Page 95 of Cover Story

He coaxed her to her unsteady feet, Bel smoothing her dress over her behind and making her way back into the restaurant.

‘Bella has entered the floor-sitting phase so I’m going to take her home,’ Connor said, seeking out Amber and Rick. ‘Thanks for a great evening, too great for some.’

Amber threw her arms around him.

‘Thanks for coming, you guys, so good to see you.’

Once they were clear of the sightlines of the bar, Bel stopped leaning on Connor and walked with noticeably enhanced powers of balance.

‘This is like watching Kevin Spacey lose the limp at the end ofThe Usual Suspects,’ Connor said.

In the taxi, Bel nodded her head towards the bag on her lap to indicate:got it.

Connor wished this felt triumphant, but he’d been hoping she wouldn’t manage to swipe it.

‘That was some performance,’ Connor said.

‘It went Method, I’m pretty shitfaced,’ Bel said. ‘I kept the objective in mind.’

As soon as they were through the door, Bel said, handing him the iPad: ‘I put the code in my phone calculator so I couldn’t forget it. God, imagine if I’ve got it wrong and we have a useless iPad we still have to give back!’

Connor sat at the dining table, opened the cover and tapped the code as Bel read aloud. The tablet rippled into life, a page of apps.

‘BINGO,’ Bel said.

‘God, this feels disgusting.’

‘Your disgust might reroute when you see our Mayor looming up, many times over, like a badger in your bins.’

‘True,’ Connor conceded.

‘We can leave it uploading overnight while you crash here, and then you can review the footage tomorrow while I go to Didsbury?’ Bel said, running the kitchen tap into a glass. ‘You don’t need to be here, pressing buttons?’

‘Yep,’ Connor said, squinted hard at the screen.

‘Thank God, cos I need painkillers and sleep,’ Bel said.

‘Good work tonight,’ Connor said. ‘I admit, I didn’t think it could be done, but Irene Adler in Zara comes through again.’

Thanks to Shaun for the reference. I mean, she was a criminal, so …Connor was too far in to back out, but he was deeply uneasy.

‘It still might be not be done.’

‘Might be not bedone?’

‘I did say I needed sleep.’

He cleared his throat.

‘Bel. I’m so sorry about the prom thing. I was out of order anyway but knowing what I know now, I’m properly ashamed.’

‘Prom thing?’ she said, frowning.

Connor saw she couldn’t remember their conversation at all.

‘Never mind.’

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