Host by Peter James

Author:Peter James [James, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Thriller
ISBN: 9780752837451
Google: -14lWA9Sb40C
Amazon: 0752837451
Publisher: Orion
Published: 1993-01-02T06:00:00+00:00

39

It was after eight when Joe arrived home; Karen was in the midst of packing in their bedroom. He’d already phoned her from London and told her what had happened.

She kissed him. ‘Poor Joe-Joe, you’ve had a rough time. Probably in shock. Why don’t you sit down and I’ll get you a drink. Like a whiskey?’

He sat down on the bed, and thought fleetingly how lovely she was looking tonight, her black hair hanging carelessly over her shoulders, the shape of her breasts visible through her baggy sweater, her long legs flattered by her tight jeans. ‘I’m OK, I’ll have one in a minute, thanks. How’s Jack? How did he get on today?’

She kissed his forehead lightly. ‘Jack’s fine. It’s you I’m worried about. What happened? It was the same judge who ruled against you, got killed at the tube station?’

‘Yes.’ He squeezed his eyes with his fingers, trying to get rid of the splitting headache that had begun on the train home. His distress over the judge’s ruling, and the horror of the judge’s death, had numbed him. Coincidence, he told himself firmly.

‘Kind of freaky,’ she said.

‘The whole thing feels unreal.’ He looked at Karen, trying to pluck up the front to tell her what she was not going to want to hear.

‘I’ll pack this for you,’ she was saying. ‘I think it’s going to be pretty cold up there.’ She folded one of his thick jumpers and pressed it down firmly into the suitcase. ‘You’d better let me have the shirts you want to take.’

‘Hon –’

‘So what actually happened? You said her coat got caught in the door? Didn’t Isadora Duncan get killed like that? No, it was a scarf got in the spokes of a wheel. That’s awful!’

‘Yes, it was.’

‘Don’t the doors have sensors?’

‘Yes – the fabric was probably too thin for them.’

‘I thought the drivers have some kind of a video system, don’t they?’

‘Sure. It’s all pretty sophisticated; they don’t even need the drivers in half the trains now – they’re all computerized. The cameras aren’t meant to let the trains run unless . . .’ His voice tailed as a thought struck him. But he dismissed it.

‘You’ve always said there’s no such thing as a failsafe computer system, Joe.’

‘That’s right; no such thing.’

There was a silence. Karen looked at a list she had made; she was always very efficient at packing and Joe relied on her totally. ‘Are they very formal in Scotland? Will you need a tie? Better take a couple, anyhow. If you choose them.’

‘Hon –’ Joe bit his lip and took another breath. ‘Karen – I’m – I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make Scotland.’

She looked at him sharply. ‘What do you mean?’

‘We might be appealing the judge’s ruling.’

‘Because she’s dead?’

‘I don’t think that has any bearing – we’d go before a different judge anyhow. The lawyer says if we do appeal it’ll probably come up later in the week.’

Karen’s face fell. ‘I haven’t seen Arlene in four years. Jack’s so looking forward to going.

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