penned in considering the fleet that had converged on the residential street. Holker strode for it.
‘You still intend going for Quinn?’ Bryony asked.
‘We need at least one positive result tonight,’ Holker said without turning or breaking stride.
‘Lets go get him then.’
‘You’ve changed your tune,’ he said, ‘earlier you thought we’d be wasting our time with Quinn.’
‘I just learned something that changed my mind. I’ll tell you about it on the way there.’
Holker turned so abruptly she halted in her tracks or else she’d bump into him. ‘Tell me now,’ Holker said.
‘Quinn isn’t the one personally harassing Clayton, but I think he might be behind the one who is.’ Bryony decided she’d tell Holker about the guy who’d just assaulted Clayton once they were moving, but right now he needed something. ‘And if he’s put someone up to harassing Clayton, who’s to say he didn’t originally send someone to hurt him through his wife?’
12
I kicked out of the easy chair in the sitting room, reaching for my SIG out of reaction to the soft clunk that had roused me. I dropped my hand, changing the move to a scratch at my waistline; I didn’t want Cole to know I’d almost drawn on him. But there was little chance of that. He stood fidgeting in the doorway from the hall, dressed in wrinkled Spiderman pyjamas, and his empty juice bottle lying between his bare feet. His wavy hair was mussed, standing up on one side where his head had met the pillow, and his green eyes were wide, though cloudy with sleep. I’d turned out most of the lights on the ground floor while I sat guard, but had left on one in the kitchen and it cast a faint ambience along the hall and up Cole’s right hand side, his left was in silhouette. He would only see me as a dim figure illuminated by the meagre starlight coming through the large windows, and only when the ragged clouds allowed. I reached for the switch on a table lamp, and flicked it on. Cole blinked, then rubbed the balls of his thumbs into each eye socket.
‘Cole, you OK, buddy?’ I asked softly.
He smacked his lips, rubbed them with the back of a fist, then his gaze fixed on me. He took a half step backwards, as if unsure of my presence. I wondered if he’d staggered down here in a daze, and had only fully wakened when the lamp came on. ‘I…I’m thirsty,’ he croaked.
His juice bottle oozed a few dregs on the floor. It was the sound of the plastic sports bottle dropping from his lax fingers that had startled me out of the chair. I silently admonished myself for snoozing on the job, but not too hard because no harm was done. I’d missed a barefooted child coming downstairs, but things would have been different if someone had tried forcing a way inside. I moved towards him, and he looked from me to the bottle. He sighed heavily, but didn’t reach for it.
‘Let me get that for you,’ I offered and scooped the bottle up. ‘You want me to refill this for you?’
He nodded, then scrunched up his nose. I laid a hand on his head as I passed him in the doorway, gave his hair a quick tousle, and he turned to follow me to the kitchen. His bare soles sucked at the tiles as he trod behind me. ‘What’d you like, Cole? Juice again?’
Clayton had prepared a jug of Cole’s favourite fruit drink, and left it chilling in the refrigerator. I pulled open the door, and the contents inside tinkled, as the vacuum seal was broken. I reached for the large plastic juice container. The boy shook his head. ‘Just water please.’
‘You sure?’ I said, and showed him the jug.
He wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
‘You’re the boss,’ I said, and winked at him, as I set the container back in the fridge. I looked for bottled mineral water instead, but there was none. ‘Tap water OK for you?’
Cole looked at me as if I was speaking an alien tongue.
But on reflection I was. He didn’t understand the nuances between the English language spoken
‘You still intend going for Quinn?’ Bryony asked.
‘We need at least one positive result tonight,’ Holker said without turning or breaking stride.
‘Lets go get him then.’
‘You’ve changed your tune,’ he said, ‘earlier you thought we’d be wasting our time with Quinn.’
‘I just learned something that changed my mind. I’ll tell you about it on the way there.’
Holker turned so abruptly she halted in her tracks or else she’d bump into him. ‘Tell me now,’ Holker said.
‘Quinn isn’t the one personally harassing Clayton, but I think he might be behind the one who is.’ Bryony decided she’d tell Holker about the guy who’d just assaulted Clayton once they were moving, but right now he needed something. ‘And if he’s put someone up to harassing Clayton, who’s to say he didn’t originally send someone to hurt him through his wife?’
12
I kicked out of the easy chair in the sitting room, reaching for my SIG out of reaction to the soft clunk that had roused me. I dropped my hand, changing the move to a scratch at my waistline; I didn’t want Cole to know I’d almost drawn on him. But there was little chance of that. He stood fidgeting in the doorway from the hall, dressed in wrinkled Spiderman pyjamas, and his empty juice bottle lying between his bare feet. His wavy hair was mussed, standing up on one side where his head had met the pillow, and his green eyes were wide, though cloudy with sleep. I’d turned out most of the lights on the ground floor while I sat guard, but had left on one in the kitchen and it cast a faint ambience along the hall and up Cole’s right hand side, his left was in silhouette. He would only see me as a dim figure illuminated by the meagre starlight coming through the large windows, and only when the ragged clouds allowed. I reached for the switch on a table lamp, and flicked it on. Cole blinked, then rubbed the balls of his thumbs into each eye socket.
‘Cole, you OK, buddy?’ I asked softly.
He smacked his lips, rubbed them with the back of a fist, then his gaze fixed on me. He took a half step backwards, as if unsure of my presence. I wondered if he’d staggered down here in a daze, and had only fully wakened when the lamp came on. ‘I…I’m thirsty,’ he croaked.
His juice bottle oozed a few dregs on the floor. It was the sound of the plastic sports bottle dropping from his lax fingers that had startled me out of the chair. I silently admonished myself for snoozing on the job, but not too hard because no harm was done. I’d missed a barefooted child coming downstairs, but things would have been different if someone had tried forcing a way inside. I moved towards him, and he looked from me to the bottle. He sighed heavily, but didn’t reach for it.
‘Let me get that for you,’ I offered and scooped the bottle up. ‘You want me to refill this for you?’
He nodded, then scrunched up his nose. I laid a hand on his head as I passed him in the doorway, gave his hair a quick tousle, and he turned to follow me to the kitchen. His bare soles sucked at the tiles as he trod behind me. ‘What’d you like, Cole? Juice again?’
Clayton had prepared a jug of Cole’s favourite fruit drink, and left it chilling in the refrigerator. I pulled open the door, and the contents inside tinkled, as the vacuum seal was broken. I reached for the large plastic juice container. The boy shook his head. ‘Just water please.’
‘You sure?’ I said, and showed him the jug.
He wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
‘You’re the boss,’ I said, and winked at him, as I set the container back in the fridge. I looked for bottled mineral water instead, but there was none. ‘Tap water OK for you?’
Cole looked at me as if I was speaking an alien tongue.
But on reflection I was. He didn’t understand the nuances between the English language spoken
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