Stuck on Me by Hilary Freeman

Author:Hilary Freeman [Freeman, Hilary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781848122031
Publisher: Piccadilly Press Ltd.

don’t go inside my flat, after all. I turn around, walk back up my street and rush straight round to Dot’s instead. She’s shutting up the shop when I arrive, but she lets me in.

‘Hello, Sky. You got my message then?’

‘Yes, just now. Thanks so much for calling. Is this a bad time? I’m sorry, should I have phoned first?’

‘It’s not a problem. All right. A man came in earlier. He was walking past the window and saw the poster. He claims he knows your dad and said he’d be happy to meet you to tell you more.’

‘That’s amazing! I didn’t expect anyone to get in touch so fast. What did he say?’

‘His name is Reg. He lives in Arlington House, the homeless hostel on Arlington Road. He says he used to be a musician too, before he started drinking too much and taking drugs.’

‘And he knows my dad? How?’

‘He thinks he does.’ She pauses, as if she isn’t sure whether or not to tell me something. ‘He says he knew him a few years ago.’

‘Cool! When can I meet him?’

Dot smiles. ‘Now, he seems nice and I’m sure he’s perfectly trustworthy but we can’t be certain he’s genuine, and not just after a reward, or something. So I don’t want you meeting him alone, especially if your mum doesn’t know about it. It’s definitely not a good idea for you to go to the hostel, either. I’m not sure how safe it would be for a young girl. So I’m going to get him to come back to the shop. You can meet him here with me, OK?’

‘OK. Yes. Thank you. When?’

‘When do you want?’

‘How about right now?’

She laughs. ‘I’m afraid I’ve got plans now. I’ll give him a call if you like. How about after school tomorrow instead? If it’s convenient with him.’

‘OK, sure. Thank you again.’

I go to bed early but I don’t sleep much and, when I do finally drift off I have strange dreams. In one of them, Dad is at Dot’s music shop playing a guitar. He’s dressed in a white doctor’s coat, wielding a scalpel. Rosie and Vix are there too, and they’re trying to stop him getting close to me. The morning can’t come soon enough.

Just a day of school to get through and then maybe, maybe, maybe, I’ll be one step closer to finding Dad. I’ve decided not to tell anybody I’m going to Dot’s to meet Reg, not even my best friends. I feel it’s something I have to do on my own this time, although I’m not sure why.

I arrive at Dot’s just after four. She’s busy in the shop, serving customers, so I loiter by the door, reading the leaflets in the display stand about all the music events in Camden. Eventually, she comes over to say hello.

‘Reg said he’d be here at four-thirty. I tell you what: while we wait, you can help me sort out the sheet music, if you don’t mind. It’s all a bit of a mess.

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