Steven talked Tally through what would happen if the Pinetops affair was made public and saw the same frustration grow inside her that he had felt — the battle against an inescapable logic which concluded that saying nothing was the right thing to do — however unpalatable.
‘The bastards,’ said Tally. ‘There’s a reason for all these safeguards.’
‘My heart agrees but my head understands why everyone wants to speed things up if we really are at risk of a biological attack.’
‘What’s the evidence for that?’ asked Tally.
‘I haven’t seen it but the government believes an attack is inevitable. They insist that the intelligence is overwhelming. There’s no chance of getting the vaccines we require developed and tested through the normal channels so they’re smoothing the way wherever possible.’
‘And giving rise to misunderstandings…’
‘So it would appear,’ agreed Steven.
‘Do you believe them?’ asked Tally, watching Steven closely for the slightest flicker of his eyes or any change in body language that might belie his response.
Steven was aware of her scrutiny. ‘There are still some things that disturb me,’ he said. ‘Yet I have no option but to accept what they say. On the other hand… I don’t think I’ve been told the whole truth about the Pinetops disaster… There’s something not quite right with their version of what went wrong with the vaccine and how.’
Tally saw this as a scaling down of the main argument and it showed on her face but she reined in her temper, recognising that continuing to express outrage wasn’t going to get them anywhere. She poured them both a drink and sat down. ‘How so?’
Steven told her about his discussion with Dutton.
Tally looked doubtful. ‘If that’s what they were bottling before the vaccine run, surely it has to be the number one suspect?’ she said. ‘Even if they didn’t actually use the same production line, they might still have transferred parts from it, a filter, a dispensing head, a piece of tubing. How else could it get in, or are you suggesting that someone actually injected it into the vials deliberately?’
Steven made a face and shook his head. ‘No, you’re probably right but Dutton is an experienced man… He wouldn’t have made an elementary mistake like transferring a contaminated filler head from one line to another…’
‘It didn’t have to be him,’ said Tally. ‘I still think it’s odds on the fault was in the production process.’
‘Maybe that’s what we were meant to think…’
Tally looked at him questioningly. ‘Very cryptic,’ she said. ‘You could write tag lines for EastEnders… Doof, doof…’ She hummed the theme tune.
‘I just don’t feel comfortable about it. And now they are closing down the company. Something doesn’t ring true.’
‘You’re right,’ said Tally. ‘A company admitting liability and doing the decent thing doesn’t ring true at all these days.’
‘But don’t you see, there was no pressure on them,’ said Steven. ‘The affair’s not going to be made public so there will be no tabloid editors demanding blood, no TV reporters standing outside the building, demanding to know what happened. It’s a small company so there are no shareholders to worry about. Why shut up shop before any detailed investigation has taken place?’
‘I hate to say it but isn’t this a minor consideration, Steven?’ asked Tally. ‘Does the precise mechanism of how the toxin got into the vials really matter in the great scheme of things when the damage has already been done and these children have been harmed? Isn’t it academic?’
‘No, it isn’t,’ insisted Steven. ‘People keep saying this but it’s like the piece of a jigsaw puzzle left over at the end when you thought the picture was complete. You can either hide it and pretend everything’s okay or admit there’s a problem and take a closer look only to discover that some of the pieces don’t really fit at all: it’s all just an illusion.’
Tally looked at him with an indulgent smile. ‘If you say so,’ she said. ‘I don’t know about you but I think I’ve had enough of cold reality for one week. I think we should make good our escape from it by drinking far more than the BMA would recommend and end up behaving in an absolutely outrageous and wanton manner, finishing up in a scenario featuring my bed with my backside bouncing off it… like there was no tomorrow.’
Steven broke into a huge smile. ‘Talk about good ideas…’ he said, slipping his hand slowly under Tally’s sweater. ‘But let’s not rush things…’ He pushed Tally’s bra up and sought out her right nipple with his tongue.
‘If you… say so,’ murmured Tally appreciatively.
‘Oh, I do,’ said Steven. ‘I have a feeling this is going to take… ages.’ He moved his attentions to Tally’s left breast while continuing to circle her right nipple with the side of his thumb.
‘Oh, that is gorgeous…’
Steven saw that Tally had her eyes closed but the smile on her lips spoke volumes. He continued his adoration of her breasts while he loosened her jeans and eased them off: Tally assisted by raising her bottom, letting Steven’s right hand roam freely over her buttocks and between her thighs, taking direction from the sighs and groans he was provoking.
‘You’re all wet…’ he whispered as he slipped his hand into her panties while moving his mouth down over her stomach and tracing a line with his tongue. ‘Deliciously wet…’
‘And you are all hard,’ groaned Tally, reaching down to free what was pressing for release from Steven’s trousers.
‘Time to see if your mattress will take it…?’
‘Absolutely,’ gasped Tally.
‘The sun’s shining,’ whispered Steven in Tally’s ear. She responded by turning away and pulling the covers up.
‘It’s a beautiful day.’
‘It’s Sunday,’ complained Tally. ‘Have you no heart?’
‘No… I think I’ve lost it to a beautiful lady,’ whispered Steven as he kissed Tally’s neck gently.
‘Mmm… You’re a heartless monster…’ she murmured but a smile had settled on her lips. ‘How is a girl to get her beauty sleep…?’
‘She doesn’t need it. She’s already gorgeous.’
‘Too much,’ giggled Tally. ‘What is it you’re after, Dunbar? As if I didn’t know…’
Steven smiled broadly. ‘Well, that too,’ he agreed. ‘But I thought we might have the perfect Sunday. We’ll have a walk in the sunshine, find some place that’ll serve us Bloody Marys while we read the papers and then have a long, self-indulgent lunch… before we come back and watch the football on TV.’
Tally’s eyes shot open. ‘What?’ she exclaimed.
‘Just joking,’ smiled Steven. ‘But I got your attention.’
‘Monster, monster, monster,’ complained Tally as she rained mock blows on Steven’s chest. ‘What am I going to do with you?’
‘Well, first…’ murmured Steven. ‘I thought you might…’
Tally had a fit of the giggles. ‘You are impossible,’ she said but she gave in.
Tally, dressed in jeans and a soft leather blouson over a white T-shirt, slipped her keys into her handbag and gave the flat door a final check before saying to Steven, ‘You know, I don’t think I’ve ever had a Bloody Mary before.’
‘It’ll give you an appetite,’ said Steven, slipping his arm round her shoulders. ‘But I’m depending on you to suggest a nice place?’
‘My sister keeps talking about a place called the Riverside Tavern, out by Marley Wood. We could try that?’
‘Excellent.’
They stepped outside into the sunshine and paused for a moment to enjoy its warmth on their faces. ‘Mmm,’ said Tally. ‘This is how weekends should be.’ She looked up at Steven who smiled and hugged her closer.
‘No argument there.’
‘Let’s go in my car,’ said Tally. ‘Then I won’t have to shout directions at you.’
Steven rested his arm on the roof of Tally’s Renault Clio while she got her keys out. He was about to say
