this evening to answer questions regarding the investigation of your former office.’

  ‘That is all very well, but it’s way past midnight now. And I find it rather disturbing that you have detained her for several hours, and judging by her appearance, it seems as if she may not be in the best state to continue with your questioning.’

  Eileen looked at Driskell evenly, demanding an answer, her grey eyes positively glacial. I’m really glad that I am not on her bad side, I wonder how Driskell will handle this? Rowanne thought curiously.

  Thank you for coming to my rescue, she thought. Who would ever have thought it, Eileen you total legend, you let him have it!

  ‘Ms Melville, as you know quite well, investigations tend to take long. We are the law enforcement and sometimes regrettably, we may be called away in the middle of an interview, but that is something that cannot be helped. It was imperative that I finished my questioning of Ms Knight.’

  ‘Why didn’t you just decide to rearrange the interview at a time more convenient to the both of you?’ She asked in an exasperated voice, clearly incensed at the lack of common sense in the supposed detective before her.

  Driskell felt as if he was beginning to lose his composure with the woman before him. In an aggrieved voice he said, ‘Ms Melville, like I stated earlier, I did not expect when I was called away from the interview that it would take me that long to resolve the issue. I thought that I would be back within the hour, but events otherwise got the better of me!’ He sounded harsher than he had intended.

  Eileen smiled at the loss of control in detective Driskell. Do all men just lose it like that, or is it just my fate to encounter these obstinate fools? It was hard enough being editor at the paper: put into the mix that she was a female, and leading a mostly male team, who would occasionally need reminding who they were answerable to, and you get the general picture...

  ‘Chief Inspector Driskell, I can perfectly comprehend what you are saying. But would you not agree that in this case, it would be more prudent to continue questioning Rowanne at a later date?’

  Rowanne held her breath, as everybody in the room silently watched and waited to see what the detective would do next.

  Alexander thought, She has you there, old friend. Give in you stubborn fool.

  Driskell considered his limited options - he needed to salvage what he could out of this whole debacle. Reluctantly, he turned towards Rowanne and in a weary voice said, ‘Ms Knight, I will be in touch shortly to rearrange the interview. Again, accept my apologies for the trouble that I may have unnecessarily caused you today.’

  Driskell turned to Alexander, and then back to the ladies, acknowledging them all, ‘I will ask you to excuse me now as I must be going.’ He pointedly looked at the guard quivering in the corner, who hastily got the doors for him, and they left without ceremony. Driskell’s back was ramrod straight, a sign of his frustration.

  The room suddenly came back to life after a moment of silence, as they all began to speak at once. They made a lively group.

  Eileen spoke up, ‘Quiet! he could still be on the other side of those doors,’ this brought everyone back to their senses. She turned to Rowanne, ‘How are you?’ she asked gently, her eyes showing concern for her wellbeing.

  Rowanne smiled awkwardly, ‘I was actually doing quite well there, before you two barged in!’ she said in mock anger. When she saw the consternation come into Amanda and Eileen’s eyes, she added hastily, ‘I was glad for the backup. I wasn’t sure how long he was going to continue for, probably until we all fell asleep listening to his endless droning.’

  ‘I see that I didn’t really have anything to worry about. When you left for the interview, Alexander phoned to update me about your situation. I thought you’d take an hour if that, two at the max, and then you’d call me about the assignment.’

  Rowanne noticed Amanda rolling her eyes in exasperation at Eileen, and imperceptibly nodded to acknowledge that there was nothing to be done about their editor.

  ‘Rowanne, I’ll let you off this one time, as I can see this situation didn’t go quite to plan. But I expect that piece on my desk by midday tomorrow,’ and with that she left. That was Eileen for you, she didn’t stand on ceremony. She had one hand on the door, and turned around looking annoyed, ‘Well? Why are you just standing there? Go and bring the car around for me,’ she threw the keys to Amanda who caught them easily.

  Amanda patted Rowanne on the shoulder, and with a nod to Alexander, she quickly strode out by Eileen.

  Rowanne quickly ran outside after Eileen, with a burning question that needed to be answered, ‘Eileen, wait!’ she called, catching up to her.

  ‘What is it, Rowanne?’

  ‘I was just wondering how you knew to find me here, instead of at the police station?’

  ‘Oh that, Amanda told me. Alexander must have phoned her. If you don’t mind, I really need to get going, first stop back to the offices. Well, you know how it’s like, our work is never done.’ Eileen got into the back of the car that Amanda had finally brought around to the entrance. They drove off quickly, needless to say; Eileen was probably yelling at Amanda to get a move on and step on it.

  Rowanne nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt a tap on her back, and, spinning around, she tripped. She closed her eyes and put her hands out in anticipation of the impact with the ground.

  However, when that didn’t happen, she cautiously opened her eyes, and looked up at a less than pleased Alexander who had caught her in his arms.

  Why the hell in Demon World am I the only man saddled with this ungainly woman? This is really becoming a bad habit, and he less than gently helped her to stand.

  Rowanne hastily extracted herself, and looked at him sharply, ‘How many times have I fallen on you before?’ There was a slight blush burning her cheeks, and she hated that she could not control it.

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ asked Alexander, shocked that she had just read his mind, and he wisely chose to continue as if he had actually spoken aloud.

  He shrugged noncommittally with a bemused look, as his mouth turned up slightly in a smile or a frown, Rowanne could not tell.

  ‘That’s what I thought,’ she said before walking away aimlessly.

  ‘Wait, Rowanne,’ called Alexander hurriedly, ‘where do you think you’re going?’

  She didn’t stop, but instead increased her speed, and spoke over her shoulder, ‘Home. Not that it’s any of your business.’ Head down, she wrapped her arms around her frozen body. It was a really cold night, or early morning rather, and she could hear the birds singing in the nearby trees.

  Alexander caught up to her in no time, especially with his long stride, and stood in front of her.

  Rowanne could tell that he was frustrated and seemed on the verge of boiling over. ‘What is your problem? Get out of my way,’ she said tersely.

  Alexander quickly stepped to the side and looked around to see whether they had attracted any unwanted attention. ‘I was just going to offer you a lift. Or, have yo
u completely forgotten this afternoon at your apartment.’

  Rowanne’s cheeks only burned brighter in shame as she recalled her earlier breakdown in front of Alexander. God, was she ever going to get it together? What’s wrong with me? she thought.

  Rowanne never broke down, especially in front of other people, she was the most together person she knew. I’m not the nervous breakdown type, but this sounded hollow even to her.

  More like Jekyll and Hyde, thought Alexander, feeling put out. All he had been trying to do was help this maniac, who had a propensity to fall, or was it just his bad luck that it was only in his company.

  Rowanne knew that she must come across as crazy, and reluctantly pulled herself together. ‘Sorry, Alexander. You just have the knack for catching me off guard. I assure you, I am not like this with anyone else.’

  She was trying to come across as reasonable, but Alexander noticed that she sounded peeved. Counting to ten silently to control his own flaring emotions, he wondered what he had done to deserve this woman. I’d say karma, any demon would agree with him there.

  ‘Let’s go,’ he said gruffly, and stormed towards his car, not bothering to look back to see if she would follow.

  Rowanne reluctantly trudged after. She would rather have walked, even though that was childish, but it would not have been feasible, and she had left her purse at home, and she would be damned if she was going to ask him for change.

  Alexander parked his car in front, and said, ‘Get in,’ in a less than pleased voice, opening the passenger door in the front.

  Rowanne would have taken her time walking leisurely to it, but the cold was just too much, and she quickly scrambled into the front seat next to him.

  Alexander smirked at her petulance and started the car. They drove half of the way in silence, each too annoyed with the other to even attempt to start a conversation.

  Rowanne stared listlessly out the window; the sky had turned that auburn yellow colour with flecks of pink, letting you know that dawn was just around the corner. She let out a yawn - no wonder with the day she’d had, she was dead tired.

  Slowly Rowanne’s eyes began to close, and her head would have hit the window if it had not been for Alexander’s quick reflexes. He gently turned her head, shifting her weight, and positioned her head gently against his shoulder.

  She looks peaceful when she sleeps, he thought dubiously. To his amusement and consternation, she began to snore quite loudly, and he just focused on the road ahead. His shoulders twitched slightly at his suppressed mirth. Yes, that’s Rowanne for you.

  He drove along the Victoria Embankment, enjoying the beautiful view of the city as it slowly began to wake, and there was virtually no traffic, only a few pedestrians. The London Eye gleamed in the early morning, and it seemed to wink at him from across the river. Everything had a golden tinge, or maybe it was just his mood that was better.

  In no time at all he reached Westminster Bridge, and turned in the direction of Rowanne’s home. They reached her apartment quickly, making good time on the roads.

  He pulled into the underground car park, and parked quite close to the glass lift. Turning in his seat to face her, he said, ‘Rowanne, wake up, we’re here,’ and gently shook her.

  Rowanne was groggy, having had no sleep, and was not in the best of moods, when she slapped his hands away.

  ‘Hey, do you mind!’ Alexander quickly scooted back in his seat to avoid her flailing hands.

  ‘What? Oh sorry, Alexander.’ She rubbed the sleep from her eyes - it didn’t help that they were still blurry. Slowly, she started to sit up in her seat, and tried to stretch her arms out, only to have them hit the car roof. ‘Ouch! You could have warned me!’ she said indignantly.

  ‘I thought it best for my safety if I kept quiet. And you did attack me when I tried to wake you.’

  Rowanne guessed that he was right, judging from the way he was pressed right up against his door. ‘Well, that’s what you get for waking me,’ she replied sheepishly. ‘Let’s go,’ she said to Alexander’s less than pleased expression. ‘I’ll make you a pot of coffee. I don’t just make it for anyone, you know.’ She got out of the car grabbing her bag, and managed to bang her head on the way out. ‘I assure you, I’m not usually this clumsy. Put it down to sleep deprivation,’ she said, rubbing her head. Alexander stood to the side, looking as if he had somewhere better to be than in her company. Great, I must come across as a complete idiot, thought Rowanne, annoyed at herself, and at him slightly, for making her feel inept.

  They got into the lift together, though Alexander preferred to stay on his side. He looked out at the view as the sun started to rise above the city, bringing with it some much needed warmth after the chill of the night before. The river sparkled, reflecting the spectacle on either side as people filled the empty streets, and cars took the monopoly of the roads. You had to love this city, it didn’t stay still for long.

  Rowanne observed Alexander as he admired the city, not realising he was being watched. He seemed younger than his thirty years, not that you could tell he was; he looked mid to late twenties. Good genes, she thought wryly.

  Alexander felt her eyes bore into his back and stiffened, his easy manner instantly gone; he didn’t like being caught off guard.

  This didn’t go unnoticed by Rowanne, who quickly turned to face the lift doors just as he turned sharply towards her.

  The doors slid open as they reached the top floor, and Rowanne quickly walked to her apartment. She wedged her key in and opened the door, then stood to one side as Alexander brushed past her to get in. Charming, she thought, and, closing the door behind her, hung her coat and bag in the hallway.

  Looking in the mirror, she nearly screamed at her ragged appearance: her hair was in knots and her mascara had run. Damn it, I should have just used waterproof.

  ‘Alexander, please make yourself comfortable, I’ll only be a minute,’ with that said, she hastily left him to his own devices and headed into the bathroom. She quickly removed her makeup and splashed cold water on her face to wake up. Quickly combing her long hair, she gathered it into a bun on top of her head. Great, now I look like a teenager, and shook her head in dismay. After all, Alexander was not the only one to look younger than their years; she, too, was frequently mistaken for a twenty-five year old.

  She walked into the open plan living room and found Alexander asleep on her couch, his long legs stretched before him. She smiled, glad to see that he was human after all. However, she had to sternly remind herself that he had been helping her since yesterday, and had not once complained. Reconsidering, she thought, Not to my face anyway, and that’s practically the same thing.

  She went into her bedroom, and opened the blinds, letting the sunlight flood in. She grabbed a throw from her bed and went back into the living room, placing it over Alexander, who seemed to have bags under his eyes.

  In the kitchen, she filled the kettle with water and left it to boil. In the meantime, she rummaged around looking for mugs and coffee. She warmed milk on the hob, and poured the water over the coffee, and added sugar to her mug. She didn’t know how he liked his yet, so left it plain. She added the hot milk to her cup, poured the rest in a small jug, and, grabbing a tray, she brought the whole lot into the living room and placed it quietly on the table.

  I’ll let him sleep for a bit, she thought, as she sat next to him on the couch. She tucked her feet underneath her, whilst she nursed the steaming mug in her cold hands. That first sip was good, warmth instantly spread through her, and she snuggled into the couch, letting her mind drift as she looked out of the windows.

  CHAPTER 13

  Alexander awoke and, in the process of stretching his arms above his head, knocked off the blanket covering him. Wonder how that got there? He felt a heavy weight leaning against him, and noticed that Rowanne had fallen asleep, and yet again, her preferred position was next to him. Lucky I didn’t hit her head, he thought, smiling down at her. However, it was instantly replaced by annoyance
as he felt a pain in his side from where she had jabbed her elbow. He gently got up and laid her on the couch with her head resting on the edge, and covered her with the blanket.

  He aimed a surly look at the cold coffee. She could have woken me, maybe I would have liked a cup, but noticing the extra mug, he took it back. He took the tray into the kitchen, dumping the whole lot next to the sink, and switched on the kettle to make himself a fresh cup.

  He looked at his watch; it was ten o’clock. Well, at least they still had the rest of the day to figure things out. He felt hungry, and he could not work on an empty stomach, so he proceeded to rummage around in her fridge and grab a couple of eggs. He placed bread in the toaster while he scrambled the eggs in a frying pan. He loaded their breakfast onto a tray and took it through. He placed the mugs of tea on the table, then laid out their plates with cutlery neatly placed; sometimes he liked things orderly as it gave him a sense of control. He placed the cream and sugar to one side, then it was perfect.

  How serene she looks when she’s not annoying me. And she appears a lot younger without makeup hiding her face. I don’t know why women hide their natural beauty. It suits her, he thought considerately, just before he called her name, ‘Rowanne. Rowanne.’

  Rowanne bolted upright in less than a second, wondering where the fire was. ‘What? What is it?’ she asked, still half asleep.

  ‘I just wanted to let you know that breakfast is ready,’ he smiled darkly at the colour rising in her cheeks, and the anger that emanated from her green eyes.

  Rowanne held up a hand to stop Alexander, ‘In future, it would be wise, and I’m only thinking of your wellbeing, when I say,’ and she paused before continuing, ‘let me bloody sleep!’ She uncurled her legs, stretching them out beneath the table.

  Alexander just watched her silently as she grabbed her plate and ate her breakfast. Not one to stand on ceremony, he grabbed his own and tucked in vigorously.

  Rowanne almost laughed at the way Alexander ate, as if he was always hungry. Poor guy, I’ll take him to an all you can eat buffet as a sign of my gratitude.