“What do you think he did to Jeb?” Amy asked Ross as they walked away from East West Bridges. She remained furious, both with herself and with him. They still needed to work as a team, though. She’d seen Ross’ face when Marty refused to say where Erik was. It mirrored her own disappointment.
“Gave him a black eye, I hope. Jeb certainly deserved it,” Ross replied. “Why would Jeb pretend to be interested in vodka, though? It doesn’t stack up.”
“Marty didn’t help him,” Amy said.
“He wouldn’t help us either,” Ross said. “We’re running out of options.”
He seemed so dejected that she was tempted to hug him, but good sense prevailed. She wanted no further physical contact with Ross, in the bedroom or anywhere else.
They crossed Holloway Head, this time without difficulty. With no more ideas to share, they walked together without speaking until the silence was broken by a call on Ross’ phone.
She could tell it was serious because he turned white as a sheet. “It’s a joke, isn’t it?” she heard him say.
When he finished, his face was strained. “That was HR,” he said.
“How did they know I was with you?” Amy asked. She hated her job, but even so, it was better than nothing. After being sacked for faking sickness, she would struggle to find any work at all.
Ross gazed at her with blank incomprehension. “They didn’t mention you,” he said. “I’ve been summoned back to London on suspicion of gross misconduct. If I don’t see HR this afternoon to help with their investigation, I’ll be fired.”
“That’s unbelievable,” Amy murmured, her jaw dropping.
“Even worse,” Ross said, “it was a junior HR manager, not the director.”
“What do you mean?” She was bemused.
“If they’re giving me the monkey rather than the organ-grinder, it means they’ve made up their minds,” Ross said bitterly. “At least if the police suspect you of a crime, you’re entitled to a lawyer and a fair investigation, as we know. Once HR have you in their sights, they’re police, judge, jury and executioner combined.”
“But what have you done? You didn’t throw a sickie.”
“I did nothing wrong, I assure you,” Ross said. “But I’ve been accused of a computer fraud. It’s been alleged that I deliberately mispriced health insurance to increase sales and receive a huge bonus.” He sighed. “I’m going straight to the station and back to London now. Stay here, Amy. I’ll be back tonight. Whatever happens, whether I lose my job or not, I’m going to find Kat.”
She threw caution to the winds and flung her arms around him as they reached the Malmaison. He stroked her hair, and she felt her treacherous senses come alive. Tearing herself away, she watched him walk through the underpass that led to the station, until he disappeared from view. He had to be innocent. With a lump in her throat, she realised she couldn’t help, but at least she knew someone who could.