Page 97 of Cover Story

Bel balanced her bag on a bent knee and opened it, Ted and Amber watching as if she was about to pull off a Mary Poppins stunt.

Bel produced the delicate coupe glass from her bag first, between finger and thumb, and placed it on the bar.

‘Must’ve thought this was pretty,’ Bel said.

Ted guffawed. ‘Congrats on not breaking it.’

‘It gets much worse,’ she said, yanking the iPad out and placing it next to the glass. All three of them stared at it, as if it might talk.

‘I am so incredibly sorry and embarrassed. I woke up with beer fear and then thought, why on earth do I suddenly own an iPad? You must’ve been looking everywhere. I think it’s completely intact. Wish I had a reason for what I did, but as said, I have no recall. I woke up in my clothes on the sofa this morning. Connor said I refused to come to bed.’

‘Oh THAT’S where the iPad is! I was about to accuse the staff,’ Amber said.

Bel throbbed with relief.

‘Oh my God, that’s terrible,’ Bel said. ‘No, all me, one hundred per cent Madam B-52. If there’s any damage done to it then you have to bill me, but I woke up clutching my bag like it was a baby.’

‘Hahahaha. When we were at yours, Rick passed out and slept over due toraisins.Don’t sweat it.’

‘Yeah, but that’s not committing crimes.’

‘I dunno, you didn’t hear the farting.’

Bel and Ted laughed. This would be a 5/5 outcome, yet it was a Pyrrhic victory.

No, Connor had to be wrong, he had to be. He’d scanned too fast and jumped to the worst conclusion. He did have a fatalist streak after all.

‘Come say hi to Rick, he’s got a funny Gertie clip on his phone …’

Bel followed Amber down past the Ladies and the Mens,past a gilt-framed print of Natalie Wood in a white fur coat, and on the floor, a Henry Hoover, to an office at the far end of the corridor.

‘Bel’s here, she’s brought us glassware and the iPad back that she borrowed …’ Amber called.

Rick was behind a desktop computer, landline phone, and other workaday bits and pieces that indicated it was the admin nerve centre.

Amber ushered Bel into the room and behind her, turned the lock. There was a split second where Bel thoughtwait why would you lock the doorand then a split second that followed where she wondered why Rick wasn’t smiling at her either.

‘Hi,’ she said to Rick, and … nothing.

‘I had Find My active, so I knew the iPad was in Ancoats,’ Amber said, evenly, and yet not in the same voice she’d used in front of Ted. ‘I wanted to see what excuse you’d use. I didn’t expect “I’ve got pickpocket genes” or whatever that was but you do go the extra mile with the bullshit.’

‘What?’ Bel said, feeling the pulse in her neck.

‘Ever notice how you only need one small thing to be out of place, and then everything else starts falling into place?’ Amber said.

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Amber tilted the desktop screen to face Bel.

‘Even with the Ancoats info, I still didn’t suspect you at all. Not my nice new friends. Myvery newnice friends. Told Rick it must be a mistake. But because a valuable had gone missing, I watched the CCTV. And then I think, that’s weird, why is Bella walking less drunk when she’s out of the bar? I mean, it could be the fresh air sobering you up but it pings something in my brain …’

Bel saw the hours-old fuzzy black-and-white image of herself and Connor and didn’t take it in.

Why was the door locked? Was there still a way to spin this? Had Connor messaged yet?Bel felt every inch of her arrogance and sloppiness and stupidity, yet there was no time for that right now.Think, think.

‘… A lot of things are out of the ordinary, I realise. How we met, your having a fight on your phone in the bar. Your interest in the iPad last night, right before it goes astray. I’d looked for you on Instagram in the past but you told me you weren’t on there. Because of a “stalker ex” was it? Yeah, I’m sure he exists. And Connor’s page is locked down, he never accepted my follow request. So I finally got round to Googling you both, andguess what?’

Bel adjusted the bag on her shoulder and fought the urge to pump the door handle while screaming, ‘What would Tamara do?’

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