need to know if–”
Casey interrupted her, her words barely audible over loud sobs.
“I’m being punished. This is my punishment.”
Kate frowned. “What do you mean by that, Casey?”
Casey shook her head, crying louder.
“Is it something that you feel you’ve done?” Kate hesitated, unsure of whether to go any further. Should she call Olbeck or Anderton? Was this going to be a confession? She could feel her heart rate begin to speed up, the sickness rising in her stomach. What to do?
She pressed on.
“Is it something you’ve done to – to Charlie?”
Casey shook her head again, almost screaming
“No, no! I would never hurt my baby, never. What are you, sick ?”
She rolled away from Kate, burying her head in the pillows again. She said something else but it was too muffled for Kate to make out.
Kate sat back, thinking hard. Guilt, but not at something to do with the baby…if she was telling the truth. She ran through the possibilities, internally. What the hell, she was probably right...
She pulled at Casey’s arm, speaking sharply. “Casey. Casey! Sit up, please. I need to ask you something.”
After a few moments, Casey sat up again. She looked at Kate, sullenly.
Kate took the bull by the horns. “Did you have an affair with Ali Saheed?”
The expression on Casey’s face, aghast and guilty, told her everything she needed to know. After a moment, Casey dropped her eyes. She gave a tiny nod of the head, so tiny it was almost imperceptible.
Kate sighed. “When was this?”
Casey looked up at her for a split second and then looked away.
“Not since the baby,” she said quickly.
“Not since the birth or not since the pregnancy?”
Casey’s voice wobbled. “Not since the birth. Of course not. Not for months.”
“Was it just a one-off?”
“No. We – we were together on and off for years. But secretly, you know. I don’t know why…” Her voice faded for a second. “I don’t know why we didn’t get together properly. Ali said it wouldn’t be very professional.”
But shagging his clients was? Kate mentally filed away her sarcastic comment without voicing it.
“So you’ve been in an on-going relationship with Mr Saheed for years?” A nod from Casey. “Does Mr Fullman know?”
Casey blanched. “God, no. He would kill me.” She grabbed at Kate’s arm, her eyes huge. “You won’t tell him, will you? Please God, don’t tell him. He’d kill me.” She started to hyperventilate. “Oh Christ, oh God, why did I tell you? Don’t tell him, please don’t tell him...”
Kate hastened to soothe her as best she could.
“Casey, please don’t worry. We’ll do all we can to keep this between us.”
Casey put her head in her hands. The part of her hair showed a inch-thick strip of dark brown hair, visible against the blonde streaks.
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered. “I know my affair was wrong but I know Ali, I know he wouldn’t do this.”
Kate took a deep breath. “I need to know all about this, Casey. Can you tell me?”
Silence from the woman on the bed.
“Casey. You have to talk to me. When did you two first, er, get together?”
Casey kept her head in her hands, but she began to speak, slowly and with a gasp in her voice.
“It was about five years ago now. I needed an agent and someone told me about him and so I rang him up. And then we met and there was, oh, I dunno, an instant attraction, I guess. And he was a good agent. He got me lots of work. Magazines and that TV show. We were never really a couple though, you know. We were just, just…”
Kate groped for the appropriate term. “Friends with benefits?”
Casey nodded. “Sort of. I mean, I guess I knew he had other girlfriends and I used to date a few guys myself. But somehow we always ended up sleeping together again. And then I met Nick and got pregnant, and then it just seemed wrong. I just couldn’t do it any more.”
“So you sacked him as your agent?”
Casey nodded. “I
Casey interrupted her, her words barely audible over loud sobs.
“I’m being punished. This is my punishment.”
Kate frowned. “What do you mean by that, Casey?”
Casey shook her head, crying louder.
“Is it something that you feel you’ve done?” Kate hesitated, unsure of whether to go any further. Should she call Olbeck or Anderton? Was this going to be a confession? She could feel her heart rate begin to speed up, the sickness rising in her stomach. What to do?
She pressed on.
“Is it something you’ve done to – to Charlie?”
Casey shook her head again, almost screaming
“No, no! I would never hurt my baby, never. What are you, sick ?”
She rolled away from Kate, burying her head in the pillows again. She said something else but it was too muffled for Kate to make out.
Kate sat back, thinking hard. Guilt, but not at something to do with the baby…if she was telling the truth. She ran through the possibilities, internally. What the hell, she was probably right...
She pulled at Casey’s arm, speaking sharply. “Casey. Casey! Sit up, please. I need to ask you something.”
After a few moments, Casey sat up again. She looked at Kate, sullenly.
Kate took the bull by the horns. “Did you have an affair with Ali Saheed?”
The expression on Casey’s face, aghast and guilty, told her everything she needed to know. After a moment, Casey dropped her eyes. She gave a tiny nod of the head, so tiny it was almost imperceptible.
Kate sighed. “When was this?”
Casey looked up at her for a split second and then looked away.
“Not since the baby,” she said quickly.
“Not since the birth or not since the pregnancy?”
Casey’s voice wobbled. “Not since the birth. Of course not. Not for months.”
“Was it just a one-off?”
“No. We – we were together on and off for years. But secretly, you know. I don’t know why…” Her voice faded for a second. “I don’t know why we didn’t get together properly. Ali said it wouldn’t be very professional.”
But shagging his clients was? Kate mentally filed away her sarcastic comment without voicing it.
“So you’ve been in an on-going relationship with Mr Saheed for years?” A nod from Casey. “Does Mr Fullman know?”
Casey blanched. “God, no. He would kill me.” She grabbed at Kate’s arm, her eyes huge. “You won’t tell him, will you? Please God, don’t tell him. He’d kill me.” She started to hyperventilate. “Oh Christ, oh God, why did I tell you? Don’t tell him, please don’t tell him...”
Kate hastened to soothe her as best she could.
“Casey, please don’t worry. We’ll do all we can to keep this between us.”
Casey put her head in her hands. The part of her hair showed a inch-thick strip of dark brown hair, visible against the blonde streaks.
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered. “I know my affair was wrong but I know Ali, I know he wouldn’t do this.”
Kate took a deep breath. “I need to know all about this, Casey. Can you tell me?”
Silence from the woman on the bed.
“Casey. You have to talk to me. When did you two first, er, get together?”
Casey kept her head in her hands, but she began to speak, slowly and with a gasp in her voice.
“It was about five years ago now. I needed an agent and someone told me about him and so I rang him up. And then we met and there was, oh, I dunno, an instant attraction, I guess. And he was a good agent. He got me lots of work. Magazines and that TV show. We were never really a couple though, you know. We were just, just…”
Kate groped for the appropriate term. “Friends with benefits?”
Casey nodded. “Sort of. I mean, I guess I knew he had other girlfriends and I used to date a few guys myself. But somehow we always ended up sleeping together again. And then I met Nick and got pregnant, and then it just seemed wrong. I just couldn’t do it any more.”
“So you sacked him as your agent?”
Casey nodded. “I
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