There was something about this scenario that didn’t quite add up – like why, for instance, Marcus should be so concerned about Jake ‘getting any’, as he had so crudely put it. Why would he try to set him up on dates?
‘And believe me,’ said Marcus, ‘there’s no shortage of takers. He’s tall, good-looking and rich.’
‘Rich? On a teacher’s salary?’ Faye scoffed. ‘Now that I’d like to see.’
‘Why, you see it every day, Faye.’
This was news to her.
‘My father still takes care of Jake, financially speaking; he insists that Jake’ssalary, including bonuses, are still paid into his bank account – much to Jake’s annoyance, I’m sure. Although, for the life of me,’ Marcus glanced around the sparse hall of the rented house, ‘I can’t see what he spends it on, can you?’
Faye thought that it did at least explain why he had an expensive bike, and a rather flashy car, and could afford to insure them.
Marcus focused his attention on Faye. ‘You see, my father still expects Jake to come to his senses, to come back to the fold, so to speak. After all, we’re the only family he’s got.’
‘So why do you do it – set him up with those women?’ Faye was curious.
‘I’m just a good Samaritan.’
Faye had an idea it wasn’t that simple. She had an idea that Marcus thought one of these women might just encourage Jake to quit his teacher training and return to the Ross Corporation, come back to the fold, as Marcus put it.
He sighed. ‘I didn’t think he’d meet anybody in his teaching job.’ Marcus stared at Faye. ‘Guess I was wrong.’
Faye felt her face grow hot, even though she had nothing to feel embarrassed about. ‘You’ve taken last night completely the wrong way, you know.’
‘Have I?’ Marcus leaned towards her. ‘He may have slept on your couch, but know this – Jake hasn’t spent an entire night with any of those women he was supposedly dating.’
Faye looked towards the kitchen. ‘But what about Michaela?’ she whispered.
‘I reckon she figured it out, just like the others.’
‘Figured what out?’ Faye said bemused.
‘That they weren’t in a relationship.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘He never invites them back to his place. Never involves them in his life.’ He lowered his voice to barely a whisper. ‘And he never stays over the entire night – ever.’
Faye stared at him, wondering how he knew all this about Jake’s personal life – it was downright intrusive. She glanced at the kitchen door and lowered her voice to barely a whisper too, even though they were talking in hushed voices as it was. ‘How do you know all this?’
‘Office gossip,’ Marcus shrugged. ‘There’s always anotherwilling victim waiting in the wings for their turn, always thinking the same thought:this time it will different – I will be the one.’ But inevitably, when things don’t work out, women gossip,’ said Marcus. ‘Failing that, I’ve always got Sherlock to ask.’ Marcus flicked a finger in the direction of the front door. ‘Oops!’ His hand flew to his mouth as though he had just blown a huge secret.
‘Who?’ Faye got up and walked to the door. She lifted the net curtain at the window by the door and saw a large, shiny black car parked across the street. The man in the car was looking at the house. Faye let the curtain fall back into place and turned away from the window to look at Marcus. She folded her arms. ‘Who is that?’
Marcus stole a furtive glance in the direction of the kitchen but said nothing.
Faye had a pretty good idea. But did Jake know that someone from the Ross Corporation was keeping tabs on him?
Chapter 10
‘Is someone watching Jake’s house?’ she said incredulously. Just how far did the Ross Corporation’s tentacles reach into Jake’s life?
Marcus was now giving her the silent treatment.
‘Do you know there’s a law against stalking? I could report you and your mysterious friend out there, which might not turn out to be good news if one of you had an illegal substance on your person.’ Faye studied him intently. Was that sweat breaking out on his forehead?
‘I need to use the bathroom,’ Marcus said suddenly, rising from his chair.
