The Patient by Tim Sullivan

Author:Tim Sullivan [Sullivan, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781801107761
Publisher: Head of Zeus

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At lunchtime, Mackenzie ordered some beer and pizza for everyone. The six of them sat around talking well into the afternoon. Raymond wanted to know all about the renovation. He was keen to examine the wallpaper stripper. They told him of all the amazing things they’d found squirrelled away that had really intrigued them. He regaled them with stories of where he’d got hold of them and the improbable plans he had for their future use.

Harry had found an old Philips radiogram from the 1950s. His grandfather had had one. It was a great big rectangular box, encased in a box of walnut veneer. Across the front was a long dial with the names of radio stations printed along it, and it had huge plastic knobs. The front section was made from a beige fabric that concealed a large speaker behind it. On top was a turntable which you accessed by lifting a panel. It was like the bonnet of a car – it even had a metal stay to hold the top open.

Harry had cleaned it up and was excited to see that it was still in working order. They played jazz records from Raymond’s vinyl collection, which was now in pride of place on one of the bookshelves. Raymond then extolled the virtues of listening to vinyl records rather than digital. Its warmth and immediacy. How each scratch – though they wouldn’t find many on his collection, he proclaimed with pride – told a story of when and how it happened. He was thrilled when Roxy told him there was a vinyl revival going on with lots of young people buying records and turntables.

Mackenzie was talking to Cross at one point.

‘The storage unit was an inspired idea,’ she said.

‘I was just thinking the same thing,’ he replied.

‘Were you now?’ She smiled.

‘And how it would’ve been a lot cheaper and easier to have photographed the interior of someone else’s storage unit, told him it was his stuff and thrown his all away. He would never have known,’ he said.

‘Rubbish. He’d have found out at some point.’

Cross shook his head. ‘On the contrary; he’ll never go there. He just needs to know it’s there.’

‘How do you know that?’ she asked.

‘Because he’ll be too busy starting a new collection here.’

‘Well, there’s a job for you – to make sure he doesn’t,’ she said.

‘Easier said than done. He’s a difficult, recalcitrant old bugger, that one,’ he said, without a hint of self-awareness.

‘Like father like son, if you ask me,’ she said, and left before he could offer a retort.

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