The Ghost of Stormer Hill (Tom Nolan Book 3) by Craig Wallwork

Author:Craig Wallwork [Wallwork, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Underbelly Books
Published: 2022-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

Having left Truchan’s house in the early hours, Nolan spent the night at his own home. There were no messages from Lisa on his mobile when he awoke the next morning. To his relief, there were none sent by him either while in the eye of a drunken haze. As much as he loved Lisa and wanted to reconcile, his mind was more preoccupied with all that Truchan had told him, and the impending meeting with Jack Glass. He spent the rest of the day pottering around the house, listening to episodes of Switching on the Dark. For a man who could barely walk without wheezing, his diction and delivery were unhindered by whatever ailed him during recording. Truchan had arranged to pick him up at 6 p.m., and as Nolan stared out of the window, it did not surprise him to see his car pull up ten minutes before the scheduled time. They drove from Stormer Hill to Manchester, mostly in silence. Truchan made the odd enquiry to his day and Nolan was suitably vague. An accident close to Simister Island on the westbound M60 slowed their journey to a crawl, and it was a little past 7 p.m. when they pulled up at the Duke of Wellington public house on Eccles Old road. Before leaving the car, Nolan checked his phone to see if Lisa had left a message. Truchan noticed.

“Expecting a call?” he asked.

Nolan looked at him. “What’s that?”

Truchan gestured to the phone.

Nolan looked down at the screen. “I was just…” His words tapered. “It doesn’t matter.”

Truchan smiled. “I’ve seen that face before. Didn’t have you down as a married man. Assumed you were a lone wolf.”

“I’m not married.”

“But I’m right that it’s a woman?”

Nolan said nothing.

“I’m sure she’ll get back to you. Hearts will never be made practical until they are made unbreakable. You know what that’s from?”

“That German guy you were talking about last night?”

“The Wizard of Oz.”

Nolan smiled.

“I was beginning to think you didn’t have teeth,” Truchan said. There was a brief lull before Truchan spoke again. “So, what’s her name?”

Nolan didn’t give a second thought to how much he was offering of his personal life. Having never really had a friend to confide in, the moment felt strange, but equally comforting. Though he didn’t know Truchan that well, what he had garnered in the short time they had spent together left him with the impression that Truchan was a loner. And if there was any love to be had, it was fleeting and fragile. If only to share, to connect to another person, Nolan allowed Truchan in.

“Lisa.”

“I can’t offer you advice on love. I took a vow of celibacy when I was six months old, and though I’ve got women knocking on my door day and night, my willpower is strong.”

“I take it there’s never been a Mrs Truchan?”

“A few close calls, but in the end, I found life is much easier in your own company. Besides, I’m too old and set in my ways to change things now.

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