Monster in the Box by Rendell Ruth

Author:Rendell, Ruth [Rendell, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, mobi
Publisher: Hutchinson
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Rashid Han if had just come out of the gates of his sixth-form college on the Kingsmarkham bypass when Hannah spoke to him. If she had simply walked up to him he might not have been so obviously taken aback, but he had seen her car draw up and park ahead of him and this very good-looking young woman he recognised from the Raja Emporium step out of it, flourishing a warrant card. He was good-looking himself, a tall handsome boy with pale skin, brown hair and grey-blue eyes.

Hannah could tell he was frightened and she wondered why. After all, he might be only seventeen but he was a man and most men – at any rate the innocent ones – were happy to speak to her. 'I'd like to ask you about Tamima,' she said. 'We could talk in my car. I could give you a lift home.'

Making that offer was a mistake. 'Oh, no. No, thanks. I don't need a lift home. I can walk.'

'I know you can walk,' Hannah said. 'I don't have to take you to your house, just to the corner of the street. Come on. Those books you're carrying must be heavy.'

He allowed her to shepherd him into the passenger seat of the car. Hannah had no intention of driving off immediately. She sat in the driving seat and turned to face him. 'I've seen you talking to Tamima in the Raja Emporium, Rashid. I've seen you quite a few times. She's your girlfriend, isn't she?'

He shook his head, said in a low voice, 'I wish.'

'But she's not? Why is that? Because your parents are against it or hers are?'

There was a long pause during which his fingers tightened on the handle of the heavy bag. 'Both,' he said, and then, 'Look, I mustn't talk to you about that. I'll get into trouble. My dad's told me not to see her again. But I'm not to talk about it, OK?'

Hannah started the car, said nothing for a moment or two and then, when they were in Hartwell Lane heading for the Hart Estate, said, 'You can only see her in the shop, is that right?'

'I'm not to talk about it.' He immediately did so. 'They took her to Pakistan to keep her away from me but she missed me and she wanted to come back. Now they'll send her to her auntie in London.'

'Did she tell you this?'

'She didn't tell me but it's what I think. I told you, I'm not supposed to talk about it. Can I get out now? I can walk from here.'

'I'm sure you can,' said Hannah. 'If you'll tell me her auntie's name and where she lives I'll drive to the end of Hartwell Lane and drop you off.'

The boy shifted in his seat. Now he was clutching the bag of books. 'It's Kingsbury. But she's not gone yet. Maybe she won't go, I don't know.'

'And the name, Rashid?'

The house where his family lived was in sight. Hannah pulled over, leaving the engine running.

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.