Knife Edge (27 page)

Opening her laptop, she stared at the screen for a moment, then opened a browser window. Setting the search for ‘News’, she hesitated, then entered 21 July and pressed the ‘Enter’ key.

Part of her had already guessed what the top story might be, but she hadn’t been sure of it until the words came up on the screen in front of her. The Redland murder had been on the news all that week –
and it had happened on the Monday
. Her stomach knotted and she lurched forward, one hand across her mouth, the other gripping her side as she hugged herself.

No!

He wouldn’t have done something like that. He
couldn’t
have. And there was no way he could have made it to Bristol and back – not from the village, not without a car.

She clicked frantically to close the browser window, then pulled the screen forward until her laptop snapped shut. Taking a breath, she got uncertainly to her feet, trying to reign in her imagination.

Stop it! He was here all day.

She hesitated, then walked slowly out into the hallway, pausing at the foot of the stairs.

He couldn’t have done it.

Her hand reached out to touch the banister rail as she stared up into the darkness.

Could he?

Dessert, when it arrived, was faultless. Naysmith had decided to try one of the specials – a beautiful tarte au citron, delicately seasoned with ginger and lime, while Kim had asked for her usual dark chocolate brownie with mint. Both were presented exquisitely, like everything else they’d enjoyed, and the waiter set the gleaming white plates before them with a deferential nod.

‘I’d like an espresso please,’ Naysmith told him, then turned to Kim. ‘Do you want anything?’

She was wearing a simple blue-grey dress, with her dark hair down and tumbling across her pale shoulders, waking an impatient arousal in him.

‘Just a cappuccino, please,’ she said quietly.

‘Of course.’ The waiter turned and walked away.

Naysmith gazed at her for a moment longer, then took up his fork and sliced off a thin piece of the tart, tasting it thoughtfully.

‘Oh, you should have ordered this,’ he sighed as his face melted into a grin. ‘I’ve tried some serious desserts here, but … wow!’

She looked at him and, for a brief instant, there was a flicker of something troubled in her expression, but she seemed to brighten a little, reaching over to his plate with her own fork.

‘Hey!’ he protested. ‘Just a taste.’

‘You can have some of mine.’ She deftly cut a corner off the tart.

‘You know I don’t care for mint.’

‘Sorry,’ she shrugged, popping the stolen piece into her mouth. ‘Oh, you’re right. That’s good.’

‘I told you,’ he gently scolded her. ‘You should listen to me.’

Another strange look flickered across her face, but then it was gone again.

‘I do listen to you,’ she said softly.

Naysmith held the door open for Kim and followed her out into the quiet stillness of the village evening. The sounds of the restaurant faded behind them as they walked under the darkening sky.

‘I wish I wasn’t going tomorrow,’ he sighed, gazing up at the shadowy clouds that had crept in from the horizon. ‘A couple of days off, a relaxing meal with you, and suddenly the idea of Montreal isn’t appealing at all.’

Kim was staring across the road to the tree-lined village green.

‘Look,’ she whispered.

Three wild ponies were grazing quietly on the cricket pitch opposite them, dim brown shapes against the dusky gloom of the woods. Naysmith smiled. They were inside the bounds of the New Forest here, where the roads had no fences and animals were able to roam at will.

‘They look so beautiful,’ she murmured. ‘So free.’

‘Beautiful,’ Naysmith agreed, running his hand down the back of her dress and caressing her bottom. ‘Come on, let’s get you home.’

He turned and walked across the gravel to the broad grassy verge where they’d parked. Kim stared at the ponies for a moment, then followed him to the car.

It was dark when they got home. Naysmith was feeling eager now, and he toyed with the idea of taking her straight upstairs to bed, but Kim disappeared into the kitchen and emerged with a tall glass of Bombay Sapphire and tonic.

What the hell. It would give their food time to go down.

They settled down in the living room to watch an episode from the French crime series box set he’d bought.

‘A good chance for you to brush up on your
français
before you go,’ she told him.

‘
Je veux te baiser
,’ he said innocently.

‘What’s that?’ she asked.

‘It means, “Where is the post office?”’ he lied. She was wedged into the far corner of the sofa, and he reached across, pulling her close and putting his arm around her. ‘Come here. I won’t be able to do this tomorrow night.’

‘No,’ she agreed, leaning her head against his shoulder. ‘You won’t.’

He enjoyed the show, settling back and stroking Kim’s hair as the warmth of the gin soothed him, but towards the end of the programme, Kim groaned and sat up.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked her.

‘I don’t know,’ she replied, shifting position as though trying to get comfortable. ‘I’m not feeling that great.’

‘What did you have tonight?’

‘The scallops … but they tasted fine.’

Naysmith frowned, patting her gently on the back. A few moments later, Kim shook her head.

‘I’m sorry, Rob, I’m feeling rotten,’ she said quietly.

He reached over, touching her forehead.

‘You don’t have a temperature,’ he said. ‘Is it your stomach? Do you feel as if you’re going to throw up?’

‘I’m not sure,’ she replied. ‘I just feel awful and my head is starting to hurt. I think I should go and lie down.’

‘Do you want me to come upstairs with you?’ he asked, rising to steady her as she got to her feet.

‘No, no.’ She smiled at him weakly and pushed him back onto the sofa. ‘You finish your drink and watch another episode. I just want to lie quietly and let this pass.’

She moved unsteadily from the room. Naysmith watched her go, then turned to scowl at the TV. After a moment, he reached for the remote control and rewound the DVD a couple of scenes, then slumped back in his seat and stared at the screen.

Upstairs, he heard the rush of water as the toilet flushed. A moment later, his eyes turned to the ceiling, tracing the muffled footsteps above him. She was getting into bed.

When the episode ended, he got to his feet and wandered through to the kitchen. The blue bottle of gin was on the table and he poured himself another, topping it up with tonic and a handful of ice from the freezer. At the foot of the stairs, he hesitated.

There was no point in disturbing her too soon. Maybe let her rest a while and hope she felt better.

He turned around and trudged back to the living room. Sinking down onto the sofa, he took a long sip of his drink, then pressed ‘Play’ on the remote and settled in for a lonely evening.

It was late when he finally switched off the lights and went upstairs. The house was silent apart from the soft creak of his feet on the steps and he made his way along the landing to the bathroom. Tired now, he leaned against the wall as he used the toilet, then flushed and went over to the sink. The face that stared back at him from the mirror looked dejected. This wasn’t the evening he’d had in mind.

The bedroom was in darkness, and he used the light from his phone to find his way across the carpet before switching on his reading lamp. Kim was lying motionless, long hair tumbling over her bare shoulders, her face turned away from him. He undressed quietly, dropping his clothes in the laundry basket as he went, then pulled back the duvet to get into bed.

Easing himself down, he reached out a hand to stroke her back. Oddly, she was still wearing her bra and, as his hand worked lower, her underwear too. She really must have been feeling poorly.

He caressed her for a moment, running his hands over her smooth skin, down the length of her back to reveal the beautiful curve of her bottom, but she showed no sign of stirring. Finally, he gave it up, and gently pulled the duvet back to cover her again.

Definitely
not the evening he’d had in mind.

With a sigh he let his head fall back into the pillows, stared up at the ceiling, and waited for sleep to come.

She got up early, sliding silently out of bed so as not to wake him. Listening to his steady breathing, she crept around the bed and clicked the switch on the clock radio, turning the alarm off. He looked so different when he was sleeping – still strong and attractive, but without the edge of menace she felt when he looked at her. She stood there for a minute, gazing down on him thoughtfully before the memory of the previous evening came back to her.

Just a couple more hours to get through.

Yawning, she went down to the kitchen and made herself a coffee. Sitting at the table, she sipped her drink cautiously, inhaling the steam as she closed her eyes and listened for any sound from upstairs. But there was nothing.

How would he be this morning?

She glanced up at the clock – it was almost nine and he’d have to be on the road by eleven. Quietly, she got to her feet and opened the fridge to find the bacon and eggs, then slowly started preparing a large breakfast. The less time he had this morning the better.

When she did go upstairs, she found him still fast asleep. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she reached out a hand and gently stroked his hair.

‘Hey, sleepy.’

He stirred, his face creasing into a frown, then rolled over onto his back, one arm flung across his eyes to shield them.

‘What time is it?’ he asked her groggily.

‘It’s nine thirty,’ she told him calmly. ‘Breakfast is ready.’

‘What?’ He struggled up into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes. ‘Shit, why didn’t you wake me?’

‘You looked like you needed the rest.’ She ran her hand down the duvet, following the outline of his leg. ‘Come downstairs and eat before it gets cold.’

By the time they’d finished eating, it was after ten. Kim stood up and took the plates over to the counter. Rob yawned and stretched in his chair.

‘Feeling better this morning?’ he asked her.

‘A bit better,’ she said, remembering that she was supposed to have been ill last night. ‘I think I just needed to sleep it off, whatever it was.’

She heard him sliding his chair back, the quiet footsteps behind her before his arms encircled her waist, drawing her backwards against him. Her heart sank as she felt his hardness rubbing against her.

‘Somebody’s excited,’ she said lightly.

He bowed his head, nuzzling her neck as he pressed his body close to her.

‘You smell so good,’ he whispered.

She found a suitable smile and wriggled around so that she was facing him.

‘Hey,’ she said, looking up at him. ‘Don’t get yourself too excited. You have a plane to catch, remember?’

‘We’ve got a little time …’ he murmured, his hands snaking downwards.

‘Please, Rob.’ Her hand gently took his and moved it back up. ‘Let’s not rush it this morning. You’re only away till Tuesday.’

She stood up on tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the lips, then untangled herself from his arms.

‘You’d better go and get ready,’ she said, nodding towards the clock on the wall.

He stood there, his face suddenly unreadable, like a stranger’s. For a moment, she felt a flutter of fear, wondering if he could sense her thoughts, see what was concealed behind her eyes. Her pulse quickened, but she found it impossible to look away. Shit, maybe she’d have to distract him, offer to relieve him before he left for the airport …

But then he groaned, and smiled – suddenly familiar again.

‘I’m going to be uncontrollable by the time I get back,’ he warned her.

‘Sounds exciting,’ she said softly.

He stepped forward quickly, surprising her, and kissed her deeply. She closed her eyes as his arms pulled her tight against him, letting him kiss her until he had to break off. Releasing her, he shook his head longingly and grinned.

‘Damn,’ he said. Then, before she could say anything, he turned and hurried upstairs to get ready.

‘Have you got everything?’ she asked him.

Rob stood in the hallway, pulling his laptop bag over his shoulder and extending the handle on his travel case.

‘I think so.’ He patted his pockets, then checked inside his jacket. ‘Passport, mobile, laptop, wallet – that’s all that matters. If I’ve forgotten anything else I can always buy it when I get there.’

He moved close to her and kissed her tenderly on the forehead, then raised his hand to gently lift her chin so he could gaze down into her eyes. She smiled shyly for as long as she could, then looked down as the panic began to grip her.

‘Go on,’ she told him. ‘You’d better get moving. I don’t want you driving too fast and taking risks.’

Rob smiled. Grabbing his case, he opened the front door and stepped outside, where he glanced over his shoulder.

‘My beautiful girl … you really do care about me, don’t you?’

He turned and walked over towards the car. Kim stood on the doorstep and watched him leave.

He was right, of course, and that was what made it so difficult. Part of her really
did
care about him. But that wasn’t enough any more.

‘Goodbye,’ she whispered.

She pushed the door, feeling it shut with a heavy click, then stood alone in the hallway, listening to the silence. She had got this far, but the hardest part was still to come. Turning, she took a couple of steps forward, wondering which room to go into first, but as she hesitated the enormity of what lay ahead threatened to overwhelm her.

She had the whole weekend. Another hour wouldn’t make any difference.

Biting her lip, she started slowly upstairs, breaking into a run as she reached the landing and rushing to throw herself down onto the bed. Eyes screwed shut, she sobbed quietly into the duvet, letting the frustration spill out. Why did it have to be this way?