Hit and Run Read Free Page A

shorts. The room was warm already, sunlight in spears through the gaps in the curtains. He scrunched his eyes and blinked a few times, getting used to the light.
    His head and neck throbbed, the skin on his hands was puckered and red. He felt his temple. The bump had shrunk but hardened. He found his jeans and took his phone from the pocket. It said ‘Rose’ on the screen. He pressed answer.
    ‘Now before you say anything, Kiddo, I know you’re not supposed to be in today, but we’ve got a belter of a tip-off, and I thought you’d want to see some real-life reporting for once, instead of just rewriting boring press releases.’
    ‘Morning, Rose,’ Billy said.
    ‘Jesus H, you sound rough as a badger’s arse. Big night last night?’
    ‘Something like that.’
    ‘You kids and your parties. I remember the days. Go for it. At your age you bounce back like knicker elastic. Anyway, like I was saying, we’ve got a potential scoop on our hands. Want in?’
    ‘What’s the story?’
    ‘Suspected suicide. Word on the street is that it might be someone already known to the police, as they say.’
    ‘Yeah?’
    ‘Just come meet me. It’s on our frigging doorstep, so we’ve got a start on those tabloid pricks for once. The body was found this morning at the bottom of Salisbury Crags.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘You heard me, Kiddo. Got a jumper. Or maybe something a little more interesting, my sources tell me.’
    ‘Salisbury Crags?’
    ‘You’re taking a while to wake up, eh?’ She put on a voice as if talking to a toddler. ‘Yes. Salisbury Crags. Why don’t you extricate yourself from Little Miss Sunday Supplement, sling on your outsized trousers and meet me there in ten minutes?’
    ‘I don’t think . . .’
    Rose’s voice turned serious. ‘I know this is strictly my shift, and you’re supposed to be having some well-earned kip, but trust me, if you want to get on at this game and learn the ropes properly, you’ll help me on this one.’
    Billy hesitated. He looked at Zoe, still crashed out on sedatives. ‘OK.’
    ‘Good laddie, see you there.’
    ‘Wait, where is it exactly?’
    ‘Can’t miss it, Kiddo, the place will be crawling with police. Look out for large swathes of crime-scene tape.’
    ‘Right.’
    Billy ended the call. A jumper at Salisbury Crags, just a few minutes’ walk from their accident.
    He stared at Zoe, thighs white against black lace panties, arms covering her breasts. He reached over and stroked a strand of hair away from her eyes. She looked peaceful.
    He pulled on his clothes, his body aching. He left the room and padded along the hall to Charlie’s door. He pushed it open. Charlie was spreadeagled naked on top of his covers, his room the usual mess of gadgets, magazines and junk. He was snoring heavily. Billy found his jacket and went through the pockets. He found two MXL blister packs, lifted them and tiptoed out of the room.
    *
    The sunlight made him cringe as he stepped out of the front door. A hot day, the air choked with traffic fumes and pollen, making him sneeze. He stopped when he reached the gate. Right in front of the house was the red Micra, parked as if nothing had happened.
    He examined it. Ran a finger along the side panel, then the bumper and the bonnet. It was filthy, his finger came away grey and gritty. There didn’t appear to be any damage, how could that be? Now that he looked closely, he could see a slight bevel in the bonnet, a little to the left of centre, and a corresponding dent in the bumper. Hardly even noticeable. In the reflecting sunshine he spotted a few indentations in the roof, small dimples in the curve of the metal. Jesus, was that it?
    He looked at their heavy front door, the flat that Zoe’s dad had bought for her when she started Uni, Billy and Charlie freeloading as usual. Further along the road at the end of Rankeillor Street was St Leonard’s police station, an anonymous modern brick block. Beyond that loomed the ragged brown cliff of