A Tempest of Blondes

ish Chan

ailing of the Dover ferry, he launched his feet in the direction of the staircase that led to the lower deck. He could have travelled by hovercraft or rail, b

should be. But gnawing beneath the skin of grief was

them in – crooks he knew next to nothing about? His hand gripping the banister to the deck below turned white with pent-up frustrati

ost a grunt. "It was she," and his father's infirm finger quivered over the brunette in the tatty snapshot his father was showing

s father went into a fit of coughing, then lay his head back on the hospital bed

, but stopping first in Paris. "We'll be on our way soon, luv," they had written to him, as he

to their savings, one year had become one mor

ty and lend his face a smile. He never could stand hangdog faces at bars and couldn't bear to be the culprit

s have? What had they ever had? What fraud could the brunette and her husband

rs! They were a perfect partne

e his parents still, and he had loved them

he found the brunette an

what? K

n't tough enough. He didn't mind a little pilfe

er, and Sandy raised his eyes. The bartende

"Thought you might wan

with loads of charm and a lot of hole in the dimple that ador

his preferred demeanour and sho

had gone past him on t

id, introducing the

Perhaps she and her brother were stars, but because he hadn't been watching much telly these days, he didn't know who they

inds and flashed Penelope a confident smile, hoping he could pull

t stalled when Sandy almost dropped his teeth at the news that Roger and Penel

e hadn't heard righ

ter. "She's going to be t

s. "I-I... I would ha

s laugh was st

making it sparkle like sapphire. "Probably thought

This was all s

im, an indecipherable look in his ey

nerous." She gave Sandy the feeling she was try

away from the two, he considered his situation. There was no job waiting for him in England; he'd been forced to quit his last job to be by

inned. "

outdoor life.

"We could put in a word for you." She

dded. "W