Page 17 of Beyond Repair
‘She’s a bit scary. In fact she’s freaking me out. Totally. I’m not even sure she’s human. I mean she hasn’t ingested anything all day. Is that normal?’
‘Hello, Davis.’ Katie whirled around as her phone was deftly removed from her grip and Mystery Blonde a.k.a. Goodie calmly spoke into it. ‘Regrettable but unavoidable.’ Goodie paused and Katie could hear Rob’s raised voice but was unable to make out what he was saying. Goodie looked Katie up and down slowly, her face remaining completely blank. ‘She had already noticed me.’ Another pause. ‘That is not your decision to make.’ Katie noticed that Goodie’s English had a hint of an accent but she couldn’t quite place it. Maybe Russian? ‘I finished that assignment; that’s one of the reasons I’m here.’ She abruptly handed the phone back to Katie and stood back, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting.
‘I’m afraid you’re going to have to put up with her for the moment,’ Rob told her, and Katie flicked an anxious glance at Goodie with a small smile that was not returned. ‘She’s just checking the security at the practice and she’s got the alarm system to install at your place. Don’t argue with her. It won’t get you anywhere.’
‘But I don’t want a goddamn alarm system,’ Katie said through her teeth with what she considered infinite patience; then she gave Goodie another small smile before turning away from her to whisper furiously, ‘What’s with all the sudden concern? I hope you haven’t been bloody well stressing out Sarah with this nonsense; that’s the last thing she needs. I can’t afford an alarm system and I don’t sodding need one; Aberllwellyn is hardly the backstreets of Baghdad.’
‘Enough,’ Rob said firmly, cutting her off. ‘Don’t worry about the money, it’s all covered by … business expenses. Actually saves me money.’
‘But …’
‘And Katie,’ Rob cut in again and Katie rolled her eyes – God save her from bossy, interfering men – ‘don’t lie to me again.’
‘I don’t know –’
‘Yes you do. Don’t do it again.’
‘But –’
‘And don’t try to Katiefy Goodie.’
‘What are you – ?’
‘I mean it, Katie; leave her alone. No grilling her, no feeding her, no hugs. She’s not social.’ The phone cut off and Katie stared at it.
‘He put the phone down on me,’ she said in disbelief.
Goodie shrugged. ‘He’s busy and you talka lot.Let’s go.’
*****
Goodie sighed and gave the fat cat another gentle shove with her foot to try and encourage the animal to back off. Finally the ball of ginger fluff sloped away and started in on Salem. Salem tolerated the fluff ball nuzzling into his side and then curling up between his huge paws without moving a muscle, but did fix Goodie with a pained expression. He was already put out over the wait he’d endured outside the surgery, so this was adding insult to injury. Goodie shrugged, and stroked his head once, before going back to wiring in the alarm panel. He wasn’t that hard done by; he’d had bacon and sausages that morning.
‘That’s a beautiful dog you’ve got there.’
Goodie closed her eyes. This womannevershut up. It was insane.
‘Is he an Alsatian?’
‘Mongrel, probably,’ Goodie said, keeping her back to the tiny doctor.
‘You don’t know? Where did you get him from? A shelter?’
Seriously, any more questions and Goodie was going to punch her in the face.
‘Baghdad,’ Goodie replied, putting increased effort into getting the system installed.
‘Crikey, Baghdad,’ Katie breathed in awe. ‘I picked up Lady Muff in Merthyr Tydfil, and that was a bit of a trek.’ A timer went off in the kitchen and Goodie heard Katie squeak as she scurried off to check something. Saved by the bell.
After Goodie had reviewed the security at Katie’s surgery – there wasn’t any, unless you counted an alarm on the computer system which when pressed would trigger the middle-aged lady and the teenager at the reception desk to stumble their way to the consulting room (that was if they weren’t engaged in the perpetual activity of making tea. Endless tea. How the British drank so much tea Goodie would never comprehend) – Goodie had followed her home to start on the alarm. Throughout all this Goodie did not think that Katie had once paused for breath. Even now she was wittering on from the kitchen about something to do with Mexico and Mexican food and had Goodie ever been to Central America. Luckily Katie’s verbal diarrhoea seemed to need very little input from Goodie. Yes, Goodie had been to Central America. She went to Belize on a very lucrative private contract. Goodie took no notice of the food she ate whilst she was there, and the things she had done in that month would turn Katie’s hair white.
‘Right,’ Katie said, coming through into the living room with a plate of what may have been chilli, but could equally pass for industrial waste. ‘I know you haven’t eaten all day and I’m a feeder, so …’
‘I don’t need to eat,’ Goodie told her firmly, pushing away the damn cat again. ‘And I’m nearly finished.’
‘Come on,’ Katie wheedled, actually coming up to Goodie and giving her a small hip-bump before she knelt down to deposit a bowl of water in front of Salem. Salem looked to Goodie who nodded before he started drinking.
‘Gosh, he’s so well trained,’ Katie said. ‘I can’t even train Russell to put his Milky Way wrappers in the bin.’
