Out of The Blue (4 page)

“Jamie, I need to get going while I can still make it back to the hotel under my own steam.”

As she turned I saw a brief, lazy smile on her lips before she spoke. “Sure, you must be tired.”   

I hadn’t noticed the rain at all while we were inside. Luckily, it was only spitting as we walked back down the Shambles, both lost in our own worlds, although I was contemplating ways in which we could repeat the evening’s events without arguing first. As the rain started falling harder I pulled my jacket up to cover my head and we ran for the cover of the nearest archway to wait it out, hoping it would pass or at least ease up.

“Whereabouts do you live from here?” I enquired.

“Not far from the Hilton actually.”

Realising it had let up a little, we continued to my hotel with our coats over our heads. In less than five minutes I could see the entrance to the hotel. I led us inside to escape the weather, pulled off my coat and assessed the damage to us both. We were both sopping wet from the waist down.

“I’ll order you a taxi. You can’t walk home in this.”

“It’s not far. It’s only a few minutes’ walk,” Jamie tried to protest.

“You’ll get soaked. No, I’ll get you a taxi.” I walked across to the reception desk to order a taxi. “Should only be a few minutes,” I said as I returned to her side. 

“Thanks. So, we’re still on for night surveying, right?”

“Right.” I smiled at her eagerness. “I just wanted to say … I had a really good time tonight. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Me too.” Jamie pushed it a little more. “Maybe we could do it again sometime?”

“Yeah.” I’d already made my mind up that we’d see each other again, even if I had to do the asking this time. I wanted to get to know her better, which, as I realised, was very unlike me. Generally, I had a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude when it came to people, even the women I had dated to a certain extent. This was definitely a new and somewhat interesting situation to be in, although I was quietly asking myself, why her? She certainly didn’t fit my usual type.           

“Taxi for Carson!”

I turned at the voice calling my name, spotting a large, round man standing just inside the foyer, and instinctively stuck my hand up to indicate the location of his fare.

“Okay, I’ll let you know about the surveying. Will you text me when you get home, just so I know you’ve got there okay?”

“Okay.”

Her grin told me I was being silly, but I think she liked it anyway.

“Night.”

“Night,” I said, before turning away.

Walking up to my room, I mulled over the events of the evening. I had indeed had a very good time. Jamie was definitely growing on me. I enjoyed her humour and even her hair-trigger temper to a certain extent, not to mention her stunning blue eyes, beautiful face and svelte figure. Not that I was scrutinising her at all. Sitting on the bed, taking off my damp shoes, my phone vibrated on the nightstand, pulling me from my daydreaming.

Home safe. See you later.

I replied with a simple,
Night
, not wanting to push it any further before I had had time to process this new situation.    

The following day, I continued to work with the team surveying the Bonnington site. Arriving at my sector, I could see Lucy in the distance on the plot next to mine. Every time I looked up she seemed to be staring in my direction; she obviously had something on her mind. After another hour of stares she made her way over to me.  

“What were you doing out with Bossy Britches Buxton the other night?”

“What?” Her tone was quite accusatory. I didn’t like it one bit. I was her employer and I didn’t want to hear her bad-mouthing our clients. 

“I saw you walking in town with her the other night.”  

“We went out to talk about the contract, that’s all.” I didn’t like the defensiveness of my tone but equally I didn’t want to have to explain the argument I’d had with Jamie earlier that day.  

“Not sleeping with the enemy are you?”

“What? We just went out for a drink.” I didn’t like the direction this was going.

Her tone was sleazy as she continued. “I’d have gone out for a drink if you’d asked.”

“Lucy, I don’t like having to say this but I am your employer and I need you to respect my decisions. And my private life is just that –
private
.” With that I walked off in the direction of the base camp. After a few paces I turned back to her; she sported a particularly sour look as she stared at the ground. The more I thought about it, Lucy had been acting a little weird around me, a little too attentive maybe. “Finish up your plot then take the rest of the day off,” I said. “I think you need a break.” I turned to leave, hearing a faint reply of, “Fine,” as I strode off. I didn’t want her to be anywhere near me right now. What right did she have to question me about my decision to socialise with Jamie? I hated falling out with people, especially work colleagues. I generally preferred the option of walking away rather than confrontation.

Frustrated at our falling out, I decided to take a more scenic route back, via the locations Mike had highlighted for my night walk with Jamie. As I looked for the best observation areas, I scoured the floor for hoof or paw prints and any scat or droppings nearby to indicate species present. Searching the long grass, I found small amounts of elongated droppings with pointed ends, typical of roe deer. I was just about to walk away when I spotted a Hawthorn tree with some damage to its bark. With the height of the gnawing and the small amount of stripping at around a metre from the ground it could only be deer responsible. Taking pictures of the evidence for reference, I felt more positive about the night walk.  

I spotted a familiar blonde chatting to her infiltrator ecologist, Pete, as I returned to our base camp. Jamie seemed to be one of those people that looked good in whatever she wore, which on this occasion was a white shirt with a grey pinstripe and a pair of dark grey suit trousers.

I was still a little freaked by my conversation with Lucy. I couldn’t imagine Jamie had discussed our evening out, which left me with only one possibility, and not something I really wanted to entertain.

Jamie caught my eye as I entered the tent. I watched as she made her way towards me, that now-familiar, warm smile on her face.          

“Hey, how are you today?” She sounded very cheery. I wondered if this was a genuine visit or an excuse to see that we were still working, or maybe a cheeky catch up with me.

“Good, thanks,” I replied, dropping my rucksack on the bench before pulling out my water bottle to take a drink. She seemed to stare at me a little too long, before suddenly becoming aware of her actions.

“I, er … I just dropped by to check up on Pete.” A slight look of embarrassment crept over her face as we stood there, facing each other.

I smiled in reply to her poor recovery and excuse. “I was going to ring you today actually.”

“Really? Well, I’ve saved you the bother.”

I grinned at her bubbliness. “I spoke to Mike about doing that night survey,” I said before taking a quick drink.

“Is he coming with us?”

I saw a slight look of worry in her face. I wasn’t sure if it was the thought of being out in the dark with a slightly too fragrant Mike or not being alone with me. Did she say ‘us’? At least she wasn’t planning on wimping out.

“No, no, he’s just given me a few tips on where to go. It does mean coming out here at a pretty unsociable hour. I hope that’s okay?” I continued as tactfully as I could, considering the time we would have to be here.

“I had a feeling it might. What are we talking?”

“Four a.m. start,” I said, hoping it wasn’t just over-enthusiasm and beer talking the other night.

“Oh I see. That’s not
too
bad I guess.”

Again, I couldn’t hide my smile. “Good, I was hoping you’d say that,” I said, relieved she hadn’t tried to back out.

The arrival of more people in the tent, including a still pissed-looking Lucy, seemed to signal it was time for her to leave. She seemed a little nervous again with the presence of others.    

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow night then … or technically I guess it’s the morning after really … I mean …”

I grinned at her continued babbling. She seemed to get a little redder the more she went on. Taking pity on her, I put her out of her misery. “Try and get a bit of sleep before I pick you up. I’ll bring the torches and a hot drink just in case it’s cold.”

“I … I guess I should give you my address.”

I realised I had failed to ask for that piece of vital information. It was my turn to be embarrassed. “That would be very useful,” I replied.

I watched her scribble on a Post-it note before handing it to me.

“Thanks. Dark clothes would be good, too,” I added, realising it was probably her first night walk.   

“Right, okay.”

The ringing of my phone cut her off. I checked the caller ID – James. “Sorry, I need to take this. I’ll see you at four.” I hoped my wide smile told her how much I was looking forward to spending more time with her.   

I watched her walk back to her car, her trousers showing off her tight butt. I turned away to prevent her from seeing my eyes fixed on her ass as she got in her car. I even pondered if she had worn them on purpose, which put a wry smile on my face as a familiar voice echoed in my ear.

***

Pulling up in front of Jamie’s house, I sat there admiring the three-storey townhouse with its large, black front door. All of the houses looked very well kept; Newton Terrace was obviously an upmarket area of York. Only one side of the street was built on; the other side was occupied with the remnants rebuilt or otherwise of the walled city. Beyond that was high banking containing established London Plane trees, creating a leafy view for all of the residents.

In my head, I played the conversation I had had with Jamie earlier, checking for any signs of her interest I had felt the night before in the pub. On recollection, it seemed pretty innocent and I wondered if I had read too much into it. If that was the case I felt more than a little disappointed.   

The early morning May air was still and cold as I walked up the short path to Jamie’s house. After two short knocks, the door opened almost immediately. Jamie looked good in black jeans this time with walking boots and more outdoor gear on top.    

“Hey.” Jamie stepped back, letting me in.

“Hi.” Spotting the cap she had worn the other day hanging on the newel post, I offered my opinion. “You might want to take a hat as there’ll probably be bugs about, plus it’s a bit chilly out.” I glanced around the hallway of Jamie’s house. It had that timeless look about it. The floor tiles had a stylish blue, brown and cream pattern, complemented by grey-blue walls up to waist height with a cream colour above. The staircase had white painted risers with varnished treads and handrail; a grey-blue runner ran from bottom to top. At the bottom of the stairs a delicate watercolour hung above an old-style radiator.          

“Right.” Jamie grabbed her cap and keys before moving towards me, still stood in the doorway. “Ready?” she asked, turning to me as I continued to scope out her hallway. I was a little embarrassed at being caught.

“Sure.” I moved off down the path while Jamie locked up. “Did you get any sleep?” I asked as Jamie got in the passenger side.

“No.”

“Just to confirm, it’s not an official survey night. We just want to see what if anything is around, right?”

“Right.”        

Arriving at Bonnington Hall, I drove slowly across the gravel, parking up on the nearest section of grass just inside the entrance to reduce the noise as much as possible. I leant across, opening the glove box; pulling out a pair of binoculars and two head torches, I handed one to Jamie. Turning my cap around to put the torch on, Jamie took the hint and did the same. We must have looked like something off
Doctor Who
. I pulled a small rucksack from behind the passenger seat before getting out.   

Moving from the car the back end of the campervan appeared around the side of the house, I could see lights on inside. Checking the clock on the dash, it was almost 4.00 a.m. I wondered when Mike actually slept. Looking across to Jamie, I could see she was a little tired, no doubt regretting not taking my advice of having a nap earlier.

“Looks like Mike’s still up.”

“Umm, is it me or does he whiff a little?”

“Ahh, you noticed. Well, as I said before, he’s a little … untamed.”

Exiting the car, we both looked at each other when we heard faint grunts and moans coming from the direction of the campervan. On closer inspection it seemed to wobble a little on its wheels. I covered my mouth to prevent any noise from my laugh escaping, while Jamie just stood there frozen to the spot, mouth agape.          

“Oh my God! Who’s he got in there?” Jamie whispered over the top of my car.

“I don’t know.”

The grunts became slightly higher in pitch.

“But they seem to be enjoying it.”

As we walked away from the driveway and house, another vehicle came into view. It wasn’t one that I recognised, although I made a mental note of it as we walked away for future reference. I realised Jamie had stopped behind me. I turned to see her scrutinising the car next to the camper. The almost full moon and relatively clear night reduced the need for our head torches at this stage. She looked back at me, quickly walking towards me.

“I know whose car that is,” she whispered.

“You do? Who?” I asked, barely able to keep my voice at a whisper.

“He offered to drive me out here the other day. It’s Pete … Pete Nicholls. I guess he really hit it off with Mike?”

The penny finally dropped. “Your Pete? The guy you dropped off yesterday?”

“Well he’s not
mine
, but yes that one.”

She looked a little offended at my suggestion.

“Did you know Pete was gay?”

“No. Did you know about Mike?”

“We’ve never talked about that stuff. I’ve worked with him quite a few times now and, well, he generally stays on-site so we don’t really socialise, but, well, good luck to him I say.”

“God, I’ve got to try and wipe those sounds and mental images from my mind. I’ll have to avoid him for ages or I’m bound to blurt out a double entendre or something.”  

“We can’t say we were here.” I though back to my conversation with Mike earlier. “Actually, Mike knew we were coming out here so maybe he doesn’t care who knows. But just to be sure we shouldn’t say anything. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable. He’s great at his job. I don’t want to lose him.”

“Okay, I’ll do my best. Don’t blame me if something slips out! See, it’s started already.” Jamie turned to me, already giggling as we walked towards the trees.   

“So are we allowed to talk during this walkabout?”

“Yes, if we’re quiet. Just try and hold back on the cabaret numbers till we get back to the car.”

“A wise decision, if you’ve heard me sing.”

I smiled to myself as we slowly walked through the woods. She really was pretty funny. “Try not to use your light unless you have to.”

“Okay. Do you watch
The Sopranos
?” Jamie inquired in the same breath.

I wondered where this was going, immediately thinking of the mob dumping dead bodies in the woods, cutting off hands and knocking out teeth. “Um, yeah,” I tentatively replied. “I think I’ve seen it. Why?” 

“I saw on the news earlier that James Gandolfini who played the main guy has died of a heart attack.”

“Really? Shit! He wasn’t that old was he?”

“Only fifty-one. He was on holiday in Italy apparently.”  

A movement in the distance caught my eye. I stopped, holding out my arm, and Jamie halted next to me. I felt her creep closer to me before she whispered, “What is it?”

“I’m not sure. I thought I saw something over there through the trees.”

We both stood like statues staring into the distance through the trees into the meadow beyond. Using my binoculars, I quickly scanned the area ahead.