Blood River - Part Eight

Newcastle Herald

Thursday January 1, 2009

Barry Maitland

KATE moved to the back of the crowd gathering to try to fish Andrew out of the river, and turned and ran quickly away into the maze of medieval streets. She worked her way parallel to the river towards the tower that marked the end of the Old Stone Bridge, where Larry was waiting for her, and together they hurried away to the far side of the old city, where he led them into a quiet cafe.

"This is becoming a habit," she said.

"Yes, Kate, but not for much longer, I hope. Are you all right?"

She told him about Andrew, and he looked worried. "They're closing in, Kate. We haven't much time. Have you decided what to do?"

She hesitated. "Every time we've met you've told me a different story, Larry. Have you told me the truth now? The whole truth?"

"Yes, Kate, I swear."

"Surely the people Andrew works for will come looking for us."

"I've got it all worked out. We'll completely disappear, and eventually they'll lose interest. Trust me."

She took a deep breath. "All right, I'll come away with you."

"That's wonderful!" He reached across the table and kissed her, and she felt a sudden release of the tension that had been building inside her. Maybe everything was going to work out.

He began to tell her of the life he had planned for them, showing her pictures of a wonderful house overlooking a Mediterranean bay, and she tried to imagine herself living there with Larry.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"For a start, I'll give you the details of a bank account I want you to transfer the insurance payout into."

"It's a lot of money, Larry."

"I know, and they'll probably want you to confirm details by phone. It may take a day or two." He went over the process with her, giving her the instructions that he'd prepared for her.

"All right. And where are you staying?"

"I checked into a little hotel here last night," he said vaguely.

"Let's go there now, Larry. I don't want to go back to the ship. I want to stay with you."

He looked taken aback. "Oh no, better not. It's a scruffy little dump, and we'd better not risk being seen, not until the money gets transferred. Then we can spend every minute together." He gave her a big open smile. "How wonderful that will be."

There was something about the way he said this that brought old memories back for Kate. She knew her husband very well, every nuance of his expressions, every tone of his voice, and an alarm bell went off in her head. He'd used exactly the same manner once before, when he'd been planning a weekend with the mistress she didn't at that time realise he had.

"Oh well all right."

"Yeah, better safe than sorry. Phone me tonight to let me know how things are moving, and we'll meet up tomorrow in Nuremberg."

They kissed, and Kate got to her feet and went out into the sunlight. She walked a little way down the street, then stopped in a shop doorway and waited. Larry emerged from the cafe{aac} after a couple of minutes, his face shaded by hat and dark glasses. He was speaking on his phone as he glanced about, then turned and walked away. Kate followed, keeping herself hidden among the clusters of tourists now filling the narrow streets. On he led her, through an area of pedestrian streets lined with smart shops and cafe{aac}s, and then through a maze of narrow lanes until he emerged at last into a quiet square on the far side of which stood a hotel. Kate stayed in the shadows of a doorway and watched as he walked towards it. This was no scruffy little dump, but a rather grand half-timbered building with bright scarlet geraniums in window boxes and a uniformed porter on duty at the front door. Outside there were white linened restaurant tables, from one of which a woman got to her feet as Larry approached. He put his arms around her and they kissed, not as friends might, but as lovers. Kate's heart turned to ice. The woman was wearing a turquoise blue silk headscarf, and Kate couldn't make out her face as they went together into the hotel.

Kate felt as if she were waking from a long sleep. This finally really was the truth. He had been after the money all along, that was all. Mouth tight, she set off across the square. The porter held the hotel door open for her and she stepped into the lobby. The couple collecting their key at the desk didn't turn around, and she waited behind a rack of postcards while they moved away to the lifts, then she walked over to the receptionist.

"I'm looking for some friends of mine who I believe are staying here," she said, surprised by her own coolness. "Mr and Mrs Schmidt."

The receptionist checked his computer. "I'm sorry Madam, we have no one of that name here."

"But wasn't that them I saw come in just now? I'm sure it was."

"Ah no. That was Mr and Mrs Hyde. They're from Australia."

"Oh, my mistake." Kate turned and strode purposefully away.

Continued tomorrow

Hunter-based author Barry Maitland studied and practised architecture in Britain before moving to Australia, where he became a professor at the University of Newcastle. He retired from academic life to become a full-time crime novelist and is best known for his characters Brock and Kolla, two London-based detectives. Blood River was written especially for Summer Herald and will appear in 14 instalments.

Join Barry Maitland and get your name in print. Send your original, fictional short story (500 to

700 words) to Summer Herald. Well select five to publish during January. Email your submission

to features@theherald.com.au with your name, address and a daytime phone contact.

© 2009 Newcastle Herald

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