The Swap - By Antony Moore Page 0,71

distant, bitter husband. Jarvin had been to see Jeff Cooper the day before and had come away troubled. What had Allen's words been? 'Pretty near the boil, Mr Cooper.' And Jarvin had known exactly what he meant. Something was bubbling in Mr Cooper. Was it just the loss of his wife? Jarvin thought again of Maisie and had to acknowledge that the loss of her would certainly be a blow. But he thought most of Charles Odd, Bleeder Odd. Where was he today? He would like to meet him again. Being so far from Cornwall was a problem. To prevent things like Mrs Odd's murder: was that why he did it? As he straightened up from bending to peer at a picture of a younger, smiling, seemingly carefree Jarvin at the back of the cabinet, he allowed himself this one generous thought. But as he made his way outside for half an hour's weeding before lunch he was unsure that it was anything but a palliative, unsure that there was really any reason at all.

Chapter Twenty-six

They met in a Pizza Express. This wouldn't have been Harvey's first choice for what his genitals were characterising as one of the more important evenings of his life. He was not without romantic nous and had some insight into how women thought. He would have preferred somewhere intimate and personal; somewhere that they could perhaps call their special place; somewhere that they would always go back to on their anniversary and point out fondly to their grandchildren. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to think of anywhere. So they met in the weirdly unreal, post-modern splendour of the Islington Pizza Express. The way Harvey was feeling perhaps it wasn't such an inappropriate choice.

'You look terrible.' Maisie had taken his hand as he stood up for an awkward peck on the cheek. The kiss had been mistimed and he had bashed the side of her head with his chin.

'Oh, thanks.' They both sat down, with Harvey attempting to retain her hand as they did so, almost knocking over the rare and unlikely foreign flower with which the table was inevitably adorned. He let go and sat heavily.

'I mean, you look worried. Are you worried?'

'Oh no, I'm fine. Not a care in the world.' Harvey shook his head and closed his eyes, then remembering he wasn't speaking to Josh, but to the woman that parts of his anatomy had been dreaming about almost unceasingly, he opened them again and sighed. 'Sorry. I don't mean to be mean, yeah? But I'm having a bad day.'

'Another one?' Her smile reached across the table and her hand came with it to reclaim his. 'Tell me,' she said. So he did.

'Shit, OK, so now we know where we are.' They had ordered pizzas and were sharing a mixed salad and garlic bread in preparation for their arrival. And Harvey, while telling her about the stain in the car, had revisited a little of his earlier sorrow. He pronged a moody cherry tomato and shook his head.

'I know where I am: in bloody Reading Gaol, that's where. Bang to rights and doing stir. Bastards.'

Maisie was not sure who this last expletive was directed at but decided that it was probably better not to ask. 'No, now you will have to tell the truth and that is a good thing, Harvey. If I was you I would go to Jarvin first thing tomorrow. How long does it take for them to analyse a stain? Probably a day or two, so you'll have plenty of time to go and sort everything out.' She saw the look on Harvey's face. 'I'll come with you if you like,' she said gently. 'It really is for the best.'

'They'll arrest me.' Harvey could feel the tears from the cleaning session still hanging in his vocal cords. 'They'll put me in a cell and hold me. They won't let me go once I tell them. Jesus, I'm so stupid.'

'Well, perhaps . . .'

'I don't mean that. I mean with Bleeder. Why didn't I talk to him when I had the chance? I keep thinking of that. When I saw him at Steve's party he wanted to tell me something, I know he did. Stuff that I don't know about his mother and about the past. Jarvin thinks the murder is linked to the past and to Bleeder. He obviously hasn't told the police very much.' He stopped and bit his lip. 'I just wish I could talk to him,