Watching You, Chapters Nine and Ten

Chapter Nine

 

‘It’s that stupid bastard …’ McCain growled through his teeth, then jumped from his chair. ‘No, McCain, it’s okay. I’m the one who’s stupid; please, just sit down.’

Kelly’s heart was no longer in her chest – it seemed to be pounding all over her body, like hooves of a furious horse, a pause while it jumped a fence, and then it would start again. McCain must have been aware, ‘It’s not okay, kiddo,’ his eyes flashing from her across to the jetty, locked on Carl Black. ‘He’s spoilt your evening if he’s done nothing else; by his very presence, he’s done so. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind, so I am.’

By the twisted look on McCain’s face, her escort’s intentions amounted to more than speaking his mind. ‘I’m okay, I promise you.’

But McCain wasn’t listening; he’d gone down towards the jetty, and Black … where was he? Nowhere to be seen; was he inside the houseboat?

She felt a bolt of anxiety race through the fear. What had Black done in any case that McCain should seem intent on exacting revenge? Black might be a waster, a dosser, and yes, it had spoilt her night, and that had enraged McCain, but it was the entity here, meaning the chance occurrence, not Black himself.

But could he somehow have known she was here? No, of course not. He’d a pre-arranged meeting; the youth’s impatient behaviour on the jetty told her that much.

Yet he had known it was her. Immediately, he’d known.

Her moment of panic and McCain’s reaction hadn’t caused much of a stir amongst the diners and drinkers on the patio. They were too involved with their groups, just a few turned heads, the sort of effect a cough might have amongst a hushed audience, but still, amidst her incoherent thoughts, Kelly felt self-conscious. She picked up the overturned wine goblet, which luckily hadn’t smashed, placed it on the bar, and beat a retreat to the ladies’. By the time she returned, McCain would be back, and so would her composure. But if, in the meantime, the meal arrived and the waitress thought they’d upped and gone, she wouldn’t really mind. She wasn’t that hungry right now.

She brushed her hair, examined her appearance in the mirror – not as bad as she thought, just a few minutes, a few deep breaths, and then she’d be back outside with McCain. He’d probably wondered where she’d gone.

But McCain wasn’t back. Although it had been at least ten minutes she’d been away, he still wasn’t back.

Time passed, she scanned the jetty, the thickets, and towpath, not a sign of him anywhere. There must have been trouble – McCain had a temper that belied his gentle Irish banter – she’d seen flashes of it once or twice in the control room, not to mention the look on his face just now …

Her scampi and chips arrived along with McCain’s curry, but she scarcely gave it a glance. A kid who must have been all of fourteen whizzed along the jetty on one of those stupid undersized bikes they all seemed to have before disappearing between the thickets and then re-emerging as he crossed the humped-backed bridge.

And then she saw McCain, walking back across it, and felt a sudden surge of relief. It hadn’t been the direction he’d tracked after Black, and as he approached, she noticed his face, always prone to redness, was a whole lot redder than she’d ever seen before.

She got to her feet, took a few steps forward to meet him. ‘What happened?’

‘Aw, nothing.’ He dropped the butt of a cigarette he’d been smoking and squashed it with his foot; it struck her that it was the first one she’d seen him smoke that evening, perhaps out of deference to her. ‘Just gave the prat a piece of my mind like I said.’ He pointed to her meal. ‘Sit down and eat your food.’

‘I can’t say I feel much like eating it now.’ But Kelly glanced from the plate to McCain, thought she saw resentment on his flushed face. Even if his action had been unilateral, he had acted on her behalf, and she had no right to ruin his evening.

‘Okay, I’ll give it a try.’ She managed a smile, and with the effect of Black’s penetrating gaze beginning to retreat to the back of her mind where it would lodge and fester, Kelly felt a little better. She forked a piece of scampi, chewed it, swept away an irritating gnat, the eternal pest that seemed to plague evenings like this.

‘So did he give you much grief?’

‘What? Aw no, Jees – like I say, I just gave the bloke a good talking to. Once a copper always a copper … isn’t that what they say? I always found that a few quiet words in the ear did the job; it never calls for a lot of bluster. He likely took me as an off-duty pig, because as I say, he gave me a grieved look then went away with his tail between his legs.’

Kelly waved another hand at the gnat, which seemed hell-bent on annoying her. ‘What did you say to him?’

McCain sighed, lowered his fork, seemed to consider his words. ‘I just told him that by staring at you the way he was, he was ruining your evening. And wasn’t he just?’

‘I could have done without it.’ Kelly glanced at McCain and then to her food. Perhaps it was the curry that had made McCain’s face redden still further. But where had McCain been, and where did Black go? And why had it taken so long just to deliver one simple sentence? That much, at least, didn’t add up. 

Kelly looked out across the basin. The jetty was deserted; the houseboat had left its moorings and wasn’t even in sight.

 

 

Chapter Ten

 

‘You’ve hardly spoken a word since that …’

‘It’s not his fault; he just happened to turn up in the wrong spot, that’s all; things happen that way sometimes.’ Kelly sighed, sat back in her seat as McCain accelerated out of the car park and into the lane leading to the junction. She wasn’t sure it was coincidence, but how could it be otherwise? In any case, it was difficult to think clearly right now.

Suddenly McCain pulled the car to a halt. ‘You’ll be getting fined, so you will.’ Kelly followed the line of his eye, saw that she hadn’t secured her seat belt, reached her left hand over to lock the strap in its socket, then felt his own hand on hers. The headlights of a car passing in the opposite direction dazzled her for a moment, but when she looked across, McCain’s face was a lot closer than it had been before. There was something written on it, and it wasn’t the front page of the local rag. He’d unlocked his strap, and then his arm was around her shoulders, pulling her towards him. It was strong yet gentle but not exactly what she had in mind right now, even if his action was stirring her, pumping the blood more vigorously through her veins.

‘McCain, no –’

‘Ah, come on now, kiddo. I’m trying to relax you, unlock some of the tension, that would be all, so it would.’ His lips explored her mouth, provoking a warm but shivery sensation inside. His arm tightened around her shoulders, his free hand shifting from her wrist on a downward journey …

‘McCain, I said no, not now, not here.’

She didn’t recognise her own voice; it sounded strangely high and tinny. Her hand slid down to meet his.

‘Not now, not like this, please …’

Oh, for … what if he doesn’t stop, where do I – no we, go from here? Too soon, much too soon, I hadn’t expected this, though perhaps I should …

Her eyes felt like hollow sockets in her head, trying to determine his gaze – was it passion, fury, or understanding. Please let it be understanding, but McCain’s eyes, clear and green as the Irish fields were beyond her ability to read, even in the darkness. It just wasn’t your regular, everyday look.

‘Ah, but I’ve upset you now; Jees, my own foolishness. Here, let me do up your strap.’ He removed his hand from hers, slid the seat belt smoothly into its socket, connected his own, then gave a thin whistle. ‘I’m sorry, kiddo … I only wanted to relax you, make you feel better, and then my own stupid feelings got the better of me, so they did.’

Kelly looked down at her hands, saw they had clenched into purple-veined balls, and straightened them out. She lifted her eyes to his; it seemed to take her an age to do it. ‘I’m sorry, McCain, I care a lot for you, I really do, but don’t rush me, eh? I’m mixed up right now, one step at a time …’

‘I know that kiddo, that’s why I tried to comfort …’

‘And another thing …’ She placed her hand on his forearm, tightened her grip. ‘I don’t need anyone to relax me, okay? I’m a tough girl. I can cope for myself.’

‘I guess you are, kiddo.’ McCain smiled his disarming smile, ‘Thanks for the lesson.’

‘That’s okay.’ Kelly kept her grip on his arm; she didn’t want to let go, but she would. ‘And one more thing, don’t keep calling me kiddo; I’ve got a name, alright?’

‘Alright, Kelly – Kel.’ His jaw dropped, they both smiled, and she let her hold on him go, slapping him on the wrist.

Ten minutes later, she was almost home. ‘Not right to the door if you don’t mind …’

‘Ah, to be sure. I can understand that. I wouldn’t want to make things more difficult for you.’

She laughed. ‘You are learning, aren’t you. Thanks for the evening, McCain.’ She planted a kiss on his cheek. ‘Even if it didn’t quite turn out the way we planned.’

‘Again?’

‘Sorry, what did you say?’ She thought he was talking about the kiss and then realised. ‘Perhaps, who knows.’ She slammed the door shut and turned away, aware that she’d given him a wink that said, more than likely.

Ahead of her was a couple of minutes’ walk along a quiet but well-lit terrace. The night was warm, muggy, in fact. She’d need a window open tonight, for sure.

She was pleased with McCain, glad that he’d stopped when he did – that didn’t only show his character but his respect for her. She still couldn’t understand his lengthy disappearance when Carl Black had showed up, but it wasn’t going to be allowed to overshadow her enjoyment of his company.

A car zipped past too quickly for her liking; these were turn-of-the-century streets without provision for garages. Here parked cars lined both kerbs, and passing traffic was restricted to a single lane. It wouldn’t take much – just a car pulling out of a junction and bingo –

There was a junction ahead of her now, the last one before home. An alleyway lay just before it; the streetlight on her side of the pavement was out, should have been fixed long ago. She’d meant to report it.

She thought about crossing the road at this point, but that would be paranoia setting in for sure. Hell, she could make out the rooftop of her house from here.

Just the alleyway, the junction, the bend in the road, and then she’d be home. Probably fifty metres in all. Would Joe be in? She glanced at her watch, chastised herself for being stupid. The light was bad at this point without the damned street lighting, the only illumination thrown by the moon. She just knew it was some time past eleven.

Somewhere a dog barked, and then the alleyway was upon her. Not much of a thing really, just a channel running between the back gates of houses, but wide enough for her to know there was a shape standing just inside the recess. A shadow thrown by the moon spread itself across the path like a flattened gingerbread man. But the realisation of imminent danger made her quicken her momentum rather than draw back, feeling her neck slide between hands that seemed to be attached to thick white coils. Shock hit her now; her nightmares had suddenly become reality, stark painful reality. Her throat contorted as she struggled to swallow, and dry phlegm sank down her throat like a slippery snake. But the reality was in her panic, for the hands that clasped her neck merely served to draw her towards a mouth that imposed itself feverishly on hers. The rush of hot breath searing into her was more intense than the humid warmth of the night. Revulsion as much as panic drove her knee into her attacker’s testicles; she felt the grip slacken, heard a groan, and in that second slugged her fist wildly into his chest. The shape staggered back enough for her to turn on her heels and run, run for her life. Kelly’s senses scraped together for the sound of steps behind her but only caught the high-pitched squeal of a dog in distress.

As she rounded the bend to home, Kelly stopped running, anger starting to overcome fright. Why had she run anyway? Why hadn’t she confronted him once and for all? Why hadn’t she finished the job? After all, she’d caught him with a couple of good ones, and surprise had been her ally.

The dark shape in the alley had been Carl Black; somehow, he must have followed, seen McCain drop her off. The alley had been a shortcut she’d often used, would have used tonight if not for the darkness. He must have known about it, got there first …

Knowledge of this sent a new surge of fear through her. It was a strange battleground this, one between fear and anger, and right now, she wasn’t sure which one was winning. The only thing she knew for sure was that Carl Black would have tried to rape her.

She opened the door. The house was in darkness; Joe’s favourite shoes weren’t on the rack. He wasn’t home.