Free Undercover Alice by KT Shears Page B

to Spain. DON’T SAY ANYTHING. I know, I
know. It’s strictly professional. I’m going to ignore your texts and calls for
24 hours until you calm down. Peace out xx’
    I also sent an e-mail to Barry, letting him know I
was ‘going dark’ for a few days. He would be over the moon with this latest
development, I thought, sourly, but I was beginning to care less and less about
what Barry thought of things.
    When I could sit around and wait around no longer, I
jumped in my car and drove to the office. There was hardly anyone there on a
Saturday, but I was annoyed to see Sarah’s car parked in the car park. I hoped
I could get in and out without her seeing me.
    I knew, of course, that I couldn’t. She must have
seen me as I scurried past her doorway, head down, and she appeared in Matt’s
office a few minutes later.
    ‘What are you doing?’ she said, accusingly, as I
stood there with his house key in my hand.
    ‘Matt asked me to come by and pick up his house key
and get him some things,’ I said, coldly.
    ‘What? Why? Isn’t he in Spain?’ Sarah looked
puzzled, and then suspicious. Did she think I was stealing? I reflected that
this was an ideal opportunity to rake about for incriminating material, but
there was no way I was doing that after Matt’s father had died.
    ‘Yes,’ I took a deep breath, knowing Sarah wouldn’t
like what I was about to say. ‘He’s asked me to fly out there today. His dad
died last night, and he wants some help with arranging things.’
    She looked like she’d been slapped.
    ‘He asked you to fly out there?’
    I nodded, feeling slightly smug at the obvious
annoyance and disappointment on her face. I could tell she thought it should
have been her, and I reflected that perhaps she had seen more in her
relationship with Matt than was there. I might even have felt sorry for her,
but I remembered her words at the picnic, the way she spat them at me,
spitefully, and I just couldn’t. You reap what you sow, I thought.
    ‘Yes, my flight leaves at lunchtime so I really have
to get on.’
    I moved past her to the door and left her standing
in the office.

Chapter twelve
     
    Matt’s house was typically him, I thought, as I
tried to find the various items he’d asked me to bring. The décor was bright
and colourful, and the pictures on the wall were cheerful and bold.
    I could hear Barry’s voice in my head, ‘Well, go
have a poke around for fuck’s sake’, but I quickly banished him to the back of
my mind. It was getting increasingly easy to do that.
    Matt had some framed pictures on his mantelpiece and
I pored over them, fascinated. There was a close-up of a beautiful young woman,
caught mid-laugh. The same girl featured in another picture; this time she had
her arm round Matt’s shoulder and an older couple were standing beside them,
all grinning at the camera. It must be his sister and his parents. They were an
attractive family, I thought.
    I looked into his sister’s eyes, and wondered what
on earth had happened to her.
    I packed Matt’s things into my own case – I hadn’t
wanted to pay for excess luggage, so I was travelling light. I had pondered
what to do with my car, but Matt had a big enough driveway so I parked my
little Mini in front of his own car. It could stay there till I got back.
    I called for a taxi and arrived at the airport in
plenty of time. I’m a nervous traveller, always paranoid some unforeseen event
will lead to me missing my flight, so I always turn up hours in advance. Better
late than never, my mum always said. I wandered around the shops while I waited
for my flight to board, wondering if the clothes I’d packed would be suitable.
I had no space for any more, though, not with Matt’s funeral suit in my bag, so
they’d just have to be.
    After I boarded the plane, I was somewhat
disappointed to find my neighbour was already firmly wedged into place when I
got to my seat.
    ‘Och, you’re no sitting in here, are you’ he said,
sighing.
    I said