There was the red sports car, but the house looked dark.
It was time to get closer.
I found Susie waiting for me under the vast timetable at Victoria station as we’d arranged, conspicuous in her heels and short skirt among the backpackers and metropols. I weaved through the travellers; when I caught Susie’s eye, she rushed towards me and grabbed me by the arm.
‘About time,’ she said, her voice tetchy.
‘What’s wrong?’ I asked. ‘Why the urgency?’
‘Because I can’t smoke in here,’ she said, and she set off towards the exit.
‘Slow down,’ I said, laughing. ‘Don’t you want to know how I’ve got on?’
‘Walk and talk,’ she said. Once we got outside, she pulled a cigarette packet from her handbag and lit up quickly. She blew smoke past me and sighed. ‘Go on, what’s the news?’ she said, suppressing a cough but seeming calmer now.
‘I went to speak to my old editor.’
Susie looked suspicious. ‘You told me that much, but why couldn’t I come along?’
‘Because I didn’t want you to be annoyed if he wasn’t interested.’
‘And is he interested?’
I nodded and smiled. ‘Oh yeah, he’s buying,’ I said, although when a smile broke across her face too, I added quickly, ‘but Claude’s got to come forward. Without him,
you
are the story, and if it’s just you, you won’t get much more than a new handbag out of it. And it could ruin your life.’
Susie took another long pull on her cigarette, a determined look in her eyes. ‘He’ll come forward,’ she said. ‘Follow me. I know where we need to be.’
She walked off ahead of me, towards the jukebox rumble that drifted onto the street from the Shakespeare, a red-fronted pub opposite the station, though the music couldn’t compete with the constant roar of diesel engines from the stream of buses and taxis. It was a busy corner of London and right now it seemed like everyone—suits and shoppers, groups of old ladies—was leaving, heading for the trains or coach station.
Susie pointed ahead, past a double-decker heading to Brixton. ‘That’s where I first saw him, crossing the road there,’ she said. ‘He was carrying a Sainsbury’s bag, with a newspaper under his arm.’
‘So he was living around here, not just passing through,’ I said.
Susie smiled. ‘You’re sharp.’
‘So why don’t we just go to where he is, if he’s not far away?’ I said, trying hard to keep the frustration out of my voice.
‘Because this is how he wants it.’
‘And how long do we wait?’
‘Until he feels the time is right,’ Susie said.
‘Is he watching us now?’ I asked, looking around.
Susie shrugged. ‘Possibly,’ she said. ‘Probably, even.’ She brandished her phone. ‘He’ll call me, when the time is right.’
I sighed, impatient. I pointed to a small park nearby, really just a triangle of grass behind black railings. ‘We’ll go in there and wait.’
We crossed over and stepped up to the gate, but it was locked. Instead, we had to settle on the wall near to a statue of some old soldier. I tried to give myself a good view downthe street towards where Susie had said she’d first seen him, but I couldn’t help wondering again whether this was some elaborate hoax. And for what purpose? Susie looked ill at ease as she sat on the wall. It was low down, really just a base for the railings, and so she had to position her legs side-saddle to protect her modesty. She kicked away an old sandwich carton and then slipped off her coat. I saw her tattoo, barbed wire wrapped around her arm, the black now faded to grey, the sharp outlines made jagged by time.
‘He must have friends down here, someone sheltering him,’ I said. ‘A person couldn’t stay hidden for this long without someone helping him.’
Susie didn’t answer. Instead, she blew smoke into the air as she lit another cigarette.
‘Do you think it might have worked out for you and Claude if he hadn’t been married?’ I asked.
Susie looked
It was time to get closer.
I found Susie waiting for me under the vast timetable at Victoria station as we’d arranged, conspicuous in her heels and short skirt among the backpackers and metropols. I weaved through the travellers; when I caught Susie’s eye, she rushed towards me and grabbed me by the arm.
‘About time,’ she said, her voice tetchy.
‘What’s wrong?’ I asked. ‘Why the urgency?’
‘Because I can’t smoke in here,’ she said, and she set off towards the exit.
‘Slow down,’ I said, laughing. ‘Don’t you want to know how I’ve got on?’
‘Walk and talk,’ she said. Once we got outside, she pulled a cigarette packet from her handbag and lit up quickly. She blew smoke past me and sighed. ‘Go on, what’s the news?’ she said, suppressing a cough but seeming calmer now.
‘I went to speak to my old editor.’
Susie looked suspicious. ‘You told me that much, but why couldn’t I come along?’
‘Because I didn’t want you to be annoyed if he wasn’t interested.’
‘And is he interested?’
I nodded and smiled. ‘Oh yeah, he’s buying,’ I said, although when a smile broke across her face too, I added quickly, ‘but Claude’s got to come forward. Without him,
you
are the story, and if it’s just you, you won’t get much more than a new handbag out of it. And it could ruin your life.’
Susie took another long pull on her cigarette, a determined look in her eyes. ‘He’ll come forward,’ she said. ‘Follow me. I know where we need to be.’
She walked off ahead of me, towards the jukebox rumble that drifted onto the street from the Shakespeare, a red-fronted pub opposite the station, though the music couldn’t compete with the constant roar of diesel engines from the stream of buses and taxis. It was a busy corner of London and right now it seemed like everyone—suits and shoppers, groups of old ladies—was leaving, heading for the trains or coach station.
Susie pointed ahead, past a double-decker heading to Brixton. ‘That’s where I first saw him, crossing the road there,’ she said. ‘He was carrying a Sainsbury’s bag, with a newspaper under his arm.’
‘So he was living around here, not just passing through,’ I said.
Susie smiled. ‘You’re sharp.’
‘So why don’t we just go to where he is, if he’s not far away?’ I said, trying hard to keep the frustration out of my voice.
‘Because this is how he wants it.’
‘And how long do we wait?’
‘Until he feels the time is right,’ Susie said.
‘Is he watching us now?’ I asked, looking around.
Susie shrugged. ‘Possibly,’ she said. ‘Probably, even.’ She brandished her phone. ‘He’ll call me, when the time is right.’
I sighed, impatient. I pointed to a small park nearby, really just a triangle of grass behind black railings. ‘We’ll go in there and wait.’
We crossed over and stepped up to the gate, but it was locked. Instead, we had to settle on the wall near to a statue of some old soldier. I tried to give myself a good view downthe street towards where Susie had said she’d first seen him, but I couldn’t help wondering again whether this was some elaborate hoax. And for what purpose? Susie looked ill at ease as she sat on the wall. It was low down, really just a base for the railings, and so she had to position her legs side-saddle to protect her modesty. She kicked away an old sandwich carton and then slipped off her coat. I saw her tattoo, barbed wire wrapped around her arm, the black now faded to grey, the sharp outlines made jagged by time.
‘He must have friends down here, someone sheltering him,’ I said. ‘A person couldn’t stay hidden for this long without someone helping him.’
Susie didn’t answer. Instead, she blew smoke into the air as she lit another cigarette.
‘Do you think it might have worked out for you and Claude if he hadn’t been married?’ I asked.
Susie looked
Similar Books
