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Chapters (45)
  1. The Man With No Face
  2. Also by
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. Contents
  8. INTRODUCTION
  9. CHAPTER ONE
  10. CHAPTER TWO
  11. CHAPTER THREE
  12. CHAPTER FOUR
  13. CHAPTER FIVE
  14. CHAPTER SIX
  15. CHAPTER SEVEN
  16. CHAPTER EIGHT
  17. CHAPTER NINE
  18. CHAPTER TEN
  19. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  20. CHAPTER TWELVE
  21. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  22. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  23. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  24. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  25. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  26. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  27. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  36. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  37. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

The doorbell rang and brought a sudden tension crashing into their world. They exchanged glances and her eyes said, Don’t answer. He sighed and turned away so that he did not have to see them. He placed his mug on the work surface and went out into the hall.

He felt something like relief when he opened the door to find Sally standing smiling uncertainly. But there remained a residue of annoyance at the intrusion. ‘What is it?’

The smile left her face and it coloured with anger. ‘I came to apologize,’ she said coldly. ‘For being short with you on the phone last night. But now I don’t think I’ll bother.’ She turned quickly and Bannerman grabbed her arm.

‘I’m sorry. I’ve got company.’

Her eyes flashed with a strange dark emotion. ‘I see. I’ll not disturb you then.’

Bannerman held on to her arm. ‘Not that kind of company.’ He opened the door wide for her. ‘Tania’s here. She was waiting on the landing when I got back last night.’

All of Sally’s antagonism dissolved. ‘Is she all right?’

‘Come and see.’

When they went into the living room Tania was standing at the kitchen door cradling her mug.

‘Hello,’ Sally said. ‘I see you two have made friends.’

Tania stared at her impassively and Bannerman wondered if she resented Sally’s presence. He took the mug from her hands and laid it on the table, then he crouched down and took her hand in his.

‘Listen, little one. The whole world isn’t against you. Even if sometimes it seems that way. We all need a bit of courage to deal with the things life throws at us. But you have to start by trusting the people who love you.’ She stared back at him, her face a blank mask. Impossible to know what was going on behind it. Bannerman stood up. He glanced at Sally and wondered if she’d thought his words were meant for her, too. ‘How about we all go for a walk?’

*

It was a day full of promise, the sun pale and round in the washed-out blue of the sky above the city. The air was crisp and so cold it stung your eyes and made them water.

The three of them walked briskly to keep warm, wrapped in coats and scarves. Along the Rue de Commerce and into the Rue Belliard. They crossed the Boulevard du Régent where the road shone wet with the salt, and the traffic threw up a spray of black slush. Down Lambermont and into the Parc de Bruxelles. The seeds of happiness lay in them all. But lost in the darkness, where they would have trouble germinating.