uniform, sitting at a table in the corner. After ordering a non-alcoholic drink for them both, despite the fact that Cassie was driving, they joined Pete Brown at his table.
"This is Cassie, my cameraman,” Ben said and slid an envelope over the table towards Pete, who took it and without checking the contents, slipped it into his pocket.
"There's two hundred, like we agreed, Pete” Ben said. “Now, tell us about the girl."
"Her name's Jay Williams, she's sixteen and lives with her grandparents.” Pete reached over the table and pressed a piece of paper into Ben's hand. “That's their address and directions on how to get there. The girl was with a boy when a gang attacked them. They had her boyfriend on the ground and were giving him a good kicking when suddenly the girl's there. She threw one through a shop window and then...”
Ben and Cassie listened in stunned silence as Pete finished his account of the fight and the aftermath. Then standing, he drained his pint. “I'd better get back to the nick before I'm missed.” He smiled at Cassie. “Perhaps I'll see you around,” he said, hopefully.
Cassie returned his smile, “You might, Pete. It's been nice meeting you."
He hesitated and Ben half suspected that he was about to ask her outright for a date but then he seemed to think better of it and turned on his heel and left.
Cassie stared in the direction in which he'd gone and shook her head. “Bloody married men,” she said. “They're all the same. Always after a bit on the side."
Ben who'd started to unfold the piece of paper stared at her in surprise. It wasn't like her to be bitter. Normally, she'd have simply dismissed a man like Pete from her mind.
"Are you all right?” he asked.
Cassie turned to face him and sighed. “Graham and I have split up,” she said. “He wanted me to stop taking the pill and get pregnant. Said I ought to get a job on a local rag and settle down. We've been arguing about it for ages on and off, but a couple of months ago, he gave me an ultimatum, either I let him put a baby in my belly or he'd move out. When I phoned the flat last night, to tell him we were staying over, he told me he'd be gone by this morning. He's moving in with his secretary. Apparently she's been consoling him recently while I've been away on our assignments, and now she's six weeks pregnant."
Ben reached over and squeezed her hand. “I'm sorry, Cassie. You deserve better than that. Look, if you want to get back and sort things out..."
"No,” she said firmly. “I love my job, more than anything. More than Graham I suppose. Perhaps he sensed it. I don't know. Anyway, talking of jobs, what's the girl's address?"
"Fifteen Poplar Road,” Ben said studying the piece of paper, “and according to this we're only a few minutes drive away."
Cassie drained her orange and was up on her feet. “I've got all my equipment in the car,” she said, “but if this story turns out to be as big as you think it will we'll need a full crew out here."
"Yes, but let's go and talk to the grandparents before we make a decision. It's nine-fifty now, so with a bit of luck, we might just have something for the eleven-o-clock news."
* * * *
The man who answered the door looked to be in his late sixties and when he saw Cassie standing behind Ben and holding her video camera he started to shut the door in their faces.
Ben shot out a hand stopping the door from closing. “Mr. Williams,” he said urgently, “We know about Jay's healing powers, and as soon as the police find out who she is, they'll be here ... alongside every national newspaper and TV journalist in the country. Talking to us might just prevent that, and I promise you, we won't film or broadcast anything until we've edited it to your satisfaction."
"You'd better let them in, Tom.” The woman was about the same age as her husband and Ben thought she had a resigned look about her and her next words confirmed it. “Someone was bound to find out about
"This is Cassie, my cameraman,” Ben said and slid an envelope over the table towards Pete, who took it and without checking the contents, slipped it into his pocket.
"There's two hundred, like we agreed, Pete” Ben said. “Now, tell us about the girl."
"Her name's Jay Williams, she's sixteen and lives with her grandparents.” Pete reached over the table and pressed a piece of paper into Ben's hand. “That's their address and directions on how to get there. The girl was with a boy when a gang attacked them. They had her boyfriend on the ground and were giving him a good kicking when suddenly the girl's there. She threw one through a shop window and then...”
Ben and Cassie listened in stunned silence as Pete finished his account of the fight and the aftermath. Then standing, he drained his pint. “I'd better get back to the nick before I'm missed.” He smiled at Cassie. “Perhaps I'll see you around,” he said, hopefully.
Cassie returned his smile, “You might, Pete. It's been nice meeting you."
He hesitated and Ben half suspected that he was about to ask her outright for a date but then he seemed to think better of it and turned on his heel and left.
Cassie stared in the direction in which he'd gone and shook her head. “Bloody married men,” she said. “They're all the same. Always after a bit on the side."
Ben who'd started to unfold the piece of paper stared at her in surprise. It wasn't like her to be bitter. Normally, she'd have simply dismissed a man like Pete from her mind.
"Are you all right?” he asked.
Cassie turned to face him and sighed. “Graham and I have split up,” she said. “He wanted me to stop taking the pill and get pregnant. Said I ought to get a job on a local rag and settle down. We've been arguing about it for ages on and off, but a couple of months ago, he gave me an ultimatum, either I let him put a baby in my belly or he'd move out. When I phoned the flat last night, to tell him we were staying over, he told me he'd be gone by this morning. He's moving in with his secretary. Apparently she's been consoling him recently while I've been away on our assignments, and now she's six weeks pregnant."
Ben reached over and squeezed her hand. “I'm sorry, Cassie. You deserve better than that. Look, if you want to get back and sort things out..."
"No,” she said firmly. “I love my job, more than anything. More than Graham I suppose. Perhaps he sensed it. I don't know. Anyway, talking of jobs, what's the girl's address?"
"Fifteen Poplar Road,” Ben said studying the piece of paper, “and according to this we're only a few minutes drive away."
Cassie drained her orange and was up on her feet. “I've got all my equipment in the car,” she said, “but if this story turns out to be as big as you think it will we'll need a full crew out here."
"Yes, but let's go and talk to the grandparents before we make a decision. It's nine-fifty now, so with a bit of luck, we might just have something for the eleven-o-clock news."
* * * *
The man who answered the door looked to be in his late sixties and when he saw Cassie standing behind Ben and holding her video camera he started to shut the door in their faces.
Ben shot out a hand stopping the door from closing. “Mr. Williams,” he said urgently, “We know about Jay's healing powers, and as soon as the police find out who she is, they'll be here ... alongside every national newspaper and TV journalist in the country. Talking to us might just prevent that, and I promise you, we won't film or broadcast anything until we've edited it to your satisfaction."
"You'd better let them in, Tom.” The woman was about the same age as her husband and Ben thought she had a resigned look about her and her next words confirmed it. “Someone was bound to find out about
Similar Books
