Next of Kin (6 page)

‘Didn’t that strike you as a bit odd?’

‘No, not really. Haven’t you had that? We had the same thing when Mum died. Woody told me that he’d rung them and they had told him a lot of the letters were computer generated and to ignore them if he had already replied. He said he was going to burn them because they had personal details on them – addresses, all sorts of numbers, his passport details, his bank account.’

‘You’re frowning, Sarah; was there something else?’

‘Yes, I noticed that a lot of the letters hadn’t been opened, and that did strike me as odd.’

‘And what about the post for Farouk?’

‘Woody said he had found them in amongst his mail when he was sorting things out to throw away. He told me that he had been planning to burn all the other rubbish when he had a chance, letters included.’

‘And what about Farouk’s mail?’

‘I think – although I didn’t ask him – that he planned to burn those too. Farouk was the man at the last flat that had given him trouble. He told me the reason he moved was that he was afraid of him.’

‘So did Woody explain why he had Farouk’s post?

‘He said that he’d gone back to pick up his mail from the pigeon hole at his old place and that there must have been some of Farouk's mail in there with it.’

‘Okay. And he didn’t think to take it back, or just leave it there rather than bring it home and burn it?’

‘He told me that he didn’t want to hang around, that Farouk was bad news. So Woody had gone in and out really fast and hadn’t bothered to sort the post out while he was there.’

‘And you believed him?’

’Yes, why wouldn’t I? Anyway I said if he wanted I could drop the letters off on my way to work one morning. Just stick them in through the door.’

‘And Woody agreed to that?’

‘He said that would be great if I didn’t mind doing it, but that he didn’t want to put me to any trouble. He just didn’t want to run into Farouk.’

‘He said that, Sarah? That he didn’t want to run into Farouk?’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay. So Woody told you that Farouk was violent?’

‘Not directly, like I said he just seemed very nervous of him.’

‘But you weren’t?’

‘Why would I be? I didn’t know who Farouk was and he didn’t know me. I couldn’t see me taking the post back was going to be a problem. I just planned to put it through the door, not go in or anything.’

‘So what happened when you got to the house?’

‘The landlord was there painting the windows. I told him that I had some mail for Farouk, and he took it for me. I couldn’t really see a way round explaining what I was doing there; there were quite a lot of letters.’

‘And did you mention Woody?’

‘Only in passing. I told him that Mustapha, Woody, had picked up some of Farouk’s mail by accident, and that I was returning it. He seemed relieved.’

‘Can you explain what you mean by relieved? Relieved that the letters were back?’

‘No. I think he was relieved to know that Woody was okay. His landlord said that Woody was a nice man – a good tenant – and that he had been concerned when he had left in such a hurry. He said he hadn’t been in contact, and hadn’t seen Woody since he’d left. He sounded genuinely concerned.’

‘Did you mention that Woody was frightened of Farouk?’

‘No.’

‘And did you give Woody’s old landlord your address so that he could forward any mail?’

‘No.’

‘Did that not occur to you?’

‘Yes. I did think about it, but I was worried that Farouk might find out where Woody was living.’

‘Okay, Sarah, so are you suggesting that Farouk posed some kind of threat to Woody?’

‘I don’t know. I just know what Woody had told me.’

‘ And so at that point Farouk was still living in one of the flats at the Kirby Street address, then?’

‘I don’t know, I didn’t ask, but I suppose I thought he must have been because his landlord took the letters in for me.’

‘Okay, Sarah. So tell me about Woody. What was he like as a tenant?’

‘There’s not a lot to tell, really. I barely noticed he was there most of the time. He paid his rent on time. He went out most days, from just after eight often until quite late. And when he was in, if he wasn’t with Ryan watching DVDs or playing on the Xbox, he was in his room. I didn’t see much of him. I think he stayed out the odd night but I didn’t ask him about that. He kept himself to himself.’

‘And did you know he was in the UK on a student visa?’

‘I didn’t. I hadn’t really thought about it. Ryan told me.’

‘When did he tell you?’

‘I’d been out with Josh to the cinema. By that time we were seeing each other regularly. I’d invited him back for coffee. I was just making it when Ryan came up from the basement and said that we really needed to talk. I could see it was something important.’

‘He was agitated?’

‘Yes, anxious – he’s my brother. I could tell that something was really worrying him.’

‘And Ryan was happy to discuss his worries in front of Josh?’

‘No, Josh took the hint.’

‘And left?’

‘Yes.’

‘Just like that?’

‘I don’t think he wanted to go but he could see Ryan wanted to talk to me alone. He said he’d ring me when he got home. And if there was anything I needed just to give him a call – he’s a lovely man. He wanted to make sure that I was okay.’

‘Were you sleeping together by then?’

‘What business is that of yours?’

‘I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t relevant, so please can you tell me? Were you having sex with Josh, Sarah?’

‘No. Although I think we had both thought that night the coffee would lead to something more. I think we were both expecting him to stay.’

‘And Ryan coming in interrupted you?’

‘I suppose so. Not directly, but after a few minutes it was pretty obvious Ryan wasn’t going to go and he wasn’t going to talk in front of Josh. So we didn’t have a lot of choice really. Josh was okay about it.’

‘So why was Ryan so anxious?’

‘He told me that Woody’s visa was going to run out when he’d finished his course and that he didn’t want to go back to Pakistan. Ryan was really concerned about it – upset.’

‘Okay. And how did you feel about that?’

‘I’m not sure. It struck me as being odd, I suppose. I mean I could understand it was unfortunate but I didn’t see how it really affected us. I know that Ryan was his friend and I could understand him being upset. I suppose I knew that Woody liked living in Cambridge – in the UK – but I couldn’t really see why Ryan thought it was such a big thing, so big that he had to come and tell me about it like that.’

‘So it seemed strange?’

‘Yes. And then Ryan said he was worried about the contract he was working on. Although I couldn’t see at that point how the two things were connected.’

‘So did you find out why he was worried about the contact, Sarah?’

‘He just said it wasn’t exactly what he had thought it was going to be, and that there might not be as much work as he had been led to believe.’

‘And can you remember what you said?’

‘No, not really, not word for word. I suppose I made the right noises – you know – take what there is, do what you can, not to worry, that kind of thing. I said we could always get another lodger in, like I’d said before. And that he was doing really well, so he should hang on in there, something else might come up. Like I said, I wasn’t sure how it tied in with Woody at that point, but as far as Ryan was concerned the two things seemed to be connected.’

‘But he didn’t mention being in any kind of trouble?’

‘No. Not then.’

‘And did Ryan tell you that he planned to sort something out to help Woody stay in the UK?’

‘No, but he did say that Woody needed both of us to help him.’

‘And you agreed?’

‘Well, yes, in principle. I thought he meant writing a reference or filling in some forms or something like that.’

‘So then what happened?’

‘Ryan seemed relieved.’

‘And?’

‘Josh suggested that he and I go away for the weekend together.’

‘I thought you just said that Josh had gone home?’

‘He had. He rang me while he was driving back to his house. I had more or less finished talking to Ryan by the time he rang. Josh said it was the only way we would ever get any real time to ourselves and he said he wanted the physical thing to be special not rushed. He laughed and said he didn’t want our first night together being us upstairs and Ryan and Woody downstairs on the Xbox – I think we both needed a break away from work and things – and I think we both knew that this was it. You know. The big thing. The special thing. The thing we all wait for.’

‘And what did Ryan say about you going away?’

‘He had gone by the time I was off the phone.’

‘So you didn’t get a chance to discuss exactly what helping Woody might entail?’

‘No. Not then. And to be honest I wasn’t thinking about Woody or Ryan. I was thinking about Josh.’

Chapter Six

Sarah unlocked the door and stepped into the cottage, while Josh followed close behind her carrying a box of groceries.

‘So what do you think?’ he asked, as she looked around.

‘Oh my god, it’s lovely.’ Sarah turned to him, grinning. Josh slid the box onto the counter in the tiny whitewashed kitchen and took her in his arms.

‘I’m so glad you said you’d come. You deserve a break. We deserve a break. I’ve been looking forward to this for so long – just some time away together without my job or yours.’

‘Or Ryan.’

‘Or Woody,’ Josh laughed. ‘Finally just you and me. Us.’

‘Us has got a nice ring to it,’ Sarah said, and stepping into his arms. She couldn’t remember the last time she had spent any time away from home. It had to have been years since she had had a holiday, or even a night away. ‘The cottage is so sweet – oh I love the boarded walls, like New England.’

‘Small but perfectly formed,’ he said with a smile. ‘I’ll take you on a guided tour in a minute.’ He paused and took a breath. ‘So, this is the kitchen,’ he said, grinning, before pressing his lips to hers. Her whole body responded to his. It felt like they had waited forever to get to this moment.

‘I’ve been thinking about you all week,’ he said, as he pulled away.

‘What about the rest of the tour?’

‘Oh don‘t worry, we’ll round get to that,’ Josh said, and kissed her again. This time his kiss was more insistent and hungrier and she matched it.

‘Do you think we should unpack the food?’ she mumbled, as his fingers struggled with the buttons on her jacket and hers with his denim shirt.

‘Maybe we should,’ he said, as her coat dropped to the floor. ‘Maybe we should put the things in the fridge.’

‘Maybe you’re right,’ she murmured, as his shirt joined it. ‘We should do that.’

‘Good idea,’ he gasped, his lips on her neck and shoulders.

Sarah closed her eyes and drank in the feel of him as she ran her fingers over his muscular shoulders, across his broad hairy chest, her mouth watering, her pulse quickening, and then he kissed her again, his hands sliding up inside her sweater.

‘Or we could do it later, maybe,’ he breathed, between kisses. ‘When we do the rest of the tour.’

‘Good plan,’ she mumbled, as he pulled the jumper over her head, kissing her neck, her collarbones, while his hands, his fingers, stroked and caressed every inch of her. She moaned with delight, every cell alive and glowing white-hot. It had been a long time.

‘Do you want to go upstairs?’ Josh asked breathlessly, as she undid the belt to his jeans.

‘What and spoil the tour?’ she laughed, as he lifted her up onto the worktop, alongside the shopping, his hands working their way up under her skirt. ‘No, I think we should stay here. Let’s not spoil the surprise. Save upstairs for later.’

She had been thinking about this moment all the way there, feeling slightly nervous as well as excited, wondering how it would happen, wondering how they would cross the line, and now they were and it felt so, so good and so easy. There was more kissing and touching and Sarah finally stopped thinking and let go, let herself float away into the sensations.

And then, as the kissing and the touching grew more, more intense, more exciting she toed off her boots and helped him take off her tights and knickers.

‘God, it’s so lovely to be here,’ Sarah said, to no one in particular, as Josh’s hands slid under her thighs, and then there was a moment finding a condom, undoing the packet – and then he was pulling her down onto him and sliding deep inside her. Sarah gasped and cried out in sheer pleasure.

‘You know that I’m falling in love with you, don’t you?’ whispered Josh.

‘Me too,’ said Sarah.

Later, when they were done, Josh lit the little wood burner in the tiny sitting room with its doll’s house casement windows, and they curled up on the sofa under a blanket and watched the fire crackle and burn. ‘Do you want to eat here or maybe we could go down the pub, or eat out, or we could go for a walk if you like?’

‘I would like to do all those things. I want to do everything,’ Sarah said, giggling, as she snuggled up against him, relishing the feel of his arm around her.

‘And then we should maybe do the tour?’ Josh said, with a grin, looking down at her.

‘Sounds like a very good idea,’ said Sarah, and didn’t resist as he kissed her again.

The beach at Holme was deserted when they set out, wrapped up against the chill. Outside the thick walls of the cottage the day had turned wild and windy, and the beach, with its white sands, rolling dunes and whipping marram grass felt a world away from Cambridge, although it was less than two hours drive from the cottage.

The sea was steel grey under a matching sky, and kicking up great plumes of spray on the late evening wind. Sarah stayed tucked in close to Josh, hand in hand, arm in arm. They picked up driftwood and shells and talked a lot, their words carried along beside them on the stiff breeze. Sarah didn’t want the day to end.

It was almost dusk by the time they made their way back over the dunes, walking down through the nature reserve, into the lane and back to the cottage. The cottage was a two up two down on the end of a row, tucked up in a narrow side street. Gulls circled and called overhead, and Sarah could smell the sea on the night wind. As they rounded the corner, in the distance she could see the lamps they had left on, lighting their way back, and as Josh put his arm around her and pulled her in close, Sarah realised that she hadn’t felt this happy or this at ease for years. It felt like she had come home at last.

‘I’m so glad you could come,’ he said, as if reading her thoughts. ‘I want us to remember this forever. When we’re old and grey. When we can’t remember anything else I want us to remember this.’

Sarah laughed and tipped her head up towards his, tasting the salt on his lips as he kissed her. ‘You are such a romantic,’ she murmured.

‘Guilty as charged, M’lud,’ he replied. ‘Now let’s hurry up and get back. I don’t know about you but I’m famished.’

‘I’ll cook,’ Josh said when they got to the cottage and he slipped the key into the lock. ‘I was thinking maybe chilli and ginger prawns with some rice? What do you reckon? Is there anything you don’t eat?’

‘No, I pretty much like everything.’

‘Good. Do you want to sort the fire out while I sort out supper?’

Sarah nodded, afraid if she said too much the spell might break. She knew that whatever it was she had been looking for, this was it, and as their eyes met, although neither of them said anything, she knew that Josh knew it too.

Sarah

‘When we got home to Cambridge on Sunday evening Ryan was waiting for me, in the kitchen. He said we needed to talk and that it couldn’t wait.’

‘And so let me get this right; this was after the weekend away at the coast with Josh?’

‘That’s right. Yes. We’d just arrived back.’

‘And where was your relationship with Josh at this time?’

‘We’d been talking about moving in together.’

‘He’d asked you?’

‘We’d talked about it while we were away and on the drive home. Yes. We both wanted it, both wanted to be together. He told me that he loved me. I think we were both ready for the next stage of our lives. Moving in together seemed like a natural step.’

‘Didn’t you think it seemed a little quick?’

‘No, it just felt right. I think you know when something is right. And I knew.’

‘And had the two of you discussed when that might happen?’

‘No, we hadn’t set a date or anything, and we both agreed that it wouldn’t be straight away – but not long. We both knew that that was the way it was heading.’

‘And you planned that Josh would move in with you into the house in Maudsley Terrace?’

‘Yes, well initially at least. We thought we might buy somewhere together later. Josh had been renting the place in Cottenham for six months and the lease was coming up for renewal. It seemed like an ideal time.’

‘And he understood that your house was tied up for at least the next two years until Ryan reached twenty-five?’

‘Yes.’

‘And Josh was happy with your brother living downstairs?’

‘I don’t know that he was happy about it. But he understood that that was the way it was, the circumstances, and it wouldn’t be forever. And it wasn’t like Ryan was there all the time. He had his own place. And I thought if Josh was living there that Ryan might spend even less time upstairs.’

‘And it was serious between you two?’

‘Yes. I just said that.’

‘Okay, so, according to your account, when you got back to Maudsley Terrace, after your weekend away, Josh went home and Ryan was waiting for you in the kitchen? Is that correct?’

‘That’s right.’