Doctor Who_ Deep Blue - Mark Morris [23]
Tegan realised she was going to have to tread warily here.
She didn‟t want to get embroiled in a tangle of lies, but neither could she tell Andy exactly what her life entailed. „Oh, I‟m not alone,‟ she said. „I travel with a couple of friends.‟
„And where are they tonight?‟ he asked.
„One decided to stay back at the hotel and the other one‟s gone off on his own somewhere.‟
„“His”?‟ said Andy casually. „They‟re not both girls then?‟
Tegan knew where this was leading, but found that she didn‟t mind. Equally casually she said, „No. As a matter of fact they‟re both blokes.‟
„Really?‟ he said, raising his eyebrows. „Sounds like an interesting arrangement.‟
„It‟s not what you think. They‟re just friends,‟ she said, and added teasingly, „Not that it‟s any concern of yours anyway.‟
„Course not,‟ he said innocently, swiftly draining the last of his pint. „Fancy another?‟
Tegan laughed. „Are you trying to get me drunk?‟
„Course I am. Get the tourists drunk and have our evil way with them. That‟s what we do in this town.‟
When he returned from the bar, Tegan asked him to tell her about himself. Andy grimaced and said there wasn‟t much to tell. He‟d been born and brought up in Tayborough Sands, and came from a long line of fishermen. „I decided to break tradition and become a copper,‟ he said. „There‟s no future in fishing any more for little family businesses like ours. The big factory trawlers are taking over.‟
„How does that make you feel?‟ asked Tegan. „Pretty bitter, I bet.‟
He shrugged. „Not so much bitter. A bit sad, maybe. But it‟s progress, isn‟t it? Time moves on. You can‟t do anything to stop it.‟
„No,‟ Tegan said, „you can‟t. So what‟s it like being a policeman in a place like this ?‟
„Seasonal. Quiet in the winter, hell in the summer.‟
„I bet you hate tourists, don‟t you?‟
„Some of them.‟ He smiled. „To tell you the truth, I don‟t mind being busy. These last few weeks, though -‟ he frowned and shook his head - „the whole place has gone crazy.‟
„Really? In what way?‟
„Well, what happened to you tonight was a good example. I mean, this time of year we get a lot of incidents relating to alcohol - fights in discos, people pulled in for drunk and disorderly, criminal damage, that sort of thing. But this year violent incidents have doubled, if not trebled.‟
„What do you think‟s causing it?‟ asked Tegan.
„I don‟t know. The heat maybe? It has been hotter than usual this year. And violence, when it starts, tends to spread.‟
Tegan sipped her wine and said reflectively, „That guy tonight... just before he drew his arm back to hit me, his eyes went sort of blank. It was weird.‟
Andy nodded thoughtfully, then smiled. „Anyway... Look, you‟re here on holiday. I shouldn‟t be sitting here telling you what a terrible place this is. The last thing I want is to scare you off.‟
„Oh, you won‟t scare me off,‟ said Tegan. „I‟m a pretty tough cookie.‟
„All the same, I hope you‟ll let me walk you back to your hotel.‟
„Course I will. But let‟s have another drink first, eh? My round.‟
In fact, they had two more drinks. Tegan didn‟t realise how much the alcohol had affected her until she stood up. Her head started to spin and she had to concentrate hard to stop herself from stumbling.
„Oh, rabbits,‟ she murmured.
„Are you all right?‟ asked Andy, concerned.
„A bit woozy,‟ she admitted. „I can‟t remember the last time I had this much to drink.‟
„Come on, take my arm,‟ he said. „A bit of fresh air will do you good.‟
The pub had filled up with people and smoke since Tegan had entered a couple of hours ago. They manoeuvred their way to the door, Tegan holding on to Andy‟s arm, and went outside.
At first the fresh breeze blowing through the narrow streets made her head spin even more. She staggered as if the breeze was strong as a hurricane. Andy slipped his arm around her waist to steady her.
„Whoops,‟ she said. „I bet you didn‟t bank on being lumbered with a drunken Aussie.‟
„I‟ve got no complaints about the company.‟ He grinned.
„Can you walk in a straight line?‟
It was a beautiful night, the