Opposing Forces (19 page)

“I might just stretch to a box of choc.  Value ones of course.”

“Why do I bother?” Zara rolled her eyes.

“Are we done yet?” Maisie grumbled a while later.  “I’m starving.”
 

“After your company, I need a bloody good drink,” Zara retorted.

“So that’s a yes?”

“Yes,” Zara sighed.  “Let’s go.”

Making their way to the restaurant, the street was busy with shopper getting a jump on the Christmas rush and Maisie had to keep sidestepping people, not easy in the icy, slushy conditions.  The first warning she had was Zara shouting and knocking her out the way.  Maisie turned to see a black Mercedes, with heavily tinted windows, skid and was bearing down fast on them.  Thanks to Zara, the car did not hit her head on, instead the side of it clipped her hard, sending her flying a good few feet.  A couple of other passers-by also got hit.

What totally stunned her was that the car drove off without stopping. She remained where she’d landed on the ground, in the soggy snow.  Most unpleasant.

“Hell, Maisie,” Zara knelt down beside her.  “Are you hurt bad?”

Maisie attempted to sit up. “I don’t think so. Now help me up.”

“No. Don’t move.  I’m calling an ambulance.”

“I’m alright, just a bit bruised.” 

“You and a few other people.  I have to phone the police, Maisie. The car didn’t stop.”

“You don’t have to. The cavalry have already arrived,” Maisie groaned.  She just prayed the arrival of the police did not herald the imminent appearance of its Chief.  Much to her relief, Philippe was one of the officers on the scene.

“Maisie, are you injured?”

“Only bruised I think.  Help me up.”

Philippe pulled her to her feet.  She let out a painful squeal as she put weight on her right ankle.  “I think I might have strained it.”

“An ambulance is on its way.”

“I don’t need one, but what I do need is to get to La Dolce Vita. That’s the sole reason I’m out.”

Philippe laughed.  “I also need to take your statement. The driver of the car is looking at a hit and run charge when we catch up with him.”

Maisie glanced over at the officers dealing with the other injured people.  “If you want my statement, we’ll do it in the warmth of the restaurant.  The Chief’s boys seem to have everything else covered.”

“Let me speak to the other officers, then I’ll help you there,” Philippe sighed in defeat. 

A few minutes later Maisie was sat in the warmth of the restaurant with Zara, a large glass of red wine in her hand.  “Now all is right with the world,” she smiled.

Philippe sat down beside her with his notebook open.  “All you can remember is a black Mercedes with tinted windows?  No licence plate or glimpse of the driver?”

“No. Zara had kindly pushed me out the way so I only saw it as it hit me.” 

“I really would feel happier if you went to the hospital for a check-up.  Chief Grundberg won’t be pleased.”

“I don’t care about the Chief,” Maisie retorted a little defensively. “I’m fine.”

Philippe raised his hands in defeat.  “I won’t push the point.”  He stood back up.  “I should get back to the station to file this report.”

“How are the other injured people?”

“Two of them look like they have fractures, the third is just bruised. I’ll ask Sabina to stop in later to see you, that should be suitable payback for not going to hospital.”

“You, Officer Thevenez, have quite a wicked streak.”

“Are you really OK or do you want to go home?” Zara looked concerned after Philippe left.

“If it wasn’t for your nagging, I would have been snuggled up at home. So if you think for a minute you are going to renege on lunch after what I’ve just been through, you’ve got another thing coming,” Maisie snapped.

“You’re holding me accountable for this?”

“Yup, now let’s order as I could eat a bloody horse.”

Steffen glanced at the reports; normally he would not be bothered with simple hit and runs, but because it involved Maisie, it was put on his desk.  He so desperately wanted to go and see her, check she was fine, but it was not a good idea.  He could not trust himself around her, she was too great a temptation.  She was the only person he had met who could make him act quite irrationally.

Trying to take his mind off Maisie, he buried his head for the afternoon in budgets for the following year.  Nothing like trimming the figures to keep one’s mind occupied.  Sergeant Dufrais interrupted him a while later.

“The car involved in Miss Carrington’s hit and run has been found,” he informed the Chief.  “As expected, it was stolen and has been wiped clean of all prints.”

“What has the city’s CCTV cameras brought up?”

“Not a great deal.  Either the driver was very lucky to only have been picked up by a few or he knew where all the surveillance cameras were.”
 

“Keep me posted of any further developments.”

Marcus flopped back in his chair and closed his eyes.  By all accounts, had the car slid a few more inches then he would be identifying Maisie’s body in the mortuary.  Just that thought chilled him to the bone.  Damn it, how had she taken up residence in his head again? The woman was a complete menace.

Sabina stared up at the wall in front of her, it was terrifying.  Philippe was a keen climber so she was determined to give it a go.  Her instructor, Olivier, helped her into her harness and attached the safety rope.

“You’re all set, Sabina,” he smiled.  “The easiest route is straight up.  Don’t forget that I’ve got the safety rope, so if you fall, you won’t go anywhere.”

She pulled on her gloves and made a start.  She thought she was quite fit, but this wall was proving otherwise.  Her arms and legs were burning yet she was only half way up.

“You’re going great, Sabina, keep going,” Olivier encouraged her.

The closer she got to the top, the smaller the hand and foot holds got.  She was starting to struggle.  As she reached up for the next grip, her foot slipped. She grazed her elbow and shin but still held on with one hand.  Having regained her balance, she continued to the top.

“That was brilliant, Sabina. Unclip the safety rope and come down the stairs,” Olivier shouted up to her.

By the time she reached her instructor, her shin was starting to drip blood from its cut. 

“Don’t worry,” Olivier grinned.  “You’ll be black and blue by the time you’ve conquered the wall.”  He grabbed a first aid kit and bandaged her cut.  “You’ve mastered the straight line with ease, so now for something a bit more challenging.  I want you to start from here and cross the wall as you ascend so you should be in the far corner by the time you reach the top.”

Crossing the wall as she climbed was far more difficult than it sounded, straight up was much easier.  She slipped and banged her knees, shins and elbows plenty of time.  “People really do this for fun?” she grunted.

Olivier laughed.  “Once you get the hang of it, yes.  Inside it’s difficult to really appreciate what it’s like to scale a rock face.”

She eventually made it to the top.  Olivier once again treated her grazes.  “You’re doing very well.  Just one more climb for today.”  He led her over to a wall that had a small overhang at the top.  “I want you to try and scale that.”

“You’re joking?” Sabina responded.

“Not at all.  I think you can do it.”

Her arms were already feeling like bits of string, but she’d give it a go.  Harnessed up she started her final ascent.  She had to admit that she was actually getting the hang of it.  As she made it to the overhang, her confidence started to ebb and she missed her hand hold.  She squealed as she fell, but it was only a few inches, the safety rope held her.

Olivier lowered her to the ground.  “That was a pretty good effort for your first time.  Most students don’t attempt that until their second or third lesson.”

“So why did you feel the need to torture me with it?” She rubbed her bruised elbow.

“Because you have natural ability.  You almost made it too.”

She removed her harness and booked in for the following week.  “You might want to work on your upper body strength between now and then,” Olivier advised.  “It will help you immensely if your arms are as powerful as your legs.”

“Right now I want to work on a warm hot bath,” Sabina groaned.  What we do to impress men, she sighed to herself and drove wearily back to her apartment. 

Philippe was eager to see Sabina, he’d been on night shifts for four days and had missed her terribly.  They’d managed to grab a drink together during the day, but he wanted to be with her, to wake up in the morning with her glossy brown mane on his chest.

As much as he liked her, she was still a mystery to him.  She spoke so rarely about her family, there were no pictures of them in her house. It was almost as if they didn’t exist.  Or she didn’t want them to exist. He noticed she was happy to talk about her mother, but that was as far as it went.  And he did not want to damage their fledgling relationship by pushing the point.  Perhaps if he talked more about his, she might open up a bit. 

He bounded up the steps to her apartment.  She was cooking tonight so he would be extremely well fed and watered.  Hopefully an evening of excellent sex was on the menu too.   He kissed her enticingly when she answered the door.

“You look as gorgeous as ever, Miss Laroque,” he murmured in her ear.

“Behave, Officer Thevenez,” she slapped his butt.

“Is that Swiss German foreplay?” he nipped her ear lobe.

“Dinner is on the point of burning,” she sighed.

Philippe released her quickly.  “In that case, go rescue it.  I’m starving.”

“You’re always hungry,” Sabina giggled.

“For you, yes.”

“How has the world of Fine Art been this week?”

“Long and tiring.  Far too many essays to write and research to do.”

“Is that what you’ve been doing the last few nights?”

“No. I had dinner with my mother yesterday. She was in town.”

“She came to visit?”

“To be honest, I think it was probably to see her new man.  I was just a lucky addition.”

“My mother is always threatening to visit,” Philippe grinned.  “That is usually when I pull a double shift.”

“Philippe,” Sabina exclaimed. “That’s horrible.”

“I know. I love my mother but when she visits she feels she has to rearrange my apartment so I barely recognise it.  Or cook a seven course meal every lunch and dinner.”

“She misses you, no doubt. You know how protective mothers can be over their sons.”
 

“Like fathers are supposed to be with their daughters?”

Sabina snorted loudly. “I don’t think mine knew I existed until I turned sixteen.”

Philippe was shocked to see the change in Sabina’s mannerisms when she talked about her father.  She became hard and defensive.   He decided against pushing that particular topic.

“Have you seen much of Maisie?”

“Yeah. I popped over earlier today.  Her ankle is almost as good as new.  Did you find out who hit her?”