Nightingale carefully carried a tray into the room and placed it on the bedside table. He sat down on the bed and gently stroked Jenny’s hair. She opened her eyes sleepily and smiled up at him.
‘What time is it?’ she murmured.
‘Eleven,’ he said.
Jenny ran a hand through her hair. ‘Shit, I’m late for work,’ she said. ‘And my boss is an absolute bastard.’
Nightingale grinned. ‘I’m sure you can twist him around your little finger.’ He nodded at the tray. ‘Coffee, and I warmed a croissant for you.’
Jenny looked at the tray and frowned. ‘Where’s yours?’
‘I’ve got to go out.’
Jenny rubbed her eyes. ‘Where are you going?’
‘I’ve got to take care of something.’
‘What?’
He stroked her hair again. ‘Don’t you worry about it,’ he said.
Jenny sat up and pulled the quilt around her breasts. ‘You’re not going to do something stupid, are you?’
Nightingale smiled. ‘Do I ever?’
‘Frequently.’
‘I’ll be okay,’ he said.
‘Let’s just tell the police. Let them handle it.’
‘Our word against Fairchild’s? What good would that do? He’s a top lawyer, he plays golf with the Deputy Commissioner, he’s probably a Freemason as well as a Satanist. And what evidence do we have? And you can only half remember what happened even when you’re under hypnosis.’
‘So what are you going to do?’
‘I’m going to take care of it.’
‘Can’t you just forget it?’
Nightingale took her hand. ‘Can you?’
Jenny forced a smile. ‘If I’ve got you, maybe I can.’
‘You’ve got me, kid. But I need to sort this out once and for all.’
‘Sort out what? Your books? Your sister? Me?’
‘All of the above,’ said Nightingale. ‘Yes, I want to know what he’s done with my books. But I need to know what he did to you and why. And you need to know too.’
‘And then what?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘When you know everything, what will you do then?’
‘We’ll see.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘Don’t worry.’
‘You can’t tell me not to worry, not when I don’t know what you’re planning to do.’
‘I’ll be back this evening, okay? I’ll fill you in then. I promise.’
She grinned. ‘Fill me in?’
‘You know what I mean.’ He leaned forward and kissed her. She slipped her hand around his neck and tried to pull him back into bed but he slipped out of her grasp.
‘Stay here, Jack,’ she said. ‘Let’s just hang out here, have lunch, fool around.’
‘I need to get this done first, kid,’ he said, standing up. ‘Don’t go into the office today. Stay here. Okay?’
Jenny nodded. ‘You’ll come back? Today?’
‘Of course.’ He bent down and kissed her. ‘I promise.’
‘Be careful, Jack.’
‘Always. I just need one thing from you.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Fairchild’s address.’