Final Cut(37)

Her response is quick – too quick, if anything – and urgent. But her eyes tense, momentarily. She’s scared.

‘Yes. David. Up at Bluff House.’

She shakes her head. ‘No, I don’t know David’ – but she’s too late. I’ve seen her fear. I know she’s lying.

‘You’re sure?’

‘Yeah,’ she says, her voice laced with mock disgust. I realise now there’s no point in telling her I’m on her side; she’d never believe me. ‘I’m sure.’

‘Ellie? Do you? Does he give you drugs?’

The other girl shakes her head, but I catch her looking at Kat, as if for confirmation.

‘What is it, then?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Ellie!’

I turn to Kat. ‘Just let her speak. Ellie?’

‘Please,’ she whispers. ‘Don’t hurt him.’

‘I won’t,’ I say. ‘I promise. I’ll just talk to him.’

Her face clouds; I think she might erupt into tears.

‘No! No, don’t tell him we’ve spoken to you!’

Kat grabs the younger girl’s arm. ‘Ellie, that’s enough!’

I lean forward. ‘I can protect you. Both of you.’

Kat laughs. ‘How?’

Before I can answer, she grabs Ellie’s jacket and shoves her friend towards the door. ‘Come on,’ she says. ‘We’re leaving.’

Ellie glances back as she goes, her expression identical to that of her friend as she left Ink and Steel, her new tattoo still wrapped in plastic.

There’s no point in giving chase. They’re lying, I can see it. Lying, and scared. Both of them. If I’m going to help them, I need to speak to David.





21


I find him by Smuggler’s Way, the alley just past The Ship. It’s like I knew he’d be there. He’s standing in the near-dark, motionless, head cocked, as if waiting.

I watch from a distance but, abruptly, he moves off. I follow as he squeezes up through a narrow alley to a row of cottages, beyond which steep steps lead up and on to the southern cliffs. I take them carefully – they’re slippery and the light is failing – and at the top see that David is a little way ahead of me on the overgrown path.

I keep him in my sight. After a minute he leaves the track to disappear down another tiny path that drops sharply towards the edge of the cliff. I follow it, pushing through the undergrowth, and after a few paces it opens up.

He’s standing with his back to me in the half-light. Beyond him the sea wall, built to stop the cliffs eroding, I suppose, drops precipitously to the water. He’s looking over it at the waves beyond.

I freeze. For a second it seems like he’s going to throw himself over, down and on to the beach. But he doesn’t. He raises something to his eyes and I remember what Sophie told me. They’re binoculars.

I crouch in the shadows and film him for a minute or two, but then I can wait no longer. I stand up and stride out.

‘David.’

The word clings to my throat. He recoils. The binoculars fall round his neck. ‘Who—?’

He sounds scared, and I’m glad. It gives me the power.

‘I need to speak to you.’

He peers through the dim light as I move closer.

‘It’s Alex.’

His breath catches. ‘You!’

I’m a couple of yards from him now. He’s even paler in the gloaming. His ashen skin is translucent and I almost imagine I can see the veins beneath squirm and pulse.

‘Leave me alone,’ he says. ‘Please.’

I shake my head. ‘I can’t. You know Kat.’ He doesn’t react. ‘And Ellie.’

Now there’s a twitch, I think. But, really, it’s too dark to tell.

‘Admit it.’

‘I never …’ he begins, but then his sentence seems to swerve, to take a different route. ‘No. I don’t know them.’

‘If you’ve hurt them—’

‘No!’ he says. He sounds desperate. ‘You know that. I’d never …’

‘They’re taking drugs. You know that, right?’

He says nothing.

‘Where are they getting them? You?’

‘Me?’

He sounds genuinely shocked, as if it’s the last thing he expected me to say, the very idea is preposterous.

‘No. Not me. You might want to talk to your friend.’

My friend? Who does he mean?

‘Gavin?’

He says nothing. It can’t be; when would he have seen us together? But who else?

‘Why him?’ I say. He doesn’t react. ‘Who are you?’

He ignores me.

‘What’s happening here?’

‘You know what’s happening. Better than anyone.’

He steps forward and I think he’s going to reach out, but then he says, ‘Look.’

‘What?’

He motions towards the sky. ‘Look.’

I can’t help it. I follow his gaze. Something streaks overhead, too fast to be a plane. A meteor.

‘Is that—?’ I begin, but he interrupts.

‘The Geminids.’