week.’
‘He’s really not writing is he?’
‘Not a word.’
‘What about coming home?’
‘Your guess, mate, is as good as mine. But I should be getting back. Scoot out the back way if you like.’
As they approached the kitchen door, a loud, familiar noise cut through the general muttering and clattering in the restaurant.
‘Todd?’ screamed Eve, who’d been making her way back from the bathroom via an unnecessarily circuitous route. Oblivious to the startled faces that immediately twisted in her direction, she continued at the same volume. ‘Is that you?’
As it was a question, Todd continued walking towards the kitchen.
Behind him, Eve pushed past a waiter and, in doing so, destabilised him. Instinctively he grabbed at what was closest as he felt himself fall: Eve’s Coat of Many Colours. Together he and Eve crashed to the floor.
The coat was ruined, the waiter dazed and distressed.
‘What kind of place is this? I want to speak to whoever is in charge,’ grumbled Eve, taking a proffered hand and gracelessly yanking herself up.
‘That’ll be me,’ said Jack, introducing himself as the owner of the hand. ‘We met some time ago, I was with Jess Johnson and my business partner, Alex. You’re not hurt, are you?’
‘No,’ said Eve, adding with a loud hiss, ‘lucky for you.’
‘We’ll pay for your coat, of course.’
‘And my meal,’ said Eve. She’d been planning to put it on Hilary’s corporate card, but this was better. And since it was now a free meal, she decided on the spot that it would be wrong not to order another course, and dessert wine.
‘And your meal,’ sighed Jack.
In the kitchen later that afternoon he briefed the team once again: Eve was not allowed on the premises without his approval – or Alex’s. If Alex ever returns, he didn’t add.
Chapter 13
There was an unusual aspect to Jess’s newly decorated office.
It wasn’t that it revolved, like the boardroom above. Although currently that wasn’t moving. An editor’s child, who had been stuffing envelopes for pocket money and was therefore eligible to enter Eve’s competition, had pointed out that it didn’t make sense to have an empty boardroom spinning around when even lift use was being rationed.
It wasn’t the amazing view, discovered by the workmen when they moved out the old cupboards.
It wasn’t the acres of space, reclaimed when the workmen moved out said old cupboards, and it definitely wasn’t the dazzling new colour scheme.
It was a feature that on first sight seemed more mundane than all those things: it was a vent. Situated to the left of the bookshelves hugging the wall that adjoined Eve’s office, it was barely noticeable. Jess assumed it had always been there.
As she couldn’t open the windows, and the combination of new paint and old dust was proving detrimental to thehealth of her sinuses, she was thrilled to find this little vent and opened it immediately.
She then forgot about it.
A few days later she was at her desk, studying an astrology chart on the net and wondering if she should do yet another book on the subject or if the market was saturated; perhaps she should be considering a new area, angels possibly, or maybe ghosts: ghosts did seem to be making a comeback.
It was just as she thought the word ghost that she heard the voices. Initially, she didn’t pay them any real attention but instead absently stood up, intending to close the door – only to find that it was closed already and the voices appeared to be coming from inside the room. Jess looked around, thinking that maybe her phone was playing up, that maybe she’d accidentally switched it to speaker. She checked but this wasn’t the case. Next she found her handbag and retrieved her mobile. The battery was dead.
The whispering continued.
Determined to solve the mystery, she stood very still and attempted to decipher what was being said. The first thing she realised was that the voices were coming from
‘He’s really not writing is he?’
‘Not a word.’
‘What about coming home?’
‘Your guess, mate, is as good as mine. But I should be getting back. Scoot out the back way if you like.’
As they approached the kitchen door, a loud, familiar noise cut through the general muttering and clattering in the restaurant.
‘Todd?’ screamed Eve, who’d been making her way back from the bathroom via an unnecessarily circuitous route. Oblivious to the startled faces that immediately twisted in her direction, she continued at the same volume. ‘Is that you?’
As it was a question, Todd continued walking towards the kitchen.
Behind him, Eve pushed past a waiter and, in doing so, destabilised him. Instinctively he grabbed at what was closest as he felt himself fall: Eve’s Coat of Many Colours. Together he and Eve crashed to the floor.
The coat was ruined, the waiter dazed and distressed.
‘What kind of place is this? I want to speak to whoever is in charge,’ grumbled Eve, taking a proffered hand and gracelessly yanking herself up.
‘That’ll be me,’ said Jack, introducing himself as the owner of the hand. ‘We met some time ago, I was with Jess Johnson and my business partner, Alex. You’re not hurt, are you?’
‘No,’ said Eve, adding with a loud hiss, ‘lucky for you.’
‘We’ll pay for your coat, of course.’
‘And my meal,’ said Eve. She’d been planning to put it on Hilary’s corporate card, but this was better. And since it was now a free meal, she decided on the spot that it would be wrong not to order another course, and dessert wine.
‘And your meal,’ sighed Jack.
In the kitchen later that afternoon he briefed the team once again: Eve was not allowed on the premises without his approval – or Alex’s. If Alex ever returns, he didn’t add.
Chapter 13
There was an unusual aspect to Jess’s newly decorated office.
It wasn’t that it revolved, like the boardroom above. Although currently that wasn’t moving. An editor’s child, who had been stuffing envelopes for pocket money and was therefore eligible to enter Eve’s competition, had pointed out that it didn’t make sense to have an empty boardroom spinning around when even lift use was being rationed.
It wasn’t the amazing view, discovered by the workmen when they moved out the old cupboards.
It wasn’t the acres of space, reclaimed when the workmen moved out said old cupboards, and it definitely wasn’t the dazzling new colour scheme.
It was a feature that on first sight seemed more mundane than all those things: it was a vent. Situated to the left of the bookshelves hugging the wall that adjoined Eve’s office, it was barely noticeable. Jess assumed it had always been there.
As she couldn’t open the windows, and the combination of new paint and old dust was proving detrimental to thehealth of her sinuses, she was thrilled to find this little vent and opened it immediately.
She then forgot about it.
A few days later she was at her desk, studying an astrology chart on the net and wondering if she should do yet another book on the subject or if the market was saturated; perhaps she should be considering a new area, angels possibly, or maybe ghosts: ghosts did seem to be making a comeback.
It was just as she thought the word ghost that she heard the voices. Initially, she didn’t pay them any real attention but instead absently stood up, intending to close the door – only to find that it was closed already and the voices appeared to be coming from inside the room. Jess looked around, thinking that maybe her phone was playing up, that maybe she’d accidentally switched it to speaker. She checked but this wasn’t the case. Next she found her handbag and retrieved her mobile. The battery was dead.
The whispering continued.
Determined to solve the mystery, she stood very still and attempted to decipher what was being said. The first thing she realised was that the voices were coming from
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