Chapters (73)
- Rabbit Hole
- Also by Mark Billingham
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Preface
- PART ONE
- 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
- PART TWO
- 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
- PART THREE
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- EPILOGUE
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- Back Cover
JAMILAH, aka The Foot Woman. Fifty-something, if I had to hazard a guess. A petite Somali woman, with the most beautiful grey hair which – when she takes her headscarf off – comes down to her waist. Jammy (I’m not sure she loves it when I call her that) is another one who doesn’t have much to say for herself, though there is one topic about which she’s unusually vocal. She probably doesn’t suggest it quite as often as Ilias suggests playing chess or Shaun asks if he’s going to die, but there isn’t a day goes by without her offering to give me – or anyone else in the same room – a pedicure. There’s nothing threatening or creepy about it, I don’t want you to think that, because the truth is she’s always extremely polite.
‘Would you like a pedicure, Alice?’ Softly-spoken, a thick accent. ‘No? OK, then . . .’
First thing in the morning, she’s all set to go to work, keen as mustard to get at your trotters. Same if you’re eating, or, even stranger, after a tap-tap on your bedroom door in the middle of the night.
Now, I’ve no idea if this is something she’s done professionally, if it’s part of a past life she’s clinging on to, but I doubt it, somehow. I know I’m a fine one to talk about clinging to anything, but my relationship with the Job is very different, all right? There’s some serious unfinished business. So, with Jamilah, I can only presume it’s something . . . sexual. I mean some people have a thing about feet, don’t they? Granted, she doesn’t look like she’d find anything sexually arousing, not even sex, but this is probably the last place you should judge any book by its cover, so I’m keeping an open mind.
I do know that I’m not queuing up for her services any time soon.
I don’t know exactly what a pedicure involves, but I’ve had mates who’ve done it and I know there’s a certain amount of . . . shaping involved and trimming. I know things get removed. I mean, I’m guessing she had as much gear taken off her when she came in as the rest of us, but some people are sneakier than others, so is it really worth taking the risk?
I’m not letting anyone in here come at my feet with tools.