BooksBarbecue
Back Man at the Window Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. One
  3. Two
  4. Three
  5. Four
  6. Five
  7. Six
  8. Seven
  9. Eight
  10. Nine
  11. Ten
  12. Eleven
  13. Twelve
  14. Thirteen
  15. Fourteen
  16. Fifteen
  17. Sixteen
  18. Seventeen
  19. Eighteen
  20. Nineteen
  21. Twenty
  22. Twenty-One
  23. Twenty-Two
  24. Twenty-Three
  25. Twenty-Four
  26. Twenty-Five
  27. Twenty-Six
  28. Twenty-Seven
  29. Twenty-Eight
  30. Twenty-Nine
  31. Thirty
  32. Thirty-One
  33. Thirty-Two
  34. Thirty-Three
  35. Thirty-Four
  36. Thirty-Five
  37. Thirty-Six
  38. Thirty-Seven
  39. Thirty-Eight
  40. Thirty-Nine
  41. Forty
  42. Forty-One
  43. Forty-Two
  44. Forty-Three
  45. Forty-Four
  46. Forty-Five
  47. Forty-Six
  48. Forty-Seven
  49. Forty-Eight
  50. Forty-Nine
  51. Fifty
  52. Fifty-One
  53. Fifty-Two
  54. Fifty-Three
  55. Fifty-Four
  56. Fifty-Five
  57. Fifty-Six
  58. Fifty-Seven
  59. Fifty-Eight
  60. Acknowledgements
  61. About the author

Another sixth former caught the boy mid-flight around the waist and threw him against the opposite wall where he held him. The sixth formers were laughing, some folding double in merriment. The sixth former who held the boy nearly lost grip of him due to his laughter. Double Daws said ‘boo’ to Binder in a massive voice and Binder ducked. The boy saw this, he saw Binder as he had never seen him before. Binder, the threat and fear of all second formers, squirmed like a pinned insect, tears squirted from his eyes, reddening patches on his face. The boy realised he had done that, he looked at his fists, bunched like steel, he felt his arms as branches that could swing any weight. He pushed against the arm and elbow that pinned him to the wall, it pushed harder and the elbow dug deeper. He tried to look past the head of the boy who held him. When he saw Binder staring at him, the boy’s arms and legs began flailing again. A noise was coming from his mouth, he didn’t know what it was saying or even if it was saying words, he just felt the noise strain and tear at his throat. Another boy grabbed him and between the two of them they pushed and carried him to the other end of the corridor. He saw them release Binder and threw all his strength and strained every sinew in his throat to grab at him again. Binder was helped from the corridor by a swinging leg and laughter from the sixth formers. When Binder disappeared the boy collapsed to the floor. The sixth formers who had held him dropped back exclaiming at the boy’s ferocity as they laughed to each other. Eventually the boy looked up; smiling faces looked down on him.

Fifty

FIFTY

Day 20

Kilkenny Road

6.30 p.m. Friday, 13th November 1965

The phone rang.

‘Don’t get it,’ Cardilini said.

‘Dad?’ Paul questioned.

‘Let it ring.’

‘It might be work.’

‘It won’t be.’

‘My work,’ Paul said.

‘You don’t work tonight.’

‘Doesn’t matter. I’m getting it,’ Paul replied shaking his head.

‘Okay. But I think I know who it is.’

Paul left the kitchen. Cardilini heard him talking on the phone. He heard Paul replying ‘yes’ and ‘that’s right’ several times before Paul called for him. They crossed each other in the passageway. Cardilini gave him a quizzical look, and Paul shrugged.

‘Hello.’

‘Cardilini,’ the caller said.

‘Leggett, what were you talking to my son about?’ Cardilini asked.

‘I wanted to know how keen he was for the academy, and to wish him luck.’

‘Did you say who you were?’

‘Of course. And I asked him if he would accompany you here tonight.’

‘What are you playing at, Leggett?’