SENTINEL: an exciting British detective crime thriller by JOHN STANLEY

heart to ease. Gradually, the others noticed his presence through their drug-induced haze.
    ‘That you, Davie?’ said Guy Roper, sitting up and running a hand through blond hair that was lank and caked with dirt.
    ‘Yeah, it’s me.’
    ‘Got any smack?’ asked Roper.
    ‘Sorry.’
    The dark haired one, Jonathan Farron, also sat up and peered into the darkness through sunken, bloodshot eyes which took a while to focus.
    ‘Jeez, you look like shit,’ he said when they did.
    ‘Coming from you…’ replied David. ‘Listen, I’m in big trouble. Got caught in the church by some coppers – they’re really twitchy after the vicar was done over.’
    ‘What, that Rowland guy?’ said Farron.
    ‘Yeah, baseball bats. He looked real bad. Might die, I reckon.’
    ‘Pity, he wasn’t a bad type,’ said Roper. ‘At least he let us in when it was cold. Who did him over?’
    ‘That’s the problem,’ said David.
    ‘What, you fucked over a vicar?’ Even in his drug-addled state, the revelation seemed to shock Roper. ‘Jesus, David.’
    ‘Na, not me but I did something just as stupid. See, I knifed a copper.’
    ‘You did what?’ Roper could not contain the horror in his voice.
    Farron looked aghast.
    ‘What happened?’ he asked.
    ‘I was in the church when the vicar got done over, trying to find some money for smack. Two blokes with bats. One of them was that psycho Des Cranmer. I hid in one of the store cupboards. I was about to get out when the cops came back. I panicked and stuck the bastard.’
    ‘You kill him?’ asked Roper.
    ‘Na, but he was cut real bad.’ David looked frightened. ‘I can’t go inside, Guy. You know what they would do to lads like me. Copper’s son. I had to get away. Chucked the knife in the canal. I reckon they think it’s me what did the vicar over as well.’
    The two druggies stared at him, suddenly thinking clearly for the first time that day. That month.
    ‘And did you?’ asked Roper slowly. ‘Did you do the vicar?’
    ‘Course I didn’t. You’d have to be off your head to do that. Thing is, it won’t take them long to track me down here, they’ll be checking all these kind of places, the city centre is crawling with woodentops. I need somewhere to go.’
    ‘Too fucking right you do,’ said Farron, struggling to his feet. ‘Last thing we want is the cops searching this place. I’ve got £50 worth of speed, can’t have them finding that. That’ll get me sent back inside, for sure.’
    Roper nodded. ‘You got to get out of here, Davie,’ he said. ‘And quick. I ain’t going back inside for anyone.’
    ‘But where do I go?’
    ‘I don’t care,’ said Farron, walking over and grasping him by the shoulder, ‘just get the fuck out of this place.’
    ‘Try the warehouse,’ said Roper.
    All three of them froze as the darkness of the room was illuminated by flashing blue lights in the street and they heard voices. David ran over to the window and saw Perlow and three uniforms getting out of two patrol cars.
    ‘Could be too late for that,’ he muttered.
    Cursing under his breath, he ran out into the hall and careered towards the back of the house, sprinting down the narrow galley kitchen and wrenching open the back door just as a uniformed officer barged his way through the back gates, knocking one of them off its hinges.
    ‘Come on, son,’ said the policeman, seeing him framed in the back door. ‘You’re already in enough trouble as it is. Don’t make it worse.’
    David hesitated for a few moments and the officer took a few steps forward.
    ‘That’s better,’ he said. ‘Nice and calm.’
    David held up his hands in resignation then surprised the officer by lunging forwards, knocking him off balance. As the startled officer fell into the dustbin he gave a shriek of pain as his ankle snapped, David ran out into the back alley. Looking left, he saw another uniform appear at the end and heard him shout so he turned the other way and ran down the alleyway