She rolls her eyes at my sarcasm.
‘The last time I came here I think I left something behind,’ I lie.
She narrows her eyes at me. ‘Oh, really? What was that, then?’
‘My …’ I cast my eyes around the shop, hoping for inspiration ‘… brother’s door key,’ I say desperately.
‘Your brother’s door key?’
‘For his flat. It’s a spare and he’ll kill me if I don’t find it.’
She continues to stare at me without speaking, one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows raised.
‘You know what big brothers are like,’ I say, conscious that I’m rambling now. ‘Do you mind if I scoot about?’
She breaks eye contact and shrugs. ‘I was just about to make myself a coffee anyway,’ she says, getting up. Her skirt is so short I can see the tops of her tights. ‘So scoot away.’ She wanders off to the back of the shop and I get down on my hands and knees on the cold white tiles, pretending to look for my brother’s key and feeling foolish. What am I doing? This is harder than I’d thought.
She comes back, coffee cup in hand, and surveys me with an amused expression. ‘Found it?’
I stand up and dust down my trousers. ‘No. Sadly not. Never mind. If you do, though, would you let me know?’
She shrugs in answer.
‘So,’ I say, in my best breezy voice. ‘Doing anything fun tonight?’
‘Seeing my boyfriend.’
‘Do you have to work late on a Saturday?’
She shakes her head. ‘Only till five.’
‘That’s good.’ I make a mental note to tell the others.
I turn to leave when I say, as if suddenly remembering, ‘Elspeth told me there was a break-in down here a few nights ago.’
Daisy frowns. ‘A break-in? Really?’
‘Apparently. Not one of Elspeth’s shops, luckily. I wonder if they have CCTV.’
‘I think they do in the corridor. Not in this shop, though.’
I pull a relieved face. ‘Great. Well, have a nice time with your boyfriend tonight.’
‘Lewis,’ she says, as I go to leave the shop. ‘His name is Lewis.’
Courtney is already in the White Hart when I get there at seven as planned. I’d suggested we wear dark clothing so we wouldn’t stand out. She’s in black jeans and a leather jacket that looks like it belongs to her boyfriend. Her red hair is plaited and she’s not wearing as much makeup as usual. Understated. I’m pleased she listened to the brief.
It was hard for me to find dark clothes, considering all my things are so bright. The best I could do was an old black anorak that I threw over a pair of ink-blue satin trousers. I’m wearing a beanie I pinched from Arlo when I moved out to hide my blonde hair.
Courtney has a glass of wine in front of her so I go straight to the bar and order a Coke. I want to keep my wits about me tonight.
She looks up in surprise when I join her at the table. ‘I didn’t recognize you,’ she says, laughing.
I laugh, too, aware of how ridiculous I must look. ‘Is this mad?’ I say, as I slide into my seat.
She sobers up. ‘I have to do this for Una.’ Her eyes fill. ‘I worry about involving you, though.’
I shake my head to silence her. ‘No. Iaminvolved. You know why.’
