Ben turned and left. Dan laughed, trying not to show how shaken he was. Ben was a much bigger guy than him; this could have ended up a lot worse.
Jonny, who was sitting next to him, ruffled his hair with his hand.
‘You could have lost your shiny, white front teeth then, Danny lad. Ben is a bit of an animal when he lets loose. Better watch your step around him, either that or apologise to them both.’
He shrugged. ‘No way, it was just a joke. If she’s so uptight she can’t take a bit of a laugh and he’s so quick to defend her, let them stew. I’m not apologising, pair of losers.’
Jonny laughed. ‘Your funeral, mate, Ben has friends in high places. It was funny though.’ He raised his glass to Dan, then downed the rest of his pint and stood up. ‘I have to go; my wife is on nights. See you tomorrow.’
Dan smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He was wondering if he should also call it a night or whether to drown his sorrows, along with his stupidity. He had nothing and no one to go home to. He decided to order another pint and drink himself senseless.
Five
Morgan stood on the pavement, wondering whether to call a taxi or walk back to her flat. It was a good ten-minute walk and the boots she was wearing weren’t the comfiest. She set off walking along the main road. It was late but surprisingly quiet for a Friday night.
‘Morgan.’
The deep voice bellowed her name and she turned around thinking that if it was Dan she’d tell him where to go. She saw Ben standing at the entrance to the small car park and thought, Oh the shame, he just saw me get well and truly humiliated in front of most of my colleagues, as if today hasn’t been bad enough. Lifting one hand, she waved then turned and carried on walking, trying to put as much distance between them as possible so she didn’t have to make polite conversation with him. Heavy footsteps pounded the pavement behind her and she hoped it wasn’t some mugger about to take her out and end her day with a bang.
‘Christ, I don’t do running. Can you slow down a minute?’
She turned to see Ben, his face red and his breathing heavy.
‘Sorry, I didn’t realise you wanted me to stop. What’s up?’
He took a couple of breaths. ‘Nothing, I wanted to make sure you were okay. That Dan is such an arrogant little shit. I had to stop myself from ripping his head off.’
She nodded. Her eyes glistened with tears. Don’t you dare cry in front of him. You don’t know him, sort yourself out. She looked down at the floor.
‘Look, I’m driving, can I give you a lift home, or wherever you’re going?’
‘Oh. Well yeah, if it’s not too much trouble.’
‘No trouble at all, I’ll go get my car.’
‘I’ll walk back with you, thanks.’
They walked the short distance, neither of them speaking. She didn’t want to make him feel obliged to make polite conversation. He pressed the key fob and the lights on an old VW Golf flashed. They crossed to it and Ben climbed inside, sweeping empty sandwich and crisp packets off the passenger seat.
‘Sorry, it’s a bit of a state. I don’t usually give anyone a lift and I never have the time to clean it.’
‘That’s okay, I’m grateful for the ride. I take my car to the hand car wash at—’ She stopped talking, not wanting to sound like she was telling him what to do, especially after Dan’s comments about her.
‘Where do you live?’
‘Singleton Park Road. Do you know where that is?’
He nodded. ‘Nice area.’
‘I like it.’
They reached the turn-off and she directed him to the large house which was now split into three flats.
‘I’ll get out here, thank you.’ Relief she was home flooded over Morgan. She wasn’t in the mood for polite conversation.
‘Are you okay?’
She nodded. ‘Embarrassed, but I’ll live.’
She got out of his car; about to shut the door, she paused, but couldn’t help herself. ‘I guess they haven’t located Olivia Potter’s family?’
He shook his head. ‘Not before I left for the evening, but I’m sure section will trace them.’
Closing the door, she walked across the gravel to the steps which led to the pale green front door of her building. Opening the heavy door, she turned and waved, but Ben was already driving out of the gates.
Morgan went inside her ground-floor flat. The air was tinged with the smell of fresh paint and no hint of her ex-partner who’d left her when she told him about joining the police. She was happier on her own anyway; relationships were too complicated. Hers had been the first flat in the building to be refurbished. When the letting agent had shown her the brochure she’d fallen in love and knew she had to live here. The huge picture windows that overlooked the formal communal gardens were the perfect place for her to read on a rainy day. Inside everything was brand new; the white walls were pristine. It made the rooms look much bigger than they were. When she had some time off she was going to paint a feature wall in her bedroom: a splash of dramatic bottle green to match the gold accessories she loved to collect. The rest of the walls she’d leave white for the time being.
She kicked off her uncomfortable boots and went straight into the bedroom to put her pyjamas on. It had been a long day. She was tired but unable to switch off.
Her mind kept replaying Dan’s words. They hurt. She’d thought they were friends and didn’t understand why he would show her up in front of almost the whole of Rydal Falls police staff. It just reaffirmed what she already thought: that you were better off alone, no partner or friends to make you feel like crap. Tugging her hair from the bun, she let it fall over her shoulders and shook her head, rubbing her fingers through it where the bobble had been.
Taking a bottle of white wine from the fridge, she poured herself a large glass; it would help her to sleep. For a few hours anyway. Carrying the glass, she took it to the only chair she had in the living room. It was an oversized, worn leather armchair which looked out of the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the gardens. Sinking into it, she curled her feet underneath her and sipped at the chilled wine and stared into the blackness outside. She liked the dark, always had since she was a child. There was something very comforting about seeing the moon against the inky sky. Her mum had nicknamed her Selene after the Greek goddess of the moon, and on her fifteenth birthday she’d given her a rose gold necklace with a crescent moon that had a tiny diamond set in the middle. It was Morgan’s most treasured possession and the only thing she had apart from one photograph to remind her of her mum now. Sipping the wine until she felt relaxed enough to switch off her busy mind, she placed the glass on the floor and closed her eyes, letting her mind drift and a dark fog settle over it.
Hammering on the front door to the flats woke her with a start and Morgan blinked awake. It was still dark outside. Who could that be? As far as she knew the other two flats in the building were still being refurbished and hadn’t been rented out yet. She stood up, rubbing her eyes. Grabbing her phone from the kitchen side, she checked to see if she had any missed calls, but there weren’t any. It was almost one a.m. Keeping hold of her phone, Morgan opened the door to her flat and crossed the large entrance, barefoot, to the front door, where she peered through the spyhole and let out a gasp, dropping her phone. She wondered how he’d found her. The pounding on the door resumed again and echoed around the hallway.