She crossed the room to shut the window but it was firmly closed. Up close the voile stopped moving and she wondered if it had been a trick of the light. She turned to find Max disturbingly close. ‘You can’t be in here. You’re a MOP.’
‘I just want to check a couple of things.’ He shook the velvet curtains and then began searching the furniture — the bedside cabinet, the wardrobe, the chest of drawers.
‘It’s been cleared. His stuff is gone. It’ll be with the police. Or his family.’
‘Damn it.’ Max had pulled the bottom drawer of the chest completely out and was up to his shoulder as he searched the space. ‘Sometimes things slip down.’ He glanced over his shoulder. ‘Or, paranoid types tape their cash in unlikely places.’
‘If you find anything, you’ll have to hand it in. It’s stealing.’
Max looked over his shoulder, affronted. ‘I’m no thief. It’s my money I’m after.’
‘But he’s dead. He can’t pay you now.’
Max shook his head. ‘It’s my money. It’s a point of honour to pay your debts in poker. It’s the worst thing not to. I’m saving him from ignominy.’
Katie ignored the shiver that a good-looking guy using words like ‘ignominy’ gave her. She was going to keep her head. He was dodgy. And arrogant. And annoying. ‘It’s not right,’ she said.
‘Neither is not paying your gambling debt,’ Max said. ‘You play, you pay.’
‘But the man has passed away.’ Katie felt she was dangerously close to sounding like a Monty Python sketch, but she couldn’t stop herself. ‘He can’t give you the money because he is no longer with us. He’s dead.’ She managed not to add that he was an ‘ex-person’.
Max shrugged. ‘Some things transcend death.’
‘I can’t believe you,’ Katie said, revelling in the moral high ground. ‘A man has died.’
He was on tiptoe, now, running his hands along the picture rail. His T-shirt rode up and there was a glimpse of bare skin.
Katie looked away.
I didn’t say I didn’t care. I hardly knew the guy but I’m sorry and all that. I just want to conclude my business with him and be on my way.’
‘Well, you can’t.’ Katie was suddenly very glad of Patrick’s efficiency. ‘You’ll have to speak to his family or something. Maybe they’ll honour his debt. You never know.’
Max finished with the picture rail but was still looking around in a distracted manner. Katie thought that he’d zoned out of their conversation and was about to say something when he looked at her in a disconcertingly direct way. ‘I didn’t get the impression that his wife was all that forgiving of his gambling habit. I’m not sure she even knew.’
‘And you’re squeamish about that? Rifle through a dead man’s things, fine. Talk to his wife, no thanks.’
‘Widow. And, no, I don’t see the point in upsetting her. Upsetting her more, I mean. And it was his secret to keep or reveal, not mine.’
‘I think your moral compass is a bit off.’
‘I think you’re money-obsessed.’
‘What?’
‘You’re the one putting a man’s money over his feelings.’
‘How d’you know he didn’t have very strong feelings about his money?’ Katie shot back.
Max grinned. ‘Fun as this is, I’ve got to go. Don’t suppose you know of any poker games going on around here? Or blackjack?’
‘In Pendleford? Not likely.’
‘Oh, well. Something will turn up.’
‘What will you do?’
Max shrugged. ‘I have no idea. That’s half the fun, though.’
‘Funny kind of holiday.’
A strange expression crossed his face. At the door, he stopped and turned around. ‘What are you doing in here, anyway? Don’t tell me he owed you money too?’
Katie wasn’t about to explain that she’d seen Mr Cole in her dreams last night and then a magpie had asked her to find his watch. ‘Just checking that the room’s ready,’ Katie said, not able to meet his eyes. She’d always had a policy of being as honest as possible,
‘I just want to check a couple of things.’ He shook the velvet curtains and then began searching the furniture — the bedside cabinet, the wardrobe, the chest of drawers.
‘It’s been cleared. His stuff is gone. It’ll be with the police. Or his family.’
‘Damn it.’ Max had pulled the bottom drawer of the chest completely out and was up to his shoulder as he searched the space. ‘Sometimes things slip down.’ He glanced over his shoulder. ‘Or, paranoid types tape their cash in unlikely places.’
‘If you find anything, you’ll have to hand it in. It’s stealing.’
Max looked over his shoulder, affronted. ‘I’m no thief. It’s my money I’m after.’
‘But he’s dead. He can’t pay you now.’
Max shook his head. ‘It’s my money. It’s a point of honour to pay your debts in poker. It’s the worst thing not to. I’m saving him from ignominy.’
Katie ignored the shiver that a good-looking guy using words like ‘ignominy’ gave her. She was going to keep her head. He was dodgy. And arrogant. And annoying. ‘It’s not right,’ she said.
‘Neither is not paying your gambling debt,’ Max said. ‘You play, you pay.’
‘But the man has passed away.’ Katie felt she was dangerously close to sounding like a Monty Python sketch, but she couldn’t stop herself. ‘He can’t give you the money because he is no longer with us. He’s dead.’ She managed not to add that he was an ‘ex-person’.
Max shrugged. ‘Some things transcend death.’
‘I can’t believe you,’ Katie said, revelling in the moral high ground. ‘A man has died.’
He was on tiptoe, now, running his hands along the picture rail. His T-shirt rode up and there was a glimpse of bare skin.
Katie looked away.
I didn’t say I didn’t care. I hardly knew the guy but I’m sorry and all that. I just want to conclude my business with him and be on my way.’
‘Well, you can’t.’ Katie was suddenly very glad of Patrick’s efficiency. ‘You’ll have to speak to his family or something. Maybe they’ll honour his debt. You never know.’
Max finished with the picture rail but was still looking around in a distracted manner. Katie thought that he’d zoned out of their conversation and was about to say something when he looked at her in a disconcertingly direct way. ‘I didn’t get the impression that his wife was all that forgiving of his gambling habit. I’m not sure she even knew.’
‘And you’re squeamish about that? Rifle through a dead man’s things, fine. Talk to his wife, no thanks.’
‘Widow. And, no, I don’t see the point in upsetting her. Upsetting her more, I mean. And it was his secret to keep or reveal, not mine.’
‘I think your moral compass is a bit off.’
‘I think you’re money-obsessed.’
‘What?’
‘You’re the one putting a man’s money over his feelings.’
‘How d’you know he didn’t have very strong feelings about his money?’ Katie shot back.
Max grinned. ‘Fun as this is, I’ve got to go. Don’t suppose you know of any poker games going on around here? Or blackjack?’
‘In Pendleford? Not likely.’
‘Oh, well. Something will turn up.’
‘What will you do?’
Max shrugged. ‘I have no idea. That’s half the fun, though.’
‘Funny kind of holiday.’
A strange expression crossed his face. At the door, he stopped and turned around. ‘What are you doing in here, anyway? Don’t tell me he owed you money too?’
Katie wasn’t about to explain that she’d seen Mr Cole in her dreams last night and then a magpie had asked her to find his watch. ‘Just checking that the room’s ready,’ Katie said, not able to meet his eyes. She’d always had a policy of being as honest as possible,
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