Tuesday July the 15 th 2008
Something strange happened last night.
Earlier in the day I had bought a cheap, but sturdy suitcase from TJ Hughes in town and picked up a few travel essentials along with some additional clothing. I packed the clothes with the tool kit and toiletries into the new case to make sure it all fitted. I needn’t have worried — I could have fitted it in twice over.
I dropped it on the floor, set up a new code on the lock and pushed it under the bed. I’ll get by on the stuff I have left and I want to make sure that I can move quickly should the goons show up. I have no reason to think they will, but the closer to the flight date I get, the more I fear that something will stop me.
I went to work and came back around eight. I grabbed a glass of milk on the way up to my room and met Martin on the stairs. He looked slightly flushed and embarrassed. I asked what was up but he just shook his head, muttered something about paying your debts and squeezed past me.
I was up to date on the rent but I knew I was still a grand in the hole with him for other stuff and my promise to pay it all back within the month had been well off the mark. I entered my room, put the glass on the bedside table and slumped on the bed.
I lay for five minutes before sitting up and swinging my feet over the other side of the bed and reaching for the milk. My feet clipped the suitcase and I leaned over to push it back in. I froze.
The case had been well and truly pushed under the bed when I left. There was no doubt.
I reached down, pulled it out, placed it on the bed and checked the lock. The tell tale scratches from a knife or something sharp were scattered around the lock mechanism. I was too long in the tooth not to know when someone had been at a lock and the only person it could have been was Martin.
I dialled up the code, popped the lid and looked inside. Things looked much like I had left them. I took everything out and laid it on the bed but nothing seemed amiss. I double checked and then re-packed.
If Martin had been in the case he hadn’t taken anything. But why would he want to see inside? He knew I had nothing. I thought about confronting him but if he denied it, all I could call him was a liar and that would be me back on the street.
Let sleeping dogs lie was the order of the day.