Nine Lives by Anita Waller (best english books to read .txt) 📗

‘Yes of course. Thank you for joining, and we’ll see you tomorrow?’

‘Definitely,’ Flick said, and moved towards the signing-in book.

‘Oh no,’ the receptionist said, ‘if you’re only visiting the coffee shop, we don’t ask you to sign in.’

‘Really? I’m surprised. As you said, health and safety…’

‘The Coffee Pot is a franchise. They have their own regulations. It’s well used, and I would say ninety per cent of our visitors go in before heading home. A couple of romances have blossomed in there.’ She giggled.

‘Thank you,’ Flick responded, and walked through the double doors of the coffee shop.

Flick ordered a flat white and took out her notebook. She didn’t want to forget anything of this strange afternoon, especially the bit about anybody visiting the coffee shop only, didn’t have to sign in. Their killer could easily have got to know her victims simply by going for a coffee. She wouldn’t have been on any attendance list, wouldn’t necessarily have to be on the membership list. A perfect set-up.

She glanced around – eight customers, including herself, and this was mid-afternoon. Two people were tapping away on laptops, a man was reading a newspaper while enjoying a panini with his drink, and most of the others either had books or eReaders to occupy their minds. Flick liked to people-watch and spent a pleasant half hour in The Coffee Pot, before following the man with the newspaper out of the doors.

‘My first time in that coffee shop,’ she said chattily, ‘seems nice. The coffee was good anyway.’

‘It’s excellent,’ he responded. ‘I use it most days, my office is only five minutes away. It seems to attract a lot of people who return to it, rather than first-timers. I bet you go back again.’

‘Certainly will. I’ve joined the gym.’

He laughed. ‘I’ve heard it’s not the best of gyms, but it’s certainly one of the better coffee shops. Maybe I’ll see you again,’ he said, as they reached the car park, and she took out her keys.

‘That would be nice. My name’s Flick.’

‘Robert. I’m in most days.’

The smile was still on her face as she unlocked her car, but by the time she had driven out of the car park, Robert had disappeared.

Flick and Erica arrived back at the station at the same time. Flick was about to go through the doors when she spotted Erica’s car. She waited until Erica sorted herself out and got out of the car, then waved.

Erica waved back, and inwardly thought how much she was getting used to working with Flick. She remembered she’d been to join Starlite Gym, and grinned. Flick didn’t even like climbing the seven steps to get to the doors, she tended to take the disabled ramp, so the idea of her doing exercise in a gym was almost laughable. No, extremely laughable, she corrected herself. ‘You don’t look any slimmer,’ she said as she reached Flick.

‘Oy, I don’t need to look any slimmer. Met a nice feller though.’

‘In police time? That allowed?’

‘No idea. He’s probably married anyway. But I have got stuff to tell you. How’s Beth?’

‘Battered head to toe, but much livelier. She’s sent her mum and dad back home, and she’ll have been moved to her new ward by now. They came to do that, so I left. She’s talking about being home in a couple of days, but maybe that’s her talking and not her consultant. I don’t know.’

‘That’s good. She capable of being on her own?’

‘She says she is, so we’ll have to hope she’s right. Let’s get a coffee, and you can fill me in on all this activity, and tell me when you’re going again, to actually do some exercising.’

29

Erica stared out of her tiny office window while Flick made them coffees. She turned towards the younger woman and smiled. ‘You’re doing well.’

‘What do you mean? I’m getting your coffee right?’

‘No, I meant in general. You’ve stepped up to the plate under difficult circumstances, because Beth is extremely well liked. And you think outside the box. You came up with going to the gym, I didn’t, and by the sound of it, it’s paid off. You want a KitKat?’

‘Thanks. I’d love one.’ Flick reached across the desk, and slowly took off the wrappings. ‘It’s ages since I’ve had one of these.’

‘I like them because I can fool myself into thinking they’re low in calories, so it doesn’t count. So, tell me about this feller, and about the gym.’

‘The girl on reception, who shall be unnamed because she didn’t have a badge on, was most helpful, possibly because she’s not used to being on reception and hadn’t been trained in being polite but reticent. I filled in a form, put accountant down as my employment – but put my proper name and address in case they checked. I somehow don’t think they will, it’s all about numbers there, I suspect. She then took me through those big double doors at the end of the reception desk.’ Flick shuddered and Erica laughed.

‘It was that bad?’

‘Worse! There must have been ten people in the room, all beavering away at high speed on these machines, or laid on their backs picking up weights. Honest, boss, it took my breath away, the thought of actually doing any of it. And I had to get all enthusiastic about it, to keep her thinking I was ready to take my clothes off there and then and get stuck in. Never in a million years will I buy workout clothes. I would say it was about fifty–fifty, the ratio of men to women. I walked around with her, watching them all, and most of them looked in pain. What’s that all about then? Why would you do that to yourself?’

Erica laughed. ‘And this unnamed receptionist never suspected you were a blatant fraud?’

‘Not for a minute. The more questions I asked, the more interest I showed, the more giddy she got at having hooked a new member. I was feeling fed up because it looked above board,