Chapters (67)
- Cover
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
‘Have you see Wookie?’
‘What? Of course I haven’t, I’ve been asleep. I thought you were.’
‘I’ve been out on a call.’
‘Jeez, sorry. What do you want me to do?’
‘I’ve been everywhere, you know what he’s like, I thought he might have got into Felix’s room but all the doors are shut.’
‘Sofa.’ Simon lay back and was about to close his eyes. ‘Or somewhere, hiding. That bloody dog could vanish up a vacuum cleaner pipe.’
‘The cat flap was ajar.’
‘Oh bloody hell.’ He was upright again.
‘He’s been known to sneak out through that, which is why I keep it locked, but the lock can slip and it obviously has. He must have heard a fox or a badger moving about outside.’
‘Have you tried just opening the front door and calling him?’
‘No, but I’m going to. I just thought you might say you’d seen him or . . . God, this is all I need. I’m absolutely wiped out.’
‘OK, I get it. You go to bed.’
And he was up and into his trainers and sweater.
‘Put your jacket on, Si, it’s absolutely freezing, that’s partly why I’m so worried – if he’s out in this without his coat on . . .’
‘Fifty p says he’ll be waiting on the step.’
‘But he would have barked.’
‘Yes, imperiously. Now go to bed.’
Twenty
‘You’re late.’
Brookie took a step back. Fats sounded different, more like he had sounded in the phone messages, and his expression was different, not friendly, not as if he found him a bit daft, a bit of a joker . . .’ Honestly, boy, what are you like?’ This Fats, waiting for him in a half-dark street, was rougher, and annoyed, as if he might raise his fist because it wasn’t ten past it was nearly half four.
‘I couldn’t –’
‘Shut it. Just don’t keep me waiting again, all right? Here.’
He held out a small brown Jiffy bag sealed with clear tape. Brookie hesitated.
‘Take it.’
‘What’s in it?’
‘None of your business, sunshine. Put it inside your anorak, stuff it in the pocket.’
‘Pocket’s got a hole.’
‘Jeez, then under your sweatshirt, anywhere it can’t be seen and you can’t bloody lose it, which is what a stupid kid like you would do, I don’t know why I’ve bothered, there’s plenty of others.’
‘That’s OK, I don’t mind.’
‘What?’
‘Give it to one of them. I shouldn’t be here.’
‘No, but you are, so that’s that, no going back now.’
‘I don’t want to.’
‘I don’t care what you want or don’t want, doesn’t interest me. You don’t interest me. Maybe if you do this right you will but at the moment I’m having other thoughts.’