Double Doublecross by James Saunders

large house with its imposing gates, long circular drive and neat garden.
    â€œIt looks beautiful,” Janet Hughes remarked. “Are there any more houses like yours in the area?”
    â€œThere are a few, but they’re not on the market I’m afraid.”
    â€œWell, we like what we’ve seen so far, and I think this is the place for us. We’re leaving for L. A. tonight, then we are off to San Diego to spend the holidays with our daughter, her husband and their children. We’ll be in touch with you after the vacation. Be sure to let us know if anything else turns up in the area,” Tom Hughes said to Rick.
    â€œOkay,” said Rick. “I’ll keep my eyes and ears open.”
    â€˜Promising, promising,’ Rick thought. It was past six o’clock and he was hungry. He didn’t want a big dinner. He’d had enough at lunchtime. He stopped at the local delicatessen and bought a pastrami roll and a coffee to go, then drove back to his house.
    The phone was ringing as he went through the garage door. ‘Let it ring. The answering machine will pick up the message,’ he reasoned.
    He waited for the machine to beep and listened to the message. It was Sara. He’d forgotten that she was going to call him that evening. He decided to wait until she had finished her message. Perhaps she would leave her number for him to call, although he already knew it, thanks to Bill Janson.
    She finished the call with
I’ll call you later this evening
, but left no telephone number for him to call. He waitedimpatiently for a full thirty minutes before the phone rang again. He picked up the phone after the third ring and spoke in a lazy easy manner.
    â€œRick Jacobs here.”
    â€œIt’s me, Rick. Sara. I left a message earlier but you weren’t in.”
    â€œOh yes. That’s right. I was expecting a call from a client,” he lied. “I guess you’re calling about fixing you up with somewhere to live. Well, Stan and I have virtually come to a dead end. There is
one
solution I can offer you and that is to move into the spare master suite at my place, no strings attached of course,” he said, thinking on his feet. It was a completely spontaneous gesture and he couldn’t believe he had said it.
    â€œThe wing has its own full bathroom, a kitchen, and a retreat combined with the bedroom. You’ll have complete privacy because it’s situated on the opposite side of the house. It’ll only be temporary until we find you something after the holiday period. I’m afraid that’s the best I can do unless you can find somewhere else. What do you think?”
    Rick couldn’t believe what he had just said. Feeling numb, he waited for her reply.
    Sara was not expecting this offer and a pregnant silence fell on the conversation. What could she say? She was desperate and time was short. Carl had been quite emphatic that she had to get out of the apartment within a week and now there were only three days left.
    â€˜What the hell was Carl up to!’ she wondered. Was he in some kind of trouble with the people he worked for? Did he have another girlfriend? What would he think if she accepted Rick’s offer? After all, he had put her in this predicament. These questions raced through her mind.
    â€œAre you still there?” Rick asked.
    â€œYes, yes I am. I was just off balance with your offer, that’s all.”
    â€œWell, what do you say? As I said, you would have complete privacy with no strings attached. You won’t get a better offer than that. Plus, it will be rent free,” he said with a laugh.
    Sara was quiet for a moment then she said, “Okay, Rick. I really can’t thank you enough. I’ll start getting my things together first thing tomorrow morning.”
    â€œFine,” said Rick. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow at lunch time and we can start making arrangements.”
    â€œNo, I’ll