The Physics Of The Dead - A Supernatural Mystery Novel by Luke Smitherd

whilst you got yourself together here was me. After years thinking about it, believe it or not, that was the plan that made the most sense, the plan that sounded the most plausible. I never thought it'd work, or that it hadn't been tried before.” He is smiling as he finishes, shaking his head in delighted disbelief. Or is it relief? Hart lifts his head, chuckling now, lost in his own thoughts. He turns to Bowler, taking him in, looking him over like he doesn't even know that Bowler is watching him. After a moment, he registers Bowler's actual presence, and grins again.
    “ But it must never have been tried,” he continues, shaking his head again, and laughing as he speaks, clearly revelling in the recollection of his own discovery. Bowler has never seem Hart laugh openly before. He won't see it very often in the years to come. “As I've never seen another pair!” he finishes.
    In a moment of sudden rapture, he grabs both of Bowler's shoulders, hard. Bowler stares into eyes that are now moist and showing alarming traces of what is going on inside.
    “Don't you understand?” says Hart, “Don't you SEE it? You're the luckiest Checkin there's ever been. D' you have any idea how much safer I've made you? D' you have any idea just how lucky you are?”
    All Bowler can think is, But...doesn't that mean you get to talk to me as well?
    Instead, what he says, in short, stammering gasps as he finally gets his glued-up mouth to work is, “There...must...be...a way...”
    The light in Hart's eyes rapidly dies, as he says nothing in reply, and his gaze drops away again. It's hard to believe that just a few moments ago this man was so passionate and-for want of a better phrase-alive. Hart sighs, and stands, putting his hands on his hips, exhaling nothing.
    “ Aaahhh ...Bowler...”
    He squints off into the distance, all energy gone. He is thinking, and weighing something up, and it suddenly reminds Bowler of someone preparing themselves to put a pet out of their misery. And he suddenly remembers his earlier fear, and knows that the cause is   here. What he was fearing. What he could sense under the surface. There was bad news, and this was bad news of a different kind. He knew that this meant pain. This meant a lot of physical pain.
    “ Right,” Hart says finally, and looks down at Bowler, his face set like he's summoned up everything he has to get through this. At least you've found your balls , thinks Bowler, but Hart is already speaking.
    “ I suppose we'd better get this out of the way now. You'll try it eventually. I think everyone does, as they all think they can hold on a bit longer, but they don't realise that it doesn’t make any difference. You will too, eventually, so best do it now, so you know. False hope...it'll get you in the end. It's always worse when it turns out it was nothing. It can break...but anyway. We've got about a mile walk now. Typical we're totally on the wrong side of The Foyer...Can you stand?”
    Bowler managed it.
    “ Where...”
    Hart looks sad. Not, not sad. Hart pities him. Bowler can see it. And Bowler now knows for certain that whatever is coming is going to hurt a very great deal indeed.
    “ You're going to catch a train.”
     
    ***
     
    “The guy, the guy with the nips.”
    “The what ?”
    “Sorry, the nip ples . Triple nipple!”
    “...I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about.”
    “He was in Lord Of The Rings, too.”
    “Ah, I liked those. Who was he in that?”
    “I can't remember...Dracula. He was Dracula.”
    “ Bela Lugosi? I'm sure he was dead by the time they made Lord Of The Rings.”
    “No, Dracula in the sixties or whenever. And that film with him out of The Equaliser, the weird one with the hippies.”
    “The Wicker Man.”
    “Yes! Lousy, it was.”
    “I liked it. Very disturbing.”
    “Anyway, he was the head hippy.”
    “Ah...Christopher Lee.”
    “Yeah...I think that's his name. Anyway, him. He's my favourite.”
    “The Man With The Golden