Hope Never Dies

by Mike Holden

  Then a very strange incident happened. Instead of sympathy from the two male Chinese, they began to shout at Kim who shouted back at them in Chinese, in between crying. He was unable to understand them. Kim’s sobs became more and more uncontrollable and the two men walked back into the kitchen, slamming the door behind them. Ned gave Kim a table napkin and she dried her eyes and blew her nose with it. He then did a bold thing, in his estimation anyway. He took hold of her hands and held them as he sat down in front of her. She did not resist.

  “What was all that about?” he asked her. She looked him straight in the eye and began to cry again. He did not like to see her like this because the sparkle had gone out of her eyes. He felt for her. She controlled her sobbing and replied after a pause.

  “They said it was my fault and that I led them on. They’ve fired me”

  Ned was astounded “How could they say that when they were hidden away in the back and obviously not true. Surely, they could see what type of thugs they were”

  “They don’t care. As far as they are concerned they have lost two customers and their restaurant could have been destroyed. They said it’s my fault. They only rang the police because they thought those thugs would trash their restaurant.”

  “I’ll talk to them” He got up but Kim pulled him back.

  “It’ll do no good” she replied. Nevertheless he went and knocked on the door. Both men came out and he remonstrated with them. They claimed not to understand him and when Kim interceded on his behalf, translating what he said, the two Chinese men hurled what Ned thought was further abuse at her, she walked back to sit down. Ned realised that talking to them was hopeless. He approached her and asked where she lived as he thought she should not go home unaccompanied. She told him she lived near Victoria Station but initially said that she would be alright to walk home. However, she did not need too much persuasion and thanked him for his offer. He called a taxi. They said very little on the journey, except to introduce themselves to each other, but as they approached the block of flats were Kim lived, she said softly to him

  “Will you come in with me, please? I’m very scared that those two might have found out where I live, and I think that I can trust you.” After a thought she added “even though I don’t know you at all”

  “It would be my pleasure” said Ned. Ned never told her that it was most unlikely they would know where she lived and it was more than likely, that they were too drunk to fathom it out. He knew that he would behave as a perfect gentleman. He paid the taxi and she led him to her small apartment. Once inside she offered to make him a cup of tea, saying she drank only green or peppermint and would that be alright. He nodded but insisted she sat down whilst he made it. She seemed grateful for the gesture and said she would have a shower in the hope that she would feel better. Once the tea was made she duly emerged, looking fresh in spite of her ordeal. She chose to wear loose turquoise jogging bottoms and a dark blue sweater. Even so casual, she looked amazing. She sat on the settee and Ned brought over the drinks, which they both sipped without much conversation. Eventually she turned round to him and said

  “I would like to thank you very much for tonight, even though it is not Chinese custom to normally thank people. Without you I hate to think what would have happened to me and I feel safe with you here now”

  Ned recalled that he could not quite remember quite how or why but he put his arm around her and drew her towards him. She did not resist and the next thing he can recall was kissing her. The sensible part of him recoiled at the thought of this very average guy in his 50’s kissing a young girl who was probably still in her teenage years. The adventurous and the romantic in him compelled him to kiss her more passionately to a positive response from her. Eventually she looked up at him with her dark clear eyes and it was it this very moment that he knew that he had just fallen in love with her. He kissed her gently for a long time before he summoned the courage to softly explore her body with his right hand. Meeting no objections he carefully picked her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her softly on the bed. She looked up at him and said quietly

  “Be gentle with me”

  CHAPTER 16

  Ned recalled that night as though it was only yesterday. He stared at the sleeping Kim lying beside him, so near and yet so far away. She was at the edge of the bed. Was she as vulnerable as that first night? Her mood suggested so but then again, much had happened to her in the intervening four years or so. She was almost a different person, more self-assured, confident in life and could be very assertive on occasions. A disastrous love affair made her far more worldly-wise and she had kept her eyes open wide in any subsequent relationships from that time. His longing for her compelled him to test for a response from her. She was lying on her stomach and he edged up carefully to her and gently stroked her back thought the tee shirt she was wearing. Sensing no objection from her he nuzzled up to her and began to kiss and lick her left ear. He didn’t know for certain whether she was actually asleep or simply pretending. So he continued his foreplay until she slowly turned round to face him. Smiling at him, they melted into each other’s arms. Remembering what she said to him the first night, he whispered to her

  “I’ll be gentle with you”

  Their lovemaking was indeed gentle but nonetheless passionate and Kim finally fell asleep in Ned’s arms. She awoke soon after the early dawn to the rhythm of Ned’s snoring but strangely she did not mind it. She reminisced on the relationship that led to their years of friendship and changing again tonight with a further passionate encounter.

  She would never forget that night in the restaurant and had previously dwelled that she could easily have been raped, or even murdered. Not that her boss would have cared. He made that clear when his only thoughts were that he might have lost customers or his restaurant becoming damaged. She was grateful to Ned and sex with him that evening was not a repayment for his actions but because she could simply not have been alone that night, even though she had spent much of her formative years in that situation. No, she wanted someone close to her, to hold her, hug her and protect her from the nasty outside world. Ned was that right person at the right time.

  There was no intention on her part to have sex with this middle-aged stranger, who, after all was not that good-looking but she could not bear to be on her own that night. She queried it with herself right to the present day as to why she trusted him but her instincts, defying all Chinese logic, told her to do so. Everything seemed so right, with him making the tea for her, settling down besides her, with her snuggling up to him. Even when he kissed her, it felt so right, and she happily responded. She felt her body begin to tingle, not from the very hot shower but from his touch and when he began to explore the curves through her sweater, there was a feeling of warmth and exhilaration throughout her whole body and she did not want it to stop. And when he carried her off to the bedroom in his strong arms, she felt as comfortable and at home with this man as any other that she had met. He was gentle with her but his lovemaking technique was also very satisfying. There was no guilt on any of their parts the following morning, with Ned saying that he had to attend a business meeting later that morning. Before that he said that he had to go back to his hotel for a change of clothes.

  That casual encounter turned into a special friendship and, they met quite regularly in spite of them being 250 miles apart and, initially they had always made love. She loved Ned but not in a girlfriend/boyfriend way. She was extremely conscious of the age difference although she was careful not to show her disquiet to Ned. She wanted to develop the relationship into one of friendship and her opportunity came a few months later when she told Ned that she had met someone whom she was becoming romantically attached. He appeared to take it well although he did inform her some months later that he had been devastated. Their friendship was never tested and if anything blossomed more although they agreed that they would no longer be int
imate with each other. It turned out that the relationship was a disaster and Kim soon found out that he was nothing but a tosser, her words to Ned at a later date. From Kim’s point of view the one positive aspect from it was that she was a stronger and more resilient person and she believed that she handled the situation well when she told Ned one day that their relationship should continue into one of close platonic friendship. He took it surprisingly well and she put this down to how she had handled the situation. She thought that their relationship had grown stronger over the years because of this and she would talk to Ned on matters that her Chinese inscrutable up-bringing would normally forbid her to. It also amused her to watch Ned adapt to the new situation and she knew that, whilst he would never ask, he would readily accept any opportunity to have sex with her. She knew that one day that time would come but it had to be absolutely right for her.

  As she gazed through the window onto the still-empty main street, she wasn’t too sure that the time had been right last night. But she did not regret it. Ned was gentle, just like that first time and yet he satisfied a craving within her. No, she thought, she did not regret it for a minute and last night was the right time for her. She returned to bed.

  CHAPTER 17

  DAY 3

  Kim was not an enthusiast of morning glory or early morning sex and intended to be up before Ned awoke. However, as soon as she returned to bed, he put his arms around her, his left one around her shoulder and his right over her waste. Normally she would push anyone away who restricted her in this way but for some strange reason, she felt very protected and snuggled up to Ned. He was awake but he pretended to be asleep and this was to avoid any embarrassment should his advances be unwelcome. The lack of resistance from her encouraged Ned to smile inwardly and he slowly began to stroke her stomach. After several moments of this he moved his hand slowly downwards until it was between her legs when he stroked her sensitive parts even gentler. This resulted in both of them staring at each other with knowing inquisitive looks on their faces that required no answers. He moved over to her and began to lick her right nipple which grew hard with his administrations. His tongue moved down her body slowly until it located its target. Lovemaking again between them was satisfying and pleasing for both of them. John’s ghost again reappeared, I’m in love with her and I feel fine.

  Soon reality took over and they talked over the task in hand. Over breakfast in the restaurant he said to her

  “Are you still OK with the idea of renting a car and cottage using real names as I don’t think we can get away with using false ones?”

  “We really have no alternative but we have to have to give a lot more serious thought as to how we get out of this mess. We must have an end plan, which we don’t seem to have at the moment.”

  They checked out of the hotel using cash as they had given false names last night. From the hotel notice board they found a car hire company, nationally known, situated at the other end of the main street. They walked past some of the main shops in the town and Kim stopped at one, selling lingerie.

  “There’s some gorgeous underwear in this shop” she said to him “I’m going to buy some because I haven’t brought a lot of knickers with me.” She gave him a peck on his cheek. “I’ll buy a really sexy pair just for you tonight”

  Ned looked around. “I’ll be next door”.

  They emerged from their respective doorways at about the same time. Ned could see that Kim was carrying a largish bag, hopefully full of naughty underwear. He would not ask as this may spoil his expectations for the evening. Ned’s experience told him that employees of national companies where they were very small cogs, tended to be less inquisitive. He was asked to produce his driving licence and payment was made by credit card. They were soon heading towards Windermere where they would rent a cottage in as isolated area as possible. Even though it was early summer, there was a good choice of cottages available as they discovered when entering the shop in the sleepy town by the lake. They chose a modern looking one nestling next to Lake Windermere, ensuring that it had a clear view of the approach road.

  On the way to the house, they stopped at a small supermarket to purchase some groceries sufficient for the next few days, and an outdoor clothing shop where they could obtain suitable attire for fell-walking. This was something that Ned had done in the past and he hoped that he could persuade Kim into the activity. He was heartened that she did not object when they went into the shop and became quite enthusiastic with the idea.

  With all necessary purchases completed, it was time for them to locate their cottage. Ned had high expectations of the quality of the cottage in view of the amount of money that it had cost to rent. It was supposed to be only a few miles from the small lakeside town and clear instructions and maps were provided by the rental office. Once they were on the road out of town running by the side of the lake, they soon found the turning to their cottage. It was nothing more than a dirt track with barely enough room for two cars to pass. It had recently rained, as is quite common for this part of the world, consequently there were small ponds of water at the side of the road, and sometimes these stretched out towards the middle of the track.

  It was little over half a mile in length between the road and the cottage and the last fifty yards or so produced a clear view of it. It was very much like the picture in the office, a one story modern building and they were approaching it from the rear. There was adequate parking space for a number of vehicles and Ned pulled in besides the only door that he could see. They got out of their car and walked round to the front. It was indeed by the side of the lake. The front of the house was mainly glass with large French windows leading from it to a largish area of wooden decking that was built not only to the very edge of the lake but into it. Ned noted that it would be possible to sit on this decking and dangle his legs into the water. At one end, the decking led to a jetty protruding into the lake and a boat was moored at the end of the jetty. The inside of the cottage was as spacious as it appeared outside. At the back with smallish windows looking out on to the trees were a small kitchen, an even smaller bedroom and a bathroom that contained both a large bath and a shower that could easily accommodate two persons. I just wonder, thought Ned to himself, if I can entice Kim into that shower me with. At least our fun will be clean. By far, the two best assets of the cottage were the master bedroom and lounge. Both were large and furnished to a very high standard with splendid views over the lake and to the shore beyond.

  They brought their belongings from the car and soon unpacked. Ned made tea while Kim finished off her unpacking and they sat together in the lounge staring out over the lake. They felt that they could relax a little, believing that they had left no trail to here. They were quite right but they could not account for the ultra-observance power of a young man who saw them emerge from the hotel.

  *

  Detective Constables Hannah Beaumont and Alan Payne met early that morning before Kingsly arrived and over mugs of coffee in the canteen, Payne asked her if she noticed anything unusual about Kingsly.

  “Only that he’s had a good kick up the arse and that’s jolted him a bit” she replied

  “Do you think that’s the reason?”

  “It’s the only explanation. Why else would he be taking such an interest and going around as if his underpants are on fire”

  “Do you trust him?” asked Payne

  She replied “In his personal life I wouldn’t trust the lazy bugger one inch but I’ve no reason to believe that he’s anything but an honest copper”

  “I’m not so sure” he replied. “What he’s done in the last couple of days is totally out of character and watching him closely he’s got an ulterior motive. Could it be something to do with missing money?” They pondered on this for a little while whist sipping their coffees. Eventually Payne said he would make that he would make some enquiries. Suddenly a voice boomed from behind them

/>   “Enquiries about what?” It was Terry Kingsly and he took them both by surprise.

  Payne stuttered, “I was about to say that chasing-up and enquiries are needed in the Sapphire case”

  “Well, report as soon as you have anything”

  Kingsly went and ordered himself a mug of coffee. His colleagues believed him to be somewhat of a plod. Hannah stayed where she was and said nothing. Payne left the canteen rather quickly. Kingsly was quite content that his colleagues should think that way of him. It camouflaged the fact that he was very bright and brought no suspicion to him whenever he undertook any extra-curricular activities. Once he had finished his coffee he assembled his team in a private room next to the main incident room.

  A fourth person was there when he arrived. It must the extra man I requested, he thought. That was quick work on the part of somebody. Alan Payne was the first to speak. Indicating the new man he said

  “This is Detective Constable Ben Cresswell, the extra man you asked for, gaffer”

  “How did you find him so quickly?” asked Kingsly

  “He volunteered” replied Payne

  Kingsly raised his eyebrows as he looked at Cresswell. In his experience people did not volunteer that quickly, especially in this nick.

  “Any particular reason?” he asked

  “I was watching developments yesterday” replied Cresswell, “and the case looked very interesting. I haven’t got too much on my plate at the moment”

  Kingsly was still unsure about him but he needed extra help and quickly. Resigning himself to the situation, he asked Payne for the latest information on the case.