Songs by Dead Girls by Lesley Kelly

Author:Lesley Kelly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sandstone Press Ltd
Published: 2018-04-11T16:00:00+00:00

6

‘Sorry to drag you away from your computer.’

‘Oh, Bernard.’ Marcus laughed. ‘I’m delighted, I can assure you.’

Bernard edged through the hordes of cars on Morningside High Street, keeping one eye on the traffic, and the other on his satnav.

‘We’re still knee deep in files requiring digitisation, and the joys of that particular job wore off some time ago, let me tell you. Bryce was most annoyed that I was skipping out without him. He was very vocal on the subject.’

‘Really?’ Bernard struggled to imagine Bryce being loud and outraged. ‘Anyway, you know what the deal is – I just need to ask the owner of this house a few questions, and you are here as . . .’ He wasn’t quite sure how to describe Marcus’s function.

‘I’ve got your back.’ Marcus grinned, seemingly clearer in the role he was providing. ‘I’ve always wanted to say that, but life hasn’t ever required it of me before. I never had friends at school who got into fights and required their coats held for them, and I can’t say that professionally it’s ever been part of the job description.’

Bernard suffered a pang of angst. Maitland’s terminology might have been repulsive, but Marcus wasn’t ideal back-up material in anyone’s books. ‘Have you ever been in a fight yourself?’

‘Can’t say that I have.’ Marcus shook his head. ‘Not a fight, or an altercation, or even a minor scuffle. Unless you count all the zombies I’ve killed in the virtual world.’

‘OK. I shouldn’t really need back-up,’ said Bernard, mainly to reassure himself, ‘but you never really know what response you’re going to get.’

Marcus nodded sagely. ‘Especially with the drugs war.’

‘Drugs war?’ He slammed on the brakes as the car in front found a parking space and stopped abruptly.

‘You know, as in the memo?’

Bernard pulled out to overtake the parking car, at the same time as the satnav told him to turn left into Falcon Drive. He decided to focus on his driving, and didn’t speak again until they were sitting outside the house they were visiting with the engine turned off.

‘Marcus, what did you mean about a memo? I didn’t get any memo about a drugs . . .’

‘Oh, look.’ Marcus pointed up and out of the car. ‘Someone’s watching us.’ He waved at them.

Bernard looked in the direction he was indicating, and saw that they were indeed being watched. A woman stood at the upper window of the house, holding back a curtain and staring at them. He decided that if they made it through the visit alive he’d have a word with Marcus about discretion, and make it clear that pointing and waving weren’t perhaps the best way to maintain their element of surprise. ‘Well, they know we’re here so we’d better go in.’

He strode off in what he hoped was a relaxed yet confident manner, which lasted right up until he found he was unable to open the garden gate. He slid the bolt back and forth, and tried to work out what he was doing wrong.

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