“Problems, eh?”
“I’ll survive, but I could use more hours in a day. You know how it is when you’re self-employed.”
Alice nodded. “A lot of hassle.”
“Well, if you ever want to move home, you can have a job at my restaurant. I could use someone like you at front of house. You’d be a great hostess.”
“Thanks, Kasper. Good to know there’s something more female waiting for me here.”
“I meant it as a compliment.”
Alice sighed. “Well it’s not. I’ve a serious TV show waiting for me back in London.”
Kasper raised his eyebrows. “Sorry. I guess we’ve a lot of catching up to do.”
“Come on. Let’s walk and talk.”
By the time they ambled through the university and strolled by the cathedral, Alice had told Kasper her story. He nodded occasionally, and Alice had to look at him from time to time, to make sure he was listening to her and not concentrating on his restaurant business or his brittle wine glasses. “So,” he said. “Everything is okay now, yeah?”
“I hope the worst is over. And I’ve stopped using Twitter and FaceBook.”
He said nothing as they turned onto Skindergade and they walked in silence for a moment. He took a deep breath and glanced her way and Alice furrowed her brow. “What?” she asked.
“Mama has a problem. Big problem.”
“Oh yeah?”
“For sure. Yes. Cancer. It started in her breast and now it’s everywhere. Lungs, liver, bowels, pancreas.”
“She say that?”
Kasper stopped and grabbed her. “It’s serious, Alice. She’ll be dead in months, maybe weeks.”
“I see.”
“Christ, Alice. Don't you care?”
“Of course I care, but you know how it is.”
“I’ve made my peace. You should too.”
Alice scoffed. “Never could admit she was wrong. Everything was always someone else’s fault.”
“The cancer changed her. Once she looked death in the eye, she searched for her soul.”
“That must have taken a while to find.”
Kasper laughed and they continued walking. “She’s changed.”
“Sure.”
Kasper stared down the street and took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He shook one loose, lit it and took a long pull. “She needs to see you Alice. Before, you know...”
Alice waved away a cloud of blue smoke and leaned into Kasper. “Did she ask for me?”
He nodded. “Yes. She wants to see you. You’ll regret it if you don't.”
47
Cole drank coffee in a restaurant called Sunny’s, with a carry bag at his feet. Fifteen minutes had passed since he spoke to Birdy, and Birdy still hadn’t called back with the promised update.
His phone buzzed before he ran out of patience, and he almost dropped it when he swiped the screen to take the call. “Well? What did he say?”
“He said there were no viewings booked today. So I said I’d meet him in his office in about 30 minutes.”
“And it was Flanagan you spoke to?”
Birdy laughed. “Yeah. Mark Flanagan. Sounded like a stupid prick.”
“Know what you mean.” Cole glanced around the cafe and lowered his voice. “Flanagan told me the girl was in Copenhagen and the guy was away on business. Did he say anything about them? Like, are they still away?”
“I asked him if it was vacant possession and he said it wasn’t. They haven’t moved out yet. Then I asked if it would it be possible to view it with the occupiers present and he said no. Like you said, he may be a stupid prick, but at least he’s a talkative stupid prick.”
“So, I’m good to go?”
“Yeah. Reckon you’ve got at least 45 minutes. Enough to jerk into her undies.”
Cole scowled. “Fuck you and all.”
Outside the coffee shop, Cole took a high vis vest and a hard hat from the carry bag. Then he pulled on a pair of tight-fitting gloves. Looking much like a construction worker with a bag of tools, he strode down the street towards the house. He fingered the keys in his pocket, wondering what part of Scully he'd shove them into if they didn’t work. When he got to the front door, he pressed the doorbell as a precaution.
He glanced up and down the street. The occasional pedestrian walked by on the path behind him. None as much as glanced his way. He counted to twenty, then slipped the first key into the latch. He tried to turn it, but it wouldn't move. With a deft move, he tried the other key. Same result. Shit. He knew he shouldn’t, but he looked behind again to check no-one watched. Shit. He switched keys again. He jiggled it and thought he felt movement. When he pulled it out a fraction and jiggled again, it seemed to catch. He squinted and twisted the key. Then the lock turned.
He stepped in and shut the door. The low beeping of the alarm echoed around the hall. At the control panel, he held his breath as he punched in 8294. When the beeping stopped, his shoulders relaxed and he let out a sigh. He separated the dud key from the good key and put it in his back pocket.
Cole checked every room downstairs, even the cupboard beneath the stairs, ensuring no surprises lurked, then he hurried up the stairs and entered each room, leaving the main bedroom until last.
Satisfied he was alone, he went to work. First, he located the wireless router under the hall table, and using his phone, photographed the connection code printed on the rear. Back upstairs, he went into the office, reached into his bag and removed a small wireless camera along with some tools.
He examined the camera again. It looked like an alarm motion sensor and should go unnoticed. It contained
