by Adele Abbott
“Cindy.”
“After you.” He held open the driver’s door for me.
“Do you mind if I take a look in the back first?”
“Not at all. Be my guest.” He went around to the side of the vehicle and slid open the door.
“Thanks.”
“It’s a fourteen-seater.” He followed me on board. “You won’t find one in better condition for the money.”
“It’s very nice.” I walked around to the rear of the bus. “Tell me, Robbie. Are all these models the same inside?”
“How do you mean?”
“The seating arrangement? Are they all the same?”
“Yeah. Identical.”
“That’s great.” I started for the door. “Thanks very much.”
“Would you like to go for a test drive?”
“No, thanks. I’ve seen everything I need.”
“Shall we go into the office? I’m sure I can come up with a sweet deal for you.”
“Thanks, but no. I’ve decided I’m going to buy a moped instead.”
“A moped?”
“Bye, Robbie. Thanks again.”
Mission accomplished, I gave Kevin at Premax a call.
“Kat? I didn’t expect to hear from you again.”
“I want to run an idea by you.”
“Okay?”
“I feel bad about having to drop your case in the way I did, and I’d like another crack at it if you’ll agree.”
“I’m not really sure there’s much point.”
“Have you hired anyone else yet?”
“Well, no, I haven’t had a chance to yet.”
“How about you give me one more week on a no result, no fee basis?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Come on, Kevin. What do you have to lose? It’ll take you that long to find someone else to take over the case anyway.”
“Okay. I guess so.”
“Great. If it’s okay with you, I’ll send a colleague of mine over to your place later today. He’ll need access to the loading bay.”
“To do what?”
“Plant a camera. It shouldn’t take him more than a few minutes.”
“We already have CCTV in there.”
“I know. Humour me, would you?”
“Okay. What’s his name?”
“Ze—err, Smith. Mr Smith. I’ll get him to ask for you, shall I?”
“Yeah.”
“Great. Thanks, Kevin.”
***
Zero’s mention of breakfast had left me feeling hungry, so I dropped in at the same McDonald’s, and treated myself to a sausage and egg McMuffin. Once I’d washed that down with what was laughingly described as coffee, I made my way over to the hotel.
“Zero, I’m outside. Can you pop down?”
“On my way.”
Moments later, he appeared, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt that had Big Ben printed on the front.
“What on earth are you wearing?”
“I thought it would make me look more like a tourist.”
“O—kay. Any sign of life?”
“None. No one has gone in or out of the room while I’ve been here.”
“Are you sure she’s in there?”
“Her phone is.” He shrugged.
“There’s somewhere I need you to go.”
“What about Lisa?”
“I’ll stay here until you get back.”
“From where?”
“Premax. I’ve just spoken to the MD, Kevin Lockhart, and he’s expecting you.”
“Why am I going there?”
“We need eyes on that loading bay and the adjacent door.”
“You want me to stake out the loading bay?”
“No, I want you to plant a camera in there. We need to find out what’s really happening in that area.”
“What kind of camera?”
“Don’t ask me. You’re the hacker. I thought you’d have some bright ideas.”
“Okay, but I’m going to need some money.”
“Take this.” I gave him my credit card. “The PIN is 1-2-3-4.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Of course I’m joking. It’s 6-7-3-4.”
“6-7-3-4. Got it.”
“And you need to make sure none of the workforce see you doing it.”
“You don’t want much, do you?”
“I have every faith in you. Go on, off you go, and get back here as soon as you’ve done it.”
“Will do.”
***
No one challenged me as I walked through reception to the bank of lifts. When the doors opened, I waited for a man, dressed in a grey suit, to step out. His face seemed vaguely familiar. It was somewhere between the first and second floors that I realised how I knew the man.
It was Mike Dale.
When the lift doors opened on the third floor, I immediately hit the button for the ground floor, but the lift had other ideas. The doors closed again, and it continued its ascent. Someone on a higher floor had obviously pressed the call button.
“Morning.” On the sixth floor, a jovial elderly man stepped into the lift beside me.
“Morning.”
Thankfully, the lift had now begun its descent.
“I’m going to Madame Tussauds today,” my fellow traveller informed me. “Have you been there?”
“Err, no.”
“I hear it’s very good. And then I’ve booked to go on the Eye this afternoon.”
“Very nice.”
“Have you—?”
As soon as the doors opened on the ground floor, I sprinted through reception and outside.
There was no sign of Dale.
Although I was furious at myself for having allowed him to walk straight by me, at least now I knew Dale was alive and well. I was fairly sure he would return to the hotel because if he’d been checking out, he would have had luggage, or even just the laptop, with him.
The only thing I could do now was to sit and wait.
I’d always had a low boredom threshold, which wasn’t the ideal trait for someone in a job that often required they spend long hours doing nothing but keeping watch. By now, you would have thought I’d be used to it, but it never seemed to get any easier.
It was almost one o’clock, and the McMuffin was a distant memory. I would have liked to nip out for a snack, but I daren’t leave reception in case I missed Dale’s return. My only option was to pay the extortionate price for the chocolate and crisps in the vending machine in reception.
At just after two o’clock, Zero came back.
“How did you get on?”
“No problem.” He gave me a thumbs up, and took out his phone. “Look.”
On screen was a video showing the view inside the loading bay at Premax. It was the first time I’d actually seen the main loading bay door open.
“Did you have any problems?”
“Of course not. Piece of cake.”
“Good man. Can I view this on my phone?”
“Yeah. Check your email. I’ve already sent you a link.”
“You, sir, are going to get a pay rise.”
“For real?”
“Absolutely.”
“Cool. Have you seen Lisa?”
“No, but I did see Mike Dale.”
“Dale? Where is he now?”
“I—err, don’t actually know.” I had no choice but to swallow my pride, and admit to Zero that I’d allowed him to get away.
“What happens now?” Zero took the seat next to me.
“You can get off home, but I’ll need you to check the Premax tape in the morning. If you see anything out of the ordinary, give me a call.”
“Okay, will do.”
“And don’t forget, I’m going to Roy’s funeral tomorrow.”
By five o’clock I was ravenous, and beginning to think that maybe Dale had checked out after all. The only ray of hope was that Lisa’s phone was still in the hotel. At least, according to Zero
it was.
I’d been in reception for so long that I’d attracted a few curious looks from the staff behind the reception desk. So far, thankfully, no one had challenged me.
I was seriously considering buying a fourth Mars bar when Dale came walking into reception. I was out of the chair like a flash, and I managed to get in the lift beside him.
“Which floor?” he said.
“Three, please.”
“Same as me.”
When the lift doors opened on the third floor, he did the gentlemanly thing, and stood aside so that I could get out first.
“Thank you, Mr Dale.”
“Sorry, do I know you?”
“Could we speak in your room? Is Lisa in there?”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Kat Royle. I’ve been hired by your partner, Ted Fulton, to find you.”
“I have nothing to say to you.” He set off down the corridor towards his room.
“Mr Fulton is very worried about you.”
“I’ve already told you. I have nothing to say.”
“I guess I’ll just let him know where you are, then.”
“Do what you like. We’re leaving.”
“I’ve found you once. I can do it again. Wouldn’t it be easier simply to talk to me?”
He stopped outside his door, and glared at me for the longest moment.
“You’d better come in.”
“Mike, I was beginning to think—” The woman stopped mid-sentence when she saw me follow Dale into the room.
“You must be Lisa,” I said.
“Who’s she, Mike?”
“Fulton hired her to find me.”
“Oh God!” Lisa slumped onto the bed. “Does he know where we are?”
Dale looked at me for an answer.
“Not yet.”
“You can’t tell him.” She began to sob. “He’ll kill Mike.”
“Lisa!” Dale tried to close her down.
“She has to know, Mike. She has to know what will happen if she tells Fulton where we are.”
“I need a drink.” Dale walked over to the small desk, and picked up the half-full bottle of whisky. After pouring himself a shot, and downing it in one, he turned to us. “Anyone else want a drink?”
“I’ll take one.” Lisa wiped a tear from her eye.
I declined his offer.
“What did you say your name was?” Dale gave Lisa her drink, and then poured himself another one.
“Kat Royle.”
“Well, Kat, you’d better grab a seat. This might take some time.”
Chapter 20
Eighty percent of my wardrobe was black, which meant I didn’t need to buy an outfit especially for Roy’s funeral. It was scheduled for ten o’clock, so by lunchtime, it should all be over. I’d arranged to meet Sheila at the gates of St Augustine’s church where the service was to be held.
I’d woken at just before six, and I hadn’t been able to get off to sleep again. I hadn’t heard from Zero, so I assumed the camera hadn’t picked up any unusual activity overnight at Premax.
Toast and a cup of tea had been all I could face for breakfast. I was dressed and ready to go, but I still had almost an hour to kill before I needed to leave the flat. I considered walking to the church instead of taking a taxi, but I soon dismissed that idea when I glanced out of the window; the rain was coming down in buckets.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Please don’t tell me Luke had cried off dog walking duties again. There was no way I could walk the dog, dressed like this, in the pouring rain. The Widow Manning would just have to do it herself this once.
It wasn’t him.
“Graham? What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you, too, Kat.”
“I meant with the leg.”
“I wasn’t going to leave it at home.”
“That was funny. For you.”
“Thanks. I took a taxi.”
“You should have phoned.”
“I knew you’d tell me not to come over.”
“You’re right, I would have, but only because I’m going to a funeral.”
“Oh?”
“Can’t you tell by the outfit?”
“You always wear black.”
“Yeah, but I don’t always wear sensible shoes and a skirt.”
“That’s true. I assume it’s your boss’s funeral?”
“Roy’s, yeah.”
“I won’t keep you, but I wanted to explain about Sunday.”
“There’s no need.”
“Yes, there is. I wanted to make sure you understood that Sharon and I are history. I had absolutely no idea she was coming over. I’m still not sure why she did. The only thing I can come up with is that she wanted to find out more about you.”
“Why would she care? She was the one who dumped you, wasn’t she?”
“It’s just the way she is. Anyway, I wanted you to know that there’s nothing going on between me and Sharon.”
“Cool. So, now I know.”
“I could come with you this morning if you like?”
That brought a smile to my face. “I don’t think so.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. It’s just that the first time we went out, you ended up at the hospital. Now, you want to top that by going to a funeral together. You sure know how to show a girl a good time.”
“I thought you might appreciate the moral support.”
“It’s okay. I’m going with Sheila who used to work with me.”
“Fair enough, but are you and I okay now?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“So you’ll go out with me again?”
“Are you really sure you want to? Look what happened to you the last time.”
“I’m positive.”
“Okay, but I’m not sure when it will be. I’m run off my feet at the moment.”
“I’ll give you a call.” He leaned in, and was about to kiss me when my phone rang; Sheila’s name popped up on caller ID.
“Sorry, I have to take this.”
“Okay. Will you call me?”
I nodded.
“Soon?”
“Yes. Sorry, I really do have to answer this.”
Back inside the flat, I took the call.
“Kat, it’s me.” She sounded as though she was crying.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m really sorry, but I’m not going to make it to the funeral. Don took a turn for the worse yesterday. The doctor reckons it’s only a matter of days.”
“I’m so sorry, Sheila. Is there anything I can do?”
“No, I’ll be okay. I’m just sorry to let you down.”
“Don’t be silly. Your place is with Don now.”
“Apologise to Anne for me, would you?”
“Of course, but she wouldn’t expect you to be there under the circumstances.”
“Okay. Thanks, Kat.”
“Take care of yourself.”
Poor Sheila. She and Don had been school sweethearts. I wasn’t sure she’d ever bounce back from this.
***
I hadn’t expected the church to be packed, but I had thought I’d find more than four people inside. One of them was the vicar.
Anne met me at the door. “Not a great turnout for him, is it, Kat?” She forced a smile. “Is Sheila coming?”
“She’d intended to, but her husband has only days to live. She sends her apologies.”
“Poor thing. I had no idea. Has he been ill for long?”
“Yeah, months.”
“The woman in the front pew is my Aunty Wynn.” She gestured towards the diminutive figure.
“I didn’t realise Roy had a sister.”
“They fell out years ago. I’m surprised she turned up. I don’t know the other two people, though.”
“The old guy is the landlord of the Feathers—your dad’s local. I spoke to him last week; his name’s Lenny.”
&n
bsp; On the opposite side of the room, a little closer to the front, was a solitary woman who looked to be in her fifties. “I don’t recognise the woman, though.”
“Will you sit up the front with me, Kat?”
“Sure.”
I seriously doubted that Roy had seen the inside of a church for the last three decades, so it came as no surprise that the vicar’s eulogy bore little resemblance to the man I knew. A prayer and a single hymn later, we moved outside. This was the first burial I’d ever attended. The funerals I’d been to before had all been cremations.
Like an idiot, I hadn’t thought to bring an umbrella, so as we made our way to the grave, I faced the prospect of getting soaked to the skin.
“Would you like to share this?” the solitary woman offered me shelter under her brolly.
“Thanks.”
“I’m Sarah.”
“Kat. I used to work with Roy.”
“I think he mentioned you.”
“Oh? How did you know Roy?”
“He was a friend. Do you know a man called Ray West?”
“Westy? Yeah, kind of.”
“He and I were an item for a while, but then things turned nasty. Westy could be violent, and I was scared of what he might do to me. Roy let me stay at his place for a while. I hadn’t intended coming today because I thought Ray might be here, but then I heard he’d died too.”
The vicar said a few words before Roy’s coffin was lowered into the ground. Anne wept, Roy’s sister looked on impassively. Lenny checked his watch.
Afterwards, I said my goodbyes to Anne, and then hurried to catch up with Sarah who was headed towards the gates.
“Sarah! Hold on a minute.”
“Sorry, Kat. I didn’t wait for you because I thought you were staying with Roy’s daughter.”
“I’ve been trying to find out where Westy lived. I don’t suppose you’d have any idea, would you?”
“It’s over twelve months since I saw him, but the last I heard, he was staying with Tommy Hargreaves in Barking.”
“You don’t happen to have an address, do you?”
