Authors: MA Comley
“I’ll have a dry white wine, thanks.” She sat on the stool, and he did the same.
“We’ll have our drinks and then move over to the lane. I’m really looking forward to this.”
“Me, too. I have to warn you, though, that I’m not very good, so you’ll have to be patient with me.”
He winked at her. “Don’t worry. I’ll show you how it’s done. It’ll be my absolute pleasure.”
They chatted like long-lost friends for the next quarter of an hour, and as they walked over to the area where they had to change their footwear, Bella couldn’t help feeling regretful for what would happen in a few hours
if
she decided to go through with what Morris had in mind. She pushed aside the gruesome plans for the interim and concentrated all her efforts on having a good time with her date. She glanced around but couldn’t see Morris lurking anywhere.
“Let’s go see if we can make you into a bowling champion.”
Bella giggled. Phil picked out a mid-range-weight ball for her to play with, explaining that the lighter ones were for the kids and were not very productive at getting great results when used by adults.
When it was her turn, he stood behind her and held her arm, instructing her exactly how to handle the ball, where to aim, and when to let go. On her first attempt, she managed to knock down a respectable seven pins. He pecked her on the cheek, delighted for her. Her second ball, which she’d begged to throw unaided, ended up in the gulley.
“Here, watch me. You need to caress the ball.” He ran his hand over the top of the ball. She could imagine his hands on her breasts and shivered with excitement. He smiled, proving her reaction was exactly what he’d intended. “Then ease it into position, like so. Then release and stand back to see where she lands. Providing you follow the middle arrow as guidance, she’s sure to do well.”
He got a strike with his first ball. As the game went on and with his expertise to guide her, she improved with every ball she threw. By the end of the game, she was elated by the results and eager to start a new game. She had one problem, though—Morris’s words bombarded her mind and forced her to act as if she’d had enough.
“I’m exhausted, and my arm thinks it’s about to drop off any minute. Mind if we call it a day? Phew, it’s hot in here.” She held her jumper away from her neck.
Phil’s expression showed how disappointed he was that the evening would be coming to an end. “What about another drink?”
Bella shook her head. “I was thinking more about a nice walk along by the canal. Fancy joining me?”
His eyes bulged. “Sure, why not. Let me grab my jacket.” He walked swiftly back to the bar, retrieved his jacket, and gave a thumbs-up sign to the bartender. She smiled as he returned and draped his arm around her shoulders. As they walked towards the exit, Bella saw a figure hiding behind one of the one-arm bandits. Without further inspection, she knew it was Morris spying on them.
They left the bowling alley and made their way around the back of the building to the canal. The night air was fresh, and when she shivered, Phil removed his jacket and placed it caringly around her shoulders. She snuggled up against him and continued towards the canal and the bridge, where she knew his life would soon end.
She felt comfortable in his presence and was sure he felt the same way, too. He chatted away about his job, surprising her when he said that he was a school teacher to the under fives. He seemed an exceptionally caring individual. She stopped and pulled him to her. He kissed her willingly, and somehow, she ended up with her back against the wall of the tunnel. It wasn’t long before his hand began touching her breasts under the jumper. She moaned with pleasure, and she didn’t need to pretend she was enjoying the feel of his hands on her breasts. His hands gently massaged her breast before his mouth left hers and lowered to find her nipple.
A surge of guilt took over, and she pushed him away. His face held a shocked expression.
She gulped loudly. “I’m sorry. Maybe that’s too soon.” She tried to placate him and succeeded. Then she twisted him around and placed his back against the wall alongside the stone pillar Morris had told her about. She kissed him longingly as her mind questioned whether she was doing the right thing or not. At first, Phil’s response was confused, then he kissed her with an urgent need, sinking his tongue between her teeth.
Bella moaned and rubbed herself against him for a second or two until Morris’s angry features invaded her thoughts. Grabbing Phil by his T-shirt, she dragged him down onto the ground. Releasing one hand, she groped in the dark behind the pillar, until her fingertips connected with the cold blade. She continued to kiss Phil deeply. The poor man was falling deeper under her spell, then she pulled out the knife and thrust it into his stomach.
His mouth dropped open, and his hands instinctively left her body to cover his wound. She thrust the knife in a second time and then got to her feet. She glanced up to see a shadow lurking at the end of the tunnel.
“Why? Why would you do such a thing?” Phil asked before the darkness overcame him.
Bella ran to Morris, who enveloped her in his arms and kissed away her tears.
“You did well. Come, let me show you what that task has done to our relationship.”
Bella knew that night’s lovemaking would be the best yet—if she could bring herself to enjoy it. As they walked back to the car, Bella couldn’t help but take a final look over her shoulder. Phil’s body was out of sight, but her heart still ached for him.
CHAPTER TWENTY
L
orne and Charlie were in tears at the kitchen table. “If you’re agreed, then I’ll ring Jeff now. Only if you’re one hundred per cent okay with this, Charlie.”
Her daughter sniffed and then wiped her nose on the sleeve of her jumper. “I know what I have to do for the dog’s sake. It’s just really hard to let go, Mum.”
“No one said it would be easy, love.”
They both glanced down at Henry, who looked up at them with his head cocked to one side.
“I suppose I could start to do some training with this guy.” Charlie ruffled the collie’s head, and he shuffled nearer to her and placed his chin on her lap.
“What a great idea. He’s getting on a little now, but I’m sure he’d love the exercise. You two would make a great team. Maybe you could enter a few of the shows in the area. I think you’re good enough. The question is whether Henry will be.”
“Well, he’s besotted with his tennis ball. Perhaps fly-ball training would be a better option for him. We’ll see. Make the call, Mum. I’m ready to let Rusty go.”
“Are you sure? He’ll have a wonderfully fulfilling life.”
“I know. I can’t be selfish about this any longer. It’s been fun having him around the place.”
Lorne left the table and went into the lounge to ring Jeff Salter.
“Hello, Jeff. It’s Lorne Warner.”
“Lorne, how wonderful to hear from you. How are things going there?”
Lorne loved the warmth she heard in the man’s voice. It said a lot about his personality, to her anyway. “Well, we’ve come to a decision.”
“Which is?”
“Charlie is willing to give Rusty up.”
“That’s wonderful news. She won’t regret it, I promise.”
“If for any reason Rusty doesn’t do well on the training exercises, he will come back to us, won’t he?”
“Of course. That’s a given. Once the training is complete, we always invite the people who have kindly donated the dogs to us to come for a day out. They can meet the trainers and see the dogs in action. How about that?”
“That’d be great, Jeff. When do you want to pick Rusty and the other two dogs up?”
“Would tomorrow be too soon? The quicker we get them introduced to the trainers, the quicker they’ll be able to take up their new roles.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow then. Morning or afternoon?”
“About nine if that’s okay with you?”
“Nine’s fine. See you then.”
“Thanks very much, Lorne. I’ll bring something special along for Charlie to show my appreciation.”
Lorne hung up and turned to see a tearful Charlie leaning against the doorframe. “He’ll be here at nine in the morning.”
“Okay, Mum. I’m going up to bed now. Goodnight.”
Lorne stepped closer and hugged her daughter, soothing her head with her hand. “You don’t know how proud I am of you, love. You’ve come such a long way in a short time. Made decisions no teenager should be forced to make. Granddad would have been proud of you too.”
“Thanks, Mum.”
Charlie went up to bed, and Lorne rang the hospital to see how Tony was. She hadn’t forgotten to ring him—she was under strict orders not to ‘pester’ him every minute of the day. She appreciated that he was telling her to get on with trying to solve the case, but it didn’t stop her feeling a little guilty about neglecting him. When she rang the ward, the nurse informed Lorne that Tony was asleep, and she would pass on the message that she’d called when he woke up.
Lorne took Henry out into the garden to reflect on what had happened over the past week. She looked up into the night sky and picked out two of the brightest stars she thought would be her dad and her former partner, Pete, shining down on her. “Keep watching over me, you guys. I have a feeling that I’m going to need your help soon.”
•\ \ \ \ \ •\ \ \ \ \ •
The following morning, the phone rang at six thirty. Lorne had been dozing most of the night and answered the call on the first ring.
“Lorne, it’s me. We’ve had a breakthrough.”
She sat up quickly. “What’s that, Katy?”
“We’ve got another victim—a man, except he’s not dead. He survived an attack.”
“Wow, that’s brilliant. Can he name his attacker?”
“It was a woman, a Dawn Gideon. We’ve run a check, and it’s a fake name. The exciting part is he’s agreed to help us and is willing to work with the police sketch artist.”
“Terrific. When?”
“This morning, first thing. I’ll get back to you later. I couldn’t wait to share the good news. I’m hoping to have more good news later, once I’ve chased up several lines of enquiries.”
“Keep me informed. I’ve got Jeff coming at nine this morning to collect three of the dogs. After that, I’m free.”
“Crap, I bet Charlie’s cut up about that?”
“She’s accepted it. Ring me later if you can?”
“Okay, I have a feeling this is going to turn out to be an excellent day,” Katy said enthusiastically.
Lorne got up and went downstairs. The back door was unlocked, so she walked out to the kennels in her dressing gown, the collar of which she scrunched up around her neck to ward off the chill. Creeping into the kennels, she heard Charlie nattering away to the dogs. Lorne followed her daughter’s voice down the length of the kennel and tucked herself away before she reached the end. Peeking around the corner, she saw her daughter and the three dogs that were due to depart in a few hours sitting in a group huddle.
“You’re going to love it, guys. Make sure you remember us, though, eh?”
Three sets of adoring eyes stared up at Charlie. She gulped noisily and kissed each of the dog’s heads. Rusty licked at the saltiness tears had left on her cheeks. She gave him an extra hug and stood up.
“All right, love?”
Charlie’s hand covered her chest. “You startled me. Yeah, I’m good, just saying yet another farewell. Why is life so unfair? We never seem to live with the happy times for long before another shitty bout comes darting around the corner.”
Lorne held out her hand, and Charlie slipped her hand inside hers. They walked back out of the kennel and towards the house. “That’s life, love. Periodically, we’re thrown a bunch of predicaments that we need to sort out. It’s how we sort out such dilemmas which determines what type of person we are. I don’t know, maybe it’s God’s way of testing us.”
“But you don’t believe in God.”
“Who said that? I believe something is out there. When the chips are down, I find myself asking for his help, so I must believe in God a little. I just don’t shove the fact down people’s throats like others do.”
“I think I’m like you in that respect.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Granddad always used to tell me that you were moulding yourself into a mini me. I see so many of my traits, both good and bad, in you. We’ll just have to restrain the bad ones and push forward the good ones, and then you’ll be perfect, unlike me, who’s almost perfect.”
•\ \ \ \ \ •\ \ \ \ \ •
After showering and throwing on a T-shirt and jeans, Lorne treated them both to pancakes for breakfast, filled with lashings of lemon and sugar. Then they both sat at the kitchen table and watched the hands of the clock on the wall rotate their way around to eight fifty-five. The sound of a car pulling up in the driveway made Charlie run over to the back door and look out.
“He’s here,” she said sullenly.
“Chin up, love. Be brave. Please don’t let the dogs see how upset you are.”
“I’ll do my best, Mum. Shall we go out and meet him?”
Lorne rose from the table. “Why not. Happy faces on, and here we go.”
Jeff was at the rear of his van, making sure all the travel cages were in order and safely strapped in. “Hello, ladies, lovely day.”
“Morning, Jeff. We’ll go gather the troops. Shall we bring them out one by one?”
“Whichever way you want to do it, Lorne, is fine by me.”
Charlie ran ahead. Lorne suspected her daughter wanted to snatch another cuddle or two before she arrived to put the leashes on the dogs.
Lorne whistled as she entered the kennels, knowing she had to put a brave front on for Charlie’s sake, but inside, her own heart was on the verge of splitting in two. “Happy faces,” she reminded Charlie as they slipped the leashes on, and the dogs dragged them excitedly out into the fresh air.
Jeff smiled as they approached him. “All set, boys? This is for you, Charlie.” He held out a carrier bag.
Charlie looked inside and pulled out a T-shirt that had Jeff’s training school insignia emblazoned on the front.
“Wow! Thanks so much. It’s cool.”
Jeff smiled. “It’s the least I could do.” He opened the door to the first cage, and Rusty jumped in without hesitation. The dog turned to face them and sat patiently as the other two dogs followed his lead. Jeff didn’t prolong the agony any more than was necessary. Once the dogs were all loaded, he shook hands with Lorne and Charlie and promised to keep them updated with the dogs’ progress as soon as they started training in a few days.