who thought they were the big time.
Pulling out his phone, Del remembered that he needed to make a call to his lawyer. He’d been trying to get through all day. Each time he called the office he left a message, but no one called back, which had begun to piss him off no end. He needed some papers drawn up before he went to Marbella, which was now cutting it finely.
Just as he was about to leave another warning message, Del looked up. He smiled, waving as he caught sight of the person he was waiting for. The one other person who could compete with his affections as much as Bunny could, and only the second person he’d ever given his heart to. His daughter. Star Barker-Williams.
‘All right darlin’.’ Del winked at his daughter as she ran towards him, grinning.
Seven-year-old Star Barker-Williams looked at her dad and winked back. He’d taught her to wink and now it was her favourite way of greeting everyone, though her headmaster hadn’t taken kindly to it this morning. He’d told her off and made her stay in at play-time. He was such a spoilsport. Even when she’d taken her pirate’s treasure to school he’d told her off. Instead of being interested in seeing it he’d put it in his drawer until home time. The thought of it made Star crinkle up her nose in disgust. Still, at least she’d managed to take her spyglass to school today without being caught. She’d been able to keep it a secret and one thing Star Barker-Williams delighted in more than anything was secrets.
3
‘One more time, Daddy. Do it again. Please.’ The laughing request and exaggerated please came from eight-year-old Julie Cole as she and her brother, Zak, bounced up and down on their beds in manic delight as they watched their father, Gary, play air guitar to Robert Palmer’s ‘Bad Case of Loving You’.
‘No, babe. It’s getting late, sweetheart. You need to get some sleep.’
Disappointed, Julie sat down hard on the bed, her arms firmly crossed in disgust at her father’s suggestion.
‘What about sweets? You promised we could have some before we went to bed.’
‘I ain’t going out again, babe, I’m tired. I’ll get you some sweets tomorrow. I promise.’
‘You promised today. You said we could have them today. Please.’
Gary Cole couldn’t resist it. He was as powerless to the charms of his daughter as he had been with her mother.
‘Okay, okay. Bleedin’ hell, you’ve chewed me ear off enough. But I ain’t going. If you want them, you go. Here’s a fiver; make sure you bring back me change.’
* * *
Gary sat back on the sofa and opened his fourth can of lager. Apart from the kids, getting lagging was one of Gary’s few pleasures in life. It made him forget, and most of the time that’s all Gary wanted to do. Watching the freshly opened beer’s froth appear and bubble on top of the dinted can, Gary yawned. He lay back on the sofa not wanting to think anymore, instead drifting off to sleep.
Julie Cole skipped along the alleyway which ran behind the sprawling grey estate off the Euston Road. Even for her young age she knew it was a dump. She’d often heard her Dad say so and she guessed, but didn’t know, if it was part of the reason her mum had left.
Standing at the top of the litter-strewn concrete stairs leading down to the canal walk, Julie looked around. It was quicker to get to the sweet shop that way, but her dad had told her to stay on the main road. But then, her dad wasn’t here and when her dad wasn’t here it meant he couldn’t start shouting at her and give her a clip round the ear. It also meant she could do what she liked. The other good reason to go the short cut was being able to get home before Zak went to sleep. He liked sweets just as much as she did and she didn’t want him not having his treats tonight.
With one more quick glance around and her mind made up, Julie Cole bounded down the stairs two at a time, jumping over the empty cans of beer and used syringes at the bottom.
Standing at the edge of the canal bank, with the sun still beating down, Julie crinkled her nose at a soiled nappy floating on top of the water. She watched, fascinated, as a large water rat swam by, navigating its way through the rubbish and canal weeds.
‘Dirty, isn’t it?’
Startled, Julie turned round and saw a man standing behind her. She held her breath, frightened at his appearance. He stood a few feet away, staring hard at her. In one hand he held a fishing rod, in the other a plastic bag, which looked to Julie as if it was moving of its own accord. His clothes were old and torn and even though it was a hot summer evening, he wore an oversized trench coat. His face looked funny too. Scary. And his teeth looked like they hadn’t been cleaned for a long time.
Julie began to back away, nervously.
‘Do you want to see what’s in my bag?’ The man grinned as Julie shook her head, her eyes wildly focused on the dirty bag he held. It was definitely moving. Her dad had been right. She should never have come this way.
‘Is everything all right?’
Another voice came from behind her. She turned round to see a tall well-dressed man coming out from the darkness of the canal tunnel. Julie let out an audible sigh of relief as he approached her.
‘Is this man bothering you, love?’
Julie shrugged her shoulders. The well-dressed man turned to the man holding the moving bag and spoke in a firm authoritative voice. ‘Maybe you should be getting on your way.’
Julie watched as the scruffy man, not bothering to say another word, hobbled off along the canal towards Kings Cross.
‘Are you all right? Did he give you a fright? Sometimes people aren’t as scary as they look but you should never trust anyone you don’t know.’
Again Julie shrugged. ‘Yeah, me dad’s always saying that. He told me not to come this way.’
‘Where is your dad?’
‘At home with me brother. I’m going for sweets but I wanted to get back before Zak went to sleep, that’s why I came this way.’
‘Would you like me to walk with you? Make sure you’re all right.’
Julie looked at the man. He was smart looking. Wearing a black suit. ‘Okay.’
‘Which shop are you going to?’
‘Patel’s on Eversholt Street ’cos they do the sweets my brother likes. Do you know where it is?’
‘Yes, I know it, but I know a better way to go. Come on, let me show you. Hold my hand because it’s dark under the tunnel. We don’t want you falling over and ruining that pretty dress you’re wearing, do we?’ The man smiled as Julie Cole took his hand.
4
It tasted like garbage. If Gary were to bet what garbage tasted like, he would’ve said it tasted like his mouth did at that very moment. Scraping his tongue with his teeth, Gary lit a cigarette, hoping it would somehow remove the foul taste.
He
