"Other than getting a corroboration of the Gibsons' story," he said, "it just made me glad to not live in a place like this."
"Yeah, but Portobello's not exactly amazing, is it?" she said.
He laughed. "I'll hopefully not be there forever."
Caldwell winked at him. "Have you and Sharon been looking?"
This again, thought Cullen. "No, we haven't," he said. Cullen himself had been looking for a flat for the previous two years, feeling continually priced out of the market - either by rising house prices or rising deposits. The market was finally stabilising but Sharon and he were getting serious. He had managed to evade questions from Caldwell for the last few months but that wouldn't stop the station gossip.
"Aren't things going well?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I wouldn't know," he said. "This is uncharted territory for me. I usually get up, wipe my cock on the curtains and fuck off into the night."
Caldwell stopped and laughed. "What about a roller blind?" she asked.
"No way," he said. "A boy's got to have standards." They laughed. "In all seriousness, things are going well. I'm a bit surprised, to be honest."
"What, all that stuff with that girl you were supposed to be seeing?" she asked.
Cullen closed his eyes. "We don't talk about that."
He tried to forget about that. He'd saved the life of a girl that shared a flat with his ex. It continually staggered him how messy he could make his life, but there it was. In truth, his actions had put her in danger, so saving her was the least he could do. It had made his early relationship with Sharon difficult. Even almost six months on, she still didn't quite trust him. He didn't blame her, but he tried to gain that trust at every opportunity.
"So why are you surprised?" she asked.
"Just the curtains thing, I suppose," he said. "I mean I wanted to settle down, I just didn't see it being with Sharon, that's all."
"You mean you don't see yourself settling down with her?"
He pointed a finger at her. "That's not what I meant, so this goes nowhere near her," he said. "I didn't see myself going out with her. Nothing to do with her, more with me."
"But things are fine?"
"Of course," he said. "Better than I could have hoped." He opened the gate back onto Dunpender Drive. He stepped aside and let a young mother with a buggy through. "Why are you asking?"
"Oh, no reason," she said, grinning. "It's just that... well."
"Well, what?"
"That ADC Law hasn't taken her eyes off of you."
He stopped. "Just stop it," he said. "I'm not interested."
"Okay, just passing on what I noticed," she said, a slight smirk on her face.
"Well, if that's the game you're playing," he said, "DS Lamb was taking an interest in you. Maybe he likes giants."
Caldwell shook her head. "Very funny," she said. "A lot of small rich men go in for tall girls like me."
"Yeah, I wonder what goes on in their heads," he said. "How tall is your husband?"
"Six five," she said.
"Fair enough."
Cullen checked the missed call he'd received when they were speaking to Cath Russell - predictably, it was Bain. He dialled the number and held the phone away from his ear.
"Sundance," he said, "if you see the caller display with my name on it, you fuckin' answer it, okay?"
"We were with someone."
"I don't care if you were with the fuckin' Queen, all right?" he said. "If you see my name, you fuckin' answer."
"What did you want?" asked Cullen.
"Where the fuck are you?"
"Just about back at the Gibson house."
"Right, I'll see you outside then."
"Thanks," said Cullen to a dead phone line.
Caldwell looked over at him. "That sounded like it went well," she said.
"Typical Bain," he said.
They approached the house - it seemed to Cullen that there were even more cars than when they'd left. He hoped that Anderson and the other SOCOs were going through Mandy's room with a fine tooth comb.
At the drive, Cullen recognised PC Jennifer Wallace, the Family Liaison Officer that had been with the family, standing chatting to ADC Law.
"Yeah, but Portobello's not exactly amazing, is it?" she said.
He laughed. "I'll hopefully not be there forever."
Caldwell winked at him. "Have you and Sharon been looking?"
This again, thought Cullen. "No, we haven't," he said. Cullen himself had been looking for a flat for the previous two years, feeling continually priced out of the market - either by rising house prices or rising deposits. The market was finally stabilising but Sharon and he were getting serious. He had managed to evade questions from Caldwell for the last few months but that wouldn't stop the station gossip.
"Aren't things going well?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I wouldn't know," he said. "This is uncharted territory for me. I usually get up, wipe my cock on the curtains and fuck off into the night."
Caldwell stopped and laughed. "What about a roller blind?" she asked.
"No way," he said. "A boy's got to have standards." They laughed. "In all seriousness, things are going well. I'm a bit surprised, to be honest."
"What, all that stuff with that girl you were supposed to be seeing?" she asked.
Cullen closed his eyes. "We don't talk about that."
He tried to forget about that. He'd saved the life of a girl that shared a flat with his ex. It continually staggered him how messy he could make his life, but there it was. In truth, his actions had put her in danger, so saving her was the least he could do. It had made his early relationship with Sharon difficult. Even almost six months on, she still didn't quite trust him. He didn't blame her, but he tried to gain that trust at every opportunity.
"So why are you surprised?" she asked.
"Just the curtains thing, I suppose," he said. "I mean I wanted to settle down, I just didn't see it being with Sharon, that's all."
"You mean you don't see yourself settling down with her?"
He pointed a finger at her. "That's not what I meant, so this goes nowhere near her," he said. "I didn't see myself going out with her. Nothing to do with her, more with me."
"But things are fine?"
"Of course," he said. "Better than I could have hoped." He opened the gate back onto Dunpender Drive. He stepped aside and let a young mother with a buggy through. "Why are you asking?"
"Oh, no reason," she said, grinning. "It's just that... well."
"Well, what?"
"That ADC Law hasn't taken her eyes off of you."
He stopped. "Just stop it," he said. "I'm not interested."
"Okay, just passing on what I noticed," she said, a slight smirk on her face.
"Well, if that's the game you're playing," he said, "DS Lamb was taking an interest in you. Maybe he likes giants."
Caldwell shook her head. "Very funny," she said. "A lot of small rich men go in for tall girls like me."
"Yeah, I wonder what goes on in their heads," he said. "How tall is your husband?"
"Six five," she said.
"Fair enough."
Cullen checked the missed call he'd received when they were speaking to Cath Russell - predictably, it was Bain. He dialled the number and held the phone away from his ear.
"Sundance," he said, "if you see the caller display with my name on it, you fuckin' answer it, okay?"
"We were with someone."
"I don't care if you were with the fuckin' Queen, all right?" he said. "If you see my name, you fuckin' answer."
"What did you want?" asked Cullen.
"Where the fuck are you?"
"Just about back at the Gibson house."
"Right, I'll see you outside then."
"Thanks," said Cullen to a dead phone line.
Caldwell looked over at him. "That sounded like it went well," she said.
"Typical Bain," he said.
They approached the house - it seemed to Cullen that there were even more cars than when they'd left. He hoped that Anderson and the other SOCOs were going through Mandy's room with a fine tooth comb.
At the drive, Cullen recognised PC Jennifer Wallace, the Family Liaison Officer that had been with the family, standing chatting to ADC Law.
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