Katie's Cafe

28

The next four days go by without any word from Tom. I couldn't exactly complain about it either, because I'd told him that I needed space to think. He was giving me exactly what I'd asked for.

Still, I miss seeing his face every morning because he's stopped coming to the cafe as well. This was my decision, and I'll just have to accept the consequences of it.

"Have you seen this!?" Hannah comes rushing into the cafe on her day off while I'm busy closing up.

"Seen what?"

"It's been all over the news for the past hour!" she practically yells at me when she gets her phone out.

And there he is, Tom standing next to Alan in the background of a police conference on the evening news. This was clearly something serious.

"Today we have identified a suspect in connection with a recent series of murders around the area of London. The suspect was a thirty year old female who was previously known to the police, and after receiving an anonymous call, police later attended a residence where the body of a female was later discovered. Evidence has since been located within the residence, which appears to link the suspect to the murders, however, our investigation is still ongoing. Thank you".

The senior officer takes a step back away from the microphone just before Hannah turns it off and puts her phone back in her pocket.

Did Damien kill an innocent woman in order to frame her for what I'd done? If I wasn't already in need of a drink before today, then this might just tip me over the edge.

"Was this you? Did you do this?" she asks me.

"No, it wasn't me Hannah, I swear".

Just when I think that things can't possibly get any more stressful, the bell above the cafe door rings and in walks Damien like he owns the place. Shit.

"We're closed," Hannah tells him.

"Really? The closed sign hanging on the door hadn't made that obvious enough already," he sniggers.

"What do you want?" I ask him.

"I came here to talk".

"And who the fuck are you?" Hannah asks, much to his obvious amusement.

"I'm an old friend of your sister's, so if you don't mind Hannah, the grown ups need a word in private".

"And how do you know my name?" she takes a step towards him.

"I know a lot more than that, little girl," he's clearly attempting to antagonise her.

I'd better break this up. She looks as if she's squaring up to punch him straight in his smug face. On any other day I'd probably let her do it.

"Hannah, can you go wait outside for me?"

"No. Not until you tell me who this lanky creep is".

"Creep? That's charming," he laughs.

"Please Hannah? I'll be five minutes, and if he's not gone by then, you can come back in here and beat him over the head with a frying pan, alright?"

"Fine," she storms past him and out of the door.

"I like her. She reminds me of her 'big sister' I suppose".

"Damien, cut the niceties. Did you kill that woman they're talking about on the news?"

"No actually. I didn't want you thinking I'd done that to her, and that's why I came down here".

"So, what did you do exactly?"