It wasn't the pale sunlight that leached in through the thin curtains that woke me from my dreamless slumber, nor was it the dull pounding in my head that threatened to launch a full on assault on my brain the instant I moved. No, it was the arm about my waist that suddenly clenched on reflex that jerked me awake in a state of surprise and confusion, and left me desperately trying to figure out why there was another person in my bed.

My somewhat pickled brain tried to rewind the nights proceedings, to recall how we'd managed to get there, but thinking too hard made my head hurt more. There had been more drinking, much more than I knew was advisable, but it seemed the more I consumed the more my willpower to refuse dwindled. But there came a point where I remembered my head dropped to the bar, a glass still half-full of rum and coke still clasped delicately in my fingers as I willed my body to give in to the all consuming sleep that the alcohol would bring.

Jesse hadn't let me fall asleep at the bar. Seeing me start to drift off I remember the spinning and waves of nausea take hold as he shook me awake again. I'd complained and covered my eyes, but somehow he'd managed to coax me off of the barstool and into walking. How we got back to the room was a blur, but he had obviously kept good on his word and carried me to bed – or near enough at least.

I shifted beneath the weight of his arm, trying to turn over so I could face him, was probably a good idea to make sure it actually was Jesse that had crawled into be with me. The movement was awkward though, and I quickly regretted it. Not only did the movement cause the throb in my head to take on a new lease of life, becoming a constant, crushing pressure beneath my skull, but the clothing I'd been dressed in the night before twisted around my body, chaffing and constricting – jeans were not at all designed for sleeping in.

Jesse shifted in his sleep, roused slightly by my fidgeting, but only enough to roll over onto his back. His hair was even more dishevelled and stuck out at odd angles, and a short crop of stubble had started to graze his chin, it suited him much more than the clean shaven look. He'd taken the time to remove his shirt before collapsing into the bed and I appreciated just a moment to take in the lean and defined muscle that years of physical labour had bestowed him with, though it was somewhat ruined when Jesse opened his mouth and let out an almighty snore. I would have laughed at the ungraceful snort that chose the perfect moment to shatter my admiring his physical form if I had not, at the same time, caught a great lungful of his morning breath. Reeking of stale alcohol it made my stomach roil and the suffering of the hangover returned to the forefront of my mind.

Covering my nose I took in a few deep breaths through my mouth, choking back the sickness that threatened to overwhelm me as I scrambled backwards off of the bed and landed with a heavy thud on the floor.

“Ooww,” I complained as the jolt from the floor pulsed up through my back to rattle my brain against the inside of my skull. “Oh, that was not a good move.”

Jesse was startled back to consciousness by the commotion I caused falling off the bed. He raised his head, reached a hand out in front of him to grasp at something unseen and started around the room, bleary eyed and confused.

“Huh, wha's goin' on?” he slurred, blinking in the dim light to focus his eyes before he finally appeared to make out the image of my form sat on the floor. “Why you on the floor. Did I push you off the bed or summin?”

I shook my head, quickly regretting the movement that made the room swirl in front of my eyes. Clamping them shut I pressed the heels of my palms into my temples and willed the spinning pain to stop.

“No. I just fell off the bed, tried to get up too quick,” I groaned back as I ventured to open my eyes.

“Shoulda just gone back to sleep,” Jesse murmured, making himself more comfortable in the bed again as he rolled over and lay sprawled on his stomach. “Must be too early to be up yet.”

Apparently not having learnt from the first time, I shook my head again and forced myself, shakily to my feet. “Can't sleep any more.” Not to mention the bed we'd both been asleep in was now too full for me to squeeze back in, and it felt like a rather futile operation to mess the second bed up for what might only be another hour or so of rest. “I'm gonna go take a shower.”

Jesse grunted something in the way of recognition of my words as I made my way, on shaky legs, to the bathroom, stopping only to grab a bag of toiletries and some clean clothes out of my luggage as I passed – after having been slept in, those clothes certainly wouldn't be lasting another day. I shut the bathroom door gently and took a moment, leaning back against the cool painted wood, to recount the events of the previous night, and of that morning also, in my head.

Too drunk still, or too hung over to care, I wasn't sure which, but I did have to wonder why none of the scene that had passed between Jesse and I had felt awkward or uncomfortable. We'd slept in the same bed, and a single bed at that, curled up together like old lovers, that wasn't something you did with a person you barely knew. Nothing else had happened, my still entirely clothed state attested to that, and I might have understood it if Jesse and I had merely passed out on the same bed together after managing to get back to our room, but he'd taken the time to remove his shirt before falling asleep and yet didn't choose the roomier option of taking the other bed. I didn't understand, I knew alcohol removed some of your inhibitions, but would it make you do something like that?

Thinking too much made the pain in my head worse again. Painkillers, that's what I needed, painkillers and not trying to unravel some of life's mysteries while fighting a hangover, plus a hot shower wouldn't go amiss either – or maybe a bath, I was already feeling shaky on my feet and it might be more pleasant to lay back in a tub of hot water and bubbles. I dug around in the bag of toiletries I'd brought with me and found the cardboard packet of painkillers that were hidden away in there. Headaches were often a hazard of the trade, and even though I healed relatively quickly there was never any harm in helping it along the way. At the sink I swallowed two of the powdery white tablets with a handful of water to wash them down, all the while avoiding looking at my own reflection in the mirror, I really didn't need to the mess I must have looked.

By the time I was done with my bath, I felt much more human – or at least about as human as I ever managed to feel – and the aching in my head was all but gone. With renewed vigour I headed back into our little room to see how much progress Jesse had made with peeling himself out of bed. Not an awful lot was the answer to my curiosity. He was however sat up, a mobile phone pressed to his ear and an irritated expression on his face as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line.

“Yeah, okay, I get that but...” Jesse paused, or was cut off by the other voice. He looked up at me as I entered the room, rolled his eyes and shook his head. I didn't need to ask who it was on the other end of the phone, his expression was enough.

“What's the big rush for though? And why ask me to do it? I know that wasn't his idea.”

Growing more frustrated Jesse started to pace the small room. I wanted to hear the rest of the conversation, be privy to the voice on the end of the line, but even my hearing wasn't good enough to hear any more than a a mumbling of garbled words spoken in his mothers voice, edged with static. He wasn't looking where he was going and almost walked into me on a couple of occasions as the strode the room and listened to his mothers tirade. I hopped onto the neatly made, untouched bed with my bag and made myself busy repacking my dirty clothes, keeping an ear open for Jesse's words – at least I could get half of the conversation, it was better than nothing.

“Oh great, so I get to do all the hard work and for nothing, he's not even going to pay me for it?...

“...Right, Mum, yeah, nice favour. Since when has he ever done anything for me, why should I do him a favour now?”

Eric was undoubtedly the man in question, but what the 'favour' was I didn't know, though I was pretty sure Jesse would share that information with me. He looked about ready to explode and I had a feeling I would be the audience for it. At least I wouldn't be on the receiving end.

Jesse sighed and slumped down onto the other bed, his free hand clasping at his hair in frustration. “Yeah, fine. I'll be there as soon as I can...Whatever Mum, you know I'm only doing this because you asked me...Yeah, bye.”

He jabbed at the hangup button on his mobile and chucked it across the bed onto the pillows, an act of frustration but he was careful and in control enough not to want to break the thing.

“So, Mother has given me my orders, and I have to go build Eric a patio!”

“Huh?” A frown creased my brow at Jesse's words, he probably couldn't have surprised me more. Of all of the things he could possibly have come out with, those words were not at all ones I had been expecting to hear. “You've got to...”

“...build Eric a patio,” he finished for me, repeating his words again. “Yeah, your face about sums it up. No I don't get it either, but apparently Mum 'suggested' that I would help him out by doing the work for free. Nice one mother.”

I shook my head. “I'm sorry, I still don't think I understand a word you just said to me. Your sister's funeral is tomorrow what exactly....” I was at a loss for words and couldn't even complete my question. This surely wasn't a normal practice for a grieving family, even ones that did have a builder in the family.

Jesse shrugged, “Well, I say build, more like repair I suppose. Some cowboy did a shitty job with what they've got, so they want me out there to fix the mess it's turned into over the years.”

“Okay, well I understand them asking you. But why now? Isn't this like the most inconvenient, even inappropriate time to even think about such a thing? Think I'm even more surprised it was your mum who actually suggested it.”

“She said, Eric wants to put the house on the market, but can't hope to get a decent price with the garden looking the way it is. Then she thought of me and figured it would be a good way to be 'useful' while I was here.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head again, and I couldn't help but think there was something more to it than Jesse just being 'useful'.

Sure I understood Eric's want to sell the house, the home you shared with you wife who'd been murdered, that's a whole lot of memories you might not want to be living right in the middle of – especially as she was found dead there. But what was all the rush for?

“Isn't the house still considered a crime scene?”

“Dunno, didn't ask. But I guess not if he's clearing up ready to sell. He'll be looking at a loss anyway, having to disclose...what happened there.” Jesse still couldn't quite speak the words out loud. “Suppose he wants to make as much on it as he still can.”

“Still doesn't explain the rush job though.” I frowned.

Was I reading too much into things? Something about it though just didn't sit right with me. Was this something else all about money? He'd failed to get his hands on the life insurance quickly and so was looking for an easy way to make a large sum in a hurry, but what for? Or was Eric planning to run?

Jesse stood from the bed and stretched his arms high over his head. A groan of exertion escaped his lips and his jeans rode a little lower on his hips, to relished a moment to take in the flat expanse of his stomach stretched taught and long. He was oblivious to my stares, thankfully, as I flushed and shook my head, wondering why my eyes and mind kept wandering to such places. This case had better be over soon before I did something I regretted.

“Oh I dunno Heather. He wants a job done and he wants it done for nothing, to muggins here gets lumbered. Mum knows I won't be back down any time soon, can't afford to miss much more work and that, so I guess she convinced him I'd do it before I go. So, speaking of which, better get a move on or I'll be there all fucking night as well.”

I wondered why he was even agreeing to do the job, but then remembered his words to his mother, it was only because she had been the one to ask. He didn't like to refuse his mother anything, no matter how she was acting these days. I didn't understand that kind of love and bond between family, not really, I understood the concept but it would never make any real sense.

“I'll come with you then.” Jesse frowned at me, “What? Well, what else am I supposed to do? Sit in here all day doing nothing? I'll have thrown myself out of that window by the time you get back.” He looked dubious but I could coax with the best of them. “Come on, I can help...or I can make the tea and clean up or something. Please.”

It was the please that did it, I was sure. He agreed and I smiled, not only could I clean up and make the tea, but maybe, just maybe I'd get a chance to snoop around Eric's house, see if I couldn't find anything incriminating. I knew I had little hope of finding evidence that he committed the murder in the house - if the police hadn't found anything what kind of hope would I have coming in weeks later? But there might just be other telling signs hidden there, some suggestion of motive, anything really that I could build a theory on. If I was going to get to Eric at the funeral and lead him in some questions, with the help of my little yellow potion, then I needed a jumping off point. Something to jog his memory, or jolt his anxiety into a higher gear.

“Thank you, you know it's a good idea,” I said, jumping up and giving Jesse a quick hug - a move that seemed to surprise the both of us, but it also reminded me of something else. “And, speaking of good ideas, you should really go have a shower because, no offence, but you stink like a distillery.”

Jesse laughed slightly, “Well, offence very much taken. Y'know that's not exactly the most tactful thing to say to the person you've just woken up next to.”

“I'll have to remember that.”