out.
“Don’t be silly. People don’t like my column, but it doesn’t make them my enemy.”
“They’ve been following you for at least two weeks.”
She stopped and shook her head. “Don’t be so melodramatic, Danny.”
I stood in front of her. I took her hands. “Princess, they could have been around long before that, but I was so… well, let’s say I had my blinkers on.” I smiled at her.
“I could have missed them.”
“You are crazy, Daniel McRae. Why would anyone follow me? Where are they, then?” She swivelled her head round looking for them. “Yoohoo! Come out, come out wherever you
are!”
The sarcasm surprised me. Why was she being so perverse? After what we’d just been through? “You won’t see them. They’re good.”
She poked me in the chest. “I think you’re seeing things. But if you want to play big brave protector, that’s OK. Take me home, my hero.”
I did, and we made love, but something had changed. She clung to me in the night as though tomorrow was D-Day and I was leaving for France. And over scraped toast, marge and meat paste in the
morning she was cool. As though she’d stepped back from me and was watching from a distance.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
“Is it the story? You want to splash Gambatti’s name around? Go ahead. It’s your skin. But I’d rather it stayed on your back. I love your back.”
“It’s not Gambatti.”
“Are you worried about being followed?”
“Danny! Let’s stop this! I am not being followed. All right?”
“Why are you so angry? I’ve never seen you like this.”
“You’re upsetting me with all this stupid detective talk.” She saw she was getting to me and her face softened. “Just a bit hung over I expect.”
It was a hangover that didn’t improve. Over the next few days, she made excuses and wouldn’t even see me, far less make love to me. When we finally met I couldn’t get through
to her. She would smile but not with her eyes. It was as though a sadness had settled on her that she couldn’t share. We still had the watchers but she wouldn’t believe me. Didn’t
even want to talk about them. I guess that’s what made me do it.
It had been a week since we’d made love and we were walking towards her office after a desultory sandwich and tea at the coffee house on the Strand. I had used up all my weak attempts at
humour and we were quiet with each other. I wanted to shake her and find out what was going on in her head. But I was scared what I’d hear. Then I saw one of them. He was keeping pace with us
on the other side of the street. I waited till a bus came between us. I scuttled round the back of it, sidestepped a car and grabbed the man by his lapels as he turned to face me.
“Who are you! Just who the fuck are you, pal? Why are you following us?” My face was an inch off his. I watched the shock turn into amusement.
“What the hell’s going on, buddy? You limeys drink too much at lunch time, you know that?”
His American accent threw me. I began to loosen my grip. “You’ve been following us for weeks. Don’t give me that phoney yank stuff!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, buddy. Now, unless you take your goddamn hands off me, I’m going to call the police.”
“Danny! Danny! What the hell are you doing?” Eve was running across the road, careless of the traffic. She reached me. Her face was red and angry. She dragged me away.
“Sorry, mister. Sorry. He’s OK. Just had a bad day.” She hauled me along the pavement. “What are you doing? You’ve gone mad, Danny. I don’t know you any more.
This is crazy.”
“ I’m crazy? What’s happened to you? We had it all. We were good. Are good. But you’re in trouble. Don’t you see it? I know what I’m doing. This
is my job, Eve! Trust me!”
“Stop it! Stop it! There’s nothing!”
We were shouting at each other. Tears were running down her face. I scraped them from mine. I
“Don’t be silly. People don’t like my column, but it doesn’t make them my enemy.”
“They’ve been following you for at least two weeks.”
She stopped and shook her head. “Don’t be so melodramatic, Danny.”
I stood in front of her. I took her hands. “Princess, they could have been around long before that, but I was so… well, let’s say I had my blinkers on.” I smiled at her.
“I could have missed them.”
“You are crazy, Daniel McRae. Why would anyone follow me? Where are they, then?” She swivelled her head round looking for them. “Yoohoo! Come out, come out wherever you
are!”
The sarcasm surprised me. Why was she being so perverse? After what we’d just been through? “You won’t see them. They’re good.”
She poked me in the chest. “I think you’re seeing things. But if you want to play big brave protector, that’s OK. Take me home, my hero.”
I did, and we made love, but something had changed. She clung to me in the night as though tomorrow was D-Day and I was leaving for France. And over scraped toast, marge and meat paste in the
morning she was cool. As though she’d stepped back from me and was watching from a distance.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
“Is it the story? You want to splash Gambatti’s name around? Go ahead. It’s your skin. But I’d rather it stayed on your back. I love your back.”
“It’s not Gambatti.”
“Are you worried about being followed?”
“Danny! Let’s stop this! I am not being followed. All right?”
“Why are you so angry? I’ve never seen you like this.”
“You’re upsetting me with all this stupid detective talk.” She saw she was getting to me and her face softened. “Just a bit hung over I expect.”
It was a hangover that didn’t improve. Over the next few days, she made excuses and wouldn’t even see me, far less make love to me. When we finally met I couldn’t get through
to her. She would smile but not with her eyes. It was as though a sadness had settled on her that she couldn’t share. We still had the watchers but she wouldn’t believe me. Didn’t
even want to talk about them. I guess that’s what made me do it.
It had been a week since we’d made love and we were walking towards her office after a desultory sandwich and tea at the coffee house on the Strand. I had used up all my weak attempts at
humour and we were quiet with each other. I wanted to shake her and find out what was going on in her head. But I was scared what I’d hear. Then I saw one of them. He was keeping pace with us
on the other side of the street. I waited till a bus came between us. I scuttled round the back of it, sidestepped a car and grabbed the man by his lapels as he turned to face me.
“Who are you! Just who the fuck are you, pal? Why are you following us?” My face was an inch off his. I watched the shock turn into amusement.
“What the hell’s going on, buddy? You limeys drink too much at lunch time, you know that?”
His American accent threw me. I began to loosen my grip. “You’ve been following us for weeks. Don’t give me that phoney yank stuff!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, buddy. Now, unless you take your goddamn hands off me, I’m going to call the police.”
“Danny! Danny! What the hell are you doing?” Eve was running across the road, careless of the traffic. She reached me. Her face was red and angry. She dragged me away.
“Sorry, mister. Sorry. He’s OK. Just had a bad day.” She hauled me along the pavement. “What are you doing? You’ve gone mad, Danny. I don’t know you any more.
This is crazy.”
“ I’m crazy? What’s happened to you? We had it all. We were good. Are good. But you’re in trouble. Don’t you see it? I know what I’m doing. This
is my job, Eve! Trust me!”
“Stop it! Stop it! There’s nothing!”
We were shouting at each other. Tears were running down her face. I scraped them from mine. I
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