The agent shrugged. 'If you're volunteering to do the work...'
'Yes,' Tom confirmed, 'you forget about it. I'll bring some polythene sheeting, put the bedding and the holdalls outside and cover them up, and I'll make the garden door secure. That'll be the last of him.'
We moved on to the front basement room where black mould had spread extensively over the walls. 'Is anything being done about the damp?' Andrew asked.
'No. To tell you the truth I've been meaning to sort this garden flat out but haven't got round to it. The damp proofing specialists are pretty good these days. They'd have a damp course put in and the replastering done in two or three weeks.'
Tom disagreed: 'We're not talking damp courses here. The soil at street level must come up four or five feet on the other side of that wall. Depending on how bad it is they might have to dig a trench outside, install a waterproof membrane and improve the drainage.'
'There isn't a problem here. We can get a free quote for the work from a specialist who'll provide a twenty-year guarantee. Damp proofing is routine these days.'
We returned to the less sticky air of the ground floor and continued upwards. On the first floor, as with the ground floor rooms, having furniture in place gave a much better idea of their size. Each of the main rooms was big enough to divide into two twin-bedded hotel rooms with en suite facilities.
On the next floor up we met the tenant, a middle-aged woman who showed us her flat and talked all the time. She ushered us into the bathroom and said to the agent, 'I know I mentioned it last time you came, but I'm sure the toilet is leaking. I've put a mat around the base but it's always wet.'
'As I told you, someone will be coming to look at it.'
Looking at the lavatory I thought I could see a fine crack running down the pedestal beneath the glaze, and bent down to look more closely. A few drops of moisture were visible. Tom came up beside me, standing so close that his hips were a couple of inches from my face. Turning my head slightly I could see the brown leather belt threaded through the loops of his jeans, and his shirt creasing where it disappeared into the waistband. My pulse quickened and my face flushed. The others had moved out into the hall.
After straightening up I felt dizzy. The very molecules of the air around me seemed energised by his presence. My state of arousal must have been visible. He said hoarsely but softly: 'I think something's give way.'