For Your Own Protection(30)

She took a couple more seconds to turn back round, her smile quite sad. ‘You don’t need to say sorry, Matt. You really don’t.’

‘Gabriel wants me to start back in just under two weeks’ time.’

‘Right . . .’

‘He’s invited me for dinner tonight at Eden to discuss my return.’

‘Sounds cool.’

‘I want to carry on teaching the evening class until then. I don’t want to leave you in the lurch.’

‘That’s good.’ Amy nodded. ‘The guys will appreciate it.’ She seemed troubled, frowning at some thought.

‘Will you be able to get a replacement with a fortnight’s notice?’

She nodded. ‘We’ll find someone. It’s just . . .’ She hesitated.

‘The assessment,’ Matt finished. ‘The assessment is the week after that.’

‘You can’t delay returning to the bank?’

‘Gabriel wants me to accompany him on a trip to New York that week,’ Matt explained. ‘I don’t think I could get out of it.’

‘Of course,’ Amy replied.

‘If there was another way, I’d do it. I feel bad about it all.’

‘Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. We’ll find someone.’

‘And Harvey?’

‘I’ll speak to him, explain things. He’ll understand. You’ve got him to such a great place, and he’s got real momentum behind him going towards the assessment. I think he’ll be okay.’

Matt could see the doubt in Amy’s eyes, and he swallowed down his feelings of guilt.

‘I hope so, Amy, I honestly do.’



Matt walked back home via Regent’s Park, mulling over his decision to accept Gabriel’s offer, the implications for the class at the college, and Amy’s reaction. It had been muted, but he knew her too well not to have seen the disappointment.

Matt sat on a bench and watched the people stroll by. He began to think about Beth and James Farrah.

Could he really deny Beth what she wanted? After all he had put her through?

He came to an uncomfortable yet firm conclusion.

After a few minutes, his mind turned once again to Catherine. He needed to find out the truth. And with Catherine not answering her mobile, and clearing out of her flat, there was only one person who offered the possibility of finding out more.

Eddie – the man from the pub.





CHAPTER TWENTY


Matt entered The Admiral. It was only eleven in the morning, but the barman had said Eddie was there most days, all day, so Matt wasn’t surprised to see the guy sitting over in the far corner, pint in hand, watching the football highlights. Matt exchanged a glance with the barman as he approached the bar.

‘I guess you’ve already seen Eddie?’ the barman said. ‘Over in the corner.’

Matt nodded.

‘What can I get you?’

Matt slid his eyes across the pumps. He wanted to say something like a fruit juice or cola, but even though it was a bit early for a beer, he thought it might go down better with Eddie. ‘Pint of London Pride, please.’

‘Sure. Good luck with the conversation,’ the barman said, as he began to fill the glass. ‘I hope you get what you want out of it. Eddie’s not in the best of moods this morning. Already had to tell him off for shouting at another of our regulars.’

‘Sounds great.’

The man smiled as he brought the pint down gently on the bar. ‘If you bought him one of these, it might help things a little.’

Matt thought for a second. ‘Go on then, two pints of London Pride.’

‘Good man.’

Matt took both drinks and made his way over to Eddie, who didn’t seem to have noticed his presence, such was his attention on the television.

‘Eddie.’

He didn’t move a muscle. Matt might as well have been invisible.

‘Eddie. I need to talk to you. About what you said. You remember me, don’t you?’

Still no movement. Not even the slightest tell that he knew Matt was standing there.

‘Eddie?’

Nothing.

‘I’ve bought you a pint,’ he tried, holding up the drink in his right hand.

‘Well, I guess you’d better sit down,’ Eddie said, in a slow, deliberate drawl. He still didn’t take his eyes off the screen as Matt took the stool opposite and placed both drinks down on the table.

‘I’ve come to talk to you about what you said the other day, about Catherine.’

Now Eddie did turn his attention away from the screen. He smiled, and Matt realised he was already drunk. It was before midday and the alcohol was in command. ‘Did you ask her,’ he said, ‘what her real name is?’

Matt closed his eyes briefly. ‘I told her about what you’d said to me. That she wasn’t who she said she was.’

Eddie looked smug. ‘I knew you’d ask her.’ He leaned forward as he slid the pint Matt had offered him over to his side of the table, next to a glass that was still half full. ‘And what did she say to that?’

Matt didn’t particularly feel like sharing all the details with this man. But if he wanted to get anything out of him, he couldn’t really afford to be evasive. ‘She refused to explain. She just left.’