But the negative thoughts from the other side promoted a different view. Ian and Olivia were both in Birmingham. Olivia had condoms in her bag. Ian and Olivia had flirted that lunch time in the Ivy. Olivia had even squeezed his arm.
Those thoughts prodded Kristin. Goaded her. Reminded her that for several weeks, Olivia had made excuses not to sleep with her. Soon, Kristin succumbed to her anxious propaganda. They’re sleeping with each other. My girlfriend is having sex with a man. Your best friend’s man. She shook her head and took a bite of the sandwich while she tried to counter her anger and fear. But no reasoning could prevent her from wallowing in the pool of bitterness.
99
The hotel room seemed smaller each hour. By lunch time, Alice had enough, and she called DS Kapoor.
“Hey Alice. Everything okay?”
“No. Not at all. I’m going crazy in here.”
“What? But it’s only been 3 days.”
Alice pulled on her hair and stared out the window. “Feels like a lifetime.”
“Is there someone with you?”
“No. I’m alone. Nothing to do but think. Like jail.”
“But you’re safe. He doesn't know where you are.”
“But if he doesn’t know where I am, I might as well be at home, right?”
Kapoor sighed. “He might look for you at home.”
“But his camera’s gone, we changed the lock, and he doesn't know the alarm code.”
“Maybe if you put in extra security?”
“Maybe if you caught him?”
“We’re doing everything we can.”
Alice turned away from the window. “What security?”
“Perhaps put CCTV at your doors, front and rear, maybe one in the hall?”
“I don't know. I think I’ve had enough of cameras spying on me. Can’t you have someone watch the house?”
“I’m sorry Alice, we don’t have the resources. Even if we did, there is no guarantee this guy will back, so we couldn’t justify it. If you take reasonable precautions, you will be fine.”
Alice lay back on the bed. “There’s something else...”
“Go on.”
“I agreed to do an interview with Xtra News at home this evening. You think I should?”
“I guess that depends on what you say. You could mention the police are investigating the assault and are pursuing strong leads.”
Alice stared at the ceiling. “That’s stretching things, huh?”
“But knowing the police are investigating might prevent him from trying again.”
“Yeah?”
“He might move on to someone else.”
“I thought stalkers are obsessed with their target. It’s what drives them. The obsession, right?”
“Just be careful, Alice.” Kapoor hesitated. “Remember, we are doing everything we can.”
100
Ian turned to Olivia on the stairs. “Before we meet these guys, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Oh that text you sent. I assumed it’s about them.” She indicated upstairs with her thumb.
“Not them. It’s Alice. She thinks we’re sleeping together.”
Olivia frowned. “You say something?”
“Of course not. Anyway, nothing ever happened between us, right?”
She waved a hand at him. “No. Absolutely nothing. Ever. But what makes her think that now?”
“Maybe she’s just upset.” Ian looked around and waited for someone to pass by. He lowered his voice. “Kristin may have mentioned condoms.”
“What’s that got to do with you?”
He shrugged. “Nothing.”
“Damn Kristin. Sometimes I wonder about her motives.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.”
An itch developed in Ian’s eyebrow and he scratched at it. “Alice is upset. Understandably. Think you could call her and say nothing’s going on between us?”
“Jesus, Ian. No.” Olivia shook her head. “That’s likely to make things worse.”
Ian looked down as heavy footsteps and voices sounded at the door. It was the people from the bank they were meeting for lunch. “I’ll talk to you later,” he whispered to Olivia. Then he waved down the stairs. “See you at the table guys.”
101
Almost an hour passed while Kristin nursed a coffee. An hour spent fighting with herself, two parts of the whole beating on each other. The negative and the positive. The wrong and the right. As usual, the negative prevailed.
The waiter gave her another dirty look, and she ordered a second coffee she didn't want. By the time it arrived with a heavy plonk that spilled some onto the saucer, she saw Olivia and Ian step onto the street.
Kristin picked up her phone and set the camera recording. She leaned back in her seat to make herself small and pretended to tap on the screen as she aimed it at them. She had to grip the phone tight to stop it shaking in her hand. Olivia and Ian crossed the cobbles and stopped, well out of earshot. Kristin felt the hairs on her arms rise as she watched them hug each other tight. Ian broke away and said something that looked like ‘I’ll call you’. Then they walked off in different directions.
Kristin put her hand up to cover her face as Olivia headed towards the coffee shop, but Olivia walked past as if lost in thought. Then Kristin stopped the recording and made sure she saved it. A city type with his suit jacket draped on the back of his chair turned to her with a look of concern. “Are you okay there?” he asked. His eyes flicked to her arms.
She nodded and slowed her breathing. “Just hot.”
“Yeah. It is. Lucky you don't have to wear a suit.” He nodded once and returned to his newspaper.
She looked down and saw red marks down one arm where she had scratched at
