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A tour of the kitchen…
All clear.
Then, marching back to the bathroom, I throw up my guts.
Stomach down on the bed, her face tilted to one side on the pillow, she stirs, then groans.
I hunker down beside her. “It’s over,” I say. “All done. You’ll be sore for a couple of weeks, but I drew the skin as tight as I could before I stitched up the wound. So long as we keep it clean, I don’t think the scar will be too bad.”
Eyes fluttering open, she inhales. Exhales again. “I feel like shit.”
“Hardly surprising. Under any other conditions, what I did to you would qualify as assault.”
Her lids dropping, “What happens now?”
“I’ll stay with you until tomorrow morning, but no longer. I have to get back to Romano with his… trophy.”
“Won’t he expect you to return immediately?”
“Even Romano knows it takes a while to dispose of a body. I’m good for a few hours. I’ll change the dressing before I go, and I’ll return as soon as I can. I’m not sure when that will be, but I’ll stay in touch.”
“I get that.” She still sounds dozy, her voice slurring. After a few moments, her eyes close and her breathing shifts to the steady rhythm of normal sleep.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“You’ve done well, Hickman.” Romano considers the plastic-packed object in his hand, holding it up to the light as it oozes blood inside the transparent wrap. “Very neat job you made of that. Very neat.” He sets it to one side, then scoops up the necklace, the ring and the earrings from the tabletop, shoving them into a pocket. “Where’s the body?”
“Buried, sir. I took the time to get well off the paths where hikers or dog-walkers might notice anything. And it’s at least four feet deep.”
“Good man. I’ll not forget this.” He sniffs. “Well rid of the treacherous bitch.” Then, offering up a bottle. “Guess you could use a drink?”
“Thank you, sir. Yes.”
He glugs an inch into a pair of glasses, passing one to me. “I realise this can’t have been pleasant for you, Hickman. Not the kind of work you expect in the normal course of things, but it’s all done now. In any case, you’ve earned some time off. Take a couple of weeks for yourself. I’ll not expect to see you back before the end of the month. And I’ll see there’s a good bonus in your bank account.”
“I appreciate that, sir. I… could do with a break.”
“So, we’re agreed.” He gulps from the glass, cocks a brow. “Any idea what you might do with your time?”
“Um… I’d not gotten that far yet. Perhaps just catch some sun, sand and sea.”
“Excellent idea.” He clinks his glass to mine. “I’ll see you next month.”
CHAPTER NINE
Back at the motel, to my surprise, she’s up and about. Puttering around the kitchen, she’s putting the finishing touches to some broccoli and vitamins creation. The scent of grinds promises coffee to come.
She raises brows as I enter… “Hickman!” … then smiles. “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”
“Romano’s given me some time off. Two weeks. So I’m good to get you to wherever you want to go. I expected you’d still be in bed.”
She shrugs. “It was very uncomfortable lying there with nothing to think about except…” Her words stall and she drops her face.
“It’s over,” I say. “I know you loved Romano. And I realise you must be devastated by what he did, but you have to move on with your life. The question is, what do you want to do?”
The coffee-maker hisses and pops, and she pours into two mugs. “I’ve been thinking about it, but I’ve not decided what to do. But… It might sound odd, but no, I’m not devastated. I am very angry, but it’s not going to ruin my life.”
She cradles her mug, takes a sip. “I think I was dazzled by him. I knew what he was, I thought… I’m not sure what I thought... But it all seemed very glamorous. The high life... The gifts…”
