Chapter 44
It was just shy of one o’clock.
The union bar was starting to fill up. It was a Saturday. Lucy and Suzy had positioned themselves at the far left of the bar, perched on stools that gave them a good view of the room.
They had been chatting to Carol, a third-year history student who was working the shift with the older full- time manager called Sian.
Sian had told Lucy that Ryan would be coming on shift from one o’clock. It wasn’t the first time she had been asked that particular question over the couple of months that Ryan had been working for her and she very much doubted that it would be the last. Ryan, it seemed, was very popular with the female students.
Carol handed a soda-and-lime to Suzy.
‘Thanks. Terrible thing about what happened to those girls last night.’
‘It’s disgusting,’ agreed the barmaid. ‘A couple of No Means No leaflets and that’s all the protection they reckon we need.’
‘Too true,’ agreed Lucy.
‘I certainly won’t be working any more night shifts.’
‘Were you working last night, then?’ asked Suzy pretending ignorance.
‘No. And I’m bloody glad, too. It could have been any one of us.’
‘Yeah,’ agreed Lucy. Although she had her doubts.
She sipped on her own soda-and-lime and wondered how much more of the stuff she could drink. She looked across to the doorway and nudged Suzy with her foot as Ryan the barman came in.
He waved at a group of three women who were sitting at a table with papers and books spread out before them. They waved back enthusiastically.
‘Popular lad,’ said Lucy quietly.
‘I wouldn’t waste your time,’ said Carol, amused. ‘That boy’s in lurve.’
‘Oh yeah?’ replied Suzy. ‘Who with? Himself?’
Carol laughed. ‘No, Ryan’s all right. But it seems it’s unrequited love, so who knows?’
‘Who’s the lucky lady, then?’
Carol nodded to a young woman who had come in while they were chatting. She was sitting alone at a table partly hidden from view by one of the carved stone pillars holding the roof in place.
She was strikingly attractive, with long blonde hair, baby-blue eyes set in a creamy complexion, Cupid’s-bow lips painted pillar-box red. She wore jeans and a short-sleeved rugby shirt. The only thing marring the perfect image was the bandage she wore on her lower right arm, although she made even that look like a fashion statement. But there was also a sadness in her big come-to-bed eyes.
Laura Skelton.
Chapter 45
No wonder the barman had the hots for Laura, thought Suzy.
She liked the look of her herself. And when she did go for women she normally went for brunettes. Dan Carter and she had that much in common.
Ryan stood with his back to them, talking to Laura Skelton for a few moments, then headed to the side of the bar, lifting a flap to swap places with Carol who sketched a wave to Lucy as she left. ‘Good luck,’ she said as she passed.
Lucy nodded back, pretending to be a little flustered and letting the barman catch it. All good cover, she thought. Besides, if the barman was innocent, and single…
Suzy flicked her a half-smile, snapping her out of her reverie. ‘Be interesting to hear what he said to her.’
Lucy nodded to the security camera. ‘Be on tape. Can’t see him incriminating himself if he is involved, though.’
Ryan Williams came across at that moment and gave them a smile of his own, but an almost apologetic one. ‘I don’t believe I have seen you ladies here before,’ he said.
‘No,’ said Suzy, giving it the full tilt with her chin. ‘We’re virgins.’
‘To the bar, she means,’ added Lucy.
‘Can I see your NUS cards then, please?’ he said.
‘What kind of girls do you think we are?’ said Suzy in mock outrage. ‘I’ve never had an STD in my life.’
The barman didn’t smile. He’d heard it plenty of times before. ‘I said NUS. No ID and I will have to ask you to leave, I’m afraid. Particularly after what happened last night.’
‘It’s not safe, you mean?’ asked Lucy, giving a good impression of a nervous woman.
‘No, you’re perfectly safe. We’ve just had a lot of journalists trying to blag their way on campus today. It’s been all over the news.’
Suzy laughed. ‘Do we look like journalists?’ She held up her hand before Ryan could reply. ‘It’s okay, sheriff, you can keep your weapon holstered for now.’
She pulled out an NUS card and held it up as Lucy rummaged in her bag for hers. It had taken them less than five minutes to get them mocked-up back at the office earlier. ‘See?’ she said. ‘We’re both pickers of apples from the tree of wisdom.’
Ryan looked at the cards briefly and nodded. ‘Sorry. I have to ask.’
Suzy nodded too, all serious now. ‘Absolutely. And I’m glad you did. God knows, we all have to look out for each other. Especially now,’ she added as Laura Skelton approached the bar.
‘Can I just get a coffee, please, Ryan? Cappuccino,’ she said.
‘It’s on the house.’ The barman beamed at her and hurried off to the other end of the bar where an espresso machine was set back on the counter.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Suzy said to Laura.
‘For what?’
‘You probably heard us talking. Saying we all had to look out for each other. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.’
‘It’s okay,’ said Laura. ‘I just wish I could have looked out for them better.’ She ran a hand reflexively along her bandaged arm.
‘Do the police know any more?’ asked Lucy.
Laura shook her head. ‘I still can’t believe what happened. Why take Hannah, why leave us behind? God, they could have killed Chloe.’ Her eyes welled. ‘What are they going to do to Hannah?’
Suzy stroked her arm. ‘Hey, it’s going to be all right. I am sure she is going to be fine.’
‘Did you know her?’
Suzy shook her head.
‘So how do you know that she’s going to be fine?’ Laura snapped.
‘If she’s been kidnapped it wouldn’t make sense to harm her.’
‘But she’s not rich. Her father has some money, but he’s just a car dealer back in San Diego. He’s not a multimillionaire or anything.’
Ryan came back with the coffee and Laura nodded at him, not really registering his presence.
‘We were just about to have lunch,’ said Lucy. ‘Why don’t you join us? I’m Lucy by the way.’
‘Thanks.’
‘And I’m Suzy Malone,’ said Suzy, smiling as she held out her hand. Laura took it and held on for a while, and when Suzy looked in her eyes there was a definite charge.
Suzy let Laura’s hand go. She was working. Never mix business with pleasure. Wasn’t that the golden rule?
