The Tangled Web (23 page)

Flic

*****

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date: 8
^th
March

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Your promotional flyer

I am already working on it.  Do you think I actually want
to share my boyfriend with someone else?  That’s just stupid.

Lumi

*****

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date: 8
^th
March

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Your promotional flyer

You’ve got a month or I’ll tell Magnus everything.

Flic

*****

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date: 8
^th
March

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Your promotional flyer

And if I don’t?  Do you really want George to know what
you’re doing?  I won’t be blackmailed!

Lumi

*****

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date: 8
^th
March

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Your promotional flyer

In a month I won’t care.  George will know anyway. 

Flic

18

9
^th
March

Flic wants to chat with you!

Flic says…

Hi Pamela, thanks for agreeing to this chat

Wee Mela says…

No probs.  What can I do for you boss? :D

Flic says…

I prefer to think of us as colleagues, rather than me being
your boss ;)

Wee Mela says…

Really???

Flic says…

Yes :)

Wee Mela says…

Epic! :D

Flic says…

I have another job for you to do.  One to keep you from
going insane while you’re trying to trap that Christos loser

Wee Mela says…

Thank fuck for that!  He’s driving me bonkers.  He’s
soooooooooooooo boring!

Flic says…

Well, this isn’t a honey trap as such.  I just want you to
do some digging for me.

Wee Mela says…

I can do that. 

Flic says…

The problem is I’m honey trapping someone and I think this
person you’re going to investigate is getting in the way.  But don’t tell
Vicky.  I don’t want her to think I’m unprofessional and can’t get the job done
myself. 

Wee Mela says…

Gotcha.  So you think this bloke is more interested in this
person I’ll be investigating than in your honey?

Flic says…

Something like that.  She’s in the way.  Her name is Diana
Dutkowiak.

Wee Mela says…

Ok.  Where do I find her?

Flic says…

That’s what I need you to tell me.  I’ve already got
Tête-a-net covered.  But I need you to find out as much as you can about her
elsewhere.  Find out if she’s on any other sites.  Look at who her friends are
on Tête-a-net and see if any of them are in contact with her elsewhere.  She may
be using different names.  One of them might be Lumi.  She may or may not be
using the email address [email protected]

Wee Mela says…

I’m looking at her pic on Tête-a-net just now.  Do you know
who her BFF's are?  That would be a good starting point.

Flic says…

Not sure.  A guy called George Goodbody would be a good one
to start with.  And try Magnus.

Wee Mela says…

Magnus?  Vicky’s Maggie?

Flic says…

The very same.

Wee Mela says…

Why don’t you just do this yourself?

Flic says…

I’m really busy with all the honey trapping jobs, or I
would.  Plus, you’re so much better at actually FINDING people than I am. 
Flirting is my forte. 

Wee Mela says…

Have I got to talk to her or anything?

Flic says…

If you feel you need to in order to get more information,
go for it.  But remember this: you absolutely MUST stay incognito AT.  ALL. 
TIMES.

Wee Mela says…

I’m on it.

19

30
^th
March

Flic hovered over the “Turn Off Computer” option for a few
seconds, then finally clicked.  She collected up heavily edited printouts of
the chat which had just taken place with George and sullenly placed the papers
in a brown envelope. 

She hated herself.  She had encouraged George until he said
the most explicit things to her that she could have imagined.  Her prior knowledge
of him meant she knew what he liked and didn’t like.  It was too easy.

She stared at the envelope for a few moments, until her
phone began to vibrate.  She picked it up and saw Vicky’s name. 

‘Hello,’ she attempted to put a smile into her voice.

‘Hi.’  The croaked response told her that Vicky was
possibly feeling worse than she was.

‘What’s happened?’ she demanded, suspecting this was
related to Magnus.

‘Magnus dumped me,’ Vicky sniffed.

‘Oh.  I see.  I’m so sorry,’ Flic sighed. 

‘Are we both single now?’ Vicky asked.

Flic swallowed the lump in her throat down and took a deep
breath.  She had to tell Vicky some time.  ‘Yes.  Yes, we are.’

‘What’s happened with you and Adam?  I saw that he had
changed his relationship status on Tête-a-net to single,’ Vicky wheedled.

‘It was never going to work.  Not while I’m doing this
job.  I just told him it wasn’t fair on him to be involved with him right now,’
Flic stated.  She was trying to sound unaffected.  She suspected she was
failing.

‘So give up the job.  It’s not as important as Adam. 
Neither of us want to do it any more.  We’ll finish the jobs we’ve got like we
discussed and hand the company over to Magnus,’ Vicky reasoned.

‘That was my plan anyway,’ Flic conceded.

‘Can I come over?’ Vicky grumped.

‘Yeah.  I could do with the company.’

The doorbell sounded.  ‘Great, because I’m outside.’

Flic couldn’t help but chuckle as she hung up the phone. 
She sprinted to her front door and wasn’t surprised to see Vicky holding a
sleeping Sasha waiting for her. 

Vicky tiptoed into the house, so as not to clunk her heels
on the wooden floor and settled the little girl on Flic’s plush brown sofa. 
She placed a blanket Flic had swiftly retrieved from her bedroom over her
daughter.  They then arranged some pillows and cushions on the floor in case
she should roll off the makeshift bed and both sat at the nearby dining table.

‘Do you want a glass of wine?’ Flic began.

‘No thanks, I’m driving.  I wouldn’t even fancy having just
the one in case it relaxes me a bit too much.  Need to stay sharp in case it
frosts over again.’

‘I think it will,’ Flic noted, glancing out of the window
at the clear blue sky.  ‘Do you want to stay over?  I bought a travel cot the
other day for Sasha to play in when the two of you come over,’ she grinned.

‘Why not,’ Vicky smiled.  ‘Are you getting a wee bit
broody, spending so much time around Sasha?’

‘Nah.  I won’t let myself get broody until I’ve got a man
in my life.  A permanent fixture, not something casual,’ Flic insisted.

‘So are you going to tell me what happened with you and
Adam?’ Vicky pressed.

‘Nothing.  Just what I told you.’  Flic hoped Vicky
wouldn’t press the issue too much.  She retrieved a wine glass from her
sideboard and began to pour some red wine for herself.

‘He’s switched his phone off.  Where’s he staying?’ Vicky
carried on.

‘With Magnus for a day or two.  The stairs at Magnus’s flat
are causing him problems though.  He said he might ask your Mum and Dad if he
can move back in with them until he’s better,’ Flic advised.

‘Any chance of the two of you working things out?’

‘I hope so.  Once I’ve given up this silly honey trapping
business.  Maybe…’ Flic trailed off.  ‘What’s the script with you and Magnus? 
What happened?’

Vicky puffed a little sigh out as she appeared to gather
her thoughts.  ‘He came over tonight, as planned.  I thought we were going to
get a takeaway and watch a bit of TV.  He said he had to talk to me and that
things weren’t going to work.  We should cool it.  But that he hoped we would
still be good friends and have a good working relationship.’  She wiped away a
rogue tear she had been trying to hold back.

‘What did you say?’ Flic responded.

‘Told him to piss off and threw him out,’ Vicky chuckled
and sniffled.

Flic grinned.  ‘That’s my girl!  Do you know what brought
this on?’ she pressed.

‘No.’

‘Maybe he’s just too busy with work and stuff,’ Flic
suggested, knowing full well this wasn’t the case.

‘I think he’s probably met someone else.  Someone without
commitments,’ she reflected. 

Flic caught Vicky glancing over at Sasha.  She set her wine
glass down on the table and pulled Vicky towards her for a hug.

‘Any man who is put off by your daughter isn’t worth having
in your life.’

‘I know.  I know.  I love her to bits.  But it’s just hard
doing this on my own,’ Vicky sobbed.  She seemed to release the tears that were
being held back.

Flic held her tighter.  ‘Did you really like him that
much?’

‘No.’ Vicky let a tearful laugh escape.  ‘I was only with
him for the sex really.  It’s just hurtful getting dumped.  It would hurt no
matter who he was.’

‘Of course,’ Flic pulled back and found Vicky a tissue from
the top of her coffee table.

‘It’d just be nice to have someone to share things with and
cuddle up to at night,’ Vicky granted.

‘And I’ve had that and just thrown it away,’ Flic pouted.

Vicky finished drying her eyes and looked directly at
Flic.  ‘What’s going on?  I mean, what’s the real reason you finished with
Adam?’

Flic took a deep breath.  She would have to tell Vicky the
truth.  Or at least, part of it.

‘It’s Lumi,’ she began.

‘What’s Lumi?’  Vicky couldn’t mask her confusion.

‘Lumi, the Romanian girl.  I met her again at Pawel’s
Polish class.  Do you remember?  And she was calling herself Diana.’

‘Yeah, I remember,’ Vicky nodded.

‘Well, I ran into her again the next day while I was out
shopping.  And it turns out she’s not just using that name in the Polish
class.  She’s using it all the time.  She’s living as Diana Dutkowiak. 
Her…um…employer, thinks that’s her real name.  He thinks she’s a Polish
ex-chambermaid who lived in London and she’s moved up here.  She’s taken over
our honey’s life.’

Vicky contorted her face.  ‘What a weirdo!  Why would she
do that?’

‘I suppose she’s fed up being Lumi, the homeless girl.’

‘What’s this got to do with you and Adam?’ Vicky scowled.

‘Well, I was a bit unhappy at her using that name and
threatened to tell her employer what she was doing.  Then she said that if I
did that, she would tell George Goodbody what I’ve been doing.  It all got too
risky.  I had too much to lose.  Now Adam’s out of the picture, I have one less
thing to lose,’ Flic continued.

Vicky jolted a little and became suddenly alert.  ‘How on
earth does she know anything about George?  Well, other than what we told her.’