The Secret Hours by Mick Herron
Author:Mick Herron [Herron, Mick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00
PART FIVE:
LONDON, NOW
âOur friend has had a turn. Sheâll be fine.â
Shelley was holding a bottle of water to the womanâs mouth, in a vague approximation of someone who knew about turns, and how to handle them.
âHave you called an ambulance?â
âIt happens a lot. When her meds kick in, sheâll be fine.â
âIf youâre sure . . .â
Max gave a thumbs-up gesture, which surprised even himself. The concerned dog-walker, civic duty done, moved on, and Shelley screwed the cap on the bottle. Their female captive, propped between them, gave a low moan.
He wasnât sure where they were, but it involved a bench, a grassed-over area hemmed by trees, and a childrenâs playground that was currently deserted. Behind the wall at their backs was the main road theyâd recently crossed, having cut through several side streets, all named after Dickens characters: a ten-minute walk from the pub, which had taken nearer twenty because of their burden, and if the pub landlord had actually called the police theyâd be answering serious questions by now, or wearing serious handcuffs. Aggravated assault and kidnapping: neither of them pursuits that academics should be involved in, even if they had retired early.
Their burden, meanwhile, slumped forward, and would have slid from the bench if Shelley hadnât prevented her.
âShe needs medical attention,â she said, in the tone of one stating a fact rather than recommending a course of action.
âHow do you think I feel?â said Max, touching his cheek where the womanâs baton had whipped him. No blood, but a weal had arisen.
âYouâll live.â
Two nearby dogs quivered in the gloom, taking the measure of each other, while their walkers waited, leashes in hand.
Max said, âThank you. By the way.â
âIâd say you were welcome. But I still wish you hadnât turned up at my door.â
âYet there you were when I needed you.â
âWhat else was I supposed to do? Let you wander into a lionsâ den by yourself?â
âIt was a pub crawl, not a safari.â
âWildlife turned up, didnât it?â she said. âIt occurred to me that if you had the idea of going hunting for Bachelor, they might work out the same thing for themselves. And be waiting for you.â
âWhoever they are.â
âWhoever they are, yes. But whoever they are, banking on them being less smart than you wasnât the clever option.â
âIn the circumstances,â he said, âI canât argue with that.â
Other current circumstances included their having shed John Bachelorâs company on leaving the pub, a decision reached by mutual consent, or would have been had discussion preceded it. As it was, Bachelor had simply waited to verify the direction theyâd chosen, then made off in a separate one. Max had no problem with this. The milkman had done his duty: above and beyond, actually. Heâd have put money on Bachelor remaining in the gents once heâd clocked the newcomersâ arrival.
He said, âHeâs not a great advert for Cornwell House, John. On the other hand, he didnât betray me, or not deliberately. And he came out fighting when it mattered.â
âSo did I.â
âSo did you.
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