shoulders dangling limply over the edge, one leg twitching. Kaz stared in disbelief.
Inside the flat Natalie started to scream.
13
Kaz had to admit she was impressed by the way Ashley simply took charge of the situation. He whacked Natalie round the chops just hard enough to stun her into silence. Then he
rooted round the debris of the sitting room and found a pair of flip-flops for her to put on.
‘Right, we need to get out of here.’
Kaz was still so flabbergasted by Joey’s actions she didn’t reply. Grabbing Natalie’s hand, she allowed Ashley to shepherd them both towards the front door. They reached the
lift and he pressed the call button. Kaz glanced at him anxiously.
‘Wouldn’t the stairs be better . . . less obvious?’
Ashley dismissed this with a shake of his head. ‘We’re already on the CCTV, if it’s working. Stay cool, act normal, pretend like nothing’s happened.’
The lift arrived and they stepped inside. Natalie was snivelling then a low keening started to rumble through her emaciated frame. Kaz put a comforting arm round her shoulders. ‘It’s
okay babes, it’ll be okay.’ She didn’t believe this herself, her brain was reeling, but the immediate priority was to deal with Natalie.
Ashley reached in his pocket and pulled out a plastic grip-seal pouch of about half a dozen pills. He held it up.
‘Could try giving her a couple of these?’
‘What are they?’
‘Benzos. They’re ace for chilling you out. I give them to Joey when he has a freak out.’
Kaz stared at him, she was beginning to see Ashley in a whole new light. He tipped a couple of pills into his palm, offered them to Natalie.
‘There you go Nat. Make you feel better.’
Natalie didn’t hesitate for a second; pills, powders, this was what she knew. She hoovered them up like Smarties, even managed to give Ashley the ghost of a smile.
‘Cheers.’
Ashley tipped out a third pill and handed it to her. ‘One more for luck, eh?’
Natalie gobbled it down.
The lift doors opened at the ground floor, Ashley stepped out into the lobby and did a quick recce. A crowd of people was gathering outside round the wheelie bins, someone was on a mobile,
several kids were using their phones to take pictures of the corpse. People were milling about in an atmosphere of excitement and prurience. But that made things easier.
A battered-looking CCTV camera was mounted on the wall facing the entrance, Ashley considered it. Then a gang of lads on bikes rode up, eager to see what was going on. This gave Ashley the
chance he was looking for. He grabbed Natalie’s arm and, using the lads as cover, slipped through the outer door and along the wall until they were out of the camera’s range.
No one gave them a second glance as they skirted round and back to the car park, but the Range Rover was long gone.
Kaz stared at the empty parking space and huffed. ‘Oh that’s just great.’
Ashley was on alert, his eyes scanning in all directions. ‘Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.’
Kaz snorted. ‘He’ll be fine?
He’ll
be fuckin’ fine! What about us?’
Natalie was standing, face upturned, blinking at the sky. It occurred to Kaz that she might not have been outside in full daylight for a while. Suddenly a shaft of sunlight burst from behind the
scudding clouds and drenched them and the scrubby tarmac in blinding sunshine. Natalie pulled up her hood to shield her eyes and started to squirm. ‘Need a pee.’
Kaz glared at her; the determination to rescue her baby sister had worn decidedly thin in the last half-hour. ‘You’ll have to wait.’
Natalie pressed her knees together, she was bent almost double, her face contorted. ‘Need a pee.’
A wailing siren announced the imminent arrival of a police car. Ashley put a guiding hand on Natalie’s elbow. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
‘Need a pee.’
Kaz and Ashley propelled Natalie down the road between them. Once they were out of sight of the flats, they allowed
Inside the flat Natalie started to scream.
13
Kaz had to admit she was impressed by the way Ashley simply took charge of the situation. He whacked Natalie round the chops just hard enough to stun her into silence. Then he
rooted round the debris of the sitting room and found a pair of flip-flops for her to put on.
‘Right, we need to get out of here.’
Kaz was still so flabbergasted by Joey’s actions she didn’t reply. Grabbing Natalie’s hand, she allowed Ashley to shepherd them both towards the front door. They reached the
lift and he pressed the call button. Kaz glanced at him anxiously.
‘Wouldn’t the stairs be better . . . less obvious?’
Ashley dismissed this with a shake of his head. ‘We’re already on the CCTV, if it’s working. Stay cool, act normal, pretend like nothing’s happened.’
The lift arrived and they stepped inside. Natalie was snivelling then a low keening started to rumble through her emaciated frame. Kaz put a comforting arm round her shoulders. ‘It’s
okay babes, it’ll be okay.’ She didn’t believe this herself, her brain was reeling, but the immediate priority was to deal with Natalie.
Ashley reached in his pocket and pulled out a plastic grip-seal pouch of about half a dozen pills. He held it up.
‘Could try giving her a couple of these?’
‘What are they?’
‘Benzos. They’re ace for chilling you out. I give them to Joey when he has a freak out.’
Kaz stared at him, she was beginning to see Ashley in a whole new light. He tipped a couple of pills into his palm, offered them to Natalie.
‘There you go Nat. Make you feel better.’
Natalie didn’t hesitate for a second; pills, powders, this was what she knew. She hoovered them up like Smarties, even managed to give Ashley the ghost of a smile.
‘Cheers.’
Ashley tipped out a third pill and handed it to her. ‘One more for luck, eh?’
Natalie gobbled it down.
The lift doors opened at the ground floor, Ashley stepped out into the lobby and did a quick recce. A crowd of people was gathering outside round the wheelie bins, someone was on a mobile,
several kids were using their phones to take pictures of the corpse. People were milling about in an atmosphere of excitement and prurience. But that made things easier.
A battered-looking CCTV camera was mounted on the wall facing the entrance, Ashley considered it. Then a gang of lads on bikes rode up, eager to see what was going on. This gave Ashley the
chance he was looking for. He grabbed Natalie’s arm and, using the lads as cover, slipped through the outer door and along the wall until they were out of the camera’s range.
No one gave them a second glance as they skirted round and back to the car park, but the Range Rover was long gone.
Kaz stared at the empty parking space and huffed. ‘Oh that’s just great.’
Ashley was on alert, his eyes scanning in all directions. ‘Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.’
Kaz snorted. ‘He’ll be fine?
He’ll
be fuckin’ fine! What about us?’
Natalie was standing, face upturned, blinking at the sky. It occurred to Kaz that she might not have been outside in full daylight for a while. Suddenly a shaft of sunlight burst from behind the
scudding clouds and drenched them and the scrubby tarmac in blinding sunshine. Natalie pulled up her hood to shield her eyes and started to squirm. ‘Need a pee.’
Kaz glared at her; the determination to rescue her baby sister had worn decidedly thin in the last half-hour. ‘You’ll have to wait.’
Natalie pressed her knees together, she was bent almost double, her face contorted. ‘Need a pee.’
A wailing siren announced the imminent arrival of a police car. Ashley put a guiding hand on Natalie’s elbow. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
‘Need a pee.’
Kaz and Ashley propelled Natalie down the road between them. Once they were out of sight of the flats, they allowed
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