‘I am tired,’ he answered. ‘Bad night.’
Eve pulled a sympathetic face and nodded. ‘Must be planetary. I’ve not slept well myself.’
‘Planetary?’
Eve shrugged. ‘Astrology. You know, planets moving around the zodiac. I believe it affects people.’
‘Oh.’ Daniel’s tea and toast arrived. He had asked Lily for money, which she’d been happy to donate, although he hadn’t told her what he was going to do with it. There was a moment’s silence, as both sipped tea. Then someone came into the cafe behind Daniel, and Eve looked up. Her face registered both shock and annoyance. Daniel turned round, presuming that whoever had just come in was someone Eve knew. An extremely tall, good-looking young man with long tawny hair was making his way between the tables towards them. At first, Daniel was sure he knew this person, but the impression was fleeting, and after only a moment, he realised the newcomer was a stranger. His interest was pricked by the man’s attractiveness, but he also felt disappointed that his private meeting with Eve was curtailed. This might even be her lover.
‘Hi!’ Eve said nervously. ‘What are you doing here?’
The young man sat down between them. ‘Just passing. Thought you’d be here.’ He pushed his hair behind his ears and picked up the menu, at which he frowned. Eve continued to regard him in surprise. Daniel wondered whether he should leave. The tension was too great.
‘This is Daniel,’ Eve announced. Daniel sensed a certain pointedness about the remark. The young man looked at him then, apparently for the first time. Daniel felt a flush creep up his face. The look was too direct, too assessing.
‘I work near here,’ he mumbled, to indicate his presence at Eve’s table was not illicit.
‘Yeah? I’m Jack. A colleague of the lady here.’ He directed his attention back to the menu.
‘It is rare that Jack sees this time of day,’ Eve said, rather acidly. ‘We are honoured by his presence.’ She lit a cigarette, narrowed her eyes through the smoke. It was then that Daniel picked up the distinct impression that Eve thought Jack was an intrusion. She didn’t want him there, because she wanted to be alone with Daniel. This intrigued him. What exactly did she want from him?
Jack spoke about how he’d come to give Eve a message, which she clearly did not believe. He told her that the ‘boss’ wanted to meet her for lunch. Something to do with an overdue report. He ordered a full breakfast, then mentioned that he’d offered to ‘help out’ with her work, seeing as she appeared to be having problems with it. Daniel sensed a sub-text to their conversation, and picked up a sense of extreme annoyance simmering beneath Eve’s cool reserve. ‘You seemed to have little interest in the project,’ she said in an icy voice.
Jack shrugged and smiled, lacing his fingers together on the table. ‘Well, I’ve reviewed it and have changed my mind.’
Eve shook her head and, much to Daniel’s surprise, started to smile. He sensed more was being said than he could understand. It was a code between them. ‘OK, get on with it then. I’ll wait to be impressed by your expertise.’
To Daniel’s horror, she picked up her bag, which was stowed under her seat and stood up. She was, Daniel realised, incredibly tall for a woman. ‘See you later.’
‘You’re going,’ Daniel said, inadequately.
‘Yes, sorry. Sit and chat to Jack. I’m sure you’ll find him entertaining.’ She moved fluidly towards the counter to pay her bill.
Daniel gulped down his tea, intent on leaving too.
Jack seemed to guess this. ‘Don’t go,’ he said. ‘Keep me company.’
‘I don’t know you,’ Daniel blurted.
Jack laughed at him. ‘Of course not. But if you stay, you can begin to. Tell him I won’t eat him, Eve!’
Eve looked back over her shoulder with a quick, bright smile. ‘Stay, Daniel.’
Daniel’s heart had begun to beat faster. He sensed a conspiracy. Why would this perfect stranger want his company? Had Eve told Jack about him? If so, why? A memory came back to him of the weird experience he’d had in the night, and the silent figures standing vigilantly in the darkness outside the Rooms. He stood up. ‘I don’t think... I mean, I have things to do.’ The pair of them were staring at him, almost without expression, but with a sense of waiting.
Then Jack laughed and applied himself to his breakfast, which had just been placed before him. ‘Yeah, you’re right. Piss off. I’m bad company.’
Daniel glanced at Eve. Her expression was intent. She mouthed a single, silent word, ‘Please!’ Daniel frowned at her, unsure of her meaning. He wondered exactly what was going on between these two. Something to do with their work?
Eve came towards him, put one pale hand on his arm. ‘You would be doing me a favour keeping him occupied,’ she said lightly. Her eyes said more than that, however. ‘I’ll see you here tomorrow morning, shall I?’ she added. ‘Then you can buy me breakfast like you promised.’
Reluctantly, Daniel gave in and sat down again. ‘All right.’
Eve leaned down and kissed him lightly on the cheek. ‘Thanks.’ He could smell her perfume, sense her warmth; both of which were quite intoxicating.
Looking back, Daniel could see that he was seduced from the start. He couldn’t remember exactly how Jack had engineered it, but somehow they spent the day together. He took Daniel out into the city, into the real city, the back streets and hidden shops, the bars known only to natives. Daniel had fifteen pounds in his jacket pocket. He wondered whether he could buy himself something, but in the event spent it all on beer and food.
They ended up spending most of the afternoon in an empty pub, where Daniel established that Jack was not Eve’s lover as he’d thought. He risked asking why Eve wanted him to stay with Jack in the cafe.
Jack grinned, took a swig from the bottle he held, leaning back in his chair. ‘She thinks it’s therapy for me.’
‘Oh? Why?’
Jack leaned forward and put his arms on the tabletop. ‘I’ve had a bit of hassle, that’s all. Emotional fuck-up. Eve’s doing the mother hen bit. Perhaps she thought you’d be good for me.’
Daniel, inexperienced in the ways of world but nonetheless perceptive, drew back. ‘Why would she think that?’
Jack shrugged. ‘She likes you. She has good taste.’
How do I handle this? Daniel wondered, unsure whether he was picking up the right signals. Was this man making a pass at him, partly engineered by Eve? How could she make such assumptions upon such short acquaintance? Was it written all over him that he preferred men to women? He considered himself to be free of all obvious signs, and didn’t know now whether to feel offended or complimented. ‘Eve doesn’t know me very well. We’ve only just met.’
Jack pulled a wry face, shrugged. Without further preamble, he asked Daniel if he’d like to go out clubbing later on. Daniel was unsure. A mild flirtation in daylight was one thing, the possibility of getting drunk and irresponsible in a club late at night another. ‘Oh, I don’t know.’ He paused. ‘I don’t have much money.’
Jack rolled his eyes. ‘Well I have. What’s the matter? You really don’t trust me, do you?’
Daniel risked a partial confession. ‘Look, I haven’t been in the city long. I hardly know anyone. I hardly know you. It’s just...’
‘Then bring a friend with you, if you have one, and if it’ll make you feel safer, although I swear I haven’t murdered anyone in my life yet. I have considered it a few times, and have accomplished maiming, but little else.’ He smiled disarmingly.
Daniel considered. Lily had talked of wanting to get out at night. Maybe she would come. ‘Well, there’s a girl I know. She might be into it. I’ll ask her.’
At lunchtime, Aninka met Lahash at their appointed place; an expensive bistro. She was unsure whether to be angry with him or not. ‘Did you send Taz to the cafe this morning?’
Lahash shrugged. ‘Taz suggested it himself. It seemed sensible.’
‘A planned seduction, is that it? I gather that wa
s the innuendo behind his words.’
‘I wouldn’t go so far as to say that.’ Lahash poured icy white wine into a tall glass for her. She sat rigidly, poised behind a spray of white carnations that stood between them on the table in a crystal flute. Lahash looked achingly handsome, clever and cunning. Aninka recognised the warning signs. Perhaps it would be wiser to back off. ‘So what are your plans, then? We’ve established contact with Daniel. When do we move in?’
Lahash smiled in a fashion Aninka did not like. Disturbingly, he often looked like an assassin, with his smart suits and heavy overcoats. A secret agent with a gun beneath his arm. ‘That depends on Taz. We need information. I just hope he’s reliable.’
Aninka grimaced and took a drink of wine. ‘You should know he is not.’ She twirled the stem of her glass between her fingers. Lahash was now examining the menu. ‘What kind of information do you want?’
Lahash did not meet her eyes. ‘How many people in the house. Shemyaza’s frame of mind, that kind of thing. Also, whether any of them are armed.’
Aninka shivered. She had a vision of Peverel Othman lying slumped against a wall, his guts spilled out across the floor. ‘Do you suppose the Parzupheim are on to him?’
‘Of course they are. I just hope they’ve opted to be circumspect.’ He leaned forward. ‘We have to take him soon, Ninka, or rather, I do.’
Aninka felt suffused by a sudden, overwhelming depression. The odds seemed too high. What were they playing at? ‘Perhaps we should just leave them to it — the Parzupheim, I mean.’
Lahash scowled. ‘No! I can’t let him beat me.’
‘It’s too much of a personal vendetta for you!’
Lahash raised an eyebrow. ‘And it’s not for you?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t know any more. I fear for Taz. What if Shemyaza should find out he’s tampering with Daniel? What if he’s just lying in wait?’ She paused. ‘Do you think Taz’d be stupid enough to go into the Assembly Rooms without you?’
‘No,’ Lahash answered, summoning a waiter. ‘He just wants to fuck the boy that Shemyaza fucks, that’s all. Perhaps getting his own back?’
Aninka uttered a disgusted sound. ‘You’re wrong. Taziel, for all his ways, is not an animal. I think he just finds the idea of playing at sleuths amusing.’
The atmosphere during the meal was strained. Aninka picked at her food, wondering why Lahash had become so aggressive and bitter. Perhaps Enniel had given him a harder time than she’d thought. It seemed impossible to imagine that Lahash could care for her now. The time in Little Moor, and what happened afterwards, when they’d closed ranks in the draughty halls of High Crag to face Enniel, seemed insubstantial, as if it hadn’t really happened. A runnel of anger seethed through her and she dropped her fork onto her plate, where her steak lay virtually untouched.
Lahash glanced at her, forking rare meat into his mouth, an expression of enquiry on his face.
‘I must go,’ Aninka said.
Lahash frowned. ‘Why? You haven’t finished your meal.’
She gestured helplessly with stiff fingers. ‘It’s all wrong. None of this feels right.’ She lowered her hands, composed herself. ‘I don’t think you’re telling me everything.’
Lahash made an abrupt move, rubbed one hand through his hair. By that, Aninka guessed she’d hit on the truth.
‘What could I possibly not be telling you?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t know. But there is something. Lahash, why won’t you confide in me? Are you just using me? I had hoped that was not the case.’
Lahash regarded her without expression for a few moments, then admitted bluntly, ‘I’ve been watched.’
Aninka made a small move upon her seat, but otherwise remained outwardly calm. ‘By whom? The Parzupheim?’
Lahash shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I don’t think so. I’m just not sure, but the feeling’s... well, not good.’
‘You mean bad,’ Aninka said. ‘I think that’s the word you’re looking for. How do you know? Have you seen these people?’
He blinked at her. ‘Ninka, I do know my business. There have been figures in the porches of the houses opposite my room. Occasionally, I’ve been aware of being followed. Noises on the line of my phone by day and in the static of my head at night. Believe me, someone is watching.’
Aninka leaned towards him, spoke softly but urgently, suddenly aware that these unseen pursuers could be here with them in the restaurant. ‘Then you must forget about Shemyaza. Leave him to those who can match his power. Why risk your life — or your sanity?’
Lahash clasped his hands together, closed his eyes briefly, rubbed his long nose with his thumbs. He sighed. ‘I can’t let this go, Ninka. Things could go badly for me if I don’t redeem myself with Enniel. He holds the keys of my life.’ He straightened up. ‘Look, there’s no need for you to be involved. I understand your feelings, your anxieties.’
‘Then I’ll just walk out of here,’ she said, gambling. ‘Like I wanted to before we started this conversation.’
‘Please don’t.’ Lahash tried a boyish smile on her. ‘I want you to stay.’
Aninka picked up her fork again, toyed with her food, staring at her plate. ‘I remember a conversation that seems to have taken place such a long time ago, when you said that one day we’d sit in a restaurant, and you’d tell me the story of your life. Things were different then, weren’t they?’
He stared at her for a moment. ‘Not that different, no. I’m sorry. Perhaps I seem obsessed. Let’s spend the day together, enjoy ourselves. I want to do that, Ninka, I’ve always wanted to. You are very beautiful, and I care about you a great deal.’
‘I’m surprised to hear you say that. I’ve had no inkling.’
‘I know. Perhaps I assumed too much, or expected you to be psychic like Taz. Well, will you spend the day with me?’
Aninka nodded. ‘OK. We’ll see how it goes.’ She shook her head sadly. ‘What am I letting myself in for? Perhaps I’m being presumptuous here, but I couldn’t bear to get involved with you only to lose you in some horrible, life-shattering way.’
‘I’ll do my best to avoid that happening,’ Lahash said.
They went for a walk in the cold air, strolling through the West End. Lahash bought flowers for Aninka from a road-side stand. She smelled them, and they had hardly any perfume. Twice he had given her scentless flowers. An archaic gesture, perhaps, and now she had to carry them round with her for the entire afternoon.
As the day became smoky and blue-grey, they wandered into a cafe and drank espresso coffee. The city was lighting up around them; buses and taxis roared down Charing Cross Road. Their conversation skirted the issues of Shemyaza, Little Moor, Cresterfield, the past. Aninka was astounded there was so much trivia to talk about. At five o’clock, she looked at her watch. ‘Well, I’d better get back to the flat. You coming?’
He nodded. ‘Yes. We should see how Taz got on.’
He helped her into her coat, and leaned forward to kiss her hair. ‘Have you had a good time?’
She turned her head and smiled up at him, tightly. ‘Yes.’ She wished it could be true.
Taziel was uncharacteristically energetic, prowling the apartment, eating coleslaw from a plastic tub. Aninka regarded this transformation with suspicion. She felt her heart grow heavy, slide down within her. He fancies Daniel, she thought. He really does.
‘How was it?’ she asked, rather too acidly.
‘Fine,’ Taz replied. ‘I’m meeting him again tonight.’
‘What information did you get out of him?’ Lahash demanded.
Taz frowned. ‘Nothing yet. I can’t push it. He’s very wary.’
‘We must all talk to Daniel later,’ Lahash said. ‘You must bring him back here.’
‘We’re going to a club,’ Taz said. ‘It’ll be late.’
‘I’m sure Aninka and I can find something to do to amuse ourselves.’
Aninka regarded Taziel speculatively. She could swear that he?
??d somehow decided to keep Daniel for himself, but she wasn’t sure of his reasons for that. Simple altruism just didn’t ring true. ‘What time do you want us back?’ she asked him.
‘Around three.’
‘That is late.’
Taz shrugged. ‘I know. But I want him to be settled comfortably here before you arrive. I’ll pave the way.’
‘Is that wise?’ Lahash said. ‘He might flee.’
‘Trust me,’ Taz answered. ‘We’re both psychics after all. I’m sure I can intrigue him enough to get him back here without scaring him off. Once he’s here, the bolt’ll be across the door, don’t worry.’
‘Taz, be careful!’ Aninka warned. ‘You don’t know what link he might have with Shemyaza. If you kidnap the boy, Shemyaza might come raging to the rescue. I don’t want to come home to a wrecked flat, strewn with bits of your vital equipment!’
‘It won’t be kidnap, I promise,’ Taz said, grinning, and from the width of the grin, Aninka gathered only too well what Taz hoped it would be.
‘Once I get the information from the boy, I’m going hunting,’ Lahash said. ‘It must be tonight.’
‘What will you do with him?’ Aninka was alarmed it would be this soon.
‘Get him to High Crag as soon as possible.’
‘He might be frisky,’ Taziel said. ‘Do you know what you’ll be facing?’
‘Hopefully, yes. After I’ve talked to the boy.’
Aninka threw herself down in a chair, one leg hooked over the arm. ‘You’re assuming Daniel will talk. Why should he? The minute he finds out who and what we are, the chances are he’ll be hostile, wouldn’t you say?’ Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Taziel stiffen. Hadn’t he thought of that?
Lahash put his hands into his coat pockets, which could be stuffed with instruments of torture for all Aninka knew. ‘Don’t worry. He’ll talk.’
Aninka sighed, scrubbed at her hair with her hands. ‘I hate this!’