Meltdown by Andy McNab; Robert Rigby

Author:Andy McNab; Robert Rigby
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Boys & Men, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure, General
ISBN: 9780399246869
Publisher: Doubleday
Published: 2007-05-03T10:00:00+00:00

22

He sat in the car, taking in his surroundings. It was almost like Coronation Street – identical rows of redbrick Victorian terraced houses on either side, with the railway line behind the right-hand row.

But none of these houses had brightly painted front doors, shiny doorsteps or new double-glazing. Around half of them were boarded up, covered in graffiti and ready for demolition. A stone panel set high up in one wall dated the terrace precisely to 1897. It looked as though that was the last time the decorators had been round.

He got out of the car, ready to do the walk pass. The target house was number 13. With any luck, the problem that needed sorting was lying inside in a drug-induced stupor.

Odd numbers were on his right, so he walked on the left side of the street to get a longer and earlier view of the house. He needed extra 'eyes on' time, which also allowed him a fuller perspective on the target.

The walk pass was about a lot more than just locating the front door. He had to take in as much information as possible because he wouldn't be doing it again. He wouldn't even look back once he had passed the house; third party awareness dictated that it wasn't an option.

A group of kids walked towards him; shaved heads and holes in their jeans. They flicked their cigarettes and spat on the pavement, trying to look hard as they kicked out at two abandoned Tesco trolleys.

He kept his eyes down as they passed, shouting at one another and mock fighting. He looked up again, taking in everything. Even if it wasn't registering right now, he knew his brain was logging it all and would help him later.

A car pulled out up ahead as he checked a number on the far side of the road: 27 – not long now. He began to count down the houses: 25, 23 . . . it had to be done in case there were no more numbers to ID the target.

Inside those houses, behind dirty net curtains, was the third party, curtain twitchers who might very well be looking at him right now, wondering who was the stranger walking down their street.

21 . . . 19 . . . He counted down three more houses and got his first look at the target house. He kept moving at the same pace, his head facing forward but his eyes half right and on the target.

There were no signs of life. The curtains at all four windows were drawn back behind net curtains. There was no smoke coming from the chimney and no milk on the doorstep. Not that that meant anything; Albie wasn't exactly the hot-milk-infront- of-the-fire sort of guy. There was no newspaper sticking out of the letter box and all the windows were closed.

He didn't know if Albie lived alone or with family or mates, but he needed any information that would help him discover whether Albie – or anyone else – was inside the house.

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