Chapter 5
As Kate returned from the bar with a gin and tonic in each hand, her eyes roved approvingly over her new acquaintance, Tamsyn. The private investigator in Kate automatically began to size her up. The woman, Kate estimated, was probably four or five years younger than her. She had smooth, dark skin and a beautifully curvaceous figure. Her best features, Kate thought, were her large, doe-like brown eyes with their long lashes, her wild mane of dark, corkscrew curls and her disarming smile. The obviously expensive cut of her clothing and her few but select pieces of jewellery told Kate that she probably had plenty of money to throw about. Kate placed the drinks on their table.
Over the course of the evening Kate found herself enjoying the company of the charismatic and confident woman very much. They laughed and talked comfortably about a wide range of topics. With a couple of more drinks under their belts, the lovely Tamsyn suggested that they take to the dance floor. Kate appeared a little hesitant so Tamsyn grabbed her hand enthusiastically and led the way into the next room where the loud, rhythmic beat of the dance music filled the air. They found a small space on the crowded floor where they could dance, the sheer crush of numbers forcing their bodies together. As one song melded into the next, Kate leaned in close to Tamsyn’s ear so she could hear her and indicated that she was going to the bar. Tamsyn smiled and nodded her understanding as she danced on.
Kate watched on as her new friend danced blithely amongst the melee of women.
At the end of the song Tamsyn joined Kate at her niche by the bar. Kate began to ask her if she would like a drink but before she could finish her sentence she found herself silenced by a sudden, steamy kiss. Taken by surprise, Kate's initial reaction was to pull back but instead, as the sensuous press of Tamsyn's mouth and touch of her tongue stirred her, Kate altered her course as she decided to go with the flow.
When their lips finally parted, Tamsyn's large, brown eyes peered into Kate's as she said, "I hope I haven't frightened you…have I? You're so beautiful and I couldn't resist any longer."
Flattered and momentarily lost for words, Kate simply smiled at her.
Tamsyn laughed her infectious laugh at Kate's muteness. "I have frightened you!"
"No…I wouldn't say 'frightened'…more like 'surprised'…it was unexpected," an embarrassed Kate tried to explain.
"Would it 'surprise' you then if I suggested we leave here and I invited you back to my apartment?" Tamsyn asked with a tease in her voice. "I'm staying only a couple of blocks from here."
Kate was about to politely refuse the invitation when she remembered that she was on a mission…a mission to get over Dr Caroline Elliot….so instead, Kate replied by quickly downing the remainder of her drink, grasping Tamsyn's hand in her own and leading her towards the exit.
It was only a short walk to the bold, modern building where the woman lived. They were greeted by a concierge as they entered and headed for the lifts. In the lift, Tamsyn pressed the button to the penthouse suite then wasted no time drawing Kate to her and yet again seared her mouth with a red hot kiss, releasing her only when the doors to the elevator opened as they arrived at the top of the building.
Breath-taken and a little flustered, Kate followed the gorgeous Tamsyn the short distance to her door which she opened to a room of tasteful opulence. Although generally not a person to be swayed by wealth or status, Kate found it difficult not to be impressed by the elegant surrounds.
Tamsyn took Kate's hand and led her into the room. She placed her arms loosely around Kate's waist and kissed her playfully on the cheek before heading for the bar.
"Can I get you a drink? A glass of champagne or a wine? Or another gin and tonic perhaps?"
Although not easily intimidated, Kate was thinking she probably needed another drink to give her some dutch courage.
"Champagne sounds good….thank you," Kate replied gratefully.
Kate watched the easy sway of the woman's hips as she walked across the room to deliver the drinks. She couldn't help but think of Caroline and the way she loved to see her enter a room, her hips swaying and an air of confidence surrounding her.
Tamsyn stood beside Kate and handed her a flute of chilled champagne. As they took their first sips, she slipped her hand beneath Kate's loose blouse and softly, seductively stroked the bare skin she found there, her velvet-soft, brown eyes never leaving Kate's face. Kate closed her eyes and let the champagne bubbles tickle her mouth and Tamsyn's hand explore her body. Her mind involuntarily conjured up visions of Caroline's face…her blue eyes and soft lips smiling at her. Realising what was happening, Kate quickly opened her eyes and gave her head a shake to clear the image. Tamsyn had put her champagne flute down on a nearby table and moved even closer to Kate until their bodies were pressed lightly against each other and then she reached for Kate's glass as well. She gently took Kate's face in her hands and drew their mouths together in a long, languid kiss which Kate happily fell into until, with a start, she realised that the lips pressed against her own were not the ones she was imagining they were and the hand that was cupping her breast was not the hand she wanted there. Suddenly Kate stopped and stepped back.
"Is everything alright?" Tamsyn asked, confused by Kate's sudden change of heart.
"I'm sorry," Kate stammered apologetically, "I thought I could do this…normally I can do this but….and please don't take this the wrong way….it's not your fault….it's just that you're not the person I need you to be."
"Let me guess…you have a girlfriend?"
"No…not exactly…it's too complicated to explain….it's probably best if I just leave."
The woman closed the gap between them once more and traced a perfect finger across Kate's lips.
"It's a shame really…I was rather looking forward to getting such a beautiful woman naked," Tamsyn replied with a flirtatious grin.
She then placed a kiss ever so lightly on Kate's cheek before stepping back and allowing her to leave.
Kate flashed her an apologetic smile before she headed out the door, grateful that the woman had been so gracious and understanding.
Back in her own hotel room Kate flopped wearily on the bed still not quite believing what she'd done and the opportunity she'd given up.
"She was gorgeous and clever and funny and you walked out! What's your problem, McKenzie?" she chastised herself.
The answer to that was simple. Caroline Elliot.
As Kate prepared herself for bed she decided that she would have to deal with her 'Caroline' infatuation another way or just let it run its course….long and painful as that might be.
The alarm beside her bed was set for 7:00am. Kate suspected that John was up to something. He'd only booked one night at The Montague but had told Caroline that he'd be away for two. Kate wanted to be there if and when he checked out in the morning.
oooOooo
It seemed like her eyes had only just shut when the sound of the alarm made them spring open again. Kate reached over and turned off the annoying noise and gradually rolled out of bed and made her way to the shower.
By 8:30am Kate was down at reception checking out and desperately hoping that her hunch would prove to be right. As she finished paying her bill she began to ask the man serving her a question.
"Is Mr Elliot still…."
She didn't need to finish her inquiry as an unshaven and rather hung over John Elliot approached the desk next to her with his keycard in hand. He was checking out also. The acrid smell of alcohol reeked from his body and hung in the air like a sour, repugnant cloud.
Kate made to leave, drawing as little attention to herself as possible and then ducked out of sight to allow John to go ahead so she could follow him, although she suspected that she knew where he was heading.
John stood on the train platform waiting impatiently for the train back to Harrogate to arrive blissfully unaware that Kate was only metres away keeping a sharp eye on him. When the train arrived, Kate once again followed him onto an end carriage. Both of them spent a good amount of the trip back catching up on sleep.
A short distance from Harrogate station Kate noticed John take out his phone and make a call. As soon as the train pulled to a halt Kate quickly alighted and made a dash to the long term carpark where she'd left her fiat. She drove out the exit but then pulled over a short distance away ready to stay on John's trail. As she waited she readied her camera.
The investigator kept her eyes peeled on the exit as each vehicle left until finally she spotted John in the passenger side of a battered early model Vauxhall. The driver was a woman with long, dark hair. As they drove off, Kate pulled out and remained a discreet distance behind them. Kate's excitement level rose as she sensed that she was onto something.
After a rather short and erratic drive, the woman indicated and then veered into the carpark beside a local pub. Kate stayed parked out on the street and watched as John and the woman went inside. Kate entered soon after and seated herself in a booth not far from the couple. Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, she used her mobile phone to take photos of them as they shared a bottle of wine, ate their meal and held hands affectionately across the tabletop. Kate couldn't help thinking that she had seen the woman somewhere before but couldn't quite place her.
When the meal was finished and the wine bottle emptied, John and his dark-haired companion exited via the attached bottle shop and eventually headed for their car carrying a bag clanging with a number of wine bottles.
They drove off and soon enough were winding through the backstreets in one of the less attractive parts of Harrogate. Kate had to keep well behind as the traffic had thinned right out. The street they were in was lined with small businesses, a dubious-looking café or two, a pawn shop and the like. Each shop front had metal bars across the windows and roller doors to secure them after closing. Most of the shops had small flats above them. The woman parked the car outside a vacant shop front. Kate used her long lens to snap photos of John, carrying his overnight bag and computer, following the woman up a narrow set of stairs that led to the flat above. All the while, the woman's familiarity nagged at the back of Kate's brain.
Although Kate felt she had enough photographic evidence to convince Caroline that John was having an affair, for the sake of being thorough, she decided to keep watch for a bit longer.
After sitting and waiting in her car for something to happen, Kate's stomach began to growl its protest of hunger so she decided to brave the nearby pizza shop. She placed her order and grabbed a well-read magazine from the pile in the rack as she waited patiently. Suddenly loud, drunken voices made her look up from the article on Princess Diana.
"What kind of pizza do you want, you silly cow?" It was John and with him was the woman.
Kate quickly stuck her head back in the magazine, hoping that John didn't notice her and recognise her from the desk at The Montague. However, she suspected he was too inebriated and self-centred to worry about anyone but himself. Kate took the opportunity to get a good look at John's companion. She was probably in her early forties with the long, dark hair framing a longish face. Her eyes were a dark green and almond-shaped and her mouth quite full. She was only a little shorter than John and had a rather bohemian dress style. It was obvious from the way she swayed unsteadily that she too had had a little too much to drink.
While John busied himself placing his order and trying to sort out money to pay for it, Kate quickly absconded from the shop. Her stomach would have to wait until she got back to her flat. She jumped into her car and headed for her office. An idea was forming in her head and she needed to check it out.
As soon as she was in her office, Kate fired up her computer and waited impatiently for the system to come to life. Once it was ready she located the file that contained the information that had been sent to her by the insurance company. She opened the folder where she had saved the photograph of the woman making the claim. Her hunch was right. It was the same woman….the one John was having the affair with…a 'Judith O'Rourke'. Kate sat back in her chair with a very self-satisfied look on her face. It wasn't often she got to kill two birds with one stone.
Her stomach was still complaining so Kate went up to her flat and searched her fridge until she came up with a plate of leftovers which she then took back to her office and ate as she methodically saved all of the relevant photos from her camera and phone, cross-filing the ones that needed to go to the insurance company as well. By the time everything was saved and backed up it was late and Kate was ready for bed.
oooOooo
First thing the next morning Kate rang Caroline and organised a meeting for the afternoon. The earliest Caroline could see herself getting away from work was 4:30pm so the appointment was made for 5:00pm. Kate then spent the remainder of the morning on the tedious task of typing up her reports and preparing invoices.
As five o'clock approached, Kate recognised the now familiar feeling, a mixture of excitement and nervousness, that she got in the pit of her stomach whenever she was about to see Caroline Elliot. She knew she would have to show restraint and tact as she was about to break potentially bad news to her client about her philandering husband.
Promptly at 5:00pm Caroline entered the office of "McKenzie Investigations" carrying the same air of haughtiness and self-confidence that Kate had perceived the very first time she'd come in but this time she knew it was only a top layer and below was a far more vulnerable Caroline. Kate sat at her desk, very business-like, and offered Caroline the seat opposite her which the woman accepted.
Foregoing any small talk, Caroline said straight up, "I presume I'm here because you have some information for me…you've caught him at it with some whore?"
Kate could see Caroline's façade immediately start to crumble as her eyes began to tear up and her chin tremble ever so slightly. Kate gave her a moment to regain her composure before going into the details. This was always the most difficult aspect of Kate's job, watching people's lives as they know them fall apart.
Kate opened the manila folder on her desk and slid it towards Caroline for her perusal.
"This is a full report of everything I've done, all expenses and my findings," Kate explained as she flipped through the pages.
"What exactly did you find?" Caroline asked a bit more defensively than she'd intended.
After giving Caroline a brief synopsis of the last few days, Kate then opened a large, brown envelope which contained a print out of the incriminating photos she had taken which she handed to Caroline.
Up until now Kate had managed to maintain a professional persona but as she watched Caroline scan the photos which showed beyond doubt that her husband was in the throes of an affair and a slow tear trickle down her cheek, Kate wanted nothing more than to put her arms around her and console her but she knew Caroline wouldn't appreciate the sympathy.
"I'm sorry, Caroline," Kate said sincerely, for although she knew that Caroline would eventually be better off without John, she hated to see her hurting.
Without bothering to brush away the tear, Caroline looked up at Kate and replied, "I'm not….sorry… that is. It gives me a reason to get the self-obsessed prick out of my life."
Caroline collected up the manila folder with her copy of the report, put the photos back in the envelope and then tucked them all away in her handbag. She'd seen all she needed to see for now.
"How much do I owe you?" Caroline asked stoically.
"There's an invoice with the report," Kate replied reluctantly sensing that their business was nearly done and that Caroline was about to leave. "You can fix the bill up in the next day or two if you like. Don't worry about it now."
Caroline nodded and gave Kate a small smile of appreciation as she stood up. Kate wasn't prepared for her to leave just yet…not like this. She rounded the desk and stood in front of Caroline. They stood barely a breath apart as Kate's soft, brown eyes looked into Caroline's sapphire blues.
Kate ran her hands tenderly down each side of the Caroline's face as she asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine," she replied softly, her tough facade almost completely evaporated.
"It's none of my business so don't feel obliged to answer but….what are you going to do?"
Caroline thought for a moment before replying.
"First I'm going to explain to William and Lawrence what a low-life, self-centred jerk their father is and then I'm going to nail his tiny, pink bollocks to the wall and demand a divorce. After that….."
Suddenly, becoming acutely aware of Kate's presence and nearness, Caroline stopped speaking and instead she gently pulled Kate closer still until the small gap between their bodies was closed. She held the investigator's worried face in her hands and drew Kate's irresistible lips towards her own until they met in a kiss that began gently at first then, as the warmth and want reached out to them both, it became one of deep passion and fierce desire, each woman releasing what seemed like a lifetime of pent up yearnings. Neither woman could remember ever being kissed or kissing like that before.
Slowly it came to an end as lips reluctantly parted. Their foreheads touched but their eyes stayed closed for a moment longer as they each savoured the exhilaration of the kiss and what it could possibly mean.
"After that…" Caroline continued, "I'm going to do what I probably should have done many years ago…I'm going to follow my heart."