Jiff.
Lawson stood staring at Mason for a moment and closed his fist round the ring and shook his head. ‘We’ll see what we can do.’
‘He’s gonna nick that ring, boss,’ giggled Frank, licking the scar above his lip.
‘Yeah, it’ll vanish right in front of our eyes,’ said Jiff, who shifted about to get comfortable on the sofa. Daniel noticed that the man had a hunched back, the top portion of
his spine humped like something had been stuffed beneath his jacket.
Mason raised a hand and the two men stopped laughing and the room filled with quiet. The only sound was the hum of the naked bulb above them.
Daniel looked at the floor when Mason stared at him, unsure what was going to happen or what he should do. And then he felt that warm golden sensation flicker up in his chest again.
When he looked up at Lawson, the man’s white face was already strained, the little tendons standing out in his neck like lengths of cord pulled tight. Lawson nodded and managed to smile.
‘Just focus on me, Daniel. Don’t be scared. Let’s just do what we did last time and see if I can connect with you even better than before.’
He closed his eyes. He clenched his fist harder round the ring, the knuckles shining whiter. Mutterings started rolling off his lips in whispers that could barely be heard.
Mason leant forward as if trying to listen, flipping open his notebook and readying his pen. Frank and Jiff were watching intently too.
When Lawson’s voice began to rise a little louder, Daniel felt the sensation in his chest increase. Like a hummingbird flitting, caged behind his ribs. The golden shimmer inside him grew
brighter and warmer, filling out the secret space even more than it had done before.
Images wafted at the corners of his eyes, drifting round the dull-lit room, vanishing if he looked too closely at them.
The body of a man, lit by a street light . . .
. . . lying in a pool of blood in a quiet road bordered by shops shuttered up for the night . . .
. . . the silver signet ring on his little finger.
Silver boot tips beside the dead man’s head and then somebody’s hand reaching down, the fingers hooking round the handle of a leather briefcase lying in the road.
A white car disappearing down the street into the dark.
He could hear Lawson describing these things as if he was seeing them too behind his lidded eyes. Lawson told Mason it was his money in the briefcase. That it had been taken
from the man who had been wearing the silver signet ring after he had been knocked down by a white car. Mason was nodding as he listened, jotting down details in his notebook, his tongue darting
out between his lips as he concentrated on what Lawson was telling him.
‘Who took it, Lawson?’ he asked. ‘
Who
took my briefcase full of money?’ Lawson’s face twitched harder, the muscles dancing in his cheeks, his lips
bleaching as he tried to see more. ‘Who was it, Lawson?’ growled Mason, his pen poised. ‘Tell me the number plate of this white car at least. Something I can use.’
As Lawson’s voice grew louder and more garbled, repeating the things he had already said, Daniel felt the wonderful warmth in his chest start to burn and become painful. It felt like the
flame from a match was being held against his skin. As Lawson’s voice became more frantic, the pain worsened.
‘Stop,’ said Daniel. ‘Stop. Something’s not right.’ He wasn’t sure if he had said that loud enough. Or said it at all. His mouth felt like it was turned
inside out. ‘Something’s wrong,’ he said again, but all he heard was a mumble in his throat.
‘What’s that, boy?’ asked Mason. ‘What did you say?’
But Daniel ignored him, focusing on Lawson instead, who was starting to shake, one of his eyes rolling up white into his head, like a pebble had been placed in the socket.
‘Let go,’ said Daniel with all the strength he could muster in his voice, the pain in his chest increasing as if someone was turning
Lawson stood staring at Mason for a moment and closed his fist round the ring and shook his head. ‘We’ll see what we can do.’
‘He’s gonna nick that ring, boss,’ giggled Frank, licking the scar above his lip.
‘Yeah, it’ll vanish right in front of our eyes,’ said Jiff, who shifted about to get comfortable on the sofa. Daniel noticed that the man had a hunched back, the top portion of
his spine humped like something had been stuffed beneath his jacket.
Mason raised a hand and the two men stopped laughing and the room filled with quiet. The only sound was the hum of the naked bulb above them.
Daniel looked at the floor when Mason stared at him, unsure what was going to happen or what he should do. And then he felt that warm golden sensation flicker up in his chest again.
When he looked up at Lawson, the man’s white face was already strained, the little tendons standing out in his neck like lengths of cord pulled tight. Lawson nodded and managed to smile.
‘Just focus on me, Daniel. Don’t be scared. Let’s just do what we did last time and see if I can connect with you even better than before.’
He closed his eyes. He clenched his fist harder round the ring, the knuckles shining whiter. Mutterings started rolling off his lips in whispers that could barely be heard.
Mason leant forward as if trying to listen, flipping open his notebook and readying his pen. Frank and Jiff were watching intently too.
When Lawson’s voice began to rise a little louder, Daniel felt the sensation in his chest increase. Like a hummingbird flitting, caged behind his ribs. The golden shimmer inside him grew
brighter and warmer, filling out the secret space even more than it had done before.
Images wafted at the corners of his eyes, drifting round the dull-lit room, vanishing if he looked too closely at them.
The body of a man, lit by a street light . . .
. . . lying in a pool of blood in a quiet road bordered by shops shuttered up for the night . . .
. . . the silver signet ring on his little finger.
Silver boot tips beside the dead man’s head and then somebody’s hand reaching down, the fingers hooking round the handle of a leather briefcase lying in the road.
A white car disappearing down the street into the dark.
He could hear Lawson describing these things as if he was seeing them too behind his lidded eyes. Lawson told Mason it was his money in the briefcase. That it had been taken
from the man who had been wearing the silver signet ring after he had been knocked down by a white car. Mason was nodding as he listened, jotting down details in his notebook, his tongue darting
out between his lips as he concentrated on what Lawson was telling him.
‘Who took it, Lawson?’ he asked. ‘
Who
took my briefcase full of money?’ Lawson’s face twitched harder, the muscles dancing in his cheeks, his lips
bleaching as he tried to see more. ‘Who was it, Lawson?’ growled Mason, his pen poised. ‘Tell me the number plate of this white car at least. Something I can use.’
As Lawson’s voice grew louder and more garbled, repeating the things he had already said, Daniel felt the wonderful warmth in his chest start to burn and become painful. It felt like the
flame from a match was being held against his skin. As Lawson’s voice became more frantic, the pain worsened.
‘Stop,’ said Daniel. ‘Stop. Something’s not right.’ He wasn’t sure if he had said that loud enough. Or said it at all. His mouth felt like it was turned
inside out. ‘Something’s wrong,’ he said again, but all he heard was a mumble in his throat.
‘What’s that, boy?’ asked Mason. ‘What did you say?’
But Daniel ignored him, focusing on Lawson instead, who was starting to shake, one of his eyes rolling up white into his head, like a pebble had been placed in the socket.
‘Let go,’ said Daniel with all the strength he could muster in his voice, the pain in his chest increasing as if someone was turning
Similar Books
