Preface to Murder, M Morris [best selling autobiographies TXT] 📗

‘And do you have an informant in Oxford?’

 ‘I’m afraid that we couldn’t possibly comment. To do so would compromise our operations and endanger our agent. If there was one.’

Jane rose to her feet, scraping back her chair loudly. ‘I think we’re done here.’

John also stood up, and Bridget was obliged to follow suit. Game over. She wasn’t sure how well she’d played, but the odds had been stacked against her from the beginning. ‘If I have any further questions, can I contact you again?’ she asked as they descended to the ground floor.

‘No, I’m afraid that would not be possible,’ said John. ‘But it was very nice to make your acquaintance.’ He shook her hand as he led her to the security gate. As before, Jane made no attempt to do the same.

*

‘Any luck yet, mate?’

Jake looked up from his computer where he’d been entering his notes into the HOLMES database. ‘Huh?’

‘Got any dates lined up?’ said Ryan, seating himself on the edge of Jake’s desk and dislodging some papers onto the floor.

Jake reached down in irritation to pick them up. ‘Careful where you park your fat arse. And keep your voice down, will you?’ He glanced in Ffion’s direction, but she was away from her desk for the moment. ‘I thought you were asking if I’d solved the case.’

‘Nah, I’m asking about the important stuff.’

Jake logged out of the database and shut down his computer. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to get any more work done today. ‘Believe it or not, I’ve had a few responses already.’

‘You sound surprised.’

‘Well…’ Actually Jake was quite amazed by how quickly his profile had attracted attention. He’d hoped that maybe one or two girls might get in touch, but to have garnered several replies from attractive women so quickly… well, it was good for a guy’s self-confidence, wasn’t it?

‘I told you it worked,’ said Ryan smugly. ‘So, have you fixed up any dates?’

‘Not yet. I need to consider them all carefully before I make my decision.’

Ryan let out a sigh, and Jake could tell that more advice was coming his way. ‘No, no, you’ve got it all wrong. You don’t want to spend ages thinking about it or they’ll assume you’re not interested. There’s no need to make any decisions. Just reply to all of them.’

‘All of them?’

‘Yeah, start with a bit of chat, then hit them up with an invitation to go out. These girls get a ton of attention. If you’re too slow, you’ll miss your chance.’

‘But how can I invite them all out? What if they all say yes?’

‘Try a different one each night. That way you’ll soon find out who’s right for you.’

Ryan leaned back casually, knocking some more papers off the desk. He looked like a man who knew what he was talking about. But Jake wasn’t so sure. Was this why Ryan had never settled down with anyone despite claiming to have loads of dates?

‘Here, pass your phone over, let me have a look.’

Reluctantly, Jake handed over his phone. Ryan opened up the app and started scrolling through the results. ‘What about her?’

The first woman who’d responded was a raven-haired, pale-skinned girl whose eyes were loaded with heavy black mascara and eyeliner. She claimed that her name was Winter.

‘She looks pretty scary.’

Ryan resumed his scrolling, flicking lazily down the list with his thumb. ‘What about this one? She says she likes a guy with a great sense of humour. Sounds like fun. She looks nice too.’

‘Show me,’ said Jake.

The photo showed a woman with blonde, wavy hair that reached to her shoulders. Her full lips were curved into a generous smile.

‘Her name’s Tilly,’ said Ryan.

‘That can’t be a real name, can it?’ asked Jake.

‘It’s probably short for something. Matilda, Natalie, Tallulah… why don’t you fix up a date with her and you can ask her yourself?’

‘I don’t know…’

‘You’ve got nothing to lose.’

Jake glanced over at Ffion’s desk again. It was still empty. As was his social diary. Ryan was right – he literally had nothing to lose. ‘Oh, go on then,’ he said. ‘I’ll send her a message. See if she wants to meet up for a drink.’

He took his phone back and dashed off a message before his courage failed him. It was easier than asking a girl out in person, but his fingers still trembled as he tapped out the words. The idea that she might reject him was suddenly terrifying – almost as terrifying as the prospect that she might accept. How long would he have to wait for an answer?

Her reply came before he even had time to put his coat on. She would love to meet him tonight. Five minutes later, a time and a location had been agreed – a pub on the Cowley Road not far from Jake’s flat. There was just enough time for him to go home, have a shower, and get changed.

*

Normally Bridget would have liked nothing better than a day out in London, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the capital and passing an hour or two at a gallery or museum before calling in at a restaurant to round off the day. But this was a work day, and there had been no galleries or restaurants – no time for even a quick stop at a sandwich bar – and the hustle and bustle of the big city was simply exhausting. Her visits to the Saudi embassy and MI5 hadn’t got her very far, but perhaps her expectations had been too high. What had she been hoping for? A signed confession? She should perhaps be glad that she’d managed to get in and out without anything terrible happening to her. She turned to look behind her, half expecting to see