The Wrong Man: A Novel of Suspense by White Kate

Author:White, Kate [White, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2015-06-15T16:00:00+00:00

chapter 14

He’s played me again, she thought furiously. How could she have been so incredibly stupid to fall for it again?

Staring at the tabletop, she tried to process what had just happened. Clearly Kelman’s only motive for meeting her had been to tap into whatever details she was privy to. He’d offered up the story about illegal trading as a warm-up, to entice her into talking, and then once he learned what Healy had done, he bolted.

For a moment her gaze lingered on the clump of ten-dollar bills. Thank God for small favors, she thought mockingly. At least he hadn’t stiffed her with the check.

“Will there be anything else?” a voice from behind her inquired. She turned to see the waitress eyeing the scene quizzically. Kit realized that the woman probably assumed there’d been a lovers’ spat and Kelman had stormed off.

“No, nothing else. But—can you tell me? Did the man I was with say anything before he left?”

“He didn’t even ask for the check. I just saw him toss the money onto the table and then he took off in a rush.”

Kit muttered thank you and wiggled back into her slicker. Out on the street she punched her hands into her pockets and looked over the street, over the faces of passersby and into the dark slivers between buildings. What was she supposed to do now? she wondered. Call the police? The update she could offer O’Callaghan would sound even more absurd than the one she could have presented Sunday. “You know that mystery man, the one who I thought broke into my apartment? I decided to have a drink with him and he kind of stood me up again. I’m now two for two.”

She started off for home, walking at a clip, checking behind her every few moments. It had stopped drizzling, but the air was still misty, almost cottony.

And then, as she passed in front of a row of shops closed for the night, a hand grabbed her arm, like an attack dog rocketing from the darkness, and yanked her into a doorway. She started to scream but the other hand clamped down on her mouth. She struggled, thrusting an elbow toward her assailant and trying desperately to free herself.

“Kit, shhh, it’s me,” a male voice whispered hoarsely. She twisted her head around. It was Kelman. He lowered his hand from her mouth and brought a finger to his lips, urging her to be quiet.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, her voice low.

“While you were in the restroom, I noticed someone suspicious come into the restaurant. I didn’t want him to see me with you.”

“Someone from Ithaka?”

“No. It was a guy I could have sworn I’d seen on the subway when I came down earlier from the Upper West Side. I slipped into a doorway and watched, and he ended up leaving the restaurant right after me.”

Was it the truth? she wondered. That was the question she had to ask herself constantly when she spoke to Kelman.

He slumped his shoulders wearily.

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