And your friend?
Her name isnt important, Elyss told him quickly.
Not important! He seemed astounded. Driving without due care and attention, giving a false name, to itemise but two misdemeanours. We havent come yet to the criminal act of driving while not insured. Add
Shes not well, Elyss interrupted quickly, having heard quite enough to be going on with. Shes having boyfriend trouble. Shes...
Shes in a whole heap of trouble! Saul pronounced curtly. And so, if youll forgive me for saying so, are you.
Elyss stared at him. This interview wasnt going anywhere near as well as she had hoped. Will you not give me time to pay what Ill owe you? She repeated the question she had asked earlier. The impossible question.
You work? he asked bluntly.
Yes.
What do you do?
I work, mainly in administration, in a wholesalers.
Who?
She did not like his questions. She did not want to tell him who she worked for. But, she realised, she didnt have a choice. Howard Butler and Company, she reluctantly answered.
How much do you make? Cheeky devil! It was none of his business! Though... She stopped short. Of course it was his business. If he was considering allowing her to settle her debt by instalmentswhich meant he would have to pay the garage bill out of his own pocketthen she supposed he had every right to assess whether she was likely to default on those payments. She told him how much she earned. She hadnt expected him to be impressed. He wasnt.
Ive only been there a short while, she defended.
And Mr Butler was so kind in offering me the job, I dont like to ask for more.
His look said, More fool you, but he refrained from making such a comment. He enquired instead, Is that your sole income?
She felt embarrassed. Saul Pendleton was quick. Hed have worked out by now that shed still be in his debt years from now. Yes, she mumbled.
You live in a smart area, he stated. Pay rent?
Heavens above! Louise hadnt been joking when shed said he was a tough operator. Straight, resoluteand you did try to put one over on him at your peril! Elyss gave a shaky sigh. Yes, she replied. She should never have come. Though what other way was there open to her? But there are four of us, she added. We each contribute a
All women? he cut in abruptly. What had that got to do with anything?
Of course! Elyss answered, a shade primly she had to ownbut his tone nettled her.
And how long, even assuming Im prepared to condone your criminal act, he inserted, do you think youll be in my debt?
He knew the answer to that as well as she. She gave him a defeated look. What are you going to do? she asked.
What do you think I should do? he tossed back, but did not wait for her to reply. He concisely stripped the whole issue down to one sentence. Youre criminally uninsured and are ultimately responsible for damage to my vehicle to the tune of at least two thousand pounds. Youre not seriously suggesting, the criminal aspect apart, that I do nothing?
She must have been in cloud-cuckoo-land to have ever accepted his invitation to come here tonight, Elyss realised. I suppose not, she mumbled unhappily, aware that she had achieved nothing other than to discover that she was, financially, in far deeper trouble than she had estimated. That thought panicked her again. I dont suppose you could claim off your insurance company, could you? she asked in a rush.
Saul Pendleton studied her eager expression silently for a moment. Hope grewand was knocked flat again when he replied, I could. But, since Id have to give them full details of the accident, Im fairly certain theyd take you to court for the recovery of their money. Oh, Lord. She was in a mess whatever he chose to do. If he didnt prosecute her then his insurance company would. He stood up, reaching for her raincoat. The interview, it was plainwith no conclusion reachedwas over. Leave it with me, Saul Pendleton decreed, holding her raincoat out for her to put it on. Ill think about it, and be in touch.
Her spirits lifted. She turned, buttoning her coat, looking at him. Was there a chance? Thank you, she said quietly, afraid to say more, afraid that he might change his mind, and that any small hope that they could come to some sort of an agreement would be gone. She turned towards the door, and he went with her into the hall. You have my address? she thought to enquire, and wished she hadnt. Hed think her stupid. Of course he had her addresshe had commented on it being in a smart area. Oh! she suddenly exclaimed as they reached the hall door.
Oh? he queried as she stopped dead and looked up at him.
C-could I ask you not to call at the flat? she asked anxiously, in no position to ask favours but...
I doubt I was proposing to do that, Saul Pendleton drawled. How was it that she could feel ready to beg while, at the same time, she also felt sorely inclined to stamp her foot down hard on his? He confused her; there was just something about him that affected her oddly. But, he resumed, if youd rather I didnt.
Sarcastic swine. Nikki. She didnt want to explainbut who held all the aces? Certainly not her. Shesernot coping very well at the moment, she elaborated. Shes a bundle of nerves. It would take little more to...
Hmm, he butted in, and did nothing to raise himself in Elyss popularity stakes when he grunted, In which case you should never have let her have your car! This was a lecture she didnt need! He opened the door and walked her to the lift. Ill contact you when Ive given your problem some thought, he pronounced. And that was that.
Elyss made her way back to the flat in a disconsolate frame of mind. Saul Pendleton was treating the matter as her problem rather than his. Which, since he wasnt the one with the threat of court action hanging over him, it was, she supposed dejectedly. But, given that hed said he would give her problem some thought, the nearer she got to her flat, the more she realised that, as clever as he was, he would not be able to come up with any solution. Nikki might have been the one who crashed into him, but it was her car, and it was she, Elyss Harvey, who hadnt had that car covered by insurance.
The rest of the week dragged by, with Elyss camped near the telephone every evening, ready to snatch it up should it ring. It rang on Tuesday for Victoria, on Wednesday for Louise and on Thursday Elysss mother telephoned for a chat.
Everything all right? her mother asked.
Couldnt be better, Elyss repliedthere were just some things you didnt worry your parents with.
On Friday evening she and Louise went with Nikki who had a doctors appointment. Dr Lowe had been her GP for years, and Nikki was in his surgery for some while. She seemed a little better for having a chat with him, and was keen to start taking the medication he had prescribed.
The weekend dragged by, with Victoria out most of the time and either Elyss and Nikki, or Louise and Nikki, or sometimes all three of them, walking and talking together.
Elyss rang her parents on Sunday, but that was the only time she touched the telephone that weekend. It rang, but the calls were never for her.
She went to work on Monday morning realising that she was going to have to get an additional job. She couldnt do evening work because she never knew how late she was going to have to work at the office. But, except once every five or six weeks, when she travelled down to Devon, her weekends were free.
She went to work on Monday morning realising that she was going to have to get an additional job. She couldnt do evening work because she never knew how late she was going to have to work at the office. But, except once every five or six weeks, when she travelled down to Devon, her weekends were free.
She had been at her desk for an hour, getting deep into some work and putting to the back of her mind her plans to hopefully find work as a barmaid, a cleaner, a chauffeuseshe was ready to do anythingwhen the phone on her desk rang.
Youre through, she heard Peggy the switchboard operator saythen there was silence.
Hello? Elyss enquired.
Pendleton, replied the voice she had been hearing in her sleep.
She was shaken. She had been waiting for his call. For a week she had been waiting for his call. But not for a moment had she thought he would ring her at her place of work! It threw her. What are you ringing me here for? she asked without thinking.
Youd prefer that I didnt? he enquired silkily.
She took a steadying breath. Circumstances decreed that she swallowed her ire. No, no, she denied. Its just that I rather supposed youd ring me at home when youderercome to... Her voice petered out as her throat went dry. He must have decided what he was going to do!
I had an idea your flat was out of bounds, he drawled.
Youveumgot a point there, she agreed evenly, though he wasnt to know that if Nikki was about, then, the moment Elyss knew it was Saul Pendleton calling, she had planned to take the phone to her room and have her conversation with him in private. Louise and Victoria, however, were acquainted with the fact that she was awaiting this particular phone call. Youve-er... Oh, what on earth was she hesitating about? There could be only one reason why he had phoned. Youve reached a decision? she asked, and clutched hard onto the phone receiver as she waited to hear what was to be her fate.
She was no further forward afterbeing nowhere near as shy as she was when it came to blunt talkinghe abruptly told her, I dont intend to discuss it over the phone. Well have dinner tonight.
Oh, will we? Oh, what a man he was for rattling her! Just like that: Well have dinner, and he expected her to jump at the chance! She was about to tell him that she was very fussy about whom she deigned to dine withwhy should he think hed cornered the market on blunt talking?when it very quickly dawned on her that he was right. If he said jump, then she jolly well had to jump.
Very well, she accepted politely, as any well brought up young lady might.
I gather youd rather I didnt come to your flat to collect you? Clearly he had never doubted but that she would accept.
You gather correctly, she replied evenly.
Ill send a taxi. Be ready at eight.
He was gone. End of conversation. Be readyend of story, no debate. What was it about this man that made her go from controlled to confused, from hot and anxious to cross and ready to stamp on his foot? Never had she met a man who could so easily raise her hackles. But then, she wasnt used to being bossed aroundit was hard to take. However, she faced it: she was just not in any position to do anything about it.
Elyss made a point of leaving work on time that night. All three of her flatmates were home when she arrived. Nikki was looking a little better than she had last Monday, Elyss was glad to note.
Do you want to share in the Spanish omelette and salad Im conjuring up? Victoria asked cheerfully.
Her Spanish omelettes were most adventurous, Elyss had discovered, consisting mainly of anything left over and cooked inside beaten eggs. Thanks, but no. Imerhaving dinner out tonight, Elyss declined, and knew she had gone red when three pairs of eyes stared at her.
Youre blushing! Victoria teased. Youve got a date! Youve actually accepted...
Leave her alone, Victoria, theres a love. This came quietly from Louise.
Elyss looked over to her. Louise was clearer thinking than either Victoria or Nikki. Elyss was fairly certain that Louise had twigged that for date she should read second interview with Saul Pendleton.
Anyone want a cup of tea? Elyss asked, her date not up for discussion.
Ill make it, Victoria volunteered sunnily. You go and shower and make yourself stunning for Mr Mystery.