The Magical Fruit by Jo Nesbo

Author:Jo Nesbo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

Her Royal Highness’s Even More Secret Service

THE FOG HAD settled like thick pea soup over the streets of London, and Nilly hurried back toward his hotel through the London darkness. The streets and alleys that had been so crowded and lively in the daylight were now a labyrinth, devoid of people, lit only by a few streetlights wearing gray fog hats. And the few sounds Nilly could hear weren’t cozy or homey in the least. Trickling and rattling and rustling, the deep sighs of a few drips falling from gutters and eaves and windowsills. Muffled complaints and wailing from behind walls and doors. A sudden, chilling shriek from nowhere.

“Wasn’t it here?” he mumbled to himself, and turned left.

Walked a little ways.

“Wasn’t it here?” he mumbled, and turned right.

He said this mostly to hear his own voice. And a little to convince himself that he knew where he was, because he had no idea. And the alleys seemed like they were just getting narrower, darker, and more deserted.

“Wasn’t it here?” he mumbled again.

“No, it most certainly wasn’t.”

He was just going to keep on moving when it occurred to him that that last answer hadn’t come from him. The voice had come from somewhere just behind him.

Nilly turned around. And a figure in a hat and trench coat stepped out of the darkness.

“Gulp,” Nilly said, swiveling back around to run. But a second figure stepped out of the darkness ahead of him. This one was also wearing a hat and a trench coat with an upturned collar. He was surrounded!

“Who—who are you?” Nilly asked, looking for a way out.

“Jack,” the first one said. “Jack Jekyll.”

“Ripper,” the second one said. “Ripper Hyde.”

They closed in even more.

“And . . . what you guys want is . . . ,” Nilly said, “to, uh . . .”

“We want what you have,” Jekyll said, reaching inside his coat for something.

“But—but all I have is a half-chewed wad of gum wrapped up in paper,” Nilly said, pressing himself back against the wall. “Or, well, I also have this cigar. Practically unsmoked. Top of the line. Rolled on the thighs of a beautiful Cuban cigar roller. So I’m awfully reluctant to part with it, hard-core smoker that I am. But go ahead, just take it.”

“We mean, we want the information you have,” Jekyll said, holding out the thing he’d pulled out of his coat. It was a business card with his picture on it. Next to his name, above the picture—in all caps—it said H.R.H.E.M.S.S.

“We work for Her Royal Highness’s Even More Secret Service,” Hyde said. “And we’ve been in touch with our Norwegian colleagues, Helge and Hallgeir. We’ve been tailing you since you landed in London.”

“Oh?” Nilly said, relieved.

“Yes,” Jekyll said. “But why are you in this alley? This isn’t anywhere near your hotel.”

“Oh, that,” Nilly said, sticking his cigar in his mouth. “I just wanted to take a little evening stroll to clear my mind.” He tapped his finger lightly on his forehead. “And there’s a lot of brains up here to clear up, so it takes an extra-long stroll.

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.