stairs behind Ashley to the area beyond. He wondered if she’d deliberately positioned them there.
‘I couldn’t get us a table upstairs at short notice.’
Leo saw Hektor emerge from behind the bar. He looked harassed as usual and the lines on his Mediterranean features seemed a little deeper than the last time he’d seen him. Was there even an extra pound or two on his short frame? Nevertheless his silver grey hair was still immaculately squared around his tanned features and there was little to suggest that they’d celebrated his fiftieth birthday in Leo’s other life.
Hektor leaned on the front of the bar and rested his hand on the thin waist of one of the bar staff while he talked to her. Everything seemed to be as it had been all those months ago and, for a split second, it was like inhabiting his old life again. He didn’t want to make eye contact with Hektor though and returned his attention to Ashley.
‘Lunch and banality, that’s all I want.’ She smiled and snapped a breadstick, handing him half.
He took it but placed it on his side plate and suddenly felt nauseous. It was the smell of the place. One aroma led to another and soon he would smell the sweaty interior of the interview room and the stale nicotine gum the investigating officer used to pulp in one side of his face. ‘Thanks for trying to do this but this really doesn’t feel right.’ How could Ashley not understand that this was Laura’s place, Laura’s very last location? He rose but Ashley put her fingers round his wrist.
‘Don’t think this is easy for me either. Sit down,’ she whispered firmly but even before he’d settled again he’d decided against telling her about Mutatkar. ‘It’s a room full of chairs and tables. People pass through it…good and bad.’
Leo didn’t hear her but visualised Bookwalter standing at the top of the stairs in a delivery uniform. His shoulders tightened, almost in readiness for an impact of some kind.
‘Let’s try some meaningless chatter. How’s work?’
He returned his gaze to her and registered how perfectly her fuchsia lip-gloss had been applied. She had on a tawny silk shirt and matching beads and her dark curls were once more in decorous disarray about her elegant face.
Being here with her wasn’t right. After Hektor had been forced to suspend the immigrants in his staff and had taken it out on Leo, it had been an excuse to stop haunting the place. He should never have come back.
Ashley had clearly been waiting for an answer to her first question and raised her eyebrows as she tried another tack. ‘Have you had any sort of contact with human beings apart from me?’
‘Only Matty stalking me.’
‘We all know about that. Stalking, I mean,’ she added a little too hastily.
Leo thought he almost saw her bite her tongue. To Leo’s knowledge, Ashley had very little to do with Matty except when they’d met at the wedding.
‘Stalking or Matty’s stalking?’
Ashley looked sheepish. ‘OK, Matty’s stalking.’
‘So, are you going to make me beg for what you aren’t telling me?’
Ashley used the action of refilling her water glass to break eye contact. ‘Only what Laura told me.’
‘Which was?’
‘That Matty was capable of it.’
‘But my brother was AWOL for most of the time Laura knew him. It’s only since he moved in with Carla that he’s been stalking me to play grown-ups with him.’
Ashley looked at him again and just nodded in hollow agreement as if she were considering whether she should tell him something.
‘Ash…’ he said, mock-threateningly.
‘Pointless dragging things up now, particularly if you’re on speaking terms with Matty.’ She took her cue from his raised eyebrows. ‘OK, there was a reason Matty was late to your wedding.’ She pushed down and twisted the salt cellar so the tablecloth started to knot around it. ‘He called at your house while you were waiting at the registry office.’ She narrowed her eyes at the
‘I couldn’t get us a table upstairs at short notice.’
Leo saw Hektor emerge from behind the bar. He looked harassed as usual and the lines on his Mediterranean features seemed a little deeper than the last time he’d seen him. Was there even an extra pound or two on his short frame? Nevertheless his silver grey hair was still immaculately squared around his tanned features and there was little to suggest that they’d celebrated his fiftieth birthday in Leo’s other life.
Hektor leaned on the front of the bar and rested his hand on the thin waist of one of the bar staff while he talked to her. Everything seemed to be as it had been all those months ago and, for a split second, it was like inhabiting his old life again. He didn’t want to make eye contact with Hektor though and returned his attention to Ashley.
‘Lunch and banality, that’s all I want.’ She smiled and snapped a breadstick, handing him half.
He took it but placed it on his side plate and suddenly felt nauseous. It was the smell of the place. One aroma led to another and soon he would smell the sweaty interior of the interview room and the stale nicotine gum the investigating officer used to pulp in one side of his face. ‘Thanks for trying to do this but this really doesn’t feel right.’ How could Ashley not understand that this was Laura’s place, Laura’s very last location? He rose but Ashley put her fingers round his wrist.
‘Don’t think this is easy for me either. Sit down,’ she whispered firmly but even before he’d settled again he’d decided against telling her about Mutatkar. ‘It’s a room full of chairs and tables. People pass through it…good and bad.’
Leo didn’t hear her but visualised Bookwalter standing at the top of the stairs in a delivery uniform. His shoulders tightened, almost in readiness for an impact of some kind.
‘Let’s try some meaningless chatter. How’s work?’
He returned his gaze to her and registered how perfectly her fuchsia lip-gloss had been applied. She had on a tawny silk shirt and matching beads and her dark curls were once more in decorous disarray about her elegant face.
Being here with her wasn’t right. After Hektor had been forced to suspend the immigrants in his staff and had taken it out on Leo, it had been an excuse to stop haunting the place. He should never have come back.
Ashley had clearly been waiting for an answer to her first question and raised her eyebrows as she tried another tack. ‘Have you had any sort of contact with human beings apart from me?’
‘Only Matty stalking me.’
‘We all know about that. Stalking, I mean,’ she added a little too hastily.
Leo thought he almost saw her bite her tongue. To Leo’s knowledge, Ashley had very little to do with Matty except when they’d met at the wedding.
‘Stalking or Matty’s stalking?’
Ashley looked sheepish. ‘OK, Matty’s stalking.’
‘So, are you going to make me beg for what you aren’t telling me?’
Ashley used the action of refilling her water glass to break eye contact. ‘Only what Laura told me.’
‘Which was?’
‘That Matty was capable of it.’
‘But my brother was AWOL for most of the time Laura knew him. It’s only since he moved in with Carla that he’s been stalking me to play grown-ups with him.’
Ashley looked at him again and just nodded in hollow agreement as if she were considering whether she should tell him something.
‘Ash…’ he said, mock-threateningly.
‘Pointless dragging things up now, particularly if you’re on speaking terms with Matty.’ She took her cue from his raised eyebrows. ‘OK, there was a reason Matty was late to your wedding.’ She pushed down and twisted the salt cellar so the tablecloth started to knot around it. ‘He called at your house while you were waiting at the registry office.’ She narrowed her eyes at the
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