Watermark

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Watermark Page 10

by E. J. Kay


  “Sounds a bit lonely.”

  Her smile disappeared for a moment, and when it came back it looked painted onto her face. “Well,” she said lightly, “it was a great opportunity to see some amazing places.”

  Mike downed his espresso coffee in one. “Absolutely. Well, sorry Egraine, I have to get going to this meeting.”

  “Sure, I understand. I’ll see you this afternoon at two thirty? Flat ten A, remember.”

  It was Mike’s turn to paint on a smile. “Yes, see you then.” He walked out of the coffee bar without looking back. Egraine sat back in her chair watching him go, then caught sight of the guy behind the bar staring at her. She pulled the edge of her top up to cover more of her cleavage and got her jumper out of her bag. Slipping it over her shoulders she tied it with the arms to cover her chest, then scowled at him. He shrugged and turned back to his coffee machine. Some girls, honestly. They wear hardly any clothes and then get upset when you look.

  Chapter 16

  Jack Robson parked his car on the side of the road, a few hundred yards from Tammy’s house. He didn’t want to get her into any trouble with her neighbours. In any case, he wasn’t sure if she still lived here. This was the last address they had on file, but she hadn’t been picked up for soliciting for more than eighteen months. He walked up to the small terraced house and rang the bell. A thin young woman opened the door.

  “Hello Tammy. Got a minute for a chat?”

  “Oh, shit. You’d better come in.”

  He followed her into the lounge and through to a clean but bare kitchen. As she turned round he noticed the yellowing marks of old bruises on her arms.

  “How’s tricks?” he asked. She shot him a dirty look. “Earning an honest crust now?”

  “Look, I don’t break any laws Jack. Not now. I just get on with my own business.”

  “And what business is that?”

  “The usual.”

  “Still on the game then?”

  “That’s my concern, not yours. Like I say, I don’t break any laws.”

  “Look, I’m not here to nick you. I just want to know what you were doing at Alec Whickham’s funeral?”

  She shrugged. “He was a punter.”

  “Do you go to all your clients’ funerals?”

  “He was a decent guy. I don’t meet many of ‘em. You were in Vice, you know the score. Weirdos, pathetic guys who can’t get it anywhere else. I’m not in this job for the people I meet.” She lit a cigarette and threw the pack across the table at him. “Want one?” He shook his head. “Alec was different. Good looking, fit, smart. And dead straight. Just wanted to fuck. Finally I get some job satisfaction.” She smiled outwardly, but the pain behind her eyes was clear.

  “Did he say anything about his work, the people he met?”

  “No, he never said very much at all. But he was a gentleman. OK, I know that’s old-fashioned, but he was. Always said thank you. Sweet.”

  “The last time you saw him before he died, did he seem OK? Did he seem worried about anything?” She shook her head and flicked her cigarette ash into the sink. A tear ran down her cheek. “You were fond of him, weren’t you?”

  She sniffed and straightened up. “Me? No. I learned a long time ago that I’m not the kind of person people love. Never will be. They just want sex. So, I might as well make some money out of it. Rule one – never get fond of the punters.”

  “How did he find you? If you’re not on the street any more, how do you turn tricks?”

  She laughed. “Turn tricks? Get with it, Jack!” She went past him to the kitchen door and beckoned him with a finger. He followed her into the lounge, where she pointed at her computer. “Wonders of modern technology. No more cold nights standing around on the street for me, pet. I’m on the web!”

  “So he first contacted you from a website?” She nodded. “Did he come here or did you meet somewhere else?”

  “He came here, most Wednesday evenings when he wasn’t away on a dig. He didn’t come one Wednesday a few weeks ago and then I saw the report on the local TV the next day.”

  “And how did you find out about his funeral?”

  “Oh, I rang the university. Said I was an old friend from home and had lost the address of the hotel. Having a Geordie accent helped, I guess”

  “OK, is there anything else that you can think of that might help us find who killed him? I know helping us isn’t something you usually do, but you could make an exception this time.”

  She looked at Robson hard, as if she were deciding what to say. “I’m saying this for Alec, not for you.” She drew hard on her cigarette and blew the smoke out with a long breath, then sat down on the worn sofa. “About six weeks ago, I guess, just a few days after he came back from Africa. Someone came here and, well, threatened me that I shouldn’t see him again. Gave me these bruises into the bargain.” She held her arms out.

  “What did he look like?”

  “He? Yeah, well I guess it was a he. Whoever it was had a raincoat on and a hood up. Just said a few words in a low voice, roughed me up a little bit, and then ran off.”

  “Can you remember what they said?”

  “Not much at all. Just to stay away from Alec Whickham or else. That was it.”

  “But you did go on seeing him, didn’t you? Did this person come back again?”

  “Yes. No.” She looked at him with contempt, and he realised he had got as much out of her as he was likely to at this visit.

  “Why didn’t you report this at the time, Tammy? You could have been hurt.”

  She shrugged. “Occupational hazard.”

  Robson gave up. “OK, well, thanks for your time.” He walked over to the front door.

  “Sure you don’t fancy a quick one before you go, pet? I might give you a discount, as an old friend.” She continued to look at him scornfully.

  He opened the front door and turned to see her still standing by her computer. He looked at her arms. “Get a proper job, love. This is a dangerous game.” She gave him a sarcastic smile as he turned back and walked out through the doorway.

  “Fuck you Jack, I’m alright!” she shouted as he closed the door behind him.

  ----------

  Mike knocked on the door of flat ten A, Rufus Court. He wasn’t sure why he was here. Part of him knew this was a bad idea, but he rationalised that he had just come to see Egraine’s work and if she had a little crush, well, it wouldn’t be the first time. He knew how to handle it.

  She came to the door. “Thanks for coming Mike. Please come in.” She led him down the narrow hall to the lounge at the back of the flat. She had changed out of her jeans and into a short denim skirt. Her long, slim legs were bare and she wore sling-back sandals with two-inch heels. He tried not to look at the way her thighs rippled with every footfall.

  On the lounge table were a number of plaster cast models, replica stone artefacts and sketches of ape and human bone structures. “Well, all this looks very impressive,” said Mike.

  “I hope it all makes sense,” she said. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Just a coffee would be fine, if that’s OK?”

  “Sure.” She disappeared into the small kitchen next to the lounge and switched on the coffee machine, while Mike sat down and started to look at the sketches and models. They really were very good. She came back into the lounge and stood next to him, leaning with her hands on the table. She was so close to him that he could smell her – a light perfume like eau de nil. “These are the sketches I’ve been making of Nimue. She does have a very human-like skeleton. The pelvis is particularly striking, I think. Narrower than a modern human skeleton, but very clear similarities otherwise.” The coffee machine beeped. She brushed her hip against his arm as she turned. “Do you take milk?”

  “No, black please.”

  “My preference too,” she replied, with a sensuous smile. She went into the kitchen and came back with two mugs. She put them on the table, and then squatted down next to Mike. “So, w
hat do you think?” she said softly.

  “I think there’s real promise here.”

  “No,” she said, and then leaned over and kissed him, slowly and fully on the mouth. “I mean what do you think?”

  He pulled away from her and stood up quickly. “Egraine, you’re very lovely, and a terrible temptation. But ...I can’t do this.”

  He was wavering though, and she could sense it. She moved towards him and held his face in her hands. She kissed him again, this time putting her tongue deep inside his mouth. He couldn’t help but respond as she moved one hand down to unzip his jeans and massage his growing erection. He kissed her back hard, pushing up her tight-fitting top and grasping her breasts. She pulled him towards the couch, pushing his jeans and pants down. He was on his knees on the floor as she sat on the couch; she pulled him close. Kissing him deeply she wrapped her legs around him as he moved her thong aside. The act was quick, hard and urgent; pure animal instinct.

  “Oh God,” he panted as he pulled himself away from her. “I have to go.”

  She laughed. “But you’ve only just come!”

  He got up off his knees and pulled his jeans up, almost running out of the flat as Egraine lay back, smiling to herself. She heard the door slam. “He’ll be back,” she said. “Don’t you think?”

  Chapter 17

  It was late afternoon by the time Robson got back to the station. Kelly looked up as he came towards her desk. “Ma’am?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Just back from interviewing Tammy Walker.”

  “Anything interesting?”

  “Well, there is certainly a connection. It seems our Dr Whickham was one of Tammy’s regulars.”

  Kelly raised her eyebrows. “Really? I shouldn’t be surprised, I guess. Our job is to ferret out dirty little secrets, and we always seem to find them. How long had he been going to her for services, then?”

  “No more than eighteen months. She’s been advertising on the web and he saw her website. Contacted her first that way. Seems he’s been going fairly regularly once a week since then, when he’s been in the country.” Robson took his jacket off and slung it over the back of his chair at the desk opposite Kelly’s. “So she’s still on the game, but she’s gone online. That’s why she dropped off our street-walking radar. But Whickham was a punter, that’s for sure. And someone didn’t like it.” He sat down, opened the fast food bag he’d brought in with him and started to tuck into an enormous burger.

  Kelly wrinkled her nose. “Ugh, that smells revolting.”

  “Mmm, s’great”, he said, through a wedge of burger and bun. “Late lunch.”

  “How do you mean someone didn’t like it?”

  Robson waved and pointed at his mouth. “Mn a mn mn.”

  Kelly rolled her eyes. After he swallowed it down, he said, “She was attacked just after Whickham came back from Africa this last time, and warned to stay away from him. Tammy couldn’t tell who it was, she says, but he had a hood up and was tallish. That’s all she said.” He took another big bite.

  “Do you think she’s telling the truth?”

  Robson nodded. “Remains of big bruises on her arms,” he said, with his mouth full.

  “I’m guessing she didn’t report it?”

  He shook his head, still engrossed in his double quarter pounder with cheese.

  “Definitely male?”

  “She seemed to think so,” Robson wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “It was someone with a hood pulled up over their head. That was all she said.”

  “Mmm, like on the science building CCTV.”

  “Oh, yeah, that’s a point.”

  Kelly rolled her eyes again. “Come on Jack, follow the plot.” She watched him take another big, sloppy bite. “Yuck, I can’t look at this any longer. I’m going for a coffee. After you’ve finished pushing that into your face, you can do another background check on Juliet Bailey. The first one didn’t turn up much, so have a good dig around, will you?”

  He gave her a thumbs up.

  ----------

  It was late. Everyone had gone home, but Kelly still sat at her desk, aimlessly surfing the Web. She had been hungry a little while ago, but the look and smell of Robson’s burger had made her feel sick, and she had now gone past it. She found herself in an aimless frame of mind, too tired to do anything very constructive but unwilling to stop trying.

  I can’t get interested in Alec Whickham’s sexual preferences, quite frankly. She was still sure that Thackray had something to do with Alec’s death, but she didn’t know what. She flipped back through her and Robson’s notes of their meeting with him, but nothing really stood out. OK, so, he’s a creationist, but there’s no law against that. He lives in a weird house with a weird name but, again, so do lots of people. What else was he interested in? Oh yes, that Occam’s razor thing. What exactly is that all about then? With an underlying feeling that she was clutching at straws, she hit Wikipedia and searched for William of Ockham. What she found made her jaw drop.

  'Although he is commonly known for Occam's razor, the methodological principle that bears his name, William of Ockham also produced significant works on logic, physics, and theology. In the Church of England his day of commemoration is 10 April.'

  Chapter 18

  Kelly got into work early the following day. Robson came in half an hour after her, wet through from being caught in a sharp shower walking from the car park. “Honestly, it would bloody wait until I get out of the car!”

  “Get your coat off, sit down and listen to this,” replied Kelly, demonstrating no sympathy.

  “Thanks boss.” He took his coat off and shook it, showering water in the immediate vicinity.

  “For God’s sake, Jack!”

  “Sorry ma’am, didn’t know it would spread that far,” he said, but his grin showed otherwise when he turned his back on her to hang up his coat.

  “What was the date Alec Whickham was killed?”asked Kelly, as he sat down at his desk.

  “Tenth of April. Why?”

  “Because that just happens to be the annual C of E commemoration day for William of Ockham, Thackray’s hero.”

  He didn’t react. “So what?”

  “Yeah, OK, I know. I can’t put it all together yet either.” Kelly felt her earlier excitement beginning to fade. Maybe it was just a coincidence. “Did the latest check on Bailey bring up anything new?”

  “I asked Lyn Parkinson to do it yesterday. I’ll see if she turned anything up.” Robson stood up again and walked over to the desk of a young female officer on the other side of the room. Kelly drummed her fingers on the desk in impatience. What the hell is going on in this case. And how are all these people connected?

  She heard Robson’s exclamation clear across the office. “Shit!”

  He almost ran back to her desk. “It’s Bailey. Her maiden name was only Thackray!”

  Kelly got up and took her jacket off the back of her chair. “How the hell did we miss that the first time round?” Robson opened his mouth to reply but she cut him short and hurried out of the room. “Never mind, let’s go!”

  “To Bailey’s house?” Robson asked, retrieving his wet raincoat from the coat stand and running after her.

  “Oh, we have a lot to talk to Doctor Luke Thackray about first, I think,” replied Kelly.

  “Do we?” He trotted down the corridor after her. “We don’t even know if they are actually related.” She broke into a canter in front of him and he had to run to keep up. “Ma’am, exactly what are we going to ask him?”

  ----------

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  Re: PhD research supervision 24th April 08:15

  Egraine,

  Following our meeting yesterday I’m afraid that I’m not in a position to supervise your research due to personal commitments. I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone in the faculty who is better qualified to help you.

  Regards

  Mik
e Osewe

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  Re: PhD research supervision 24th April 11:08

  Dr Osewe,

  I’m sorry you feel that we couldn’t work together in a way that might stimulate both of us, but I understand your decision. This morning I have contacted Dr Raman Sharples to see if he might be willing to step in. Reflecting on our meeting yesterday, I, too, feel that working with you on my PhD would be unlikely to satisfy my needs.

  Egraine.

  Mike read Egraine’s email with a sense of relief. The sideswipe about satisfying her wasn’t lost on him, but he really didn’t care. If she thought that saying Raman might step into his shoes would make him jealous, she couldn’t be further away from the truth. He just wanted to forget about yesterday. The evening had been a nightmare; trying to hide his guilt and remorse from Sophie had been so difficult, but he made out he was feeling ill and needed an early night. This morning he had woken up with a clearer head and now, after this email exchange, it seemed that he would be able to free himself from Egraine. The tone of her reply made it apparent she understood that there would be nothing more between them. If she complained to the university it could wreck his relationship and his career, but it didn’t sound like she would react to his rejection that way. At least, he hoped not.

  Now he would just set about forgetting it and turn all his attention to Sophie and the baby. For the first time since he had known that Sophie was pregnant, he felt real joyful anticipation. And he realised how easy it can be to lose everything that you really value. A close shave, but it’s over now. Life will be back to how it was. No, better than that.

  Chapter 19

  They stood in front of the wall again, feeling like a raiding party from a medieval siege. Kelly turned to Robson. “Well, you’d better ring the bell.” He pressed the button in the centre of the metal rose; the turquoise of its heavy patina was the only colour that broke up the otherwise dull red of the brickwork.

 

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