Never Look Down Read Free Page B

hadn’t done for a very long time. She sat down and cried.
    Rupert let her go for a while before saying, “Let’s have a look at that leg.” He cut her jeans off halfway up her calf with a knife that appeared out of nowhere, washed the wound with a handkerchief wetted with bottled water, and applied a bandage he took from a pouch on his backpack. “It’s nasty, but not a bullet wound. I think I got all the brick chips out. You don’t need stitches. I haven’t got any antiseptic, so put some on it when you get home, hear?” Of course, he didn’t ask her what happened. Rupert never would. But after she got hold of herself, Kelly told him everything.
    When she finished he sat quietly for a long time before saying, “Did he get a look at you?”
    â€œNah. It was dark and I had a bandana covering my face. I always cover up when I’m spraying.”
    â€œWhat about your hair? He saw your long hair didn’t he? He’ll know you’re a girl.”
    Kelly laughed. “No he won’t. Lots of dudes have long hair, Rupert.”
    He nodded. “Uh huh. So, how much you leave up there?”
    â€œI wasn’t finished, man.”
    â€œYou sign it?”
    â€œNo, not quite.”
    Rupert met her eyes. “Good. How many of your friends know you’re this crazy K209 tagger?”
    Kelly smiled. “Everyone thinks it’s some guy doing the tagging.”
    â€œPortland’s Banksy, huh?”
    â€œSomething like that. But Banksy doesn’t climb.”
    Rupert held her eyes. “What about that climbing gym you work at? Has anyone put two and two together?”
    â€œNah. I don’t talk about the job much, and when it comes up, I just say I sweep up around there. I only climb after hours.”
    â€œSo, you’re sure nobody else knows?”
    Kelly shrugged. “I worry about Kiyana. We learned to stencil together at school, but she doesn’t know I can climb. I never talk about my dad, just that he got killed in an accident. The woman I live with, Veronica, should know I’m up to something, but she’s pretty clueless. When I make stencils in our back bedroom, I tell her it’s for a school project.”
    â€œWhat about that tall boy I see you with?”
    â€œZook? Nah, he doesn’t spend any time thinking about me.”
    â€œGood. Keep your mouth shut about this, Kel. The killer’s gonna be lookin’ for you. You need to stop the spray can shit and stay away from that place.” He glared at her with his fierce eyes. “Leave it unfinished, Kelly.”
    Kelly nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m not going near that building. What about the cops? What should I do?”
    â€œWhat you saw might help them catch this guy.”
    Kelly shook her head. “No way. I’m not talking to them. I can’t get busted again. Besides, it was dark. I didn’t see anything.”
    â€œYou should at least phone in what you saw.” He exhaled a deep breath and shook his head. “But it wouldn’t be smart to let ’em hear your voice. Get me a burner phone from Henny Duzan. I’ll make the call for you. Make sure it doesn’t have a GPS chip, and don’t pay more than twenty bucks for it.”
    Huddled on a thin mat next to Rupert, Kelly slept fitfully until dawn, which broke clear and still. Kelly felt naked without her backpack, and frighteningly conspicuous because of her slashed jeans and the bandage on her leg, which was now soaked through with blood. She caught the first TriMet bus across the Burnside Bridge to the apartment she shared with Veronica.
    Their third-floor apartment above a shop that sold used audio components was accessed by a street-level door opening to a small vestibule and a steep, narrow staircase up two flights. It really wasn’t home to Kelly but better than the street. Having run away from her foster home in Eugene, she had been on the