used to dogs." She started the engine. "Though maybe none quite as funny-looking as that one."
7:15 pm
Julie's daughter was called Devon – after the place where she was conceived – and Pearce found out soon enough why the kids were used to dogs.
"Sheba went to Heaven," Devon said, out of the blue after they'd been driving for a minute.
"Who's Sheba?" Pearce gave Julie a glance.
She was a good driver. Kept looking in the mirror like you were supposed to. Could have picked up the speed a bit, maybe, but there was no hurry. There was nowhere they had to be.
He still hadn't worked out what she was after. Another thousand-pound engagement ring? Well, just let her try that again.
They were heading out of town, along Portobello High Street.
"Sheba was our dog." Julie lowered her voice. "Border collie. Got run over."
"All stuff came out of her like yucky messy goo," Kirk shouted from the back. "She went to Heaven. Eh, Mum?"
"You bet." Julie dabbed at her eye with the back of her hand. Her red nail polish was chipped.
"Heaven," Devon said.
"Sorry to hear that." Pearce sighed. "Not quite sure how it concerns me, though."
"It doesn't." Julie looked in the rear-view mirror again. "There are people after me, Pearce."
"Yeah?" If she was going to make up a story, you'd think she could rustle up something a little more inspired. Anyway, that explained why she kept glancing in the mirror. Checking to see if she was being followed. Or at least to make him think that. She was overdoing it, though. Hardly the world's greatest actress.
Well, Pearce was happy to play along for a while. He had no idea where he fitted into the scam yet. He didn't have any money, so she couldn't be after his cash. Surely she wasn't going to ask him to borrow money from a loan shark again. "They following you now?"
She gave her head a shake. "Don't see them."
"What do these people want with you?"
She dabbed at her eye again, eyelashes glistening. "Would you pass me my fags?"
"I'd rather you didn't smoke in the car."
"Tough." She coughed. "It's my car."
Pearce plucked the packet out of the hollow behind the gear stick. The packet was empty.
"Shit," she said when he showed her.
"So, you going to answer the question?"
"OK." She looked at the ring on her left hand. "It's because of Mike."
Pearce looked at the ring too. Not as nice as the one he'd bought her. "Your husband?"
"We're not married. Just engaged."
He felt something shift in his stomach. As if he'd swallowed a jewellery box all those years ago and it had just sprung open.
"But, yeah." Julie nodded towards the kids in the back. "He's their dad." She tapped her fingernails on the steering wheel.
"So what did Mike do that's got people following you?"
"Not here." She pulled into the kerb. "Not in front of the kids." She unfastened her seatbelt. "Hang on a tick."
"Where you going?"
But she was already halfway out the door and didn't hear him. Or maybe she was ignoring him. In any case, she was gone now.
So. Fine. He was alone in the car with two strange kids. Well, all kids were strange. And actually it wasn't fine. He'd rather have been alone in the car with a pair of mass murderers.
This wasn't Julie's scam, was it? Dump her kids on him?
Course it wasn't. She'd gone to stock up on cigarettes. That was all.
At least Hilda was keeping the kids happy. They cooed and crooned, stroking his head. The wee fella's tongue hung out. He was having a grand time being the centre of attention.
Pearce peered out the window trying to spot Julie. She'd disappeared. Had to be in the newsagents. Wouldn't be long. Maybe she was rehearsing the next part of her story.
So, no problem. He could handle the kids alone for a few minutes. Couldn't be that hard. He'd done okay so far. He eyed them in the rear-view mirror. "Rain's off. Nice evening now, eh?"
No reply. He liked the idea that they weren't into small talk. Neither was he. He'd be more than happy if they just sat in silence and waited
7:15 pm
Julie's daughter was called Devon – after the place where she was conceived – and Pearce found out soon enough why the kids were used to dogs.
"Sheba went to Heaven," Devon said, out of the blue after they'd been driving for a minute.
"Who's Sheba?" Pearce gave Julie a glance.
She was a good driver. Kept looking in the mirror like you were supposed to. Could have picked up the speed a bit, maybe, but there was no hurry. There was nowhere they had to be.
He still hadn't worked out what she was after. Another thousand-pound engagement ring? Well, just let her try that again.
They were heading out of town, along Portobello High Street.
"Sheba was our dog." Julie lowered her voice. "Border collie. Got run over."
"All stuff came out of her like yucky messy goo," Kirk shouted from the back. "She went to Heaven. Eh, Mum?"
"You bet." Julie dabbed at her eye with the back of her hand. Her red nail polish was chipped.
"Heaven," Devon said.
"Sorry to hear that." Pearce sighed. "Not quite sure how it concerns me, though."
"It doesn't." Julie looked in the rear-view mirror again. "There are people after me, Pearce."
"Yeah?" If she was going to make up a story, you'd think she could rustle up something a little more inspired. Anyway, that explained why she kept glancing in the mirror. Checking to see if she was being followed. Or at least to make him think that. She was overdoing it, though. Hardly the world's greatest actress.
Well, Pearce was happy to play along for a while. He had no idea where he fitted into the scam yet. He didn't have any money, so she couldn't be after his cash. Surely she wasn't going to ask him to borrow money from a loan shark again. "They following you now?"
She gave her head a shake. "Don't see them."
"What do these people want with you?"
She dabbed at her eye again, eyelashes glistening. "Would you pass me my fags?"
"I'd rather you didn't smoke in the car."
"Tough." She coughed. "It's my car."
Pearce plucked the packet out of the hollow behind the gear stick. The packet was empty.
"Shit," she said when he showed her.
"So, you going to answer the question?"
"OK." She looked at the ring on her left hand. "It's because of Mike."
Pearce looked at the ring too. Not as nice as the one he'd bought her. "Your husband?"
"We're not married. Just engaged."
He felt something shift in his stomach. As if he'd swallowed a jewellery box all those years ago and it had just sprung open.
"But, yeah." Julie nodded towards the kids in the back. "He's their dad." She tapped her fingernails on the steering wheel.
"So what did Mike do that's got people following you?"
"Not here." She pulled into the kerb. "Not in front of the kids." She unfastened her seatbelt. "Hang on a tick."
"Where you going?"
But she was already halfway out the door and didn't hear him. Or maybe she was ignoring him. In any case, she was gone now.
So. Fine. He was alone in the car with two strange kids. Well, all kids were strange. And actually it wasn't fine. He'd rather have been alone in the car with a pair of mass murderers.
This wasn't Julie's scam, was it? Dump her kids on him?
Course it wasn't. She'd gone to stock up on cigarettes. That was all.
At least Hilda was keeping the kids happy. They cooed and crooned, stroking his head. The wee fella's tongue hung out. He was having a grand time being the centre of attention.
Pearce peered out the window trying to spot Julie. She'd disappeared. Had to be in the newsagents. Wouldn't be long. Maybe she was rehearsing the next part of her story.
So, no problem. He could handle the kids alone for a few minutes. Couldn't be that hard. He'd done okay so far. He eyed them in the rear-view mirror. "Rain's off. Nice evening now, eh?"
No reply. He liked the idea that they weren't into small talk. Neither was he. He'd be more than happy if they just sat in silence and waited
Similar Books
Teacher's Pet
Shelley Ellerbeck
The Bridge Chronicles Trilogy
Gary Ballard
Nagasaki
Emily Boyce Éric Faye
Cain's Darkness
Jenika Snow
The Billionaire’s Secret Heart (A 'Scandals of the Bad Boy Billionaires' Romance)
Alexa Wilder, Ivy Layne
Unknown Remains
Peter Leonard
Haunted
Kelley Armstrong
Dead People
Ewart Hutton
Kingdom Come
Jane Jensen
Murder Key
H. Terrell Griffin