lightly, matter of fact, but she could hear it coming out petulant—‘and I thought you must know me so well now that the excitement might have gone for you.’
‘Has it for you?’
‘No. For me it’s just as exciting as it was the first time. It always has been.’
‘Well, then.’
Trust a lawyer never to answer the question
. ‘Have you had a bad day at work? You seem tense.’ He stroked her cheek.
‘Not bad, really. A bit frustrating in some ways, and I’ve found it difficult trying to lead a case with a Detective Chief Inspector from Scotland Yard breathing down my neck. I wanted to tell you about it last night.’
‘Who is it?’
‘David Brock.’
‘Oh, Brock. That’s interesting. He’s quite a big gun. You must have a pretty important case.’
‘No. Just some old lady who was probably suffocatedwhile she was asleep. He said the Yard assigns him to odd things from time to time, and it looks as if I’m this week’s oddity.’
‘What’s he like?’
‘Oh . . . quite sexy, really. If you go for older men.’
‘I meant to work with.’
‘He seems very relaxed, almost detached. Not what I expected at all.’
‘Maybe they’re assessing you for promotion, or a transfer. Inspector Kolla of the Yard. I like it.’
‘Piss off.’
‘He led the hunt for Gregory North recently, didn’t he?’
‘Yes. Everyone we’ve questioned seems to know about it. One suspect today got him to give him his autograph for his son.’
‘Did he talk about the North case at all?’
‘Only briefly. Said it wasn’t over yet.’
‘Really? I wonder what he meant by that? North escaped to some place in South America, didn’t he? Where they can’t extradite him.’
‘I don’t know. He said something about having a surprise in store for North. Let’s have a glass of wine. I’ve opened a bottle of the special Italian red for your birthday. You remember the Barolo?’
Kathy’s lips moved seductively up his shoulder to his neck. But she could feel the tenseness in his arm around her.
If he’s looking at his watch I’ll bloody kill him
.
‘I have to go, love. I’m sorry. Let’s have a glass while I get dressed.’
‘You’ve only just arrived.’
‘Don’t say it like that, Kath. I told you what the score was tonight.’
Kathy stomped out to the kitchen and returned with the two glasses of wine. She sat, naked, on the end of the bed and watched him as he did up his shirt buttons, pulled on his trousers.
‘You ought to get Brock to talk about the North case. It’s very interesting.’
‘Bugger the North case.’
‘No, really. Try to find out what kind of surprise they’ve got lined up for him. Maybe they’ve got around the extradition thing.’
‘Why are you interested? He’s not a client, is he?’
‘Of course not.’
The extra-special-super-charming smile, the one kept in reserve for new judges, not to be used too often in case it gets shop-soiled
.
‘Just professional curiosity. It’s an opportunity for you to see how the big league works. But suit yourself, anyway. Oh God, I must fly.’
‘Flap, flap.’
‘Come on, darling, this isn’t like you.’
He took her in his arms again, kissed her gently on the mouth. ‘I do love you, you know that.’
‘I love you too,’ she whispered. ‘I really do.’ And then he was gone.
10
Kathy felt good the next morning as she drove over to Scotland Yard to pick up Brock for their trip to the coast, as if she were escaping from school for the day. But before they set off there was one chore to be done. She parked at the north end of Jerusalem Lane and the two of them walked over to the camera shop on the corner. Fluorescent pink posters stuck to the grubby shop front announced a closing-down sale.
‘Mr Witz?’
‘That’s me.’ He came out from behind his counter towards them.
‘We’re police officers, investigating the death of Mrs Winterbottom.’
‘I thought so.’ He smiled affably at them. ‘I already told
‘Has it for you?’
‘No. For me it’s just as exciting as it was the first time. It always has been.’
‘Well, then.’
Trust a lawyer never to answer the question
. ‘Have you had a bad day at work? You seem tense.’ He stroked her cheek.
‘Not bad, really. A bit frustrating in some ways, and I’ve found it difficult trying to lead a case with a Detective Chief Inspector from Scotland Yard breathing down my neck. I wanted to tell you about it last night.’
‘Who is it?’
‘David Brock.’
‘Oh, Brock. That’s interesting. He’s quite a big gun. You must have a pretty important case.’
‘No. Just some old lady who was probably suffocatedwhile she was asleep. He said the Yard assigns him to odd things from time to time, and it looks as if I’m this week’s oddity.’
‘What’s he like?’
‘Oh . . . quite sexy, really. If you go for older men.’
‘I meant to work with.’
‘He seems very relaxed, almost detached. Not what I expected at all.’
‘Maybe they’re assessing you for promotion, or a transfer. Inspector Kolla of the Yard. I like it.’
‘Piss off.’
‘He led the hunt for Gregory North recently, didn’t he?’
‘Yes. Everyone we’ve questioned seems to know about it. One suspect today got him to give him his autograph for his son.’
‘Did he talk about the North case at all?’
‘Only briefly. Said it wasn’t over yet.’
‘Really? I wonder what he meant by that? North escaped to some place in South America, didn’t he? Where they can’t extradite him.’
‘I don’t know. He said something about having a surprise in store for North. Let’s have a glass of wine. I’ve opened a bottle of the special Italian red for your birthday. You remember the Barolo?’
Kathy’s lips moved seductively up his shoulder to his neck. But she could feel the tenseness in his arm around her.
If he’s looking at his watch I’ll bloody kill him
.
‘I have to go, love. I’m sorry. Let’s have a glass while I get dressed.’
‘You’ve only just arrived.’
‘Don’t say it like that, Kath. I told you what the score was tonight.’
Kathy stomped out to the kitchen and returned with the two glasses of wine. She sat, naked, on the end of the bed and watched him as he did up his shirt buttons, pulled on his trousers.
‘You ought to get Brock to talk about the North case. It’s very interesting.’
‘Bugger the North case.’
‘No, really. Try to find out what kind of surprise they’ve got lined up for him. Maybe they’ve got around the extradition thing.’
‘Why are you interested? He’s not a client, is he?’
‘Of course not.’
The extra-special-super-charming smile, the one kept in reserve for new judges, not to be used too often in case it gets shop-soiled
.
‘Just professional curiosity. It’s an opportunity for you to see how the big league works. But suit yourself, anyway. Oh God, I must fly.’
‘Flap, flap.’
‘Come on, darling, this isn’t like you.’
He took her in his arms again, kissed her gently on the mouth. ‘I do love you, you know that.’
‘I love you too,’ she whispered. ‘I really do.’ And then he was gone.
10
Kathy felt good the next morning as she drove over to Scotland Yard to pick up Brock for their trip to the coast, as if she were escaping from school for the day. But before they set off there was one chore to be done. She parked at the north end of Jerusalem Lane and the two of them walked over to the camera shop on the corner. Fluorescent pink posters stuck to the grubby shop front announced a closing-down sale.
‘Mr Witz?’
‘That’s me.’ He came out from behind his counter towards them.
‘We’re police officers, investigating the death of Mrs Winterbottom.’
‘I thought so.’ He smiled affably at them. ‘I already told
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