laugh.
‘It’s ketchup,’ she said.
Jade moved her hand as Craig lowered his arms. Her palm felt warm from where it had touched his skin. He turned and looked at her, then stared more closely at the scene in front of him again.
‘Tomato sauce? Are you sure?’ He sniffed the air, then started to laugh. ‘So it is. It’s a glass bottle of All Gold. That caught me by surprise. I thought it was …’
‘I know. So did I.’ Jade pointed to the windowsill above the hot plate, where the curtain was still twisting and writhing in the wind as if possessed.
That sill was where the room’s occupant obviously kept the condiments. The curtain’s movement had also knocked over a plastic tub of mayonnaise, which was lying in between the hot plates on the little cooker, and a Perspex salt grinder that was rolling to and fro, perilously close to the sill’s edge.
The large bottle of tomato sauce must have hit the corner of the cooker when it tumbled off the narrow shelf, shattering into pieces and splattering its contents all over the floor and the bed.
Jade put the bottle of champagne down again. Picking her way delicately over the messy tiles, she squeezed round the edge of the bed, grabbed the flapping curtain, then leaned over and closed the window. She picked up the salt and the mayonnaise and put them both on the small wooden table next to the hot plate.
Then, turning round, she took another look at the bed.
Lying on the pillow was a slim black wallet.
Craig had seen it too.
‘Is that yours?’ she asked him.
‘Looks like mine.’
Stepping carefully, just as Jade had done, he walked over to the bed and picked it up. He opened it and checked the contents with fingers that Jade noticed were tanned and calloused. Whatever Craig did for a living, she was willing to bet it wasn’t a desk job.
Frowning, he pocketed the wallet.
‘Everything there?’ she asked him.
‘All my cards are there. And my driver’s licence.’
‘But?’
‘There’s cash missing.’
‘How much?’
Craig shook his head, clearly frustrated. ‘All of it. There must have been a few hundred inside.’
Jade shook her head. ‘You should report it to the police. Report Monique.’
‘How can I prove she took it? The wallet was left in the boat.’
‘Not for that long.’
‘Anybody could have come past and stolen it.’
‘True. It was her, though. I saw how she looked when she put it in her pocket.’
Jade moved back towards the door. She was starting to feel uneasy, standing in this cluttered, messy little room. Over the strong smell of the spilled ketchup, she began to recognise other odours. Deodorant. Perfume. The smell of Monique herself, emanating from the unwashed sheets on the bed.
And just where was she now?
Jade found herself thinking back to their encounter on the boat, and the way she had looked. Jade knew fear when she saw it, and Monique had been terrified. Now she’d taken money from a customer’s wallet, left her room unlocked …
Glancing inside the wardrobe as she passed it, Jade noticed a selection of shorts and T-shirts in disorderly piles. An ancient-looking wetsuit was folded on top of a backpack on the floor. Clearly, Monique hadn’t packed up and left. Her possessions, such as they were, were still there, but she had gone.
‘She was frightened when I saw her earlier,’ Jade said.
‘Why?’
‘I don’t know why. When we were down by the boat, I asked her, but she didn’t answer. Just ran off.’
Craig shook his head again as he walked out of the room.
‘I guess we’ll have to wait till we see her again,’ he said.
‘I suppose so.’
Jade closed the door gently behind her. Monique might not have gone far, but until she returned her room would just have to remain unlocked.
‘Does she have a car?’ she asked.
‘Yes. She parks it round the corner, behind these rooms.’
‘Let’s go and see if it’s there.’
‘Good idea.’
The elderly white vehicle parked on the grass
‘It’s ketchup,’ she said.
Jade moved her hand as Craig lowered his arms. Her palm felt warm from where it had touched his skin. He turned and looked at her, then stared more closely at the scene in front of him again.
‘Tomato sauce? Are you sure?’ He sniffed the air, then started to laugh. ‘So it is. It’s a glass bottle of All Gold. That caught me by surprise. I thought it was …’
‘I know. So did I.’ Jade pointed to the windowsill above the hot plate, where the curtain was still twisting and writhing in the wind as if possessed.
That sill was where the room’s occupant obviously kept the condiments. The curtain’s movement had also knocked over a plastic tub of mayonnaise, which was lying in between the hot plates on the little cooker, and a Perspex salt grinder that was rolling to and fro, perilously close to the sill’s edge.
The large bottle of tomato sauce must have hit the corner of the cooker when it tumbled off the narrow shelf, shattering into pieces and splattering its contents all over the floor and the bed.
Jade put the bottle of champagne down again. Picking her way delicately over the messy tiles, she squeezed round the edge of the bed, grabbed the flapping curtain, then leaned over and closed the window. She picked up the salt and the mayonnaise and put them both on the small wooden table next to the hot plate.
Then, turning round, she took another look at the bed.
Lying on the pillow was a slim black wallet.
Craig had seen it too.
‘Is that yours?’ she asked him.
‘Looks like mine.’
Stepping carefully, just as Jade had done, he walked over to the bed and picked it up. He opened it and checked the contents with fingers that Jade noticed were tanned and calloused. Whatever Craig did for a living, she was willing to bet it wasn’t a desk job.
Frowning, he pocketed the wallet.
‘Everything there?’ she asked him.
‘All my cards are there. And my driver’s licence.’
‘But?’
‘There’s cash missing.’
‘How much?’
Craig shook his head, clearly frustrated. ‘All of it. There must have been a few hundred inside.’
Jade shook her head. ‘You should report it to the police. Report Monique.’
‘How can I prove she took it? The wallet was left in the boat.’
‘Not for that long.’
‘Anybody could have come past and stolen it.’
‘True. It was her, though. I saw how she looked when she put it in her pocket.’
Jade moved back towards the door. She was starting to feel uneasy, standing in this cluttered, messy little room. Over the strong smell of the spilled ketchup, she began to recognise other odours. Deodorant. Perfume. The smell of Monique herself, emanating from the unwashed sheets on the bed.
And just where was she now?
Jade found herself thinking back to their encounter on the boat, and the way she had looked. Jade knew fear when she saw it, and Monique had been terrified. Now she’d taken money from a customer’s wallet, left her room unlocked …
Glancing inside the wardrobe as she passed it, Jade noticed a selection of shorts and T-shirts in disorderly piles. An ancient-looking wetsuit was folded on top of a backpack on the floor. Clearly, Monique hadn’t packed up and left. Her possessions, such as they were, were still there, but she had gone.
‘She was frightened when I saw her earlier,’ Jade said.
‘Why?’
‘I don’t know why. When we were down by the boat, I asked her, but she didn’t answer. Just ran off.’
Craig shook his head again as he walked out of the room.
‘I guess we’ll have to wait till we see her again,’ he said.
‘I suppose so.’
Jade closed the door gently behind her. Monique might not have gone far, but until she returned her room would just have to remain unlocked.
‘Does she have a car?’ she asked.
‘Yes. She parks it round the corner, behind these rooms.’
‘Let’s go and see if it’s there.’
‘Good idea.’
The elderly white vehicle parked on the grass
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