Scaredy Cat by Mark Billingham
Authors: Mark Billingham
Tags: Fiction, General, Psychological, Thrillers, Mystery & Detective, Police, England, Serial Murders
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Obviously we need to talk about it but I just wanted to let you know...'
'I'm glad you did.'
And then she invited him to dinner.
He proffered the plastic bag containing a butte of his favourite red wine as soon as she opened the door.
'Thanks, but there was no need.', 'Don't get excited, it's only a plastic bag.' She laughed and stepped forward to kiss him on the SLEEPYHEAD 97
cheek. Her perfume was lovely. She was wearing a rustcoloured sleeveless top, cream linen trousers and training shoes. He was struck, not unpleasantly as it happened, by the fact that she was an inch or two tal er than he was. He was used to that. He felt like he was going to enjoy himself. His good mood evaporated in an instant as he glanced over her shoulder and saw a man in the kitchen at the other end of the hal .
Jeremy Bishop was leaning against the worktop, opening a bottle of champagne.
Anne stepped aside to usher Thorne in and caught his look. 'Sorry,' she mouthed, shrugging.
As Thorne removed his leather jacket and made approving noises about the original coving, he was wondering what she meant. Sorry? She couldn't possibly have any idea what he real y thought about Bishop, so what was she sorry for? As he walked towards the kitchen he came to the heartening conclusion that she was sorry they weren't going to be alone.
Bishop held out a hand, smiling at him. Thorne smiled back. Sorry? Thinking about it, he wasn't sure that he was sorry at al .
'Perfect timing, Detective Inspector.' Bishop offered him a glass of champagne. Thorne felt a chil pass through him as he took it. Bishop looked thoroughly at home, moving easily around a kitchen with which he was obviously familiar. He wore pressed chinos and a col arless shirt. Silk by the look of it. He probably cal ed it a blouse. Thorne felt instantly overdressed in his tie, and instinctively reached up to undo the top button of his shirt, which he definitely cal ed a shirt.
Bishop drained his glass. 'Has the hernia been giving you any more trouble?'
98 MARK BILLINGHAM
'Sorry?'
'It came to me just after you and your constable left. Come on - don't tel me it hasn't been driving you mad as wel . Your hernia op last year... I was your gas man.' Without waiting for a response - he would have been waiting for some time - he turned to Anne. 'I've given your sauce a stir, Jimmy, and I'm off to the loo.' He handed Anne his glass and moved past Thorne towards the stairs.
They stood in silence until they heard the bathroom
door close.
'Is this awkward for you, Tom? Tel me if it is.' 'Why should it be?' 'I didn't invite him.'
Some good news. Thorne smiled graciously. 'It's fine.' 'I had no idea he was coming. He just dropped by and it would have been rude not to ask him to stay. I know you've questioned him, which is bloody ridiculous...'
Thorne took a sip of champagne. It wasn't a drink he
was fond of.
'So?'
'So what?'
'So is it awkward?'
Awkward was putting it mildly. Thorne couldn't recal
the last time he'd had a cosy dinner with a prime suspect.
He remembered the scene in Keable's office. Make that
his prime suspect.
Stil , it might be interesting. He already knew the basic
facts. The two children, the wife who'd died. But there was no question that it would be valuable to get another... slant on things. Anne was looking intently at him. He hadn't answered her question. So he asked one instead: 'Jimmy?'
SLEEPYHEAD 99
'A nickname from med-school days. James Coburn. You know, The Magnificent Seven. He was the one with the knives.'
'Right. Was he any good with scalpels?'
She laughed. 'Whatever misguided reasons you had to question Jeremy, I can ful y understand that this might be putting you in a compromising position, but there are two very good reasons why you should stay and have dinner.' Thorne had no intention of going anywhere, but was perfectly happy to let her persuade him. 'One, I would very much like it if you did, and two, I make the finest spaghetti carbonara in
'I'm glad you did.'
And then she invited him to dinner.
He proffered the plastic bag containing a butte of his favourite red wine as soon as she opened the door.
'Thanks, but there was no need.', 'Don't get excited, it's only a plastic bag.' She laughed and stepped forward to kiss him on the SLEEPYHEAD 97
cheek. Her perfume was lovely. She was wearing a rustcoloured sleeveless top, cream linen trousers and training shoes. He was struck, not unpleasantly as it happened, by the fact that she was an inch or two tal er than he was. He was used to that. He felt like he was going to enjoy himself. His good mood evaporated in an instant as he glanced over her shoulder and saw a man in the kitchen at the other end of the hal .
Jeremy Bishop was leaning against the worktop, opening a bottle of champagne.
Anne stepped aside to usher Thorne in and caught his look. 'Sorry,' she mouthed, shrugging.
As Thorne removed his leather jacket and made approving noises about the original coving, he was wondering what she meant. Sorry? She couldn't possibly have any idea what he real y thought about Bishop, so what was she sorry for? As he walked towards the kitchen he came to the heartening conclusion that she was sorry they weren't going to be alone.
Bishop held out a hand, smiling at him. Thorne smiled back. Sorry? Thinking about it, he wasn't sure that he was sorry at al .
'Perfect timing, Detective Inspector.' Bishop offered him a glass of champagne. Thorne felt a chil pass through him as he took it. Bishop looked thoroughly at home, moving easily around a kitchen with which he was obviously familiar. He wore pressed chinos and a col arless shirt. Silk by the look of it. He probably cal ed it a blouse. Thorne felt instantly overdressed in his tie, and instinctively reached up to undo the top button of his shirt, which he definitely cal ed a shirt.
Bishop drained his glass. 'Has the hernia been giving you any more trouble?'
98 MARK BILLINGHAM
'Sorry?'
'It came to me just after you and your constable left. Come on - don't tel me it hasn't been driving you mad as wel . Your hernia op last year... I was your gas man.' Without waiting for a response - he would have been waiting for some time - he turned to Anne. 'I've given your sauce a stir, Jimmy, and I'm off to the loo.' He handed Anne his glass and moved past Thorne towards the stairs.
They stood in silence until they heard the bathroom
door close.
'Is this awkward for you, Tom? Tel me if it is.' 'Why should it be?' 'I didn't invite him.'
Some good news. Thorne smiled graciously. 'It's fine.' 'I had no idea he was coming. He just dropped by and it would have been rude not to ask him to stay. I know you've questioned him, which is bloody ridiculous...'
Thorne took a sip of champagne. It wasn't a drink he
was fond of.
'So?'
'So what?'
'So is it awkward?'
Awkward was putting it mildly. Thorne couldn't recal
the last time he'd had a cosy dinner with a prime suspect.
He remembered the scene in Keable's office. Make that
his prime suspect.
Stil , it might be interesting. He already knew the basic
facts. The two children, the wife who'd died. But there was no question that it would be valuable to get another... slant on things. Anne was looking intently at him. He hadn't answered her question. So he asked one instead: 'Jimmy?'
SLEEPYHEAD 99
'A nickname from med-school days. James Coburn. You know, The Magnificent Seven. He was the one with the knives.'
'Right. Was he any good with scalpels?'
She laughed. 'Whatever misguided reasons you had to question Jeremy, I can ful y understand that this might be putting you in a compromising position, but there are two very good reasons why you should stay and have dinner.' Thorne had no intention of going anywhere, but was perfectly happy to let her persuade him. 'One, I would very much like it if you did, and two, I make the finest spaghetti carbonara in
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