by Julie Howlin
While Richard was being grilled, I phoned Jess. ‘Birthday bash on Friday,’ I told her. ‘The White Swan, after work.’
‘Great,’ she said. ‘I'm not square, so I'll be there!’
Richard reappeared. His interview only lasted twenty minutes when it was supposed to be forty-five. Never a good sign.
The next candidate was a gorgeous redhead, Amanda Woodward. If she got the job would I be able to keep Rob’s attention? I wondered.
When she went in, I phoned Simon. ‘Tabitha, Cupcake, of course I’ll be there and so will Luke,’ he said, before I even had a chance to ask him. He’d already spoken to Jess.
Amanda's interview lasted a good fifty minutes and the next candidate was waiting by the time she came out. Tony Penn. Now if he got the job, would Robert be able to keep my attention? He was gorgeous. I didn’t mind how long they took with Amanda while I had this hunk to talk to. He was friendly, too, with a twinkle in his eye. All too soon, they called him in.
I often practice my psychic skills and having met half of the candidates, tried to tune in and guess whether any of them was going to be the successful one. I got a strong feeling that it would be the last person they saw. So it wouldn’t be the lovely Tony unless the other three all cancelled. Shame.
I called some more friends. Megan said she would come; so did Lorna. Cynthia, to my surprise, said she would love to. Edward said he would think about it, but I knew he wouldn't come. Not his scene.
Rob went out to lunch with the Big Cheeses. I wasn’t invited, partly because of the phones and partly because Rob didn’t want Head Office knowing we were going out together. I made a few more calls. I must have been feeling charitable because I actually invited Caroline. I didn’t think for a minute she would come, but she must have been feeling charitable too, because she said she would.
The next candidate arrived very early. Michelle Saunders. Small, dumpy, frizzy hair and glasses. When I shook her hand, it was limp and damp. She sat down and I could see she was shaking. I made her tea and tried to calm her down. I tried to make small talk with her but got monosyllabic answers. She was hard work, and I had enough of that just doing my job. She wasn't the last one, so if I was right, it didn't matter.
When she had gone in, I wondered if I should invite Daniel to the party, but realised it was only because I wanted him to see me happy with Rob. I wondered about my other exes. Jonathan, of course, was somewhat indisposed. I’d heard from Cynthia he was in a prison on the Isle of Sheppey these days. As for the rest, I decided sleeping dogs should be allowed to lie.
Michelle lasted twenty-five minutes and then there was a lull before Annie Knight arrived. I warmed to her right away. She was confident, chatty and bubbly - she’d be real fun, I thought, until she mentioned her eighteen-month-old daughter. Another Sarah, I thought. Shame. And, if she had a husband and one child of nearly two, how long would she stay before clearing off on maternity leave and leaving us right where we started? I was particularly curious to see who the last person was.
My jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw her. She was black, with big gold hoop earrings and a tiny diamond stud in her nose, and her name was Jada Johnson. She looked exactly as she had in my dream! She was five minutes late, which wouldn’t normally bode well, with a convoluted tale about the Jubilee Line which made me laugh. Annie's interview was running over so the panel didn’t even notice. She was there when they came out with Annie, and that was all that mattered.
When Jada went in, I reviewed my party invite list. The only person I hadn’t asked yet was Jamie Swan. I'd love to have my friends meet him, but I'd put off calling him. I didn't want to have to make small talk about his wedding plans. I didn't want Alison at my party, but if I invited Jamie, she would be part of the package. I chewed my lip until it bled, and finally I dialled his number, hoping to get the answering service so I could just leave a message and hang up. He picked up.
‘Well, hello, Tabitha! Long-time no hear! How are you doing?’
‘Fine. You?’
‘Pretty good, yes. Apart from getting on the wrong train this morning and ending up at Waterloo. So - what can I do for you?’
‘I was ringing to see if you were free on Friday. It’s my birthday - I’m having a few drinks at The Swan. Wondered if you’d like to come?’
‘I’d absolutely love to! I’ll put it in my diary now. Did you get the wedding invite yet?’
‘Yes. Rob and I are coming.’
‘Good. That’s great. Tabitha. Nothing about Mitzi Man lately? I'd love to get him before I go away.’
‘I've had a couple of dreams. I really don't think they're relevant though.’
‘You never know. Maggie - I mean your gran, used to say that, too - then when we'd solved the case she’d realise that the silly dream she’d dismissed was actually very relevant.’
I hesitated. I certainly wasn’t going to tell him about the one with Mitzi Man and Alison attacking him. The one about the office couldn't possibly be relevant. Though I did tell him the bit about Jada, because I was still getting goosebumps from that myself.
‘I did have one about Mitzi Man. He was on a train. In a tunnel, on his phone, saying he was on the train and that’s why they couldn’t catch him’.
‘You don’t know where the train was going?’
‘No. Or where it came from. Just that it was in a tunnel. Like I said, not a lot to go on.’
‘No. But I’ll bear it in mind and I’ll see you next Friday.’
‘Sure. Oh, and Alison can come too, if she wants to.’ I felt obliged to extend the invitation to the woman he was about to marry, even though she was the last person on earth I wanted to share my birthday with. Okay, last after Jonathan Van den Burgh or the Mitzi Doll Killer.
‘I’m sure she will,’ said Jamie. I hoped not. He’d be much more fun without her.
Jada’s interview took a whole hour, and I wasn’t surprised when Robert told me afterwards that she was the runaway winner. Not only that, he said, she’d been made redundant from her last job, and was free to start work on Monday. ‘Perhaps she’d like to come to your piss up,’ he said.
On the one hand, I was glad that they'd finally got around to appointing someone, that head office had stopped deliberating about whether to restructure the department to save money, that once Jada was fully trained my workload would ease.
On the other, it was pushing me to face up to what my dreams might be trying to tell me.
37 birthday
My birthday was the best ever. Rob stayed with me the night before, and surprised me with a full English breakfast in bed, with a rose in a little vase and a beautifully wrapped little box. My heart leapt a little when I saw it. It was just the right size and shape to be an engagement ring. Was this it? My first proper marriage proposal? My hands shook as I picked it up and held it in the palm of my hand. I’d expected to feel excitement and a delicious thrill at this moment, but all I felt was nervousness because my mind was full of questions I should have known the answers to, but didn't. Was I ready to be proposed to? Was I SURE Rob was The One? He was, without doubt, the best boyfriend I’d ever had - but was he the best I would ever have? Did I want to marry him? I didn’t want to answer that question yet.
‘Go on, Tabs, open it,’ Rob coaxed.
My fingers trembled and I dropped the box twice before I got all the paper off. Inside was a pair of beautiful sparkly earrings.
‘These are absolutely gorgeous!’ I gushed with relief. ‘I think I will wear them to work.’
‘I wouldn’t. They’re real diamonds,’ he said. ‘A bit grand for the office. I’d save them for special occasions.’ I gaped at him. Real diamonds? They were huge - must have cost him an absolute fortune!
And that wasn’t all. Inside the card were two tickets - first class, for a weekend in Paris by Eurostar. ‘I’m afraid it was booked up until May,’ he said. ‘But the weather will be nicer then. You’re going to love Paris in May.’
I was gobsmacked. ‘Ho
w on earth do you afford all this stuff?’ I blurted out.
He gave me a strange look. There was something about his expression I really didn’t like. He quickly brightened up and said, ‘They were in a sale. Besides, you’re worth it.’
I pushed my misgivings to the back of my mind and ate my breakfast.
**
I was going through the security checklist with Jada when there was a tap on the door. ‘Hello, Tabitha, Darling - I hope you don’t mind but I don’t actually know where this Swan Public House is - so I thought I’d meet you here. In any case, I thought you might like to leave your present here - it’s a bit awkward to carry.’ Cynthia Smythe-Gore wafted into the room, barely visible behind a huge money plant.
‘There’s actually no room on her desk, as you can see,’ said Robert, smiling as he emerged from his office. ‘I think we had better put it on my desk for now.’
He held the door open for Cynthia who staggered in with the plant, and placed it on his desk, in the exact same spot it had occupied in my dream. This was getting a little too weird for my liking.
As we all left the office, and I turned my key in the door, I tried to put the weirdness out of my mind. It was my birthday and I was determined to have a good time.
Jess, Simon and Luke were already occupying a corner table at the pub, and saving seats with bags and coats. A large bottle of champagne on ice sat in a bucket on the table, surrounded by twelve glasses. ‘We didn’t know how many people were coming - but there are more glasses and more champagne where they came from,’ Simon said.
‘Time we got it open,’ said Jess. She picked up the bottle, deftly removed the cork and started pouring. The next few minutes were a joyous whirl of people showering me with gifts and drinking to my health.
Everyone I’d asked was there, except for Edward, and Jamie Swan. I'd never thought for a moment that Edward would come, but I was a little surprised that Jamie hadn't. I supposed Alison had invented a more important engagement. All the same, I couldn’t help looking up every time the door opened, and feeling a small stab of disappointment when it wasn’t him.
I noticed Jada talking and laughing loudly with Simon and Luke - no doubt the conversation I’d dreamed about where she told me she thought he was a great bloke would be taking place soon. And now there was a money plant on Rob’s desk. Did that mean he really was going to try and stitch Sarah up somehow? If so, why? That was another dark cloud threatening to rain on my party. I shoved it to the back of my mind. I had been wrong before; perhaps I was wrong now.
There was a large TV in the pub. It was always on, but unless it was showing a big match, the sound was usually turned down. My eyes were drawn to the silent pictures. It was a local news programme. Boris Johnson was on screen making a comment about something in front of County Hall. Then there was a shot of cars driving around Parliament Square. ‘Doesn’t matter how tedious the programme, and that there’s no sound, we just can’t help watching it, can we?’ Jess commented.
‘I know - when we were skiing there was always a TV in every bar - except they were always showing videos of people leaping off impossible ski jumps. But the camera always cuts off so you never see them land - funny, that.’
‘Your glass is empty, honey,’ Simon said, wiggling the third champagne bottle at me. I held out my glass and watched it fill with bubbles. When I glanced back at the TV I was suddenly riveted by what I saw.
I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Jamie Swan was on TV! He was standing in front of a large building talking to the camera. Police tape could be seen in the background, a few shadowy figures moving around, and a blue flashing light. Some sort of crime scene. Something had happened.
‘That’s Lea Valley Ice Rink,’ said David. ‘Caroline and I took Amber ice skating there just last weekend.’
‘Thank God we didn’t go tonight,’ said Caroline. ‘I wonder what has happened.’
An image of Amber's Mitzi Doll list flashed into my mind. Under horsewoman on the list was ice skater. With a sinking feeling, I realised I knew exactly what had happened.
‘It’s one of those Mitzi Doll murders,’ I said, unable to keep my eyes off the screen. At least I knew Jamie had a very good reason for not showing up tonight.
‘One of those what?’ asked Caroline. I remembered too late that the finding of a Mitzi Doll at the scene of these crimes was a detail the police had kept from the general public. Only those in the know, like Jamie, and me, were calling these crimes the Mitzi Doll Murders and the perpetrator the Mitzi Doll Killer.
I decided to play dumb. ‘Uh - what did I say? It just slipped out. One of my psychic moments, I think.’
Caroline shot me a look - she despised my gift so she would completely lose interest now. By the end of the evening, she would have completely forgotten what I’d said - I hoped.
I was feeling pleasantly merry when Rob and I got back to the flat. I looked forward to having Rob’s full and undivided attention, and a birthday treat that wouldn’t cost him any money. We flopped onto the sofa and he kissed me. My body began to sing in anticipation.
There was a ring on the doorbell. I groaned silently. It was past midnight. I was tempted to ignore it and hope whoever it was would go away, but after what had happened with Gran, I knew I couldn't do that.
My knees shook as I undid the locks, fearing there would be a policeman in uniform standing there bearing bad news. Well, it was a policeman, but not in uniform, and bearing a birthday gift. One out of three. Not bad.
‘Happy birthday,’ said Jamie. ‘Sorry I didn’t make it. There’s been another…’ he caught sight of Rob, standing behind me and quickly changed tack. ‘I got held up at work. I thought I’d drop this off quickly on my way home.’ He handed me the gift.
‘Oh, you shouldn't have, really,’ I protested although secretly I was glowing with pleasure. ‘Come in for a minute? Quick drink?’
‘Can’t. I’m driving.’
‘Coffee?’
‘Tempting - but Alison will be worrying about me. Happy birthday. Enjoy. Goodnight.’ He nodded to Rob, and was gone.
I closed the door and sat down on the sofa with the parcel on my lap. A present from Jamie!
‘So aren’t you going to open it?’ Rob asked.
I did. Inside was a small, framed oil painting, of a Persian cat, which looked just like Thumbelina. No, hang on. It was Thumbelina. Also inside was a small photo of Thumbelina which I had forgotten all about. Now I remembered Jamie asking if I had a picture of my cat because he and Alison were thinking of getting one and had been trying to decide which breed. ‘Well, I never. He’s had a portrait of your cat done,’ said Rob.
I looked closely. In the bottom right corner was a signature. ‘JSwan’. He hadn’t had it done. He’d painted it himself. I was amazed - I had no idea he was so talented! And so thoughtful. I didn’t correct Rob. I wasn’t sure I wanted him to realise just how thoughtful Jamie had been.
‘Look, Missy, it’s a picture of you,’ I said to Thumbelina who sniffed at it disdainfully and as soon as she figured out she couldn’t eat it, turned tail and stalked off.
Nevertheless, I was delighted and found a bit of wall space in my sacred corner for it.
38 suspicion
There was something up with Rob. He seemed withdrawn, both at home and at work, and snapped at me when I asked him what was wrong.
Then, on Thursday I walked into Rob’s office, and there he was, writing in a staff file. He did exactly as he had in the dream and guiltily shoved it in the drawer. I didn’t see which file it was, but I was sure it was Sarah’s.
‘Have you forgotten how to knock?’ he snapped.
‘Is that my appraisal you’re hiding?’ I teased.
‘No, of course not,’ he snapped. ‘I was writing someone a reference. It’s confidential. You should know that.’
‘Sorry I asked. Here’s your coffee.’ I set the mug down and left. Of course, it was entirely possible he was writing some kind of reference for Sarah al
though I didn't think she'd be going for a job any time soon.
At five o’clock, Robert left to go to the gym. I said I had some work to finish and I’d lock up. He thanked me, kissed me and left me alone in the office.
As soon as he had gone, I went straight to the filing cabinet and pulled out Sarah’s file. I flicked back to six months ago. All the way through, Robert, usually pretty frugal with office supplies, had written supervision notes and appraisals on both sides of the paper. So the single sided sheet with the damning, and untrue, report that he suspected her of stealing, stood out for that reason alone. I also knew, because I order the stationery, that six months ago we only ever used paper with grey ruled lines. But then the suppliers had sent us a job lot of pads just two weeks ago, with blue ruled lines.
If he was doing this to Sarah... I replaced Sarah’s file and located my own. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read what Robert had written about me, especially in the early days when he’d always seemed to be on my back about silly things like being untidy. But I had to know if he was writing lies in my file, too.
I flicked through, not really reading but looking for blue lined paper or single sheets or anything that looked amiss. There was nothing. Relieved, I put the file back, locked the cabinet and put the key back where I had found it.
I tossed and turned that night.
I had no idea why he’d meddled with Sarah's file, but whatever the reason, it would get him into real hot water if it came to light. He wouldn’t thank me for it. He would probably dump me. If he managed to convince Head Office that I was lying then I’d be out of a job, too.
Rob was the best boyfriend I’d ever had. He took me skiing. He bought me diamonds. He was taking me to Paris. My family and friends adored him. He wasn’t bothered about me being psychic. He wasn’t allergic to cats. He didn’t want children, either. Where would I ever find anyone else so perfect? And I loved him - didn’t I? I thought I did - but how could I love a man who would do something so despicable to a former colleague I’d always thought he liked?