Unravel a Crime - Tangle With Women (36 page)

She paused to see what
reaction that drew from Brakespeare. She was rewarded with a nod and a smile.

“
He would talk to me about his
problems. I told him mine. He supported me in the office. I supported him.”

“
Is that why Margaret disapproved
of you, because you had more attention from him than she did?”

“
I think so. Feminine
jealousy. She’s all right now – did you notice.”

Again Brakespeare nodded.

“
And that’s how it was until
the end. Once he’d fallen ill Annette let me go and see him when she wasn’t
there. I don’t think that there was any real love any more between them, but
she was still fond of him. After all he is the father of her children. Now do
you understand?”

She leant forward even more as
she said it, eyes wide, drumming the message home. It was over.

“
But how were you able to
undergo such a transformation on the night of his death.”

Lisa sat back and looked at
her hands.

“
I suppose I had still been
hoping beyond hope that – well something might happen. When you see someone
every day it’s not easy to shake off your feelings, but deep down I knew that
one day I would have to make the break.”

She looked up.

“
Then you came along.”

Brakespeare showed his
surprise.

“
You let me become involved in
David’s case far more than Gordon would have. You gave me the opportunity to
use my initiative and see what I could do. I realised then that I could make it
without Gordon. Then when he died. Well the door suddenly opened, and here I
am.”

“
This is the real you?”

“
This is the real me.”

They were interrupted by the
waitress bringing his second pint, and the bottle of wine. Brakespeare did not
hesitate to attack the beer, while the waitress opened the wine bottle.

“
Will you taste it?” The
waitress asked as Brakespeare was in the middle of a gulp of beer. He
gesticulated towards Lisa.

“
No just pour it, please.”
Lisa smiled at the waitress. When the waitress left she took a sip. “Mmmm,
that’s nice. That’ll smooth things out.”

Lisa had laid her cards on the
table. She was available. She was not hopping from one warm bed to another.
That overcame Brakespeare’s scruples on that score. Could he be as frank with
her? Should he tell her about Mel? What was he doing with Mel anyway? Was she
his Kate? It had all seemed so exciting again when she had returned, but he had
not seen her for four days, and to be honest with himself, with Lisa around, he
did not really miss her – except at nights, and Lisa seemed to be indicating
that that could change.

“
Penny for them?” said Lisa,
once again with her head cupped in her hands over the table.

He did not reply because the
waitress now appeared with their meal, and the question hung unanswered.

Their easy conversation
continued. They watched people walk by on the river bank and made critical
comments as people watchers do; they talked about the people in the office in
the way that staff gossip, and they shared a deep interest in trivia that
people in a relationship do. Brakespeare finished his beer, and joined Lisa in
the warm Spanish wine. He had forgotten that she must have had a drink at the
reception because her manner changed from seductive to positively inviting. He
felt the alcohol start to course in his blood. He could tell that this
relationship was shortly going to be consummated. He was sure of that. He
wanted her. She wanted him.

They finished their meal and
Brakespeare turned down Lisa’s offer to pay half the bill.

They found themselves lurching
their way down the stairs from the restaurant to the front entrance, and then
with their arms around each other on the pavement. Lisa gazed up at Brakespeare
dreamily, if a little dazedly.

“
Whereto now, your place or
mine?”

Brakespeare shook his head.
“Not mine I’m afraid. One room in someone else’s house.”

“
Me too” said Lisa. “let’s go
back to the car.”

“
Mustn’t drive” said
Brakespeare.

“
I didn’t mean that”. Replied
Lisa.

“
I know.” he said.

“
What then?” she asked. He
looked down at her and smiled tantalisingly.

“
The office.”

He heard her sharp intake of
breath.

“
What a good idea, Mr.
Brakespeare. We might even get some work done. I’ve got my keys.” she giggled.
“Only don’t give me carpet burns.”

They didn’t say much to each
other as they slowly weaved their up the hill to College Yard. Brakespeare was
feeling definitely randy. Any scruples he might have about involvement with a
member of staff had dissolved in the beer and wine. Mel was 75 miles away, out
of sight and out of his mind. The bulge in his trousers demonstrated where his
thoughts were. As they entered the yard, Brakespeare checked to see that it was
empty of cars. He looked around nervously as Lisa unlocked the outer door.

“
If anyone is in the office.”

“
They won’t be.”

“
No, but if anyone is, just
say that we’ve come back to do some work.”

Lisa spluttered. ”What in our
state?” As if to emphasise the point, she hiccupped.

“
Hello”, called Brakespeare as
they entered the hall, but there was no reply. “Make sure you lock the door
behind us.” He instructed.

“
Stop being an old woman,
Jonny, we’re safe here.”

She locked the outer door and
came into the hall. She said nothing but looked at him. Her eyes were dark and
her nipples were pressed through her blouse.

Brakespeare walked towards her
and took her in his arms. Her mouth was open.

His hands ran down her back to
her tight buttocks, and then pushing her away he felt her breasts. They were
not large, but full. He could hear her breathing heavily.

“
Oh, Jonny,” and she tried to
slip her hands down the waist band of his trousers.

“
Come on, we can’t stay here.”
Brakespeare broke off the embrace, and led her up the stairs towards his
office.

“
No, Jonny. No, not there.”

“
What?”

She stared at him as if trying
to pass a message with her eyes. She shook her head.

“
Not in Gordon’s room.”

“
Well we’ll have to use
Ridley’s room.”

Lisa burst into a giggle.
“That’s the most excitement that room will ever have had.”

“
Keep away from the window.”
Brakespeare ordered, and he walked to the wall on the left hand side of the
window.

Lisa started to undo his
trousers and they dropped to his ankles. He found the clip on the waist of her
skirt and it soon fell to the floor. Quickly he pulled his briefs down and
kicked them and the trousers off his feet. Lisa followed suit with her knickers
and tights. They helped each other with their upper garments, and Brakespeare
reached round her body to unclip her bra. Lisa submissively waited.

They both stood there naked.
He looked down at her. She came towards him once more and opened her mouth,
kissing him deeply and gently. She put her hands on his buttocks, digging her
nails in, and pulled him close to her to that she could feel him pressed close
to her.

Brakespeare broke free.
“Sorry, we’ll have to stop.”

Lisa’s face fell. She looked
down at his readiness. “What?”

“
I need to pee.” He was half
laughing, half apologetic.

Lisa was not offended. The
Minge Lane laugh burst forth again. “Well I could do with the washroom too, but
I wasn’t going to say.” Again that saucy smile. “Pain and pleasure are very
close together. ”

They left Ridley’s room
laughing .

“
Back in two shakes.”

“
That’s a bad joke Jonny
Brakespeare, but don’t be long.” She kissed him on the lips again, - a long,
lingering kiss, “I want you.”

The men’s toilets were on the
ground floor; a poky smelly cupboard under the stairs. Brakespeare went in and
put on the light to illuminate the windowless room. The pressure on his bladder
was now quite severe, as the two pints seemed anxious to depart with the
encouragement of the wine. He stood in front of the toilet basin waiting for
his erection to subside and the flow to start, when he heard the noise of
someone unlocking the main door.

A bolt of fear shot through
him and he stood still.

“
Hello, anybody here? Jonny?
Lisa?”

It was Mortimer’s voice.

His first instinct was to call
out in reply, but the shock of hearing Mortimer’s voice cut through the
alcohol. He realised that he was trapped. Worse than that Lisa was trapped. He
prayed silently that she did not respond, even if she heard the call. Surely
she wouldn’t come out of the toilet naked? Surely not.

He was now bursting to use the
toilet and able to do so, but dare not because of the noise he was likely to
make. He switched off the light as silently as he could and waited.

Mortimer’s footsteps mounted
the stairs above him, and then moved along the corridor towards Brakespeare’s
office. Oh God, that meant that he would pass Ridley’s room with their clothes
lying on the floor. The footsteps did not stop at Ridley’s office but continued
He heard his office door open – and then close.

The footsteps returned and
Mortimer went back to his own office. He must have picked up the telephone
because Brakespeare could hear the low murmur of conversation.

Cautiously he switched on the
toilet light. He was in agony now. He had no alternative. He sat down on the
toilet and as quietly as he could, aiming for the side of the toilet pan so as
to make as little noise as possible, relieved himself.

It seemed to take ages, but so
did Mortimer’s conversation with whoever he was talking to.

Eventually Mortimer’s voice
stopped, and he heard him move out of his office. Still sitting on the toilet,
he turned off the light.

‘
Hope he doesn’t need a piss?’
he thought.

Mortimers footsteps came down
the stairs. They stopped, and Brakespeare’s heart banged against his chest.
Surely he was too young to die of a heart attack? Was Mortimer listening for a
sound. Oh, Lisa keep quiet, please.

Lisa must have picked up his
thoughts because there was complete silence in the office.

After what seemed to be the proverbial
eternity, he heard Mortimer move towards the door, open it, and lock it behind
him.

He couldn’t help it. A wave of
hysteria hit him, and he sat on the toilet, half laughing, half crying with
relief; the tears streaming down his face in the darkness.

Suddenly the toilet door
opened, and the light came on.

A still naked Lisa took one
look at the seated figure of Brakespeare, and collapsed; equally hysterical.
The sight of her, doubled up but naked in the office only added to
Brakespeare’s hysteria, and he broke wind, loudly and uncontrollably..

Many minutes passed before
either of them could speak.

“
Oh no, I can’t do this
again.” gasped Lisa.

“
You heard him?”

“
Luckily I was in the middle
of my wee, and stopped. I must have good pelvic muscles.”

She burst into laughter again.
Brakespeare stood up and flushed the toilet. Lisa pulled herself together. They
were both exhausted, but the sight of themselves standing in the corridor of
the office half naked brought on continual waves of hysteria.

They slowly made their way up
the stairs; still having to pause occasionally to laugh, and went back into
Ridley’s room.

“
Do you think that he knows
we’re here?” asked Lisa.

“
No, but why was he looking
for us? Why look here?”

“
It’s spooky.” said Lisa.

“
Someone doesn’t want us
to..?”

Lisa suddenly became serious.
“Are you superstitious?”

“
Only at times like this.”

“
I think we ’d better get out.
It’s not meant to happen, on tonight of all nights.” She said soberly. “Anyway
you seem to have lost interest,” she added, looking at Brakespeare’s middle
regions.

They both quickly grabbed
their clothes and dressed.

As they left the office, Lisa
took his hand. “There will be another time, Jonny.” and she kissed him in a way
he was growing to like. “Perhaps we need a place of our own?”

Mortimer was waiting for him
the next morning. He was standing at the top of the stairs as he walked through
the door. Brakespeare wondered how long he had been standing there.

“
Jonny, can I talk to you?”
Not even a good morning. He walked back to his room, thus indicating that
Brakespeare should follow. Ridley predictably was in the room, standing waiting
and looking apprehensive.