Lifeless - 5 by Mark Billingham

Author:Mark Billingham [Billingham, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Police Procedural, Police, Homeless men, Mystery & Detective, Police - England - London, General, Mystery fiction, Homeless men - Crimes against, Fiction, Thorne; Tom (Fictitious character)
ISBN: 9780060841676
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2007-05-16T07:00:00+00:00

There was a knock at the door and Hol and entered. Thorne nodded in his direction. 'This is Detective Constable Hol and...'

Bowles peered theatrical y across the room, feigning shock. 'Looks like a bloody sixth former.' Hol and shrugged and smiled at the feeble joke.

'Did you fol ow their progress after they'd been expel ed?' Thorne asked.

The teacher shook his head vigorously. 'Didn't miss either of them for a second. Nicklin was nothing but trouble and Palmer was just a big blob. Not his fault, I suppose. Boys his age can be terribly awkward, find it difficult to fit in. Like a lump of Plasticine that needs shaping. Palmer just got shaped by the wrong person, I think.'

Thorne nodded at Hol and. Time to make a move. 'Thanks Mr Bowles.' Thorne handed over a card, which Bowles took without looking at it. 'If there's anything else that occurs to you...'

'I taught myself to juggle when I was younger,' Bowles announced. 'I'd do a bit for the class. Last day of term, that sort of thing. I can remember doing it for their class - Palmer and Nicklin's class. Cascade of five bal s, six on a good day. Balancing a chair...' He pointed at a heavy looking wooden chair behind the desk on the platform. '... one of those chairs, on my chin. Do you know that Marsden's younger than I am?'

Thorne was itching to get away. 'Sorry, sir?'

'Headmaster. They brought Marsden in a couple of years ago, from outside. I'm ten years older than he is.' He threw his arms wide, as if the sense of what he was saying was obvious for al to see. 'Be glad to get out of here to tel you the truth. Can't even manage three bal s these days...'

Hol and opened the door, and Thorne grateful y took a few steps towards it. 'We'l be on our way, sir.'

Bowles nodded and spoke quietly. 'What's Nicklin done?'

'I'm afraid we can't...'

'Of course not, I'm sorry I asked. Do you know, I hadn't thought about either of those boys in years until I was told it was them you wanted to talk to me about? I've taught hundreds of boys.

I can't remember most of them to be honest. I can recal the work sometimes, but not faces. Ever since I heard those two names again, I've been thinking about them a good deal.

Thinking about him. There's a look on your face, Inspector Thorne, whenever you talk about him, did you know that?'

Thorne knew it would be pointless to deny it, to express surprise. His face hid nothing. It never had. Not the scorn he felt for some, not the pity for others. The creases in his face folded as natural y into genuine expressions of horror, disgust and rage as those of a bad actor might shape themselves into their phoney counterparts. His face fel easily into darkness; the scowl more at home there than the smile.

Though the smile was the rarer, it was arguably the more powerful.

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