The Lover's Children novel Chapter 103

MICHAEL

As Lily pirouettes and performs, Danny nudges me. “This is Lily’s last turn. She’ll be wrapping up soon.”

“What then?”

“She’ll go home, I suppose.”

“Cab?”

“No, she walks.”

“Walks? Three in the morning with a serial killer on the loose, and she walks?”

Danny shrugs. “Cabs are expensive. None of us makes a lot doing this.” Then, defensively, “She doesn’t walk alone. She and Ginny go together.”

I jerk my chin back toward Lily’s watcher. “And what’s his pattern when she’s done?”

“He usually drinks up and leaves just after Lily finishes.” Leaning back against the bar, surreptitiously, I catch Klempner’s eye, but tap into my phone messenger.

Danny glances in. “What are you doing?”

“Calling a cab.” But I drop her a wink, sliding eyes toward Klempner.

Lily finishes next few minutes. Danny says Hoodie leaves soon after. Lily walks home with another girl

Across the room, Klempner looks down to his cupped hand, looks up at me, then taps in.

A moment later my screen flashes a reply.

goin outside. poss follow. u stay here. keep phone handy

will do

“Um… Michael, listen…” Danny picks at a thumbnail. “I walk home too. After you’re done here, would you walk with me tonight? With everything going on, I’m… I’m kind of nervous.” She gives me a weak smile. “If I’m with you, no one’s going to bother me.”

Images of Charlotte flash briefly through my head. “My wife wouldn’t li…”

She touches my hand. “All I’m asking is you walk me to my door. I promise you, my intentions are strictly honourable.”

Lily?

She’s the one with the stalker…

Klempner’s on her case…

“In that case, I’ll walk you to your door and see you inside. Okay?”

“That’d be great. Thanks.”

*****

KLEMPNER

As I slip out, Michael’s still talking to Danny. Out in the lobby, the compere’s voice vibes through. “A round of applause please for Lily!” Half-hearted clapping follows, swallowed by the night as I stroll out.

I keep it casual, for the benefit of anyone who should notice me, but inside the adrenaline’s beginning to pump and I’m struggling not to smile. It’s Him. I’m sure it’s Him.

*****

Three in the morning - the wee small hours. Here, at the height of the year, dawn is only an hour or so away. It should be the cool of the night. Instead, away from the air-con, the night is airless with heat. Oppressive, almost suffocating. In under a minute, sweat streaks from my face and neck and shoulders.

Trying to ignore it, I consider my options…

The next building along, a warehouse, or garage perhaps, faces the street with a gloomy nook of an entrance. Letting the shadow swallow me, I survey the area.

The streets are almost deserted. An occasional delivery van. An even more occasional car.

If I were stalking some woman, where would I…?

It’s painfully obvious. Indeed, Danny mentioned it.

All is in darkness save for a cafe across the road. Brightly lit, a waitress wipes over the counter then, responding to a raised hand, takes a jug from the hotplate. The scent of coffee and toast reminds me that I’ve had nothing for hours but a couple of beers.

My stomach growls and temptation tugs at me, but before I have time to react, the club door swings open again and as I reverse into my shadow, Hoodie emerges, the hood once more drawn up. Crossing the street to the cafe, five minutes later, he’s sitting at a window table, a mug and a plate of something set in front of him.

And, as Danny said, he’s watching the club entrance. Not obviously. No one looking casually would notice. But from my dim shelter, with time to watch, I see it. Between sips from the mug and bites from the plate, he keeps the Sapphire Club under surveillance.

I watch.

And I wait.

Should I call the police?

Alert Stanton?

But the hard fact is, I’ve not a shred of actual evidence against this man.

So far…

It would be impossible to prove that ‘Pat’ has sinister intentions when he’s simply attending a public venue to watch a legal show, and then stopping off for a bite to eat and a coffee before bed.

Everything hangs on what he does next.

While I wait, I entertain myself snapping him with my phone camera. I got a few of him at the bar, but the dim general lighting of the club combined with the kaleidoscopic strobes and glitter balls, pretty much screwed the image quality. Here, although at a distance and with that damn hood up again, he’s under fluorescent strips, unsubtle but bright.

Snatching for the moments when he turns front on, his face is properly exposed, I get some half-decent shots. Then, cupping my hand around the bright screen, zoom into my collection of images for a close-up and my first really good look at him.

As the girl said, an ordinary face. So ordinary, no one’s going to look twice. But something about him freaks out everyone who meets him.

Pondering that, I switch off the screen before anyone notices…

No one’s going to look twice…

And yet…

Flicking the screen on again, I look again.

Do I know you?

*****

Single men entered the club. Several exit with a woman. One couple stagger off down the street, speech slurring, not looking as though either will be much use to the other. Another leaves straightening his tie. Perhaps there are rooms upstairs.

Why’s she taking so long?

Lily finished her act some while ago. She’s had plenty of time to get changed and…

Ahhh…