Assignment in Amsterdam by Carrie Bedford

Author:Carrie Bedford [Bedford, Carrie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780999813188
Published: 2019-11-21T16:00:00+00:00

15

The cat rescue mission and subsequent foray into the bushes meant we were running late to meet Karen.

“We can still make it,” I told Sam.

“That sounds good,” Sam said. “Because I really need to eat something very soon.”

We locked up and decided to take a taxi to the hotel. I could tell that his knee was bothering him.

The hotel cocktail lounge could have been in London, New York, or Singapore. It was modern, all steel and glass, with cushioned bench seats and low lighting, aiming for sophisticated but settling for bland. Still, it was nice to sit down in a quiet corner where I felt myself relax, the tension of the bike incident and the garden exploration draining away in the candlelight.

Sam soon came back to the table with our drinks and several bowls of nuts and crisps and a plate of cheese. He tucked in immediately while I nibbled my way through a handful of nuts.

“Tall with red hair?” Sam said, looking at the door.

I saw Karen at the entrance. She scanned the tables, gave me a little wave and made her way over. This evening, she was wearing a green dress that brushed her calves and matching green suede flats. I introduced her to Sam, who asked her what she’d like to drink.

“Gin and tonic,” she said. “Thank you.”

While Sam went to the bar, I asked her how she was doing.

“Not so bad, I suppose. I had classes all day, which was a good distraction. Anything new with you?” She glanced over at Sam, who was chatting to the bartender, his aura eddying blue under the LED lights above the bar. “How is he doing?”

“He’s doing okay. He had a bike accident earlier this evening that freaked me out, but there was no serious damage.”

Sam came back with the drinks and we chatted for a few minutes about Karen’s class at the university.

“So, you had something you wanted to tell us?” I asked finally.

“Yes, I’ve been thinking about it all day. About three months ago, Eline said something that I didn’t pay much attention to at the time. She thought that Tomas had got caught up in some business deal that had gone bad. Well, I don’t know much about business, so I didn’t have a clue what that meant and didn’t pay much attention. But she mentioned several times that Tomas seemed very stressed although he wouldn’t talk to her about it. I wondered later if that stress contributed to his heart attack.”

“Before you go on,” Sam said. “I think we should tell you that the house project has been put on hold while the lawyer sorts out the paperwork. It could take months, and we’re not even sure the house sale will go through. Which means I’m not sure how relevant this stuff about Tomas is, to be honest.”

Karen’s neck flushed red, and little circles of pink bloomed on her cheeks. “Well, I don’t want to waste your time,” she said.

Sam looked mortified, his eyes lowered like a little boy who’d broken his mother’s favorite plate.

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