“Yeah.” He took it from her.
“Don’t say ‘yeah’,” she said.
He stood holding the mackintosh. “What’s it to you?”
“It’s tough.”
He stood staring at her. “Suppose it is tough,” he said, “isn’t this a hell of a time to start a crack like that?”
“Do you think so?”
He let the luggage wrap slide out of his hands on to the floor. He could see her eyes were completely blank. She was hissing a little through her teeth. She fumbled with the girdle round her waist until she had it undone. The green wrap fell open and he saw she was naked. She stood a little on her toes, her hands clenched at her sides.
“Take me,” she said, her voice just above a whisper, “take me, take me, take me.”
Duffy smacked her face. He could see the marks of his fingers on her white skin. Then he smacked her face again. She blinked twice. Her eyes became human again, and she stood looking at him, a surprised and frightened look on her face.
“Get dressed,” Duffy said thickly. He could only think of Cattley.