ate their main course in relative silence. Sam attempted to make small-talk but Bree simply smiled at him and gave some simple answer that cut further discussion of the topic in question.
After the waiter had cleared their dishes and brought the desert menu Bree excused herself.
‘I’m just going to check my make-up. I’ll be back in a second.’
Sam watched her walk towards the ladies’ toilet. So did most of the other men in the room, much to their partners’ disgust.
When Bree returned she stood behind Sam’s chair and placed both hands on his shoulders. Bending down, she surprised him by kissing him lightly on the cheek while pushing something into the top pocket of his jacket.
Returning to her seat, she casually raised her menu and scanned the list of sweets on offer.
Sam reached into his top pocket to find out what she had placed there.
He pulled out a ball of silk and began to unroll it.
Suddenly he realised he was holding the briefest pair of women’s underwear in his hand. Bree’s underwear.
He blushed and hastily shoved the item back into his pocket. Bree was still studying the menu.
‘What?’ he mumbled.
Bree kept her eyes on the menu.
‘You can have what’s on the menu for dessert or you can take me home and have what you really want. What’s it to be?’
She raised her eyes and smiled over the top of the menu.
Sam was unable to believe his good luck.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Pay the bill and let’s get out of here. I feel a draught.’
Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Sam signalled for the waiter to bring their bill and hastily paid by dumping a pile of notes on the tray. There was no time to worry about using his credit card. He was going to get out of there as quickly as possible.
Bree sat close beside him as they drove home, her hand trailing up and down his leg as he attempted to change gears and made a mess of it.
She led him to her apartment and handed him her keys. Sam unlocked the door and stood aside to allow her to enter.
He followed and closed the door. Bree moved into his arms.
Locked in a deep kiss, they rapidly stripped the clothes from each other. Sam had little to do, as Bree had little left to remove. She tore at his clothes until he was naked and they fell on to her lounge.
Their love-making was fast and furious. Each sought to relieve the pent-up emotions they had for so long been denying themselves.
Exploding with joy, they climaxed together and collapsed into each others arms.
Later they retreated hand in hand to her bedroom where they explored each other’s body before making love again, much slower this time, and far more enjoyable.
There was no further talk about changing partners.
Lying in her bed above the shop, Bree realised that the first night of their tenancy was an occasion that should be remembered and celebrated.
Rising from her bed, she stripped, brushed her hair and sprayed herself with a subtle cologne.
She walked naked down the hallway and opened Sam’s door.
‘Move over,’ she said.
‘I thought you’d never get here,’ laughed Sam.
Chapter Six
Sam and Bree spent the next two days trawling through the records.
At the end of that time they knew a lot about Jade Green and her friends but were no closer to locating the videos. They took a break and wandered down the street to a pizza restaurant where they ordered.
‘Have you got any bright ideas?’ asked Sam, as they waited for their meals.
‘Not a one. It’s very frustrating.’
‘What do we know and what do we think we know?’
‘We know Jade Green lives in Walton Village. That she lives quietly, has several close friends and has only left the village to go to court with Toby Brown and on one other occasion, prior to the court hearing. We don’t know where she went on that occasion, or who she may have contacted.’
Their pizza arrived and they filled their mouths while continuing to consider the enigma of Jade Green.
‘She never went out of her way to visit the city before. Why should she suddenly do it then? What was happening in her life at that time?’ asked Bree.
‘Nothing. Her life was the same as it always was up till then. It was her friend Toby Brown that was having the dramas. His mother was murdered, and the court case.’
‘I believe that’s the answer. It has to be something connected to Brown’s court case.’
‘The timing is right, and it couldn’t have been about his mother’s murder as that had already been solved by then. I think Green would do anything for him. Could she have brought out the videos to turn the case for him?’
‘He did win the case, didn’t he,’ said Bree.
‘I’d like to go over the court records to see if there’s anything there.’
‘When we get back I’ll ring through to headquarters and have Thorpe get the papers sent over. It’s time I gave him an update anyway.’
Back at the shop Sam started to go through the available documents, searching for references to the Toby Brown court case.
‘There’s not much here. I’ve got a bank statement for Toby Brown. Look how much was deposited after the case.’
Bree looked over his shoulder.
‘Shit!’
‘He certainly did win the case, didn’t he? I wonder why they settled so quickly, and especially for such an enormous amount. Usually a large corporation like Briscoe will try to delay settlement for as long as they can. They could have lodged appeal after appeal. The final settlement could have been delayed for years if they’d wanted to. It looks as though their legal counsel must have been truly inept.’
‘Could their lawyers have been blackmailed?’
‘It certainly looks bad for them. Especially when
