Page 59 of Teacakes & Tangos
‘No... no, of course not,’ I replied. But he must have seen the doubt in my eyes because his face closed up and he looked away.
‘So you’ve made up your mind about me, then,’ he murmured, glancing down. ‘Will you and Lyndsay be going to the police?’
‘What? No!’
‘You so obviously believe I’m guilty, so why not?’
‘But Idon’tthink you’re guilty. Really, Xander, I don’t!’
He shook his head sadly and thrust the newspaper back at me. ‘Yes, you do. It’s written all over your face.’
All I could do was shake my head.
‘Look, if you don’t trust me, Anika,’ he said, ‘I can’t have you in my life, okay? Because I’ve had it up toherewith people getting the wrong idea about me.’ Frustrated, he made a brief cutting gesture at the air above his head.
Confused, I could only look back at him with tears in my eyes.
He gave me a sad little smile. Then he shrugged as if he didn’t care anymore. ‘Okay, I admit it.’ For the first time since I’d challenged him, he looked me directly in the eye. ‘It’s me in the photo. Is that what you want to hear?’
I stared at him, bewildered. ‘I don’t know what you mean, Xander. Are you saying youwereinvolved in the robbery?’
The Guildford train announcement came over the Tannoy at that moment.
Xander looked at me in disgust and walked off.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Rather than waiting for a bus, I decided to walk the three miles home.
Shaken by my horrible exchange with Xander, I needed time to process it all – and I’d still have plenty of time to get to work by noon.
As I walked, it seemed as if the sun – blazing in a clear, forget-me-not blue sky – was mocking me. I was so confused. It was such a beautiful day but sinister dark clouds were now hanging over me.
Knowing Xander as I’d thought I did, I would have been tempted to believe him when he denied being the man in the newspaper photo, who the police were seeking ‘to help with their enquiries’ – if it hadn’t been for the evidence of my own eyes. And not just my eyes, either. Lyndsay’s as well.
What on earth was I supposed to think?
My treatment at the hands of Loathsome Les probably wasn’t helping, of course. I’d trusted him with my heart and he’d trampled over it, as if it was nothing more than a discarded ciggy packet.
My trust in men had been at an all-time low. Then Xander had come along and changed my outlook. I’d begun to feel that maybe it would be possible to move on with him in confidence after my wedding disaster.
Our fledgling relationship had been going so well. But now, I didn’t know what to think.
Had it been a sham all along? Had Xander been showing me only his best side, to convince me we were good together? I could tell he really liked me. His kisses and the way he sometimes looked at me left me in no doubt that he cared about me. At least I knewthatwasn’t a lie.
But was it possible he had a whole other shady life that he’d been keeping hidden from me?
I shook my head in bewilderment.
Xander acriminal?
It just didn’t seem possible.
Except... I couldn’t help thinking about the way he’d been carefully avoiding my eye when we were talking back there at the station.
I was no body language expert, but that smacked of guilt to me... as if Xander had something to hide...
*****
