Page 59 of Read Between The Lines

‘Speak for yourself,’ said Leo with a grin. ‘Now is the time when you learn the police officer’s most undervalued but most important skill.’

‘Which is?’

‘Patience. We watch, and we wait. This is the most common kind of surveillance– prolonged periods of time sitting in a stuffy car and pretending to be invisible.’

‘I’m normally pretty good at the invisible bit. But it’s easier said than done when you’re wearing soggy pants,’ I said without thinking, then instantly regretted oversharing.

‘If you want to change out of them, I promise I won’t look.’

‘You’re alright. There are too many passers-by around for me to get away with a quick change.’

We settled into a companionable silence, staring at the door through which Brian had disappeared. I wondered what he was up to in there. For all I knew, he could be logging onto a computer and working on his next mark. It was immensely frustrating to be so near and yet so far from our target. I felt like marching into the building and demanding to see him. But who would I ask for? I didn’t even know his real name, let alone why he was there. It was probably a safe bet to say he was working in some capacity, judging by the security pass, but which department was anyone’s guess.

‘You’re far from invisible, by the way,’ said Leo some minutes later.

‘Oh,’ I said, somewhat thrown by his unexpected comment. ‘That’s kind of you to say.’

‘I’m not being kind; I’m being factual,’ he corrected gently.

‘Right.’ I paused. But there was something about being in this confined space with him, both of us staring ahead, which encouraged confidences. ‘I certainly feel invisible a lot of the time. Often, I think I prefer it that way. It’s… safer.’

He nodded. ‘I can understand that. But is safer always better?’

‘It absolutely is. Deciding to take a risk and put myself out there was what got me in this mess in the first place. I never want to be humiliated like that again. All in all, the sensible thing is to be glad that I can exist in the shadows and be the one whom everyone’s eyes slide past as they search for someone more interesting.’ Even as I said the words, I realised how pathetic they sounded. And potentially untrue. There was definitely one person I wished would notice me.

‘More fool them,’ said Leo. ‘Anyway, I’ve always found you very interesting.’

Before I could ask him more about this unexpected comment, I was startled by someone tapping on the car roof.

‘This is a no parking zone,’ said an officious voice from outside. ‘I must ask you to… Oh hello, Leo, mate.’ The voice suddenly became a lot friendlier as its owner peered through the window and recognised who was behind the wheel.

Leo turned the key in the ignition so he could wind the window down. ‘Sid, what are you doing here? This isn’t your usual stomping ground.’

‘I volunteered to help with city centre foot patrols over the weekend, like the mug I am. Lot of sickness around at the moment, you know what it’s like.’

‘Some things never change,’ said Leo. ‘This is my…’—there was a slight hesitation—‘friend Kat.’

‘Nice to meet you, Kat. He leading you astray, is he, with his disregard for parking regulations?’ Sid laughed at his own joke. ‘How are you getting on, Leo? It’s ages since I bumped into you. It was just before you got signed off, right? Is it true you’ve resigned now?’

Leo shuffled in his seat. I tried to pretend my entire attention was back on the stage door, aware that Leo was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the direction of Sid’s conversation.

‘It is. Pastures new and all that.’

Sid looked across to me in the passenger seat. ‘Ah, I see. Well, you’re a wise man. You’ve got your priorities sorted. Whatever you’re up to now, it’s obviously doing you a power of good. You look masses better than before.’

‘Cheers mate, it’s great to see you,’ said Leo, clearly trying to draw the conversation to a close.

‘Likewise,’ said Sid. ‘Look, you’re obviously waiting for someone, and I know how shocking the parking is around here, so I’ll turn a blind eye to you two lovebirds loitering in the loading zone. Staffing being what it is, nobody else will be around later to check, and I spotted the parking warden heading down the other end of town earlier, so you’ll be fine. You take care of yourself, old buddy.’

And with that Sid strode off down the street, whistling cheerily to himself.

‘Friendly guy,’ I commented casually. ‘You two used to work together, then?’

‘That’s right. He’s a good sort is Sid. He can sometimes be a bit full on, but he’s well intentioned,’ said Leo.

I nodded, sensing he wouldn’t welcome any further questions. If Leo wanted to tell me more, he would do, in his own time.

After a long pause, he cleared his throat. ‘If you check the glove compartment, there should be a box of cereal bars in there. If you’re hungry, that is.’

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