by Tim Heath
“And who was the brunette that was sitting over there?” Robert pointed to a now empty table. The landlord laughed.
“Don’t go having any thoughts in that direction, if it’s the only advice I ever give you. That was Katie Taylor.” He emphasised the surname so that it registered in Robert’s mind.
“Don’t tell me, the younger sister?” Robert asked in hope.
“No, the wife!”
Robert looked up suddenly, but it was clear the landlord was telling the truth. He turned away so that his face wouldn’t give anything away but sitting there by himself he merely said; “That’s all I need!”
Getting up quickly, the place now in order again and the game on the television finished, he said goodbye and walked home. He thought about what Katie had told him by the toilet, though already his thoughts were a blur and the events were unclear in his mind. It was hard to know whether they had, in fact, happened like that or if indeed he had just fantasised that they had.
20
Tommy and Jessica had spent a fantastic evening together. The restaurant had been excellent, its mood perfectly reflecting how they were both feeling, which was fresh, excited and very much in love again. It had all come back to them so quickly, an instant clicking from the moment they’d set eyes on each other once again. There was no dwelling on the past, just the enjoyment of all the romance that went with a first date, even though it was the second time around for them. The film which they had then gone on to see also brought them closer, reminding them of old times together.
It was now past midnight as the couple strolled arm in arm along the street having been dropped off by the hired car, which was being returned to its garage. The walk would give them some more alone time but was also part of Tommy’s plan. He had booked them into an expensive hotel for the night, but he wasn’t sure how Jessica would feel about it so wanted to walk around for a while before seeing what they’d do next. In the end, it was clear how the evening would go. As they kissed, that long first kiss, again, they knew it would be better than ever before. How they’d missed each other and now back together nothing would get in their way. They both were in a position in life where they knew what they wanted, and it indeed involved each other. They walked into the hotel lobby, and Tommy collected the key, Jessica just swept along by the romance of it all.
Getting to the room, Tommy opened the door with the keycard and led Jessica in. There was a chilled bottle of champagne sitting in a bucket on the table by the window. A large double bed sat beautifully made, complete with fluffy white cushions and chocolates on each pillow. Two beautiful table lamps sat on either side of the bed. The French doors on the far wall opened onto a large balcony which looked out on the Thames and at that time of night the city was alive with colour as the lights flooded the sky.
But they would enjoy that later. Jessica ran back from the balcony and into his arms, kissing him with a passion as if to make up for all the lost time. There was an energy to it that was raw emotion, much of the hurt they’d caused each other now melting away as they fell to the bed in an embrace.
Jessica pulled at his jacket and got it off after a little effort, but Tommy couldn’t work the zip on the back of her dress, and they burst out laughing. She stood up and spent five deliberately long minutes undressing for him. Tommy watched her in amazement, stunned by how beautiful he now found her, more so than ever before. When she had finished, he stood up to embrace her once again before they fell back onto the comfortable, fresh cotton sheets.
Nigel Gamble had had a disturbed night’s sleep and awoke with a start just before eight. The sunlight was already working its way through a crack in the curtains on the far wall. He reached over to the table next to his bed and checked the time, glad to have at least slept for a couple of hours without waking up.
He was starting to get very restless, feeling constrained within his own walls, which now seemed to be pressing in on him from every side. Down the hall he knew that breakfast would be waiting for him and, beginning to feel slightly hungry, he pulled on his dressing gown and walked out of the room and into the hall, carrying on until he was into the breakfast room and sitting down at the large table. As always, no one was around, and he ate alone in silence. Everything laid out just as he liked it, there was a pot of coffee warming on a machine that sat on a long table against the wall, and some different pastries temptingly laid out on plates, though he usually didn’t ever touch any of them.
Next to his plate were his usual newspapers, but since the appearance of Robert, he hadn’t been able to sit down long enough actually to read them. Why that was, he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t as if he browsed them to look for any signs of Robert’s arrival, as it was highly unlikely that such a person would ever feature in them. Nigel had previously read the papers just to wait and search and even make business plans. Now there seemed no need to do so anymore. Yesterday’s papers still sat on the small table next to the door, entirely untouched.
And in truth, it all felt quite an anti-climax now, not how Nigel had imagined it would be. Why it should feel that way Nigel didn’t know because the fact was now it was real. No longer was he as free or as safe in his own world as he had been before Robert had shown up. Nigel sat there, not doing anything for a whole minute.
Most interesting of all that morning and what brought Nigel back to reality was a small piece of white paper sitting next to the newspapers, missed by Nigel at first, on which was a neatly written short note and telephone number. Nigel smiled for the first time that morning as he noticed it, reading it carefully and taking in every digit. He stood up suddenly and poured himself a coffee, leaving the milk on the table and starting to pace around the room, now feeling renewed energy, bordering on excitement. Nigel occasionally broke the routine of walking back and forth the twenty steps from one wall to the other by taking a few sips of the coffee, and when it had cooled enough, he finished it in one go. It was an expensive coffee which he had specially imported from Columbia, its rich and full-bodied flavour hitting every sense and taste bud as he swallowed it all. It always gave him the kick Nigel wanted, never did it disappoint, and that morning was no exception. It was just the start he needed to the day, especially after having had a broken night’s sleep. Nigel didn’t touch any of the food, and instead, throwing the newspapers onto the now growing pile that sat on the table by the door, he grabbed the sheet of paper with the number on it, and raced back to his room, a different, alive and more focused person.
He took a shower as quickly as he could; he couldn’t imagine starting the day without one. Pulling on some black trousers and a burgundy cotton shirt, he checked himself quickly in the mirror before walking into the lounge, remotely opening the curtains as he walked in.
The view out of the windows and across the lake into his estate was always inspiring and especially so now that morning.
“Today I feel is going to be a good day, if not interesting,” he said aloud, as he opened a window slightly, the fresh breeze blowing the curtains a little.
Sitting down in his favourite chair, which looked out through the windows over all the land he owned, he picked up the telephone, peering down at the piece of paper before dialling in the number. After about twenty long seconds the call was answered. Nigel took a deep breath.
Robert Sandle had slept heavily, mainly due to the amount he had drunk the night before and he woke to his alarm clock going off just before half-past seven. His mouth was dry and sticky, so he emptied the glass of water that sat on his bedside table. Still thirsty, he pulled himself out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen. His head was throbbing a little now, and while he ran the cold water tap, he rummaged around in a drawer trying to find something that would help his head, with little success. Boxes and small packets of various forms fell out and onto the floor. Robert filled his glass and turned off the tap. Looking more closely into the drawer, Robert found what he wanted, but not before treading on one of the packets he’d dropped, the box digging right into the b
ase of his foot so that he cried out in pain and hobbled to a nearby chair. Sitting down and checking his foot, there didn’t seem to be any significant damage though it had broken the skin a little. Robert took the two tablets and downed the glass of water.
It was still quite dark outside, the sun was only just starting to rise, but he opened the curtains anyway. A pile of his clothes lay there on the floor by the front door which made him think back to last night, things still a blur but they were coming back slowly. He remembered speaking to Norman and the landlord––what was his name? No, he couldn’t remember. Maybe he didn’t know? He wasn’t sure. As Robert picked up his trousers from the floor, he suddenly remembered his encounter with Katie Taylor. A kind of heavy feeling came over him, the kind that told you nothing was going to be quite as easy anymore. He remembered that brute of a husband of hers being removed from the pub by three men, who in themselves would be considered sizeable men.
She was trouble, he knew enough about that, but he was sure that she wasn’t the kind who would say anything. Chances were, she wanted an escape from her life but knew no other way. Maybe she was like that with a lot of men? He remembered how she’d touched him, how he’d let her, though it had happened so fast and his reactions were a little impaired. Robert had thought at the time she was the most incredibly sexy woman he’d ever met, but now he knew that it most surely was the alcohol speaking, as it usually has a way of doing. And besides, she was married, and even then it was to some brute of a man who Robert sensed wasn’t the kind to do things the peaceful way. The thought of lying low again, even out here in the country, made him feel sick inside. Always on the run, still hiding, forever alone. He sank his head a little and decided he needed some fresh air. He pulled on the clothes he now had in his hand and walked out of the front door, bending back around the house to the left and following a small path that led across an adjoining field towards a small brook that ran along the other side of the field, separating it from the wooded area beyond.
Thirty minutes later he was coming back along the field. In the distance down the road that ran in front of the house, at the end of the long driveway, he could see Norman, on his way into work. He presumed he could well have been already doing some deliveries as time was pressing on.
At the same moment a dog barked and he turned to see a white Labrador bounding over gently towards him, no one else apparently around. Robert liked dogs and waited for it to arrive before he stroked its head as it sat there next to him, tongue out, panting for air. In the distance, he then heard a lady’s voice calling presumably the dog, and a few seconds later Robert could see a figure coming up from the far side of the field which curved down as it approached the road. Robert stood up straight as he realised it was Katie Taylor coming towards him, and she slowed in pace and smiled as she not only understood the dog was with him but that it was indeed the man she’d spoken to last night. She showed no signs of embarrassment at all and Robert did his best not to look so either. But the most alarming thing of all to Robert was that, far from being an imperfect image of the alcohol-induced woman he’d met the previous night, if anything that morning Katie looked even more attractive in a long cream overcoat with fur around the collar and high brown leather boots complimenting her legs. She walked confidently towards him and was now right in front of him.
“Hello again, stranger. We must stop meeting in such…circumstances.”
She seemed very playful, and she spoke each word in such a way that it made Robert hang onto everything she said. She picked up a stick and threw it for the dog, who bounded off after it.
“And do you have a name?” she said, though she already knew much about Robert, being a local.
“Sorry,” he said, a little taken aback and trying to contain himself. “My name is Robert, Robert Sandle. And you are?” He didn’t see the point in telling her he also knew who she was.
“I’m Miss Katie Taylor.” She was very deliberate with the miss part. Robert didn’t know what to think, but he knew she was bad news for him, had been since he’d first noticed her in the pub. Evidently, she liked him and wanted him to think she was single. There was a silence that lasted just a little bit too long for comfort, the kind that told each person that the other was thinking about a lot of stuff, but it was Katie who spoke next.
“Last night was fun. We’ll have to do that again sometime!” Robert looked into her face and took her in: the beautiful green eyes, her high cheekbones, the thick brown long hair that caught the sun so that light flashed up and down each strand, as it moved in the morning breeze, the lips that looked so inviting. She was around five feet nine and slender and so much in him wanted to hold her tight. In another life, Katie would be perfect, a dreamgirl for Robert but it was all so messed up. She was bad news for him and yet Robert was hooked.
She could see in the way he looked at her that there was something there and she played on it all the more. Robert hadn’t replied, so she said:
“Why don’t you give me your number and I could come around later for a drink and who knows?”
Robert didn’t know what to say but found himself taking out a small card that had his number on it and giving it to her. What was he doing? She was trouble, and yet everything within him longed for more. He didn’t want to be lonely anymore and maybe things would work out, or so he tried to convince himself as they parted and he sauntered along the path back towards the house, but he was too worked up to go in, deciding that he needed a little more fresh country air to calm himself. What was it with her? The fresh air, the early morning, their two encounters? It was like a drug, he was being hooked and knew if he carried on he’d be stuck and end up in a mess.
Robert walked around for five minutes trying to convince himself that this was all okay. He reasoned that maybe the landlord had got it wrong, perhaps they weren’t married? Were they even together? And besides, would she call him, though everything in him wanted there to be another meeting, another encounter, and this one behind closed doors, away from prying eyes. If she’d been so free with him in a corridor at a crowded pub, what would she be like at home? The rush of thoughts was getting too much for him, and he realised he might as well go back inside for all the good the air was doing him with his mind racing as it was.
As Robert reached the front door, his heart jumped as he knew she was calling him, the ringing telephone audibly heard from the outside. Robert raced inside, taking off his wet boots and hoping that she didn’t hang up.
Reaching for the phone, he picked it up slightly breathless:
“Hi, it’s Robert.” There was a pause at the other end of the line. Robert could hear the intake of breath. The anticipation was electric.
Tommy was awoken by the telephone ringing loudly next to him, and he jumped up to answer it. Catching sight of the clock on the wall, he needed a second look at it, as it showed just before twelve. It was the reception giving him a gentle but firm reminder that checkout was generally at midday but that they could have another half an hour at the most because the room needed to be cleaned for someone arriving that day.
Tommy said his apologies and hung up as Jessica stirred from her sleep, like a waking princess from some fairytale story, with Tommy being the prince who’d broken the spell.
She opened her eyes and immediately smiled as she saw him looking at her.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said.
“Hi.” She smiled in such a way that Tommy loved her all the more, and they kissed again, Tommy running his hands down under the sheets and onto her soft body, everything in him desiring her more than ever and wanting to make love again but he knew time was short. He told her the time, and they jumped out of bed quickly, throwing some clothes on and putting a few bits into a bag, though they hadn’t come with much, so there wasn’t a lot to pack away.
“Thank you for a truly wonderful night, Mr Lawrence.”
“You naughty girl. You know what happens when you call me that!”
“What happens, Mr Lawrence?�
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“Oh, you…,” and he grabbed her so that she let out a small shriek and pulled her to the bed again, arms embraced, kissing passionately, teenagers again and happy to be so, just enjoying one another regardless of the rules.
“Hello, Robert. It’s me…,” the long pause only throwing Robert completely off guard before the caller continued, “now I bet you didn’t think I’d call you, did you?”
Robert was stunned, taken aback by the voice he’d just heard, his mind had been in another place, and he was quickly trying to catch up.
“Nigel Gamble, I presume?”
“The one and only.”
“How did you get this…,” he started to say and then realised it was a stupid and needless question to ask. He was still trying to compose himself, so sure had he been that it was Katie who was calling him.
“You sound disappointed? Didn’t you want to speak to me? You had said you wanted to when you spoke to Brendan Charles.”
“You were listening then,” Robert said, back on form now, his mind adequately engaged on the task he’d come to do.
“Are you in town today then?”
“In town?” Robert thought a little, trying to understand the meaning of the question before the understanding flashed through his head like lightning in a dark sky.
“Oh, of course, you can track my actual number to call me but can’t locate where I’m calling from without speaking to me. Mind you it’ll still only tell you a little info after several minutes, and we both know I’m not going to allow you to speak for that long. But I’m not far away; I’ll give you that for free.”
“Come on, let’s not be like this. The way I see it you’ll be needing all the help you can get soon enough.” Nigel had hit on a sore point.
