The Haunting of Peligan City by Sophie Green

Author:Sophie Green [Sophie Green]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Fiction
Published: 2019-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Exposé

Lil hammered on the door of the Librarian’s Office. After a couple of minutes Logan flung it open, a furious look in her eye.

‘I want to speak to Marsha Quake!’ Lil demanded.

Logan pursed her lips and shrugged a ‘Who?’

Lil narrowed her eyes into the Penetrating Squint. ‘You know who.’

The librarian gave her a hard but considered look and then began closing the door, but Lil stuck her foot in it. ‘Not this time.’

Logan shook her head firmly.

‘No way!’ Lil shoved her shoulder between the door and the frame and tried unsuccessfully to lever it open with her body. ‘You’re not shutting me out,’ she yelled into the office.

Her weight still braced against the door, Logan looked back over her shoulder at something Lil couldn’t see. Then she sighed and took her hand off the door.

A voice called out from beyond. ‘I’m afraid that Marsha Quake isn’t here, Lil.’

‘You know me?’ Lil took a step forward, edging her way past the librarian. Nedly tried to pile in after her but got squished by the door as Logan stepped outside and closed it behind her. He melted through the wood with a ‘Gah!’ and immediately trod through Lil, who had stopped short. She gasped as the icy sensation struck her from behind and stumbled forward into the glare of a bright Anglepoise lamp that was aimed at her. Nedly darted into the corner. He sat down quickly with his hands under his legs, and tried to keep out of the way.

The person who was seated behind the lamp was no more than a shadow. Lil could just make out the shape of their head and the curve of their ears. There was something about those lines that didn’t add up.

‘Who are you?’

‘They call me Randall Collar, but that’s just an alias. You know me by a different name.’ The figure switched off the light. Lil blinked a few times, and then a few times more because she couldn’t believe what she was looking at. Even as her lips started to form the word it lodged in her throat and she had trouble making it leave her mouth.

‘Mum?’

‘Hello, Lil.’

‘You’re Randall Collar?’ Lil felt like she’d taken a kick to the guts. She staggered backwards until her heels hit the door and then she let it take her weight. ‘It’s you?’

‘I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.’

‘Because …?’

‘Because it was a secret.’

‘And you didn’t trust me to keep it?’ Lil didn’t need to try for the grim smile; it was on her face anyway. ‘How long have you been hanging out here on my patch at the library?’

‘The Klaxon has always been based here.’

‘So Logan is in on it too?’

Naomi laughed warmly. ‘Logan started it; the Klaxon was her idea. She’s the editor. She showed me that profile article you did on that lady, Delilah. It showed a lot of promise.’

Lil’s cheeks burnt with mixed feelings. ‘Delilah is dead – did you know that?’

‘No – I didn’t.’ Naomi got to her feet. ‘I’m sorry.’ Lil swerved her comforting hand.

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.