The Silent Suspect by Nell Pattison (epub e ink reader .TXT) 📕

Nadia could still feel eyes on her as she crossed the floor towards the door marked ‘Private’. Feeling her resolve start to trickle away, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open without knocking. Inside, there was a short corridor with a door to either side and one at the end. The office was quite easy to find, and she found the man she was looking for sitting at a desk with three computer monitors.

‘Can I help you?’ he asked, his smile charming, but she wasn’t fooled. She knew about his reputation, and would have to be on her guard. Even if he accepted her offer, she was prepared to find herself in a dangerous situation.

‘I’m Nadia Nowak,’ she replied, willing herself to hold his gaze. This statement earned her a raised eyebrow, and she knew she had caught his interest.

‘And what can I do for you, Nadia Nowak?’ he asked, his voice silky. He enunciated clearly, and she was relieved that she’d be able to understand him. Hearing aids weren’t much use against mumblers.

She came into the office and perched herself on the edge of his desk, so she was looking down at him. This position had the added benefit that she could see his face clearly in order to lip-read as he spoke.

‘I’ve come here to talk to you, to see if we can renegotiate the arrangement.’ She’d practised what she was going to say in the hope that it would make her sound more confident than she felt, but her voice still shook slightly.

He stretched out, looking at her legs appreciatively, clasping his hands across his taut stomach.

‘Renegotiate? That sounds interesting. I might be willing to hear your proposal.’

She swallowed, and looked down at the floor before realising her mistake. The moment she dropped her gaze, he knew how nervous she was. When she looked up again, his grin was that of a wolf looking at a lamb.

‘Before we begin our, ah, negotiations,’ he said, enunciating the word very carefully, ‘I have a question. Does Lukas know you’re here?’

‘No. But if he’s not willing to do what needs to be done for the good of his family, I am.’

He laughed, throwing his head back so she got a glimpse of his smooth neck. How she wished she had the strength to reach out and throttle him, but she knew if she even tried to lay a finger on him he’d overpower her in seconds. Muscles rippled beneath his well-tailored shirt, his outfit a little over the top for a seedy boxing gym in the middle of Scunthorpe. A treacherous part of her mind said that if she felt this was her only option, at least he had a great body.

‘Well,’ he said, standing up and approaching the desk. ‘I’m always interested in a bit of, what was it? Negotiation.’ He placed one of his feet between hers, forcing her legs apart slightly, and tilted his pelvis forwards, pinning her to the desk. He put his weight on his left hand while his right traced a line from her jawline, down to her shoulder, around the curve of her breast and down to her waist. She recoiled a little from his touch, which made him laugh, and his hand slipped lower, gripping one of her buttocks.

‘Did you really think that this would work?’ he asked her quietly, looking her in the eyes, his wolfish grin still there. ‘You’re lucky that I’m not really in the mood right now, or I might have taken full advantage of your attempts to screw me over, pun very much intended. Why don’t you trot along home like the good little wifey you are, and tell Lukas that I want my money, and there’s nothing that will make me reduce the figure.’ On the last word, he ran his hand back up her side again, making her squirm uncomfortably.

‘Fine,’ she replied, pushing him away from her. As she went to leave, he grabbed her wrist.

‘What would Lukas think if he found out about this?’

The blush that crept up her face answered for her, and she didn’t like the expression that appeared on his face.

‘Oh, well now. I bet he’d be interested to know how his wife tries to meddle in his business affairs, wouldn’t he?’

She pulled away from him and hurried out of the office, anger and fear spurring her on. If he told Lukas … No, she didn’t want to think about that. She’d hoped she could make things better, but it was possible she had just made them a lot worse.

Chapter 12

Friday 19th April

Sasha’s office was busy when I arrived the following morning. She normally spent Fridays at Lincoln School for the Deaf, but she’d rearranged things in order to devote more time to helping Lukas, whether he wanted that help or not.

Sasha was already sitting at her desk with her emails open, and she gave me a wave as soon as she saw me.

Morning. We’ve got a busy day today. Do you mind calling the police station to see if we can arrange to speak to Lukas?

Part of my job sometimes involved making calls for Sasha, when it was something that might take too long over email. The job was interesting, so I was happy to be part-interpreter, part-PA. Every day felt very busy, but the pressure of Lukas’s situation presumably added to Sasha’s workload.

Do you think he’ll be willing to see you? I asked.

I don’t know, but this time I’ve got some information I need to talk to him about.

I raised my eyebrows in question.

I’ve found out who he owes money to, she told me. If he can tell us a bit more about this friend of his, it might explain what’s gone on.

Once I’d made the call, Sasha told me a bit more of what she’d found out.

The man’s called Roy Chapman, and he owns a gym near to where Lukas lives. It’s called Worx, she told me, spelling it out on her