jacket and threw it at
Lawson.
‘I’m not myself,’ Lawson managed to say, after wiping his mouth. ‘And the boy was actually just leaving.’
The bald man smiled. Put his arm round Daniel’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze. ‘No he wasn’t.’ He stooped like a bear to look into Daniel’s eyes.
‘I’m Mason. There’s no need to be nervous. There’s no sinkhole to fall into here. This is my house. I say what happens here and what doesn’t, including Lawson paying
me rent and doing what I say.’
He grinned and waved a big hand at the two suited men sitting themselves down on the sofa. ‘These are my acquaintances, Frank and Jiff. Useless, both of them. Don’t do anything
without my say-so either. No brains, you see.’ When he laughed, the two men grunted a laugh too. The one called Frank had a cleft lip, with a raggedy scar like a zipper up to the bottom of
his nose.
‘What are you gawping at?’ muttered Frank, and Daniel looked down at the floor, his heart thumping.
Mason’s black patent shoes shone like bricks of wet coal.
‘So then,’ he said. ‘Tell me what’s going on here. What’s got Lawson so peaky and out of sorts?’
‘I’m fine now,’ said Lawson and tried handing the handkerchief back. But Mason just wrinkled his nose and shook his head.
‘I think you’d best be keeping that, don’t you?’
When Daniel looked at Lawson, wondering what to say, Mason steered him back round. ‘Just keep your eyes on me,’ said Mason quietly. ‘So you can tell me what I want to
know.’
Mason’s giant hands cupped Daniel’s shoulders like tiger’s paws.
‘It’s the fit,’ whispered Daniel.
‘The what?’
‘The fit.’
Mason grinned. ‘And what’s that then? What’s the fit?’ he asked, clamping his hands even tighter round Daniel’s shoulders.
23
Mason clapped his hands like a giant toddler too excited to speak until he had managed to calm down.
‘Daniel, this all sounds perfect,’ he said. ‘You’re a godsend.’ He winked at the boy and then produced a silver signet ring from his jacket pocket and held it up in
the orange light oozing out of the naked bulb. ‘I drop by so Lawson can solve a little problem of mine, because he’s my go-to guy for anything I can’t sort out, and discover
you’re here too. Daniel! The . . . the . . .’ He wafted a hand in front of him as if trying to catch the right words eluding him. ‘The . . . “magic boy” . . . who can
help Lawson do even more wondrous things than he ever could before.’
Mason slapped his thigh so hard that Daniel flinched. ‘This is all meant to be. This is . . .’ he drummed a big finger against his lips, ‘. . . fate.’ He beamed and shook
his head. ‘You have to marvel at the way the world works, don’t you? About how things always pan out the way you need them to.’ He held out the ring to Lawson. ‘I want to
see you two at work solving this problem of mine. I’m fascinated to see what you and the boy can do with this connection of yours. This . . . this . . .’
‘. . . fit,’ finished Lawson.
‘Precisely. So tell me what you can about the man who owned this ring for starters, Lawson. Think of it as a test for you both. I want to know if this fit can help you find the flask you
know I’m so desperate to have. Tracking it down is your top priority after all, and you’ve been working on it for weeks.’
But Lawson shook his head. ‘Our last effort took a lot out of me. I don’t know how hard we can push making the fit for now. About what might happen if we do.’
But Mason didn’t seem to hear. He just grabbed Lawson’s wrist, popping the fingers open, and put the silver ring in his palm, then perched himself on the seat of the armchair and
took out a small black notebook and a pen.
‘Lawson, you work for me, remember? Or would you like me to remind you some other way? I could ask the lads to help with that,’ he said, jolting a thumb towards Frank and
Lawson.
‘I’m not myself,’ Lawson managed to say, after wiping his mouth. ‘And the boy was actually just leaving.’
The bald man smiled. Put his arm round Daniel’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze. ‘No he wasn’t.’ He stooped like a bear to look into Daniel’s eyes.
‘I’m Mason. There’s no need to be nervous. There’s no sinkhole to fall into here. This is my house. I say what happens here and what doesn’t, including Lawson paying
me rent and doing what I say.’
He grinned and waved a big hand at the two suited men sitting themselves down on the sofa. ‘These are my acquaintances, Frank and Jiff. Useless, both of them. Don’t do anything
without my say-so either. No brains, you see.’ When he laughed, the two men grunted a laugh too. The one called Frank had a cleft lip, with a raggedy scar like a zipper up to the bottom of
his nose.
‘What are you gawping at?’ muttered Frank, and Daniel looked down at the floor, his heart thumping.
Mason’s black patent shoes shone like bricks of wet coal.
‘So then,’ he said. ‘Tell me what’s going on here. What’s got Lawson so peaky and out of sorts?’
‘I’m fine now,’ said Lawson and tried handing the handkerchief back. But Mason just wrinkled his nose and shook his head.
‘I think you’d best be keeping that, don’t you?’
When Daniel looked at Lawson, wondering what to say, Mason steered him back round. ‘Just keep your eyes on me,’ said Mason quietly. ‘So you can tell me what I want to
know.’
Mason’s giant hands cupped Daniel’s shoulders like tiger’s paws.
‘It’s the fit,’ whispered Daniel.
‘The what?’
‘The fit.’
Mason grinned. ‘And what’s that then? What’s the fit?’ he asked, clamping his hands even tighter round Daniel’s shoulders.
23
Mason clapped his hands like a giant toddler too excited to speak until he had managed to calm down.
‘Daniel, this all sounds perfect,’ he said. ‘You’re a godsend.’ He winked at the boy and then produced a silver signet ring from his jacket pocket and held it up in
the orange light oozing out of the naked bulb. ‘I drop by so Lawson can solve a little problem of mine, because he’s my go-to guy for anything I can’t sort out, and discover
you’re here too. Daniel! The . . . the . . .’ He wafted a hand in front of him as if trying to catch the right words eluding him. ‘The . . . “magic boy” . . . who can
help Lawson do even more wondrous things than he ever could before.’
Mason slapped his thigh so hard that Daniel flinched. ‘This is all meant to be. This is . . .’ he drummed a big finger against his lips, ‘. . . fate.’ He beamed and shook
his head. ‘You have to marvel at the way the world works, don’t you? About how things always pan out the way you need them to.’ He held out the ring to Lawson. ‘I want to
see you two at work solving this problem of mine. I’m fascinated to see what you and the boy can do with this connection of yours. This . . . this . . .’
‘. . . fit,’ finished Lawson.
‘Precisely. So tell me what you can about the man who owned this ring for starters, Lawson. Think of it as a test for you both. I want to know if this fit can help you find the flask you
know I’m so desperate to have. Tracking it down is your top priority after all, and you’ve been working on it for weeks.’
But Lawson shook his head. ‘Our last effort took a lot out of me. I don’t know how hard we can push making the fit for now. About what might happen if we do.’
But Mason didn’t seem to hear. He just grabbed Lawson’s wrist, popping the fingers open, and put the silver ring in his palm, then perched himself on the seat of the armchair and
took out a small black notebook and a pen.
‘Lawson, you work for me, remember? Or would you like me to remind you some other way? I could ask the lads to help with that,’ he said, jolting a thumb towards Frank and
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