Hotel Ambrose

Chapter 18.2

His house was in the suburbs. I didn't know which one – I'd never really been out to the suburbs before, except for Crapper, so I wasn't good on them. I couldn't see the house properly in the dark. There was a light on at the front porch. When Joe pulled into the driveway a dog started barking.

"George," he said as he switched the ignition off. "Like dogs?"

"I guess."

George turned out to be a short stocky dog with white hair and a patch of brown over each eye. His way of greeting me was to lick my jeans.

"He has this thing about licking," Joe explained, looking embarrassed.

I thought George would stop, but he kept right on going.

"Least he doesn't bite," I said, trying to make Joe feel better about his embarrassing licking dog.

I followed him through the front door and down a narrow hall into a kitchen. There was a woman there cooking something at the stove. When she heard us she turned around.

"Hi honey," Joe said. "Smells good."

"Hi," she said, but she didn't look at him. She was staring at me.

Joe looked from her to me. "I believe you two have met."

"Spoke to you on the phone I think," I said. I don't know why Joe was saying we'd met. You don't meet people on the phone, do you? There was something familiar about her though.

"It was a long time ago," she said. She turned to Joe. "I probably wouldn't have recognised him if you hadn't told me."

This was getting weird.

"My name is Annie," she said to me.

It clicked. The policewoman. Constable Annie. Jesus.

I rounded on Joe. "You said you weren't taking me to the police."

"I didn't."

"Your wife is a policeman."

"Police officer," Annie said.

"Not any more," Joe said.

"I quit years ago," Annie said. She turned back to the stove.

"We'd just started dating around the time Annie bumped into you in the city," Joe said. "She told me about you. Anyway, when Annie quit the force she became a lawyer. Now she's a barrister."

I thought a barrister had something to do with coffee, but I wasn't sure.

I heard music start upstairs. Someone up there was thumping in time with it. Joe glanced up at the ceiling but didn't say anything.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Annie said.

I started to say that I'd already had a burger, but then I realised I was hungry again. When you're my age you're always hungry. "Thanks," I said.

So I had dinner with Joe and Annie, while the thing upstairs thumped away. I wondered if they had hobgoblins.

Joe looked up at the ceiling again.

"She already ate," Annie said.

"Sounds like it," Joe muttered.

They exchanged a look, then went back to their meals.

After dinner Annie said, "I've got some work to catch up on. I'll leave you boys alone." She kissed Joe on the cheek and left the kitchen.

"Come on mate," Joe said. "I'll show you The Cave."

I didn't know what he meant, but I got up and followed him out of the kitchen.