Marcus followed her gaze. He kicked at the bag. ‘Are you looking at that?’
Faye wasn’t really all that interested in hearing about Marcus’s spats with his fiancée. ‘It’s none of my business.’
‘Oh, I think it is. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do with your time than spend it searching for me.’
‘How did you know Jake was looking for you?’
He sighed and rolled his eyes. ‘Lydia, of course.’ Her namerolled off his tongue like the word disgusted him. ‘She knows I have an … um … what does she call it? A substance problem.’
‘Alcohol,’ Faye said bluntly.The first way to kick it is to admit it, she thought. That was what various counsellors had chanted, anyway. Her father had had a stressful job in the police, and his alcohol problem had got out of hand. He’d been stone-cold sober since he’d retired. But that was the reason she never had a drop in the house – that and the fact that she’d had her own issues in the past, which she didn’t want to think about. Now she never kept a drop of alcohol in her flat; not even wine.
Marcus didn’t respond. He avoided eye contact.
Faye looked at him.in surprise. She gleaned that it wasn’t alcohol, but something more serious. It was no wonder he was keeping quiet.
Faye stood there and studied Marcus intently. She wasn’t surprised he wouldn’t talk about it. He’d be taking a risk admitting he might be in possession of an illegal substance, never mind what it was. She could easily have called the police and had him arrested, especially as he had tried to break into Jake’s house.
There was the sound of a cupboard door closing in the kitchen. Faye glanced in that direction. ‘Does Jake know about your … substance issue?’
Marcus studied his hands.
Faye guessed not.
‘Issue – I prefer that word to Lydia’s. I’m not the one with the problem.’
Faye rolled her eyes.Spoken like a true addict, she thought, guessing he was putting all his issues at Lydia’s door, and perhaps at Jake’s too.
‘So, I expect you know I had a row with my fiancée,’ said Marcus, changing the subject. ‘I keep an overnight bag at work to take to a hotel, just in case we have what Lydia callsone of ourlittle crises.’
If he had just been staying at a hotel, Faye wondered, then what was all the fuss about? Why the urgency to find him? She got the impression that Marcus was not telling her the whole story. And why should he? It really was none of her business. Still, it did intrigue her.
There was a crash in the kitchen. Marcus and Faye turned towards the door. It sounded like a china mug hitting the floor. ‘Damn and blast it!’ Jake’s voice thundered.
‘Jake’s trying to make himself a drink,’ Faye stated.
‘Not having much luck, is he?’ Marcus added.
They could hear the kettle boiling in the kitchen. Faye wanted to pop her head in the kitchen and ask him if he was okay, but she didn’t want another sarcastic retort. She thought it best to give him some space just for the moment. This must have come as a shock, finding Marcus there, and then getting hurt into the bargain. However, she didn’t much care for waiting around in the hall with the person who had caused all this.
Faye’s gaze shifted to the glass on the dining room floor. She turned back to Marcus, glaring at him. ‘Why did you come here last night?
‘Someone stole my wallet. I needed a place to crash for the night. I didn’t expect Jake would be out.’
Faye pursed her lips. She hoped Marcus didn’t ask which friend Jake had been babysitting for. She said, ‘Did you report it to the police?’
‘What – in the state I was in last night? I’d more likely have been arrested.’ He cocked his head to one side. ‘Besides, there’s not a lot I could tell them. It could have happened in Timbuktu for all I was aware.’
‘Ah.’
‘It’s not all that surprising. I got what I deserved. I don’t exactly frequent the most salubrious places in town when I’m insearch of some stuff.’ Marcus immediately shut is mouth, staring at her, wide-eyed.
Faye realised he’d forgotten himself and hadn’t intended to say that. A silence ensued as Faye imagined this smartly dressed corporate exec wandering around some sink estate in search ofsome stuff. Of course she was making assumptions – she had no clue where in London he went in search of drugs, or what sort of people dealt them. But she could imagine it wasn’t Chiswick on a Saturday evening.
She had an idea that Jake knew more than Marcus gave him credit for. Part of his teaching training would include ways of detecting substance abuse among his students. He knew the signs. It explained Jake’s behaviour that morning after Lydia’s call.
Faye breathed a heavy sigh. Marcus was going to get himself into some serious trouble. Losing a wallet was one thing, but this guy could find himself losing something a whole lot more precious in pursuit of his next fix – his life.
Chapter 9
