Ghosts - 05 by Mark Dawson

Author:Mark Dawson [Dawson, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Dog Publishing
Published: 2014-02-19T05:00:00+00:00

IT TOOK THEM another hour to find their way to the restaurant. There were dozens of places, mostly very small, and although Syed Bukhara was a little bigger than the average it was still only big enough for a half dozen plastic picnic tables and matching chairs. It was painted in schoolyard green and orange, with neat and tidy mauve cushions on the seats. There was a formica countertop, a revolving display case that advertised sickly-looking desserts and an Indian man in a turban who showed them to the only empty table. The overhead lights were bright and harsh and the laminated menu was stained with fragments of rice and sauce that seemed to have been welded to it. Milton scanned it. The prices were worryingly cheap but his fears were offset by the aroma that was coming from the kitchen: a delicious wafting scent of simmering meats and spices.

Milton ordered Nasi Lemak with egg, a Malaysian comfort food that he remembered from a particularly messy assignment in Kuala Lumpur. Anna ordered the mutton Bukhara biryani special. The dishes arrived and what they lacked in presentation they made up for in taste. The creamy sweetness from the coconut rice mixed well with the spicy sambal sauce and Milton, who found that he was very hungry, made quick work of the whole plate. Anna’s portion was even bigger than his and she couldn’t finish it all; he helped, polishing off the generous chunks of mutton meat that were meshed in fragrant basmati rice. By the time he was finished, he was sated. They ordered two cups of Indian chai tea and drank them slowly. When they had finished those, they ordered a couple more.

Milton’s chair was facing the corridor. He made sure that it was angled so that he wouldn’t be too easy to spot. He didn’t think that Beatrix would run, but he didn’t want to take the chances.

They had been there for two hours when Milton finally gave up.

“If she comes in here, she’s not coming today.”

“We’ll come back later?”

“Tomorrow,” Milton said.

“What now?”

“I need a shower.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.