Page 87 of The Dead Ex

‘You grew up here?’

‘No. I was brought up in the country but …’

A cheese soufflé arrives with a fancy sauce which melts in my mouth even though nerves have dulled my appetite. He has chosen the same dish. I wonder if he did that to put me at my ease. Is this a game on his part or is David Goudman genuinely nicer than I’d given him credit for?

Then his phone goes. He makes an ‘excuse me’ sign and turns to one side.His voice is hard. ‘Just sort it, will you.’

Then he turns back to me. ‘So sorry.’

I was wrong just now. I mustn’t underestimate this man. He is a pro. And what’s more, I’m pretty sure he knows I’m out for something. Hopefully, he just thinks it’s his money.

‘You were telling me about growing up in the country. Was it boring?’

‘Not at all.’ I close my eyes. I imagine the green fields and …

‘Fuck,’ he says suddenly.

‘Are you OK?’

He’s staring through the window. Outside is a woman. Medium height. Medium build. But it’s her hair that stands out. A mass of red corkscrew curls. She is staring back.

Clearly they know each other.

He leaps up. ‘Back in a minute.’

I watch them through the glass. Suddenly he grabs one of her arms, but she shakes him off, waving her finger at him. Lookslike she hates his guts. Swiftly, hands shaking, I reach into my handbag for my phone.

When David returns to the table he is clearly edgy, rearranging the as-yet unused cutlery and making no apology for his absence. Nor does he explain who the woman was. Our next course arrives, and we each pick at our separate plates. ‘You’ve lost your appetite too,’ he comments drily.

I nod, not mentioningit had never been there.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be.’ I gaze around the restaurant with its crisp white tablecloths and fancy napkins in fan-shapes, trying to stay calm. ‘It’s an amazing experience. I’ve never been anywhere like this before. And I probably won’t again.’

‘I very much doubt that.’ He is looking at me once more. Not the dark suspicious look. The other, kinder one. ‘How about coffee?I make a great cappuccino.’

What a sleazeball. I’ve met men like David before. They are never happy with what they have. Instead, they are constantly trying to prove themselves by going one better or, in my case, one younger. I swallow my mouthful. ‘Don’t you need to get home to your wife?’

‘She’s in our Kingston house tonight. I have another place round the corner from the office for when Iwork late. We can chat properly there.’

It’s an offer that’s too good to refuse.

31

Vicki

5 April 2018

The key turns, disturbing my thoughts. My heart jumps.

Then I take in the woman standing at the door and am swamped with relief.

It’s my solicitor. A visit so soon might mean that something important has happened. When I was a governor, a woman was released before she’d even spent a night inside. New evidence had emerged which showed she was innocent.

‘Sit down,’ saysPenny. Her face is serious. ‘I’m afraid a second witness has come forward after hearing about the case on the news.’

Her eyes are on mine as if X-raying my insides, just as the machine had done during part of the frisking process to make sure I hadn’t secreted drugs on my person. ‘She was walking her dog in the cul-de-sac where David and Tanya’s house is. You ran past her, apparently, carryingsomething in your hand. She thought it might have been a chain.’