Jenny


Chapter 4

It was a nightmare. As much as I tried to stay away from
her, I kept seeing her face in the crowds around me. Most of
the time, I managed to avoid being seen myself. She called
my name a couple of times, but I affected not to hear her
and carried on walking.

It had been over a week since our first meeting; I'd closed
the account from which I'd been making the payments and set
in motion the process for opening another account, this one
would be offshore and truly untraceable. I had a month or so
before my self-imposed schedule of payments had to continue.

For only the second time in my life, I had been trapped by
events, and each time Jenny was the epicentre from which the
shocks and aftershocks emanated. The problem was that I
already knew who was making the payments. I realised that
I'd stymied myself by closing the account. Had I left it
open, I would have hit the first of several cut-offs. Now
that I had closed the account, it showed that someone, i.e.
me, must have known that an investigation was happening,
though that was known by only three people, one of which was
Jenny. Shit!

I was deep in thought as I tried to fathom a way out of the
mire into which I'd put myself when I almost walked into
Jenny. I turned to walk away, congratulating myself on a
narrow escape, when I heard running footsteps.

"No you don't. Andy."

I turned at the sound of my name, caught out by this simple
trick, because my mind was elsewhere.

"You're not avoiding me this time. I asked Kate why you were
avoiding me, but she wouldn't tell me. She said I had to ask
you. Of course, you kept running away from me so I couldn't.
And you never come to the coffee shop any more and you used
to come in most days. Why, Andy?"

I could see that I was trapped. Again. I debated whether to
feed her the story that I told Kate. I had nothing else to
tell her that would make the slightest sense but standing on
a street corner was not the place to do it. There was a café
nearby that had booths inside. I decided that I would take
her there and see if I could mollify her a little.

"I can't tell you here. Can I take you for a coffee or
something? There's a little place called Gino's just around
the corner."

"I know it. Come on."

She stuck her arm through mine and dragged me off towards
the café. Reluctantly I allowed myself to be pulled along.
She seemed completely different from the last time I'd seen
her. I remarked on this.

"Oh, it's just you. I'm not normally like this, but you make
me feel safe. That's why I'm not going to let you go without
a fight."

"Oh." What else could I say? Things were going from bad to
worse. When she found out what I'd done to her, the let down
would be catastrophic. I had to nip this in the bud.

"Jenny there's something you should know about me."

"No, there isn't. Kate told me that you would try to make
out that you're gay, but you aren't."

Thank you Kate! My standard 'brush off line' having been
negated, that left me in a quandary. I was still thinking in
ever decreasing circles when we arrived at the café. I waved
in absent recognition of the greeting that Alfred shouted at
me over the hiss of the steam from the coffee machine. At
this time of the day, the place was virtually empty and we
had our pick of booths. I chose the one that had the most
legroom. It was a standing joke amongst the regular patrons
that you had to be a midget to sit in the booths. But no one
minded really, as the coffee was good and the food
excellent.

Before I could say anything Alfred - Alfredo really - came
over with my usual coffee and enquired what Jenny would
like.

"You'll have to make sure you give her your best, Alfredo.
Not the slop that you give me, she works at Starbucks!"

Jenny looked horrified at my words, then she relaxed as she
realised that I was joking. Alfred puffed up his chest, gave
me his best glare and extravagantly kissed Jenny's hand.

"Ignore this, this... Englishman who has no taste in coffee
and let me surprise you with the very best Espresso in the
city."

Jenny giggled at the choice of epithet and thanked him.
Alfred walked away muttering imprecations in Italian. My
Italian is virtually non-existent, but I gathered that he
thought that it was unfair that an uptight Englishman got
all the pretty girls, while a virile Italian stallion like
him was left alone and unloved. I decided to prick his
bubble a little bit.

"Give Maria my love when you see her, Alfred."

Alfred turned and grinned at me, "okay you make your point
well, Englishman. I will tell her you said 'Hello' and then
we will discuss your latest conquest. Let's hope this one
lasts longer than the last one hey?"

"She's not..." My words were drowned out by a particularly
noisy burst of steam. I shrugged defeated. I apologised to
Jenny. "Sorry about that, he assumes that every woman I
bring here is a liaison. He's just a romantic at heart."

"That's okay, I rather like the thought myself."

Shit. This couldn't carry on. I couldn't see her devastated
again. The memory of her lifeless body came to me unbidden
and I felt tears brimming in my eyes. I dashed them away
angrily.

"What's wrong?"

"You remind me of a girl I tried to help and failed. I just
remembered the way she was when I found her."

"What happened?"

"I was so pleased with myself. I'd pulled her out of a truly
rotten situation with an abusive boyfriend, made sure she
was safe. Got her friends around her, all the physical
things. I was sure that she was going to be all right. And
then I found her after she'd taken a massive overdose." I
slumped back and let the tears flow. Christ I was shameless.
Oh well, set against the truly awful things that I'd done to
her more than a decade ago it was just a pinprick, but it
seemed like I'd wronged her again. I wiped my face and tried
not to meet her eyes.

"Sorry, it's just that you look like her and she was called
Jenny too."

"Shit, Andy, I'm so sorry. If it hurts you too much to see
me, I'll quit bugging you. But it must have been a long time
ago, you should have started to get over it by now."

"It still seems like yesterday, but you're right I ought to
be getting past it."

"Perhaps if you can help me, it'll make you feel better?"

"Maybe. Look I have to go. I'll pay Alfred on the way out.
Stay and drink the coffee it really is good. Can I arrange
to meet you next week? I'll have something concrete by then
I'm sure. I'll call Kate and tell her when and where and
she'll tell you."

Before she could respond I slid out of the booth. I left
money on the counter for our coffees and almost ran out of
the café, I was safe for another week or so.

.oOo.

The sun was shining and the day was unseasonably warm.
Cotton wool clouds dotted the sky and, all in all, it was a
beautiful day. I wondered why I felt like shit. Okay, I knew
why I felt like shit, I wondered why me, why now? I knew the
answer to that one too: my karma was still recovering from
the awful dent that it had taken one fateful night over a
decade ago. I slipped through the pedestrians ambling along
with a skill born of long practise as I made my way to a
meeting with Jenny and Kate. Somehow I had to convince them
that, for once, I wasn't going to be able to perform a
miracle.

As I rounded the corner I could see the backs of their heads
as they sat at a table outside the pub, they were deep in
conversation. It was second nature for me to slow down so as
not to interrupt them and part of me was intrigued as to
what they were talking about. Kate was talking.

"... so you see, you'll just have to persevere."

"How did you two meet?"

"He helped me. My ex-husband was abusing me. I made it to a
women's refuge but I needed to divorce my husband. The
bastard had hidden away all his assets and was taunting me
to divorce him and, because on paper he was poorer than me,
I would end up having to pay him alimony! The woman who ran
the refuge recommended Andy as an investigator who would do
these sorts of jobs as a favour. He found out where my
husband had hidden things away. I don't know what he did or
said but the next thing I know, I'm in possession of a very
large cashier's cheque and my husband isn't contesting the
divorce any more nor is he claiming financial support."

"Wow! I thought Private Investigators only existed in
American TV programmes. Y'know: Magnum and the Rockford
Files; that sort of thing."

"Mostly he does financial stuff; that's why I suggested that
you ask him. He's very good I've never known him fail yet."

"It'll be good to know who's behind these payments."

"He's been a good friend to me over the years, I don't know
what I would have done without him."

"Were you...?" Jenny trailed off obviously embarrassed at the
question she was about to ask and left it unspoken. Kate
answered her anyway.

"For a while, but not for a year or two. He just won't let
go of his guilt; he doesn't feel that he deserves to be
happy."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. I could fall
for him in a big way, he makes me feel safe and it's been
ten years or more since I felt like that about any man,
except perhaps my father."

"You two seem to have a connexion; it's just that he's
fighting it tooth and nail. I've never seen him so
distracted and upset. Which is a great pity as I think you
could be good for one another. Sally told me it's beginning
to affect his work. I think it's time we got him to open up
and get over his guilt thing."

"How do we do that?"

"I have an idea..."

This had gone on long enough. I kicked a chair and the girls
turned round to see the source of the noise.

"Hello Kate, Jenny; been waiting here long?"

"Yes, but we've had a good chat. About you as it happens."

"Nothing good, I hope?"

By now I'd grabbed another chair and sat down at the table
with them. I checked out their drinks. Typical women, too
busy talking to actually drink anything. I waved at their
drinks, before hauling myself out of the chair I'd just sat
down in.

"Want another?"

They both shook their heads and I wandered into the pub to
buy my self a pint of something laughingly called beer. I
took a sip as I walked back outside; actually not half bad,
so I took a longer draught. Not quite Dutch courage, perhaps
Kentish courage, I mused to myself; reflecting on the
origins of the phrase 'Dutch courage'. I sat back down and
drank again, I sighed with contentment. The girls grinned at
my performance.

"Sorry, it's just that I don't often find a good pint any
more. CamRA seems to have died a death and most pubs have
given up with cask conditioned beer, so when I find a good
one I like to enjoy it."

Jenny smiled and spoke for both of them, "We don't mind.
It's just good to see you happier for once."

I blushed a little at this. Kate piped up.

"He's so cute when he blushes."

Which made me blush more, which was the point, of course. I
decided that 'tease the hapless PI' had gone on long enough.
I harrumphed and called the meeting to order.

"Much as I hate to interrupt your enjoyment, can we get down
to business?"

Jenny tried to look serious for a moment and then cracked up
as she caught Kate's eye. I gave up and drank some more
beer. To be honest I was grateful for the interruption; the
longer I could put off telling them my heap of bullshit, the
better. Eventually they calmed down and I gave them the bad
news.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you that I've screwed up."

"How come?"

"When I started to make my enquiries I had a choice: be
sneaky or be relatively straightforward. I chose the
straightforward way, since I had no reason to suspect any
skulduggery." I paused for effect. "I was wrong. There must
have been warning flags in place, because the account was
closed almost as soon as I started my enquiries."

Kate looked shocked.

"I asked questions at the branch, but no one would talk to
me officially. I called in a few favours and eventually one
of the tellers told me that she remembered a woman brought
all the papers in, but the description she gave me could
have been anyone. Mousey hair, average looking, average
height, glasses." I picked up my glass and drained it. "I
don't think she really remembered her."

I was sure she didn't as the girl that I'd sent to do it was
attractive with blonde hair, but I wisely left that out of
my report.

"There isn't much I can do now, unless the payments continue
from another account."

The two women sat back. Kate looked at me with narrowed
eyes, but she didn't say anything to me. Jenny seemed
resigned.

"Oh well it was a long shot anyway. Thanks for trying."

I passed her the folder with the report I'd written. "I
won't give up, let me know if anything happens and I'll add
it into the mix."

I stood up and excused myself and set off for home. As I
looked back to give them a final wave, I noticed Kate
staring at me fixedly. Oh well, there was nothing I could do
about it now and she'd get over it soon enough.

.oOo.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull Andrew, but I'm not
happy." Kate had cornered me in my office. She was looking
less than enthused.

"I'm not 'trying to pull' anything, Kate."

"Crap!" She was getting angry. "I've seen you handle more
difficult cases than this in your sleep."

I decided that attack was the best form of defence.

"Kate, what's your problem? I made a mistake. Jesus wept
woman, I'm not infallible and you do me no favours by
telling everyone that you meet that I am." I was actually
getting angry myself now. "Jenny seems happy enough. Bloody
hell! What do you expect from a freebie?"

Kate seemed shocked; I think this must have been the first
time I'd ever shouted at her. It was a measure of how
rattled I'd become that I was genuinely cross, rather than
the simulated anger that I had been aiming for.

"I didn't mean..."

I cut her off. "If you think it's so damned easy to do, why
don't you give it a go yourself?" I fished out the file that
contained the details of Jenny's case and threw it at her.
We were both angry now.

"If that's how you feel, I will." She clasped the file to
her breast and stormed out of the office. I sat back bemused
and tried to work out exactly what had just happened. I had
a terrible feeling that my life was starting to unravel and
I was powerless to do anything about it. Once more, Jennifer
Wilcox was changing my life; I wondered where it would end
this time.

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