Kates friends part 5

Sally looked up as she slid into her seat. “Anything important?”

“Nah, just the police.”

She turned her chair to face her. “The police? What’s happened?”

Kate looked at her worried face. “Oh nothing. I just got burgled.”

Sally moved her chair closer.

“It’s nothing really.”

“Oh God that’s awful, did they get much?”

She stared at her phone. “No and it seems that they may not have even kept what they did take.” She held up the phone for Sally to see then put it down next to her monitor. “They want me to come in and identify my stuff.”

Her eyes widened and she smiled. “Well that’s good isn’t it?”

“Yes I guess.” Kate smiled, in some ways Sally was just a bit naive. It could be good but it still didn’t change a thing and really if the burglar wasn’t interested in her belongings then why did he take them.

 If it had been her, Sally would have been pleased to get her things back and wouldn’t even think about why the guy took them and didn’t try to sell them. Or maybe she wouldn’t? Who knows, looking at her now: sparkling hazel eyes, wide open smile, nicely made up face and stylish and elegantly dressed, she seemed to her, unencumbered by the worlds’ more unsavoury nature. It was surprising given that she met with it nearly every day. The number of people who came through the office who’d seen far better days was unbelievable and yet there she was carrying on like it was so few and that she could change it. Maybe that was why she worked for charities because she was like that. If their stories got her down, if she felt that she couldn’t help them then maybe she wouldn’t be able to do her job. It would be nice to be like that. Oh well someday maybe. “Yeah it’s good, it means they’re closer to finding out who did it, well possibly.”

“So do you want to nick off now and go and do that? Get it over with.”

She smiled. “No later will be fine. I’ll finish this first.” She pointed at her monitor.

Sally shrugged. “Well don’t feel you have to. One more day won’t hurt.” She pushed her chair back and turned to her own monitor.

“No I know but I’d like to get it done and it’s not like it’ll make a difference if I go later.”

“No maybe not.”

Kate was dragging her feet and she knew it. It was past her usual finishing time and yet she still didn’t want to leave. Her desk was clear all the filing had been done and she’d emptied all the incoming updates from her inbox, everything was tidies away, she really had no excuse now not to leave.

“So don’t you want to go home today?”

She looked over at Sally putting her coat on.

“Ooh dear I guess not. Is it still a mess?”

She sighed. “No. I cleaned up last night. Hence the tiredness.”

She mouthed oh.

“I just...” She slumped down in her seat. “It’s just going to the police. Looking at the stuff they’ve found. It reminds me that someone went through all my things, that my place isn’t safe. One good bash at the door and anyone could get in. It’s stupid the landlord is fixing the door and it’s not like they’re going to come back now they’ve trashed the place is it.” She stood up and started to put her coat on. She shrugged. “It’s just...”

“So hasn’t the landlord done anything about the door?”

“No, no it’s just it’s not that good a job; a bit of board tacked over the hole, the landlord said he’d get a proper steel door with dead bolts and the like fitted, he’s just got to arrange when.”

“Oh I see and it’s not stupid. Look have you got anywhere to stay while they fix the door. Maybe getting away from it until the doors’ fixed properly would help?”

She shook her head.

Sally picked up her bag. “Oh well I’m sure the landlord will be quick. He won’t want the flat open any more than you do.” She squeezed Kates’ arm. “It’ll all be fine. You’ll see.”

“Yeah maybe.”

“No it will, now come on, you need to get to the police station and identify your things. Start the ball rolling and then they can catch them.”

“Sure.”

“Right if you’ll come this way.” Detective Walsh held the door open for her. A battle scared door with criss crossed safety glass and magnetic door key entry and a slightly odd swing like it was warped from use, it looked like the last defence against freedom. Once through you never returned. “If you’ll follow me.”

They walked away from the front desk and past small rooms with people at desks and computers, which surprised her, she’d thought they would have had an interview room close to the front.

He opened a door and indicated for her to go in and then pointed to a chair next to a very tidy desk with a computer. “Right sorry for the walk but I hate interview rooms.” He smiled. “Too imposing.” He took a file from the stack on the left and opened it out and took out some photos and laid a few of them out for her to see. “So these are pictures of everything we found, if you could look through them and tell me if you see any of your belongings.” He handed her the rest of the stack.

So far so good, this wasn’t exactly what she’d been expecting but it was okay. She looked at the photos and straight away she saw a piece of her jewellery. She smiled, she’d been given it by Sharon a few years ago, a birthday present, the first for many years. She flicked through the pictures, some more of her jewellery, her mountain bike, the dvd player, pretty much everything that had been taken was here in bright Technicolor. Tears filled her eyes, everything was here. “Yes and that too.” She looked at the detective. He had a half smile, half frown on his face.

“Humph!”

“Is something wrong?”

He turned his attention to his notes and wrote for a while.

Kate reviewed the photos again just in case she had been mistaken, but no everything looked like hers. One or two things weren’t but the rest... “Did you say this was everything you’d found?”

He took the photos from her. “Yes, that’s everything.”

He stopped at each item she’d identified and made notes then held up another piece of paper and read it. “Looks like you’ve been very lucky.” He looked at her.

“Yes I guess.”

He smiled. “No, no guessing you’ve been very lucky. Your neighbours not so much.” He took stock of her face and then turned back to his notes.

She cringed. “Oh.” So that was it, this was all her stuff, not theirs’. “Well it’s not worth anything. It’s just cheap stuff he wouldn’t get anything for it...”

Walsh had looked up at her. His smile had gone and now he just looked curious. “He?”

She flushed. “oh, oh no I just assumed, I’ve no idea I was out.” Oh God stop please just stop.

He smiled. “Well most burglars are male so it’s not a bad assumption.”

Phew, she blew a long breath and looked down at her feet.

“You seem a little tense.”

Her head snapped up.

“Did they mean a lot to you?” He pointed to the photos.

She narrowed her eyes, was he implying something? “No.”

“ummm, I see.”

Well I’m glad someone does.

“You didn’t put much on your list. Is this really all that was taken?” He held up her list. “Please take a good look.” He handed it to her.

She looked but it was out of habit she already knew there was nothing to add. “No that’s it.”

He held out his hand for it. “Hummm.”

“What?”

He looked straight into her eyes and shrugged. “It just doesn’t look like much, most people...” he shrugged “and it doesn’t seem like that much was broken either.” He looked at her list again.

“Yeah well I don’t have much money.” She watched his eyes move side to side across the page and down the list, crinkles appeared and then disappeared at their edge, she watched his hand tense and bend the paper a little and then relax; watched as his mouth moved a little, like he was saying the words from the page. Saw him straighten his back a fraction and then relax back into the chair. What was he thinking?

“It just doesn’t seem much compared to your neighbours that’s all I guess.” He put the paper down. “Do you know them well?”

She frowned. “No,”

He nodded. “Arr well most people don’t.”

She sat still and watched him.

“Well if there’s nothing else I think I’m done. I’ll let you know when you can come and collect them.”

She stood, now feeling every inch of difference in their heights an increase his dominance over her. Smaller than a child she wanted to crawl out of this office and hide. “Right.”

She followed him mutely as he negotiated their way out.

“Right well I’ll give you call then.”

She nodded and watched him turn and walk off, letting the door shut behind him. “Right, home.” She muttered to herself.