Eye for an Eye (22 page)

The sound of
the front door opening. Movement inside the apartment. She sat up
suddenly, straining to hear what was happening.

Footsteps
walked past towards the kitchen. She heard water running.

She blew out
the breath she’d been holding and relaxed, realising it was Mike
returning home. She heard him making coffee in the kitchen, then he
walked into the study and flicked on the light. His jaw dropped
when he saw her sprawled on the sofa bed, blinking at the sudden
brightness.

‘Robyn! How the
hell did you get here?’ He came and sat on the edge of the bed,
looking at her with undisguised relief in his eyes. ‘I’ve been
searching for you halfway across Ontario. I was just about to phone
your brother and tell him you were missing!’

‘No, don’t do
that, he’d worry that you weren’t taking good care of me.’

‘Well I didn’t,
did I? Why do you think I’ve been looking for you all night?’

‘Oh, don’t
sweat - you’re not responsible for me, I’m a big girl now.’

‘Of course I
feel responsible - I left you stranded in a strange place with no
transport!’

‘And you didn’t
check whether I had enough money to get home,’ she prompted.

‘Oh God, I
didn’t, did I? But you got here somehow, obviously. What did you
do?’

‘Mike, it’s
really late, can we talk about this in the morning?’ She yawned
elaborately, only half acting.

‘Yeah, of
course, sorry.’ He ran his hand through his hair in a distracted
gesture. ‘Go back to sleep, I’ll catch up with you later. I’m glad
you’re safe. Sorry.’

He backed out
of the study and turned off the light.

When she
surfaced near midday and padded out to the living room he was
nowhere to be seen.

She fixed
herself some breakfast, and was just finishing her toast when he
came in, looking utterly exhausted.

‘Gidday mate,’
she said cheerfully. ‘How’s it going? God, you look rough.’

‘Thanks a
bunch.’ He sat down heavily and rubbed his eyes. ‘I’ve just been
down at the police station, not that it did much good. They seem to
think that the van was an open invitation to thieves and that I’ll
have no chance of getting it back.’

‘Oh what a load
of rubbish! You locked it, I saw you. You’re always really careful
about that sort of thing.’

‘I know.
There’s a lot of valuable equipment in the van so I take good care
of it. But the police think the thieves saw the wires sticking out
from the dashboard and figured it would be an easy job, so they
just smashed the window, jumped in and drove off.’

‘And that was
when you saw them? Is that why you hared off and left me
behind?’

‘Yes, pretty
much. I saw the van disappear up the road and all I could think of
was chasing after it before they got clean away.’

He looked at
her apologetically. ‘I didn’t have time to wait around for you, I’m
sorry.’

‘So you bloody
should be! I came out of the loo and you were nowhere in sight, so
I sat waiting for ages in the store, then I asked some poor bloke
to look in the guys’ toilet for you but you weren’t even there.
Finally the woman at the counter told me you’d gone over the road
to get a rental car and I thought you’d come and get me but no,
you’d taken off like a bloody Grand Prix Champion racer and left me
in the dust!’

‘Look, I’ve
said I’m sorry. What more do you want me to do?’ He glared at her.
‘And remember it was you that hot-wired the van. If those wires
hadn’t been sticking out it probably wouldn’t have been stolen. So
don’t make me feel guilty, lady - it was as much your fault as mine
that you got stuck.’

‘Aw bullshit!
If you had half a brain you’d have waited for me - I’d have jumped
in the rental car with you and we could probably have caught the
bastards with me there to help you. Don’t tell me it’s my fault
your cruddy old van got nicked.’

‘Cruddy? That
was a damn good vehicle, customised for my work, and it had a lot
of gear in it that will be next to impossible to replace. You’ve
cost me a lot of expense and inconvenience with your damn silly
tricks. Perhaps you should just grow up or go home!’

‘Screw you
then, I’ll take myself somewhere else!’

She stormed out
and slammed the front door behind her, bursting onto the street
like a small tornado and scattering pedestrians in her path.

Her feet took
her as far as a small park before her boiling rage had cooled to a
simmer. She wandered towards a tree and flung herself down in the
shade, muttering angrily.

‘Bloody idiot.
He could have shoved the wires back under the dashboard but he
didn’t, did he? He left them sticking out for the thieves to
see.’

She knew
perfectly well that Mike was in the right, but guilt fuelled her
anger and fogged her thinking. She forgot that he’d been out half
the night on a twelve-hour wild goose chase anxiously looking for
her, instead she sulked about being yelled at.

‘Well stuff
you, mister. I’ll just spend the day doing whatever the hell I want
and staying right out of your grumpy nit-picking anal-retentive
little space.’

A woman walking
her dog looked round, startled by Robyn’s outburst, and hurried
past.

Robyn got up
from under the tree, dusted herself off and headed downtown to fill
in her suddenly empty Sunday by exploring more of the city.

She didn’t get
too far before realising that she’d left in such a rush that she
didn’t have her purse, so her options were somewhat limited.

She spent a
couple of hours in the museum, wandered through the University of
Toronto campus, and located the art gallery, but after spending all
afternoon on her feet she ran out of steam, subsiding onto a seat
in front of City Hall with a sigh.

Behind her, the
two curved towers rose towards a clear blue sky, while in front of
her dozens of people enjoyed the sun and dabbled in the fountain in
Nathan Phillips Square.

Her stomach,
prompted by the savoury smell drifting from a nearby hot-dog stall,
reminded her that it was a long time since it had seen food.

Robyn frowned.
She was still too angry with Mike to go back to his place, but
unless she had some money, she was going to stay hungry. And her
money was at his place. She didn’t know a soul in the city to drop
in on, unlike home where most neighbours were as good as family.
Here she was alone, relying on her own resources, and a long way
from any friends. The city that had seemed bright and exciting now
felt alien and threatening. Nobody here cared if she starved or
slept on a bench like a wino.

Her usual
bubbly good spirits fizzed out and sank without trace.

When she’d been
sitting on the bench for half an hour or more, staring into space,
a small black squirrel bounded towards her with graceful fluid
movements. Robyn smiled.

‘Hello, little
squirrel. Aren’t you sweet? Have you come to cheer me up?’ The
squirrel picked up a piece of cast-away food and nibbled on it,
watching her with a bright eye. ‘Well you can piss off back to
Disneyland, you furry-arsed rat!’ She shied a small stone at it. ‘I
am not in the mood!’ It shot up the nearest tree and chittered at
her reproachfully as she smacked herself on the hand.

‘BAD
nature-lover! What would Geoff have said if he saw you treating an
animal like that? It wasn’t doing you any harm, only searching for
food in the big city. And it’s smarter than you – it found
some!’

The outburst
cleared the last of her bad temper.

It was time to
go back and make peace with Mike. After all, he was her only friend
for several thousand miles, and they had a project to get on with.
She got to her feet and trudged wearily back to his apartment.

As she opened
the door, she thrust through a bunch of flowers she’d pinched from
the park and waggled them about.

‘Truce?’ she
called hopefully.

‘I’ll think
about it.’

She went
in.

‘Hi,’ she said
cautiously. ‘How are things?’

Steel-grey eyes
flashed briefly.

‘They’ve been
better. Where have you been all day?’

‘Oh, just
around. Looking at the city, you know. Did the museum, the art
gallery, that sort of thing.’

‘Spare me the
travelogue, please. You flounced out of here in such a rage this
morning I’ve been worried about you all day. Would it have killed
you to call and say where you were?’

‘Good God,
listen to yourself Mike, you sound like a disgruntled husband!’

He paused,
startled. ‘I did, didn’t I?’

‘Yes, and you
can cut it out! I know I shot off in a huff, but my temper always
cools down fast, there was no need to worry. Mum always used to say
I blew up like a rocket but came down like the stick, and just
about as quickly. But I guess you weren’t to know that. Sorry if I
worried you.’

‘That’s all
right, I can live with it. It’s easier than dealing with a woman
who sulked for days on end whenever something didn’t meet with her
approval.’

‘Your ex?’

‘You got
it.’

‘Well I’ll try
to be different, OK?’

His eyes
creased in a smile.

‘Oh you are
different, don’t worry about that! I’ve never met anyone quite like
you before.’

‘I’ll take that
as a compliment. My Dad always said I was a one-off. Hey, you got
anything to drink around here? I’m as dry as a nun’s tits.’

He closed his
eyes briefly.

‘There’s a case
of lemon vodka mixers in the kitchen closet that one of my grateful
clients gave me, will that do?’

‘We-ell, if you
haven’t got a beer, I guess it’ll have to, eh? Want one
yourself?’

‘Sure, why
not.’

She fetched a
couple of bottles, handed him one, and took a swig from her
own.

‘Mmm, not bad.
Bit like lolly water, but drinkable.’

She flopped
down on the floor, leaning casually against an armchair. ‘So, what
did you get up to today then?’

‘More
number-crunching, trying to figure out where Colwyn’s money is
coming from and how he is keeping ahead of his creditors. He’s
skating on some pretty thin ice at the moment.’

‘So he needs
cash fast, is that what you’re saying? He’ll probably put more
pressure on Kate and Alan then, to get his hands on theirs. Hell, I
wish I could get hold of them to warn them.’

‘Could you
suggest another meeting maybe? Colwyn would probably be all in
favour of getting you guys together again, especially if it would
speed up their decision.’ He frowned. ‘It would come down to you
then, to prevent them doing it while still sounding keen to do it
yourself. I don’t see how you could manage it.’

She sighed.
‘Neither do I, to tell the truth.’ She drained her bottle. ‘Want
another one?’

‘Not
really.’

‘Aw go on,
don’t be such a bloody piker! Let yourself go a little bit, for
God’s sake. Loosen up.’

He got up
without speaking and walked out of the room.

Robyn was just
kicking herself for offending him when he came back and set two
bottles in front of her, and another two by his seat. He twisted
the cap off one, and threw it across the room.

‘Your health,’
he toasted her, and took a drink.

‘Good on ya,
mate! You’re a real bloke after all.’

He raised his
eyebrows. ‘Was there some doubt?’

‘What? A guy
who dresses up and wears make-up? Wigs and fake hair? Oh no doubt
at all, mate. Very secure in your masculinity. Course you are.
Butch as they come, you.’

His eyes
glinted. ‘Robyn, you might want to be careful what you say next. I
still owe you one for pushing me in the bath, remember. And another
for hot-wiring my van. I haven’t forgotten. Don’t try my patience
too far.’

‘Oooh, scary!
All right, I’ll be good.’ She looked up at him with a cheeky grin.
‘Wouldn’t want you to break a nail trying to spank me or
anything.’

There was a
moment’s silence while they both contemplated the possibility.

Finally he
cleared his throat. ‘I think we’re getting off track here. We
should be focusing on Colwyn and how to…’

‘Oh bugger
Colwyn!’ she burst out. ‘Up his nose with a rubber hose. And twice
as far with a chocolate bar!’ She slid lower on the floor and
giggled.

Mike regarded
her solemnly. ‘Young lady, have you been drinking?’

‘Yep, guilty
your Honour. Have another one.’

‘Sure, why
not.’ He uncapped the other bottle and joined her at floor level.
‘You realise, don’t you, that you’re upsetting my nice quiet
existence.’

‘Huh?’

‘I live an
ordered life. You are causing disruption in my tidy, organised
world. You sweep in here like a tornado, whirling all the pieces of
my life into chaos - I don’t know where you are, when you’ll show
up, what you’re doing - it’s all a - a turmoil.’

‘I’m sorry,’
she said in a small voice. ‘Should I move out?’

‘No! I like
it!’ He looked away. ‘That’s the trouble. You’re only here for a
short while, and when you’re gone I may not be able to go back to
my quiet ordered life. Even if I pick up all the scattered pieces
and put it back just the way it was, I won’t be satisfied.’ He ran
his hands through his hair. ‘You’re a distraction Robyn, but I
don’t want you to go away.’

‘OK.’

‘What?’

‘I’ll stay here
then. But I think I should go to bed now.’ Her face was flushed.
‘You might have to give me a hand to find it, that’s all.’

He struggled to
his feet and hauled her up, staggering slightly as she moved
forward. Her breasts were soft against his chest, her lips parted
as she looked up at him.

Leaning on each
other, they meandered across to the door of the study and pushed it
open. The sofa bed was just a few steps away.

‘Goodnight
Robyn. I think you can make it from here.’