drink?’
‘His name’s Lloyd, that’s his first name. Lloyd Durham, as in the city, but he’s from Reading.’
‘Not half so nice, though generally warmer.’ And Horton was wishing Lloyd was at either place right now, or on that small cruise liner on the pontoon.
‘Vodka and tonic, please. You don’t have to buy Lloyd a drink.’
Good, because he wasn’t offering. ‘Won’t Mr Glenn mind you being here?’ he asked. He was fishing and she knew he was.
‘Russell is working.’
‘Doing what?’
‘Trying to buy Portsmouth Football Club.’
‘You’re kidding!’
‘Yes, though I have been doing my best to persuade him. It might work yet.’
And with Avril doing the persuading, Horton wondered how Glenn could possibly refuse.
Horton went to the bar, nodding at Lloyd on his way and getting a nod in return. While he waited to be served he staved off his disappointment at not seeing Avril alone by wondering about Lloyd’s background. Ex-job? Walters would have said if he were, though knowing Walters he probably hadn’t asked. Ex-services perhaps, he looked fit enough for the marines or commandos. At least Glenn took protecting his wife seriously. Too seriously, he wondered briefly? No. Not if she went around wearing that kind of jewellery. And that made him even more concerned about Friday evening’s reception. If Avril touted that stuff as everyday wear then what the devil would be on show on Friday night?
He returned with her vodka and tonic and a Diet Coke for himself. Taking the glass in her beautifully manicured hand, she managed to brush her fingers against his. His heart stalled and for a moment he wondered if it would restart.
‘I heard DC Walters mention you to Lloyd this afternoon and I was curious to see if you remembered me.’
‘How could I forget?’ But he had.
‘It was a long time ago. You haven’t changed much.’
‘Neither have you.’
‘God, don’t tell me I’ve wasted all this money on expensive beauty treatments.’
‘Didn’t need it and still don’t,’ Horton said gallantly, enjoying himself. He made sure to angle his body so that he couldn’t see Lloyd.
She said, ‘You know I’m married but how about you? Married, engaged, divorced?’
‘About to be divorced and living on a boat, like you, but mine’s a permanent home, and a row boat compared to your palace. It’s in Southsea Marina. My marriage broke up last August. One child, Emma, nearly nine years old and beautiful.’
‘Of course, with a dad like you. We don’t have kids, never seemed to happen and I wasn’t that fussed anyway.’
‘There’s still time.’
‘No fear. Well, that’s got that out of the way. What shall we talk about now?’
Horton wanted to know why she wanted to see him, but instead asked, ‘How did you meet Russell?’
‘He was staying in the hotel where I was working in the south of France. He asked me to work for him as his PA eight years ago and things progressed from there.’
Horton recalled that he’d met Avril when she’d been working as a receptionist in a local hotel, much like Hannah Yately he thought briefly, with a twinge of guilt that he’d postponed visiting her father’s apartment. But one night wasn’t going to make any difference when Yately was in the mortuary. But what if he wasn’t? He should have checked or at least got the local police to check. He shifted and brought his mind back to when he and Avril had met. There had been a spate of thefts in the hotel where Avril was working. After a four month relationship Avril had called it quits by telling him she was going abroad to work.
‘And you’re happy?’ he said.
‘Who wouldn’t be?’ Her eyes slipped towards the boat.
It was an answer but not the right one, he thought. But then maybe for Avril it was, and she had got everything she’d ever needed and wanted. He recalled that she’d had it tough as a child, like him. But with her it had been a case of a drunken father who had pissed
‘His name’s Lloyd, that’s his first name. Lloyd Durham, as in the city, but he’s from Reading.’
‘Not half so nice, though generally warmer.’ And Horton was wishing Lloyd was at either place right now, or on that small cruise liner on the pontoon.
‘Vodka and tonic, please. You don’t have to buy Lloyd a drink.’
Good, because he wasn’t offering. ‘Won’t Mr Glenn mind you being here?’ he asked. He was fishing and she knew he was.
‘Russell is working.’
‘Doing what?’
‘Trying to buy Portsmouth Football Club.’
‘You’re kidding!’
‘Yes, though I have been doing my best to persuade him. It might work yet.’
And with Avril doing the persuading, Horton wondered how Glenn could possibly refuse.
Horton went to the bar, nodding at Lloyd on his way and getting a nod in return. While he waited to be served he staved off his disappointment at not seeing Avril alone by wondering about Lloyd’s background. Ex-job? Walters would have said if he were, though knowing Walters he probably hadn’t asked. Ex-services perhaps, he looked fit enough for the marines or commandos. At least Glenn took protecting his wife seriously. Too seriously, he wondered briefly? No. Not if she went around wearing that kind of jewellery. And that made him even more concerned about Friday evening’s reception. If Avril touted that stuff as everyday wear then what the devil would be on show on Friday night?
He returned with her vodka and tonic and a Diet Coke for himself. Taking the glass in her beautifully manicured hand, she managed to brush her fingers against his. His heart stalled and for a moment he wondered if it would restart.
‘I heard DC Walters mention you to Lloyd this afternoon and I was curious to see if you remembered me.’
‘How could I forget?’ But he had.
‘It was a long time ago. You haven’t changed much.’
‘Neither have you.’
‘God, don’t tell me I’ve wasted all this money on expensive beauty treatments.’
‘Didn’t need it and still don’t,’ Horton said gallantly, enjoying himself. He made sure to angle his body so that he couldn’t see Lloyd.
She said, ‘You know I’m married but how about you? Married, engaged, divorced?’
‘About to be divorced and living on a boat, like you, but mine’s a permanent home, and a row boat compared to your palace. It’s in Southsea Marina. My marriage broke up last August. One child, Emma, nearly nine years old and beautiful.’
‘Of course, with a dad like you. We don’t have kids, never seemed to happen and I wasn’t that fussed anyway.’
‘There’s still time.’
‘No fear. Well, that’s got that out of the way. What shall we talk about now?’
Horton wanted to know why she wanted to see him, but instead asked, ‘How did you meet Russell?’
‘He was staying in the hotel where I was working in the south of France. He asked me to work for him as his PA eight years ago and things progressed from there.’
Horton recalled that he’d met Avril when she’d been working as a receptionist in a local hotel, much like Hannah Yately he thought briefly, with a twinge of guilt that he’d postponed visiting her father’s apartment. But one night wasn’t going to make any difference when Yately was in the mortuary. But what if he wasn’t? He should have checked or at least got the local police to check. He shifted and brought his mind back to when he and Avril had met. There had been a spate of thefts in the hotel where Avril was working. After a four month relationship Avril had called it quits by telling him she was going abroad to work.
‘And you’re happy?’ he said.
‘Who wouldn’t be?’ Her eyes slipped towards the boat.
It was an answer but not the right one, he thought. But then maybe for Avril it was, and she had got everything she’d ever needed and wanted. He recalled that she’d had it tough as a child, like him. But with her it had been a case of a drunken father who had pissed
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