‘Pardon?’
‘Come down. I want to speak to you.’
Tomek looked around the room, panicked, as though his girlfriend might suddenly appear from behind a wall like a ghost.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I’m outside. In the car park. Come down.’
Tomek scurried round the table, his knees bumping into the chair and table legs, as he rushed towards the window. There she was, her bright red SEAT parked in the corner of the car park. He inhaled deeply, observing her. He had no choice.
‘I’ll be down in a minute.’
The temperature inside the car was colder than the air outside. The engine was switched off, which meant she wasn’t planning on going anywhere fast, and to really drill that point home to Tomek as he climbed in, he noticed the car keys were on her lap. An extra step required before she could drive away in a state of anger or frustration.
He expected the worst.
Abigail’s hair was pulled from her face with the help of a hairband. She was dressed in a blazer and smart trousers, with a plain white shirt. Pinewood and ochre oozed from her body and quickly filled his nostrils. Her make-up had been delicately done, yet it was unable to hide the deeply unimpressed and aggravated expression in her face and eyes.
Tomek said nothing as he shut the door, filling the space with silence.
It didn’t last long.
‘How was last night?’ she asked.
He sensed the accusation in her tone immediately.
‘Last night?’
‘Yeah. With your girlfriend.’
Rachel. The Nights of Eden. Fuck. But how could she have possibly known?
‘How do—?’ Tomek started, but she cut him off.
‘I saw you two going out together.’
‘What do you mean, you saw us?’ Tomek took a moment to think. He’d driven to Rachel’s flat, already dressed in his costume, waited for her, and then driven them both to Melback Manor. Which meant: ‘You followed me?’
‘I saw it all,’ Abigail replied, venom lacing her words. ‘You picking your new girlfriend up, taking her to that country house. The two of you looking fucking stupid. What were you two doing there, going to a fancy dress party together, eh? How long’s it been going on?’
Tomek didn’t know whether to laugh or shout. He was in a state of both disbelief and fury. Disbelief that she thought he and Rachel were together, and fury that she’d followed him – stalked him, no less. He didn’t know where to start. In the end, he said nothing, staring blankly at her.
Which did nothing to calm the situation.
‘How long have you two been seeing each other? Bet you’re all cute, aren’t you, going to a little fancy dress thing together? Bet you panicked when I asked to see you last night. How many times have you blown me off for her? Were you seeing her that Wednesday when I wanted to come over, but you said you had to get Kasia some emergency bits from the shop? Or what about the weekend where I said you could come over, but you said you had rugby and then were going to the pub with Sean and Warren? Were you fucking her instead?’
Tomek was lost. He couldn’t even recall those two instances. They had been so long ago. But that wasn’t a problem for Abigail. She had the memory of a Mensa member.
‘Have you got all this saved in a diary or something?’ Tomek asked.
‘Answer the question,’ she snapped.
‘No.’
‘So it’s true then?’
‘No.’
‘Then why won’t you answer me.’
‘Because you’re being fucking stupid.’
‘What were you doing at that hotel last night?’
‘Work.’
‘Yeah, right. Is that what you call it? Is that some little nickname the two of you have got for it?’
Tomek turned away from her, his gaze falling on the dashboard. For a moment, he switched off as she continued ranting at him, screaming in his ear, the words gradually becoming dull and muted. It wasn’t until she slapped him on the arm that he came to.
‘Are you even listening to me?’ she yelled. ‘I’m trying to have a conversation with you here.’
‘No, you’re not. You’re shouting at me, and now you’re hitting me. You’re also accusing me of shit I haven’t done, of something you’ve got into your head that isn’t even real. There’s nothing going on between Rachel and me, and there never will be. We were doing a work thing last night, and that’s all you need to know.’
Tomek placed a hand on the door handle. She held him back with a strong, vicelike grip.
