Skeggsie did know about people’s cruelty – it was just that he seemed to carry that knowledge with such smugness.
Why did she find it so hard to like him?
Joshua placed a mug of tea in front of her.
‘Don’t get upset. You know what Skeggsie’s like. In any case, his asthma’s playing up and it makes him tetchy.’
‘I shouldn’t have shouted at him . . .’
‘It was my fault. I mentioned the dreaded “B” word.’
‘He thinks I’m stupid.’
‘He likes you. Believe me, I’d know if he didn’t. Now do you want to talk about it? Pardon me for saying it but do you think all that emotion was really meant for someone else – not Skeggsie. Is it for this girl who you say you “hated”?’
Joshua made the quotation signs with his fingers.
‘You’re psychoanalysing me now.’
‘Someone has to.’
‘Do you charge?’
‘A hundred pounds an hour.’
She mustered a smile and drank her tea.
‘But there are some cases that are so fascinating I will do them for free.’
‘You know what? It’s simple. I didn’t like her and now she’s dead. The complicated bit is that she reached out for me to help her and I ignored it.’
He didn’t speak.
‘You know if she had been in the water and cried out to me I would have raced over to help her. No matter how she had hurt my feelings. But, because her cries were from a distance, in letters and phone calls, I could just ignore it. God! It was only weeks ago that I stood round while another girl got killed! What sort of person am I?’
‘Hey, you’re a really good person.’
The door opened behind her and she could feel Skeggsie come in.
‘Sorry, Skeggs, again,’ she said, without looking round.
‘’S OK. Any tea going?’
They sat drinking tea and Joshua got out a packet of breadsticks, which they all nibbled their way through. After a while, when she felt better, Rose focused on the printouts on the table. The name Viktor Baranski was highlighted in most of them.
‘What’s going on with all this stuff? You and Skeggsie look as though you’re up to something.’
‘Yeah, well, after . . . Well, I thought it was time to get on with the practical side of things. Tell her what we’ve found out, Skeggs.’
Skeggsie took a deep breath and pulled the pages on the table together.
‘We’ve been looking at the guy whose photo we’ve got in the notebook. Viktor Baranski. Ex navy. Might have given information to British secret services.’
Rose tried to look interested.
‘Baranski was murdered in 2006 and there was a hint of the Russian secret police’s involvement, blah, blah. His company fell apart although his son is still in London. Lev Baranski. Thirty-one years old. He runs a restaurant in South Kensington.’
‘So,’ said Joshua dramatically, ‘Skeggsie and I are going there tomorrow.’
‘What for?’
‘To see Lev Baranski.’
‘Oh.’
‘He’s the only link we’ve got to Frank Richards and then to Dad and Kathy. His dad’s photograph is in the notebook.’
‘What are you going to say to him?’
‘Not sure. We’ll work out some story when we get there.’
‘You’re going undercover ?’ Rose said, smiling.
‘Sort of,’ Joshua said. ‘But that’s not all we’re doing. We’re driving up to Norfolk at the weekend. We’re going to look for the places marked on Dad’s map.’
‘You two?’ Rose said, looking at each of them.
‘Yeah. Skeggs is driving.’
Rose didn’t say anything. She hadn’t been asked to go along either to the restaurant or to Norfolk. She hadn’t been included in these adventures. She should have felt hurt by it but she didn’t. She just felt weary.
‘You could come!’ Joshua said, as if reading her mind.
She shook her head. ‘I’ve got stuff to sort out. Work that’s overdue at college. I need, maybe, to spend a bit of time on my own.’
‘OK,’ Joshua said. ‘I’ll have my laptop with me and phone, so plenty of ways to stay in touch.’
‘Right, you can send me
Why did she find it so hard to like him?
Joshua placed a mug of tea in front of her.
‘Don’t get upset. You know what Skeggsie’s like. In any case, his asthma’s playing up and it makes him tetchy.’
‘I shouldn’t have shouted at him . . .’
‘It was my fault. I mentioned the dreaded “B” word.’
‘He thinks I’m stupid.’
‘He likes you. Believe me, I’d know if he didn’t. Now do you want to talk about it? Pardon me for saying it but do you think all that emotion was really meant for someone else – not Skeggsie. Is it for this girl who you say you “hated”?’
Joshua made the quotation signs with his fingers.
‘You’re psychoanalysing me now.’
‘Someone has to.’
‘Do you charge?’
‘A hundred pounds an hour.’
She mustered a smile and drank her tea.
‘But there are some cases that are so fascinating I will do them for free.’
‘You know what? It’s simple. I didn’t like her and now she’s dead. The complicated bit is that she reached out for me to help her and I ignored it.’
He didn’t speak.
‘You know if she had been in the water and cried out to me I would have raced over to help her. No matter how she had hurt my feelings. But, because her cries were from a distance, in letters and phone calls, I could just ignore it. God! It was only weeks ago that I stood round while another girl got killed! What sort of person am I?’
‘Hey, you’re a really good person.’
The door opened behind her and she could feel Skeggsie come in.
‘Sorry, Skeggs, again,’ she said, without looking round.
‘’S OK. Any tea going?’
They sat drinking tea and Joshua got out a packet of breadsticks, which they all nibbled their way through. After a while, when she felt better, Rose focused on the printouts on the table. The name Viktor Baranski was highlighted in most of them.
‘What’s going on with all this stuff? You and Skeggsie look as though you’re up to something.’
‘Yeah, well, after . . . Well, I thought it was time to get on with the practical side of things. Tell her what we’ve found out, Skeggs.’
Skeggsie took a deep breath and pulled the pages on the table together.
‘We’ve been looking at the guy whose photo we’ve got in the notebook. Viktor Baranski. Ex navy. Might have given information to British secret services.’
Rose tried to look interested.
‘Baranski was murdered in 2006 and there was a hint of the Russian secret police’s involvement, blah, blah. His company fell apart although his son is still in London. Lev Baranski. Thirty-one years old. He runs a restaurant in South Kensington.’
‘So,’ said Joshua dramatically, ‘Skeggsie and I are going there tomorrow.’
‘What for?’
‘To see Lev Baranski.’
‘Oh.’
‘He’s the only link we’ve got to Frank Richards and then to Dad and Kathy. His dad’s photograph is in the notebook.’
‘What are you going to say to him?’
‘Not sure. We’ll work out some story when we get there.’
‘You’re going undercover ?’ Rose said, smiling.
‘Sort of,’ Joshua said. ‘But that’s not all we’re doing. We’re driving up to Norfolk at the weekend. We’re going to look for the places marked on Dad’s map.’
‘You two?’ Rose said, looking at each of them.
‘Yeah. Skeggs is driving.’
Rose didn’t say anything. She hadn’t been asked to go along either to the restaurant or to Norfolk. She hadn’t been included in these adventures. She should have felt hurt by it but she didn’t. She just felt weary.
‘You could come!’ Joshua said, as if reading her mind.
She shook her head. ‘I’ve got stuff to sort out. Work that’s overdue at college. I need, maybe, to spend a bit of time on my own.’
‘OK,’ Joshua said. ‘I’ll have my laptop with me and phone, so plenty of ways to stay in touch.’
‘Right, you can send me
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