The Sleepers by KM Kelly

Author:KM Kelly [Kelly, KM]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
Published: 2022-04-25T16:00:00+00:00

27

CORRAN

London, at last. It’s been a long journey. Sylvie is hardly scintillating company – a series of awkward conversations punctuated by ever longer uncomfortable silences. Maybe I should have been stronger with her – not let her come, and yet, she’s given me some useful information and I can’t help feeling that she has a key role to play in all this. Perhaps I can get her to help me. If only she wouldn’t be so icy towards me.

I’m tired but I hope it doesn’t show. Last night in the bothy was not good. The cold, the discomfort, and the dreams. Every time I closed my eyes she was there, her odd-coloured eyes staring into mine as the knife in my hand slid home and her life was extinguished. I’ve never killed before and it isn’t a nice feeling. Assassin or not, does anyone deserve to die? The tears had come in the night and I had lain, eyes wide open in the darkness, trying to stifle my sobs. Sylvie lying across from me, out for the count, barely a care in the world. At least, she’s never taken a life. It’s not a good feeling. I don’t think she noticed my tears.

I look across at her as the train rocks from side to side over the points and lean my head against the window. We’re lucky to have found a set of four seats with a table between us. It provides a welcome separation, and with two travelling companions, one plugged into their headphones and the other tapping furiously on an iPad, there’s not much opportunity to engage Sylvie in conversation. In fact we’ve barely spoken for the past hour, both staring out of the window, watching the countryside unfold and then, gradually give way to the grime and concrete of the city.

Now that we’ve reached London, snaking our way past filthy graffiti-scrawled sidings, I fire up my phone. I’ve kept it switched off all the while I was in Scotland, but now I’m back it makes sense to check for messages. I’m not expecting many, but there are lots. And they’re all from Fiona!

I shift back in my seat and open the first. It’s a friendly hello and a meme of a cat. I chuckle despite myself. There are several more humorous messages in the same vein, followed by a few dropping hints about Saturday. Are we still on? What do I fancy doing?

Saturday is tonight. The last one was sent at lunchtime today. She’s heard of a good restaurant that she thought I’d like to try out, so she’s gone ahead and booked a table. Hopes I don’t mind.

I sigh. She might have some useful information, so I can’t let her down. I’m going to have to keep the date, because maybe, just maybe, she can give me a lead on this Trevor Maddox character who used to work for Eva.

I hit reply and send her a short message; place, time, and good thinking with the restaurant.

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