Part 44 (1/2)

'Now, why doesn't that surprise me?' He stood up and walked around his desk and, cupping her elbow, escorted her to the door. 'My dear, you must excuse me now. Will you let me think this matter over and get back to you?'

'Of course,' Fizz said and shook the hand he held out to her. OK, she should have said something real tough about not taking too long about it, but if ever there was a time to quit when she was winning, this was it.

It was still raining outside as she headed down the Mound towards the office, but she scarcely noticed it as the mental tape of her interview with Gra.s.sick replayed itself in her head. She'd been moderately optimistic when she left Gra.s.sick's chambers but already her mind was 272. filled with doubt. Had he been stringing her along? Keeping her sweet and playing for time so that he could pull some legal manoeuvre and have her silenced? That would, of course, be the smart thing to do and she had no idea whether he could get away with it or not. Sod it! She should have demanded immediate action on the bargain while she held the high ground.

All afternoon, as she worked her way through her In-tray, it preyed on her mind and by five o'clock she knew, beyond any doubt, that Gra.s.sick was such a snake in the gra.s.s he'd see both herself and Buchanan obliterated before he knuckled down to blackmail.

She took the long way home, marching briskly through the rain in the hope of working some endorphins into her system, but she was still in need of some TLC when she got there. She had plenty of studying to do to keep her mind occupied but, tonight, she couldn't settle to it and when six-thirty came she gave up the pretence and went to visit Buchanan. The Royal Infirmary was only a ten-minute walk away,

which was fortunate because, when she got there, she was

informed that Buchanan had been released an hour ago, so

she had to backtrack down the Mound to the New Town.

She'd have been soaked to the skin by the time she got

there without the protection of the plastic coat. It wasn't

what the in-crowd were wearing but it had won a place in

her wardrobe and in her heart and, on top of that, it kept

her extremely dry. Buchanan tried to look unwelcoming, but she could see he was only kidding.

'I was about to have an early night,' he said, kicking the door shut behind her with delight.

'Not at seven o'clock, surely?'

He followed her into the living room, cradling the arm closest to the wound at the side of his ribs, and sank gingerly into an armchair. 'In case you've forgotten, I have 273. a hole in my chest. That red stuff all over me on Sat.u.r.day was blood.'

'Oh come on,' Fizz said bracingly. 'I've seen worse at a circ.u.mcision. I can't see why they had to keep you in so long.'

She got rid of her mac and boots and then became aware of something different. Selina had missed out on her Kamikaze welcome tonight. She was sitting on top of the TV, still as a sphinx, her eyes fixed on something beyond the tip of Fizz's right elbow. Fizz followed her stare and saw a s.h.i.+ny black shadow lying across the row of books at the back of Buchanan's desk. One elegant leg dangled down limply across the spines and a steady, low-pitched purring identified the alien.

'Buchanan! You didn't!' Fizz tried not to laugh but couldn't repress a grin.

'What did you expect?' He glowered at her, clutching his phony peevishness to him tenaciously. That I'd send him back to the cattery?'

Fizz didn't really want to go into what she'd expected so she said, 'What about Selina? How's she taking it?'

'The jury's still out.' Buchanan nodded towards the still life atop the TV. 'She's been like that since Dougie dropped Pooky off about an hour ago. She hasn't so much as blinked. '

'Dougie? The WAS guy? That was nice of him.'

Buchanan's glower lightened a shade. 'He and his mates are apparently pretty chuffed to have Jerry and Bragg under lock and key -which makes us the good guys for a change. I'm trying not to think about what Ian Fleming's going to say when he discovers we sent him on a wild goose chase. He was quite looking forward to proving that Virgo was on the take.'

'That was the royal ”we” you used just there, I take it? I don't think I actually spoke to Ian at all, this time, did I?'

There was a sour edge to Buchanan's smile. 'I don't believe you did, Fizz. Looks like you're smelling of violets after all.' 274. 'Not in your nostrils. I suspect,' Fizz returned, bored with ignoring his gloomy face. 'Or am I just imagining the antagonism smouldering under your teddy-bear surface?

No doubt you're still piqued because I saved your life?'