Bobbi laughed and pushed her fringe from her eyes. ‘What? He looks all smooth and sophisticated and handsome, but also like he could abseil down buildings and fight off baddies.’
‘And you can tell all that just by looking at him from a distance, can you?’
‘Well, you said he’s a detective, didn’t you? That’s a sexy job.’ She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively.
‘Is it?’ I raised an eyebrow. ‘Not if he works all the time, it isn’t.’
‘Hey, why are you so negative all of a sudden?’
‘I’m not negative. I’m just trying to be sensible, that’s all.’ I took a deep breath and hid my shaking hands behind my back. I was quite alarmed by my physical reaction to him.
Bobbi rolled her eyes. ‘Do you want a cup of tea? I’m a bit chilly from standing out there.’
‘Go on then. Thanks.’
She disappeared into the back of the shop just as the front door opened and Anthony walked in.
‘Good morning,’ he said, cheerfully.
‘Hi,’ I beamed at him, feeling my cheeks turn pink. ‘How are you today?’
‘I’m well, thank you.’ He walked towards the counter, his eyes on mine. He certainly looked very well in his silver-grey suit. Little sparks of electricity were flying around my body. ‘You were up early this morning. I noticed your car had gone when I went to work.’
‘Yes. I managed to wake up early despite your being such a bad influence on me.’
‘Ah, ha ha, yes,’ he said, without much humour. He cleared his throat, uncomfortably, and my stomach dropped. Was this where he said it was all a mistake?
Just then, Bobbi came out of the back carrying a cup of tea. ‘Hello!’ she said, beaming happily at Anthony. ‘I’m Anthony.’
‘No, you’re not, you’re Bobbi!’ I hissed.
‘Oh, yes!’ Bobbi jumped at her mistake and slopped tea onto the floor. ‘Sorry! Yes, I’m Bobbi and you’re Anthony. Der. I’ve heard lots about you already from Rachel.’
‘You have?’ Anthony’s eyebrows shot up. ‘All good, I hope?’
‘Of course.’ Bobbi beamed at him, skilfully ignoring the pointed look I was giving her. ‘Did you have a nice evening last night?’
‘Yes, thank you.’ He looked slightly uncomfortable but smiled kindly at her. ‘Listen, Bobbi, it’s lovely to meet you, but would you mind if I was terribly rude and borrowed Rachel for a minute. I just need a quiet word.’
‘Oh! Okay. Go in the back, I’ll do the shop.’ Bobbi winked at me and I rolled my eyes at her, bracing myself for bad news. He’d warned me he was no good at relationships, but I didn’t expect him to be this bad this soon. I led him through into the back room.
‘Have a seat,’ I said, pulling out a wooden chair from under the table.
‘No, I’ll stand, thank you.’ His eyes flickered across my face and then down to the floor. ‘Rachel, this is slightly awkward, but I’ve been talking to my colleagues at the station and they’ve given me a bit of a bollocking.’
‘What do you mean?’ Anxiety was zipping through my veins and I felt slightly sick.
‘I’m so sorry, let me explain. You may have noticed I asked quite a few questions about Patrick last night? We’re actually trying to find him at the moment as we’re investigating him on charges of fraud.’
My jaw dropped. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘I wanted to know if you were aware of anything or if you’d been in contact with him recently.’
‘I don’t know anything and I have no idea where he is.’
‘No, I believe you, I really do. But I was naïve in thinking that meant we could eliminate you from our enquiries. My chief inspector wants to keep all lines of enquiry open and that means you’re part of a live investigation.’
I crossed my arms in front of me, feeling suddenly cold and uncertain. ‘What does that mean?’
‘Not a great deal, but I would like to take a statement from you down at the station.’
‘But why? I don’t know anything.’
‘I know. You just have to confirm you don’t, that’s all.’ He smiled apologetically. ‘It won’t take long.’
‘You want me to come now?’ I blinked at him.
‘If possible. Can Bobbi mind the shop?’
‘Yes.’ I glanced at my watch. ‘I’ll be back before closing, won’t I?’
‘Of course. Like I said, it won’t take long. I’m parked out front if you’d like to come with me.’
I hesitated. ‘Would I have to sit in the back like a criminal?’
Anthony drew in a deep breath. ‘I’ll meet you down there, shall I? Say, twenty minutes?’
‘Fine.’
He touched my arm, gently, and gave me a reassuring smile. ‘Don’t worry. It will be okay.’
I nodded and looked at the floor. Tears burned behind my eyes. I felt so let down and disappointed. The realisation that he’d just been trying to gain information about Patrick was like a punch in the stomach. I thought he’d genuinely liked me. I was such a fool.
Anthony left and I took a moment to collect my thoughts. Bobbi came and leaned on the doorframe, raising her eyebrows enquiringly.
‘Can you mind the shop until I get back?’ I said, pulling on my coat.
‘Where are you going?’
‘Well, you know Anthony’s a detective? Apparently, he’s investigating Patrick and now he wants me to go to the station and make a statement.’ I pasted on a wry smile and rolled my eyes, trying to front it out.
‘Noooo!’ Bobbi looked outraged.
‘Yes. It seems he took me out last night to see what I knew.’
‘But he kissed you, didn’t he? He can’t kiss you if you’re part of a case, surely? And what happened to the police taking you to the station to ask questions? You should lodge a complaint against him.’
I sighed as I put my bag over my shoulder. ‘It doesn’t matter. We only had dinner. No big deal. Anyway, I shouldn’t be long. I’ll be back soon.’
I nipped out of the back door to where my car was parked in the courtyard behind. My hands were shaking as I climbed inside and stared at the steering wheel for a few moments, trying to grasp what I was supposed to be doing. I hadn’t even begun to process the fact that Patrick was wanted for fraud. I didn’t know what to think. He might not even be guilty. I hated the thought that I could have been engaged to a criminal. Was I really such a poor judge of character? I supposed I must be to have been taken in so thoroughly by Anthony too. I felt my composure start to crumble and briskly rubbed my face before starting the car. I needed to focus on getting to the police station and answering these questions. There was no way I was going to show up at the station tear-stained and blotchy. No, I was going to keep it together. Any emotional stuff could be dealt with later.
Anthony was behind the desk when I walked into the station ten minutes later. He looked up and smiled and indicated for me to follow him down the corridor into one of the interview rooms. I sat down on the plastic chair opposite him and blinked around at the plain white walls and grey carpet.
‘I know, it’s a bit joyless, isn’t it? Still, this won’t take long. Just a few questions, that’s all. My colleague, DC Harper, will be joining us shortly. Can I get