Part 44 (2/2)

Buchanan s.h.i.+fted his position in his chair, pretending to be in great pain. 'My life was not in danger, Fizz. It was your life that was in danger -leaping into the room like a mad thing just when the bullets were about to start flying.

You were that close -that close,' he stressed, brandis.h.i.+ng his thumb and forefinger, 'to being killed. How do you expect me to feel? How would I have felt if you'd been fatally wounded, or crippled, or scarred for life?'

'What did I tell you, Buchanan? You're always worrying about things that never happen. And anyway -how do you think I'd have felt if he'd killed you?' Suddenly hearing what she was saying, Fizz backtracked in a big hurry.

'Actually, I thought he had killed you and I was about to leg it when the sweary words popped out, and then it was too late.'

'Fizz, I told you to stay in the car where you'd be safe and not cause complications.'

'Oh, pooh! I don't have to do everything you tell me.'

Fizz sure as h.e.l.l wasn't going to tell him she'd seen that two-faced rat Kincaid drive up and had decided the portents warranted a speedy gallop to the rescue. She could just imagine what nonsense he would read into that. He appeared, however, to be slightly mollified, having got his grievances off his chest, so she tried changing the subject.

'Did you tell your folks what happened?'

'Just Dad. He'd been leaving excitable messages on the answering-machine since Friday afternoon so I had to tell him where I'd been. He promised he wouldn't tell Mum I'd been in hospital but I suspect he'll be over here first thing in the morning to view the corpse.'

'What was he so excitable about?' Fizz asked, this not being an epithet one would normally apply to Big Daddy.

The last shreds of Buchanan's grouchiness disappeared 275. behind a smug grin. 'He'd had Mr Menzies senior on the telephone insisting that Lammerburn Estate was to be taken off the market as of that minute and he wanted to know who or what had got the old guy so worked up.'

'To which you said . . .?'

To which I said that it was none of our business. I said I had spoken to Mr Menzies in person and found him wholly able to conduct his own affairs without the help of either his son or his wife. So the matter is closed. Thank G.o.d.'

Thank G.o.d,' Fizz echoed. 'Shall we have a cup of coffee to celebrate?'

Buchanan blinked pathetically. 'If you're sure you have the time.'

She went through to the kitchen and made two mugs of instant and, finding a packet of chocolate chip cookies tucked away, for some reason, in the fridge, added that to the tray. When she got back neither Selina nor Pooky had moved a whisker and Buchanan was dozing peacefully on his cus.h.i.+ons.

'So,' she said, poking him to make him sit up and take his mug, 'did they allocate you an ambulance to drive you home?'

'Fat chance,' he said, yawning. 'You have to have had at least one leg amputated before they send you home by ambulance these days.'

'Who ran you home, then? Did you get a taxi?'

'No,' he said, and for all his endeavours couldn't stop his face from lighting up. 'You'll never guess who ran me home!'

'Surprise me.'

'Lawrence Gra.s.sick.'

'Oof.' Fizz didn't have to fake her surprise. Lawrence Gra.s.sick hadn't wasted any time and, judging by the exultant grin, he must have made an offer Buchanan couldn't refuse. 'You're having me on,' she said, wiping spilled coffee off her jeans and starting to hyperventilate. 276. 'I'm not. I swear to G.o.d, Fizz. He strolled in just after I'd been given the okay to get dressed -not even visiting hour -all smiles and commiserations, bunch of magazines and what have you, like he was my father.'

'I can't believe it,' Fizz gasped, amazed at the potency of her persuasive talents. Had she really been responsible for changing Gra.s.sick's mind, or had he merely found it impossible to put a legal gag on her?

'Neither can I. I've been sitting here wondering if I was delirious this afternoon or if I really heard him offer me a job.'

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