Free Little White Lies by Katie Dale Page B

team!”
    “Thanks.” I smile. “Something wrong with your bike, Christian?”
    “Someone’s keyed it!” He frowns, pointing to a deep scratch in the paintwork.
    “Oh no!” Vix cries. “Who would do such a thing?”
    “I don’t know,” he says moodily.
    “Jealous kids with nothing better to do, I reckon,” Heidi says.
    “But thanks to whoever smashed the CCTV cameras last night, we’ll never know,” Christian grumbles.
    “It’s still gorgeous,” Vix sighs. “What I wouldn’t give for a motorbike, scratched or not.”
    “I’ve got a Ducati,” Kenny says quickly. “Maybe we could take it for a spin sometime?”
    I roll my eyes.
    “Really?” Vix beams at him. “That’d be awesome!”
    “No problem.” He smiles. “Ready to go?”
    “Ready and raring.” Vix grins. “Bye, Lou!”
    “Wait.” I grab Vix’s sleeve, pulling her to one side and lowering my voice. “You’re right, we should follow Christian.”
    “What?” She blinks. “You’ve changed your tune. Why?”
    Because I’m desperate. Because I don’t trust Kenny. Because this is my last-ditch attempt to stop your date.
    I glance at Heidi. “Because if it
is
a girlfriend he’s meeting tonight, who provided his alibi, then I just need to know.” I sigh. “So I can stop wasting my time.”
    Vix squeezes my arm sympathetically. “So follow him.”
    “I can’t do it alone!” I protest. “I don’t know how to do it discreetly—I can’t risk him seeing me and thinking I’m some psycho stalker or something.”
    She laughs.
    “Please, Vix,” I beg. “I need you.”
    “Hang on,” she says, and walks over to Kenny. A second later they both come back.
    “Vix filled me in.” Kenny winks. “Let’s go.”
    Crap.
Not
part of the plan. But I guess it’s the best I can hope for.
    —
    The motorbike is difficult to follow in the busy stream of traffic, as are Vix’s instructions on tailing him.
    “You need to keep at least four cars between you and Christian,” she says authoritatively. “But don’t lose sight of him round the corner! Hurry up—overtake that van! Bugger, we’ve lost him. No, there he is! Second left! No
second
left! Not too close, he’ll see us!”
    We weave through the traffic, up and down the hills, past shops and parks and university buildings.... By the time Christian finally turns into the hospital car park I’m exhausted.
    “The
hospital
?” I stare after him as I pull into a parking space on the street. “What’s Christian doing at the hospital?
    “Oh my God, is he sick?” Vix cries. “Is that why he couldn’t have broken into the pub? Maybe he’s got a debilitating illness!”
    “Or maybe he’s just visiting a patient,” Kenny says. “He did say he was meeting someone.”
    “That someone
could
be a doctor,” Vix argues.
    “There’s only one way to find out,” I say, getting out of the car.
    We round the corner into the car park just in time to spot Christian stepping through the sliding doors into the building. But by the time we enter the foyer, with its large waiting area, gift shop, corridors leading in three directions, and two lifts, he’s vanished.
    “He could be anywhere,” I sigh.
    “I’ll check the toilets,” Kenny says, following a sign down a corridor.
    I turn and scour the waiting area. There are a few women flicking through magazines, a child glued to the news on the TV, and an old man who looks like he’s fallen asleep, but no Christian.
    “Louise? Vix?” Christian’s voice startles me.
    I spin round.
    “Hi.” He’s standing in front of the little gift shop holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers. “What are you doing here?”
    “Oh, I...”
    “She’s come about her ankle,” Vix lies quickly. “It’s still really painful, so we’ve popped in to see if we can get a doctor to have a quick look at it. What about you?”
    “I’m visiting a friend. She’s a patient here.”
    “A friend, huh?” Vix raises an eyebrow. “Nice