Eye for an Eye by Kerry Wilkinson

Author:Kerry Wilkinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan

24

Jessica knocked on Blaine Banner’s hotel room door, glancing back towards the security camera and wondering what today’s escapade might bring. She was expecting another flash of naked flesh, only to be met by a confused-looking Sledge. Tight jeans seemed to be the in thing, seeing as his were practically sprayed on. He was wearing a T-shirt with the band’s logo on the front and peered past Jessica towards the lifts. ‘Room service?’

‘I spoke to you yesterday.’

‘The stripper?’

‘No, the police officer.’

‘The police stripper?’

‘Just the officer.’

He nodded knowingly, though didn’t seem convinced. ‘Right . . . any sign of my room service, love?’

‘I wouldn’t know – I’m looking for Blaine.’ Sledge nodded across the corridor towards the room that had been his the previous time Jessica had been there. ‘You swapped rooms?’ she added.

He shrugged. ‘Aye, ’twas his idea. Something about ghosts. If you could have a word about that room service, I’m busy in ’ere.’

Jessica smiled sweetly. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

‘Bonzer.’

The door clicked closed and there was a female-sounding giggle from the other side, leaving Jessica shaking her head in disbelief. She knocked on the door opposite, waited, then knocked again. Banner eventually swung the door open, standing with his arms wide, a bottle of Jack Daniel’s in one hand, smouldering cigarette in the other. He was thankfully clothed, albeit only his bottom half. If anything, his jeans were tighter than Sledge’s, as if they were in a competition to see who could be squeezed the tightest.

‘Y’a’right?’

Jessica headed into the room, pointing at the cigarette. ‘I don’t think you’re supposed to be smoking in here.’

He shrugged, taking a puff. ‘Dunno.’

Jessica glanced around, noting the three smoke detectors on the ceiling that had been smashed. Small pieces of plastic littered the floor. The room was a mirror of the one across the hall but just as messy. It looked like Banner had picked up all of the clothes from the floor in one room only to carry them across the hallway and re-dump them.

‘What happened to the smoke detectors?’ she asked.

‘Dunno, love. Think they fell off the ceiling.’

‘Didn’t we have this conversation about you calling me “love”?’

Banner squinted, head at an angle. ‘Summat like that. I got your note about changing rooms. Good thinking, that.’

‘Why did you call me this time?’

‘To let you know I’d changed rooms.’

‘You could’ve done that on the phone.’

Banner splayed his arms out. ‘I thought you’d want to see.’

‘Very impressive. Any more ghost stories?’

‘No, I’ve been thinking about that. It’s all a bit hazy, bit spooky, like.’ He dropped the remains of the cigarette into an empty wine bottle and set about scratching his arse. Jessica wondered if this was the type of thing Izzy had been dreaming of when she said she fancied going on tour with him.

‘Are you now saying you didn’t see a ghost?’

‘I’m not sure. It might’ve been a dream.’

Jessica was beginning to feel as tired as Clayton had looked. ‘So, just to clarify, you had me come all the way

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