[DCI Cooper 01] • Cut The Deck by Baskerville B

Author:Baskerville, B. [Baskerville, B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B07VXRVBZX
Goodreads: 50070390
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Published: 2019-07-31T00:00:00+00:00

- CHAPTER 20 -

Ethan Reed trailed at least five paces behind his classmates as they walked to school on Tuesday morning. Hassan and Miles were talking about football, as usual, and if Ethan tried to join in they would remind him that he was a soft southerner who should stick to rugby. Ethan had, on more than one occasion, tried to assert that rugby players were tougher than football players but he’d been given a wedgie and pushed into a pile of dog shit for his efforts. He’d learned his lesson after that.

Ethan bowed his head to the wind and let his thoughts drift to Phoebe-May Corrigan, his eighteen-year-old neighbour who, praise the lord, had forgotten to close her curtains before changing last night. He knew he shouldn’t have watched but he was only human and he’d never seen you-know-whats before. Not in the flesh, anyway, only in the dirty pictures Miles regularly forwarded from his big brother’s WhatsApp group.

“My money’s on the caretaker,” said Hassan, kicking a rock along the dirt road that led out the back of Northumberland Park.

“Ol’ Pickett?” laughed Miles.

“It’s always the caretaker. Haven’t you seen Nightmare on Elm Street?”

Ethan’s brain kicked back into gear when he realised his friends had given up discussing the missed penalty at last weekend’s game.

Miles shook his head. “It’s rated eighteen.”

“I’ve seen it,” said Ethan. “It’s proper ancient. But I doubt Ol’ Pickett killed those girls.”

“Yeah,” echoed Miles. “He’s like a hundred and five. He hasn’t got the strength to wring out his mop, let alone wring someone’s neck.”

Ethan wrinkled his nose. “Miles!”

“What? I’m just sayin’. It’ll be that Will Harper anyway. My brother says he was arrested.”

“And released,” said Hassan.

“Whatever. It’ll be him. Mark my words.”

Ethan stifled a shriek as he walked through a spider’s web. “Eugh. Gross.” He dusted his blazer and tried to change the subject. “Did you finish the physics homework?”

“Yeah. And what a waste of time that was. What am I going to need physics for? I’m going into the army like me da and his da before him.”

Miles finished a can of soda and tossed it into the bushes. Ethan wanted to say something but he didn’t want another wedgie. Instead, he promised himself he’d come back after school, pick it up and bin it.

The trail out the back of Northumberland Park connected the park with Tynemouth metro station. It didn’t see much footfall, not in the winter anyway. Each side of the track was lined by grassy verges, nettle bushes and bare sycamore trees. As the three boys approached a dog turd the size of a cow pat, Hassan shoved Miles in the back. The youngster stumbled but managed to avoid getting his feet dirty.

“Tosser,” said Miles, before the pair began to play fight.

“Guys,” said Ethan, trying to get their attention.

Miles and Hassan’s play fight descended into some elaborate, choreographed kung-fu scene that incorporated all the cheesy lines they loved from action films.

“Guys,” Ethan tried again.

Hassan repeatedly punched the air. “Yippee ki-yay!”

Miles removed his backpack and swung it around himself before firing it upon Hassan.

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.