Fine Lines - SA by Simon Beckett Read Free Book Online Page A

does that sound?"
    "Wonderful." She was smiling broadly.
    "In that case I'l hurry up and finish what I was doing." I went to the office and closed the door. Despite the fact that Anna's departure was now official, as it were, I felt elated. She had been under no obligation to tel me so soon. It implied a warming towards me. I picked up the telephone and cal ed Zeppo. It rang a long time before it was answered.
    "Yeah?"
    "Zeppo? It's Donald Ramsey." There was a groan. "Donald? What do you want? Christ, I'm stil in bed."
    "In that case I've done you a favour getting you out of it. I'm taking Anna to lunch. I want you to be there as wel ."
    "Lunch? No way."
    "It's important."
    "Look, I've already got plans for this afternoon. And I've got someone with me."
    "Get rid of her and cancel whatever you were doing. This is too good an opportunity to miss." I explained what had happened, and told him where we would be. "We'l be there just after twelve o'clock. You can get there for half-past. That gives you about an hour. If you rush you should be able to manage that, I think." He sighed, irritably. "Oh, okay. I'l get there as soon as I can. But this is real y pissing me about."
    "That's what I'm paying you for."
    "Look, I've said I'l be there, al right?" His voice was petulant.

    I was tiring of his moods. "Would it be too much to ask for you to be in a better frame of mind, do you think?"
    "I'l be al sweetness and light," he said, and hung up.
    He was late. But I had expected as much, and did not al ow it to spoil my enjoyment of Anna's company. She was animated, on a high now that she had told me, and when Zeppo final y arrived I felt a momentary pang that I no longer had her to myself.
    "That's your friend Zeppo, isn't it?" she asked, looking over my shoulder. I turned. He was at the bar. I waved him over.
    "What are you doing here?" His smile included us both in the question.
    He seemed genuinely surprised.
    "It's a celebration. Anna's going to America." He turned to her. "Fantastic! How long for?"
    "Hopeful y for good."
    "She's going with her boyfriend. You met him at the party, I think."
    "I remember. Marty. Wel , that's great! Congratulations." There was no sign of his earlier sul enness. Either he was an excel ent actor, or he had managed to cheer himself up. I did not particularly care which. I was only thankful for the fact.
    "Why don't you join us?" I asked. "Unless you're meeting someone, of course." He looked at his watch. "I was supposed to, but he's not here. I'm late, though, so I might have missed him."
    "In that case have a glass of wine. I'm sure we can squeeze one out of the bottle." He sat down. As I poured his wine he asked Anna which part of America they were going to. I watched her as she answered. She was resting her arms on the table, leaning forwards slightly. Her dress was stretched taut where her breasts hung against it. I made myself look at her face.
    She told him they planned to live in New York, at least until Marty had finished his doctorate. Zeppo, of course, had been there.
    "It's great. London's got nothing on it. It's got a real buzz, twenty-four hours a day. Is that where Marty's from?"
    "Wel , he lived there before he came over here, but original y he's from Boston. That's where his parents live, but Marty doesn't like it.
    He says it's too country-club and snobbish for him."
    "I've never been. Apart from New York I've only been to California a couple of times. Now there's somewhere you've got to go." Anna smiled. "I'd like to, but Marty's not too keen on the West Coast."
    "Real y? God, why not?"
    "He's not real y one for the beach lifestyle. He says he had sand kicked in his face so many times when he was a kid that the tide comes in on him." We laughed dutiful y. "It can be a bit like that," Zeppo said. "But you shouldn't let that put you off. Some of the beaches are incredible. It'd be a shame to miss them." The implied censure was only mild, but it was there.
    The first overt move against