The Courier by Holly Down

Author:Holly Down [Down, Holly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781529362954
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 2021-09-30T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

I sit up most of the night with a bag of frozen peas wrapped around my hand, trying to work out my next move. There’s only one person I can think of left to ask for help – Simon – but I feel like I’m one step behind him. I can’t figure out how he got my address or how he found me at Paradise Found but I keep coming back to Priya. They knew each other at the bank and Simon returned just after I saw her – that can’t be a coincidence.

Opening my emails, I find the one from Priya and send a reply asking her to meet. Perhaps she can help me find out a way to put pressure on Simon. It’s not a great plan but it’s a start.

I can’t afford to lose another job, so when morning comes, I get dressed and force myself to complete my deliveries. As I drive, I listen to the Pulp Fiction soundtrack and pretend I’m an actress in a role. Let none of this be real – Ramzan being ill, Simon being back and Paradise Found being on a knife-edge.

I’m halfway through my route when I see that Priya has emailed and can meet this afternoon. I reply: Name your time and place.

The café she chooses is a small independent in Clerkenwell and I haven’t quite finished my route by the time we’re due to meet. A handful of parcels remain in the back of the van but I make a turn in the road and drive back to the city. If anyone at Zippi notices, I’ll just have to say that I had engine trouble.

It’s late afternoon and almost feels like summer. Men are out in shirtsleeves and a few people are even wearing sunglasses. It’s stuffy inside the van and I crack the window. Someone leans on the horn and I realise the traffic light is green. I push down the accelerator and the van jerks forward into a stall. I swear under my breath and restart the van as the person behind me honks again. I speed up and take the corner far too quickly. A cyclist swerves and slaps the side of the van as I drift too close. My palms are damp and I can’t get a grip on the steering wheel. My feet are clumsy on the pedals.

I pull into a space near the café and tumble out. It’s gusty as well as bright and I take deep breaths of fresh air to calm down. I try not to think of the girl in the pink T-shirt. The look on her face as she realised what was about to happen. I feel suddenly nauseous. I stagger to a bench and sit down, gulping in air. As my heart rate returns to normal and I start feeling less dizzy, I stare up at the buildings. One problem at a time. I’m here to meet Priya so she can help me track down Simon.

Five

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