young lady?’
‘Scotch and water.’
‘Soda,’ Ellie quickly put in, flashing a smile at the barman.
‘Soda it be.’ He drew a pint of beer from the pump and, as the glass was being filled, Kelso leaned forward on the bar.
‘Seen Andy tonight?’ he asked casually.
‘Andy?’
‘Andy Trewick.’
The barman frowned. ‘He ain’t been in here tonight. No, ain’t seen him in here.’ He placed the dark liquid on the bar before Kelso and said in a confidential tone,
‘And to tell you the truth, he ain’t been missed. ’Cept by his guvnor, of course.’
He turned his back to Kelso and shoved a small glass under the whisky optic. He allowed Kelso to add the soda and leaned on the bar. ‘Old Tom Adcock’s been in a couple of times
tonight looking for him. Seemed a bit anxious, too.’
‘Tom Adcock?’
‘Skipper of the Rosie. Trewick’s skipper. Called him some names, all right. Didn’t turn up for work today, left old Tom short-handed. Why was you looking for him,
then?’
‘Oh, nothing really. We’d just arranged to have a drink tonight, that was all.’
‘Well, you don’t want to be drinking with his sort, if you don’t mind my saying so. Nothing but trouble, that lad. If I was you, I’d stick with your bird-watching and let
well alone. Plenty of nice people around here without getting involved with the likes of him.’
‘The likes of him? What d’you mean?’
‘Oh, I don’t want to be saying. But he likes a good time too much, that lad. He’s got a reputation.’
‘What for?’ Kelso pressed.
‘I told you, I’m not saying. He spends too much time with those Yanks, for a start.’
‘Yanks?’
‘That’s right.’
Kelso looked quickly at Ellie and saw she shared his sudden interest. ‘From the base?’ he said to the barman, but he had gone to serve another customer.
Ellie found it difficult to keep her excitement from showing. ‘You’re not thinking what I’m thinking, are you?’
Kelso reached inside his reefer jacket for his cigarettes. She refused and he lit one for himself.
‘Well?’ she persisted.
He blew out the smoke in a long sigh and said, ‘It looks interesting, doesn’t it?’
‘Interesting? You were the . . .’
He looked around and she took the hint, keeping her voice low. ‘You were the one looking for a connection.’
He nodded. ‘Come to think of it, I’ve seen him in here a couple of times talking to Americans. I didn’t think it important till now.’
‘A lot of engineers and suchlike from the NATO base live in flats or houses in the area; there’s just not enough room for everybody at the airfield. Some of the unmarried ones move
in with local families or share a place in a group. That kind of set-up is ideal for drug parties.’
‘And Trewick could be a supplier? It doesn’t make sense, though; he’s a bloody fisherman, not exactly the type to be a pusher.’
‘At least it’s a job where he goes out to sea every day. It’s an opportunity . . .’
‘Wait. Let’s move away from the bar.’
Ellie was attracting too many interested glances and he was afraid their conversation would be overheard; he led her through the crowd towards a quiet corner. ‘Watch your arse,’ he
warned her over his shoulder, and she was glad to see his humour had returned; he had seemed strangely moody since the incident in the caravan.
By the time they reached the corner, she had seen the wisdom in his remark. ‘What are they, all sex-starved in these parts? Haven’t they ever seen a woman before?’
‘Arh, but you be a stranger, m’dear. Don’t get many strangers ’round here.’
‘Your accent’s terrible.’
‘So’s moi lust, m’dear.’
There was a moment’s silence between them and he realized there was some truth in his jest. She was a good-looking woman and it had been a long time . . . He pushed the thoughts away, but
he knew she had read his mind.
‘Er,’ Ellie began to say and she was embarrassed by her own
‘Scotch and water.’
‘Soda,’ Ellie quickly put in, flashing a smile at the barman.
‘Soda it be.’ He drew a pint of beer from the pump and, as the glass was being filled, Kelso leaned forward on the bar.
‘Seen Andy tonight?’ he asked casually.
‘Andy?’
‘Andy Trewick.’
The barman frowned. ‘He ain’t been in here tonight. No, ain’t seen him in here.’ He placed the dark liquid on the bar before Kelso and said in a confidential tone,
‘And to tell you the truth, he ain’t been missed. ’Cept by his guvnor, of course.’
He turned his back to Kelso and shoved a small glass under the whisky optic. He allowed Kelso to add the soda and leaned on the bar. ‘Old Tom Adcock’s been in a couple of times
tonight looking for him. Seemed a bit anxious, too.’
‘Tom Adcock?’
‘Skipper of the Rosie. Trewick’s skipper. Called him some names, all right. Didn’t turn up for work today, left old Tom short-handed. Why was you looking for him,
then?’
‘Oh, nothing really. We’d just arranged to have a drink tonight, that was all.’
‘Well, you don’t want to be drinking with his sort, if you don’t mind my saying so. Nothing but trouble, that lad. If I was you, I’d stick with your bird-watching and let
well alone. Plenty of nice people around here without getting involved with the likes of him.’
‘The likes of him? What d’you mean?’
‘Oh, I don’t want to be saying. But he likes a good time too much, that lad. He’s got a reputation.’
‘What for?’ Kelso pressed.
‘I told you, I’m not saying. He spends too much time with those Yanks, for a start.’
‘Yanks?’
‘That’s right.’
Kelso looked quickly at Ellie and saw she shared his sudden interest. ‘From the base?’ he said to the barman, but he had gone to serve another customer.
Ellie found it difficult to keep her excitement from showing. ‘You’re not thinking what I’m thinking, are you?’
Kelso reached inside his reefer jacket for his cigarettes. She refused and he lit one for himself.
‘Well?’ she persisted.
He blew out the smoke in a long sigh and said, ‘It looks interesting, doesn’t it?’
‘Interesting? You were the . . .’
He looked around and she took the hint, keeping her voice low. ‘You were the one looking for a connection.’
He nodded. ‘Come to think of it, I’ve seen him in here a couple of times talking to Americans. I didn’t think it important till now.’
‘A lot of engineers and suchlike from the NATO base live in flats or houses in the area; there’s just not enough room for everybody at the airfield. Some of the unmarried ones move
in with local families or share a place in a group. That kind of set-up is ideal for drug parties.’
‘And Trewick could be a supplier? It doesn’t make sense, though; he’s a bloody fisherman, not exactly the type to be a pusher.’
‘At least it’s a job where he goes out to sea every day. It’s an opportunity . . .’
‘Wait. Let’s move away from the bar.’
Ellie was attracting too many interested glances and he was afraid their conversation would be overheard; he led her through the crowd towards a quiet corner. ‘Watch your arse,’ he
warned her over his shoulder, and she was glad to see his humour had returned; he had seemed strangely moody since the incident in the caravan.
By the time they reached the corner, she had seen the wisdom in his remark. ‘What are they, all sex-starved in these parts? Haven’t they ever seen a woman before?’
‘Arh, but you be a stranger, m’dear. Don’t get many strangers ’round here.’
‘Your accent’s terrible.’
‘So’s moi lust, m’dear.’
There was a moment’s silence between them and he realized there was some truth in his jest. She was a good-looking woman and it had been a long time . . . He pushed the thoughts away, but
he knew she had read his mind.
‘Er,’ Ellie began to say and she was embarrassed by her own
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