Water's Edge

Chapter IX

Walled Garden

"You need to look after her better!" How had I not slept yet? A bulbous man in a vest-top approached from under the neon sign of the B&B; I couldn't figure out what it said, too knackered, "Leave a car like that here."

"Sorry." I didn't know why I was apologising to the owner, who slammed my room key into my open palm.

"Should be. It's a beauty. Leavin' it out 'ere. Kids'll 'ave it."

"You look after her then?" I approached my Zodiac and peered inside. Everything present and correct. I unlocked her and grabbed a couple of tapes, and opened the glove box, grabbed my Walkman. I'd need to drown out the city tonight. When I turned around the owner stood a little dumbstruck.

"That a gun?"

"Yeah."

"You a copper?"

"Not anymore."

His eyes gleamed, "A Runner then?"

"I hate that term."

"You ain't that Fields are ya, in the papers?"

"No."

He followed me across the carpark to my room. I couldn't tell if he was in his twenties or seventies, but he was certainly a fan of whatever it is he thought I did, "If you are, good on ya! Police are fucking scum."

"Yep." I said, noncommittally. I unlocked the door. God I hated these clothes.

"It's about that boy that went missing, isn't it?"

"Yep." I stood in the doorway ready to close it in his face.

"I'll keep an eye on your car for ya, no cost. You do good work."

He should be doing that anyway, "Thanks." I closed the door.

I'm too scared, I'm too scared

To even walk on past

She used to say

All those good people

I put the foam over my ears and laid on the bed. There was a stain on the ceiling, in the shape of a rabbit. I felt like the same, caught in headlights. My own headlights. That glaring glow from the past. Nothing ever changes and everything does. Thank god for good music and long nights.

I put Push The Sky Away by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds into my granddads Walkman and fell asleep to the album. For most of the night I was comforted by the quiet hiss of electricity powering not a single note of music, the tape ending, like a life.

I woke to a bang. Bang-bang-bang. And I sat up and reached for my gun. I had left it in the car. Idiot. Creeping to the door I peered through the spy hole. It was Evgeny.

"Yeah?"

"They wanna see you." He said in that thick Eastern European drawl that countless ITV dramas would cast as the villain. He looked like a farmer with arms like that. I noticed a tattoo creeping from shoulder to neck but ignored it. I changed from the police hand-me-downs to a simple white shirt and trouser. I looked like an office worker.

"Have I got time to roll some cigs?"

"No."

"Damn."