To Kill For Read Online Free Page A

a bit and he pulled away from me and flattened himself against the pub wall. He tried to smile and said, ‘I lost.’
    I didn’t know if he was talking about his betting. I didn’t think so.
    â€˜You know why I’m here?’
    â€˜Paget.’
    â€˜Yeah.’
    â€˜Had no choice, Joe. You know that. Paget was after you and if he knew I’d seen you and not told him, he would’ve sliced me up. I had to call him.’
    So, there it was. He thought I wanted him because he’d told Paget where to find me. Paget almost got me that time. Bowker thought he could sob his way out of that. He didn’t know I knew about Brenda. If he’d known that, he would’ve run like a bastard.
    â€˜I want him,’ I said.
    â€˜Can’t help you. I don’t know where he’s gone, do I?’
    â€˜You can contact him.’
    â€˜How?’
    â€˜You called him up when you set him onto me.’
    â€˜I called him at Marriot’s place.’
    â€˜You must have had another number.’
    He took too long to answer me, and he knew it.
    â€˜I got a mobile number.’
    â€˜Call it. Tell him I want to meet you tonight, 2 a.m., in the car park, back of the cinema, Lee Valley leisure centre.’
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜Do it. Tell him I’m looking for him. Tell him I’m meeting you because I think you might know where he is.’
    â€˜But…’
    â€˜Do it.’
    â€˜He’ll come for you.’
    â€˜That’s right.’
    â€˜Fuck.’
    He was in a spot. If he set up Paget, he was dead. If he set up me, he was dead.
    â€˜Fuck,’ he said again. ‘I can’t do that. Cross Paget? Fuck that.’
    â€˜You crossed me.’
    â€˜I had to.’
    â€˜Right. And now you have to cross him.’
    â€˜Christ, Joe. He’ll skin me.’
    â€˜He won’t live long enough.’
    â€˜You think he’ll come alone? He’ll come with a fucking army.’
    â€˜Do it.’
    â€˜I ain’t got a phone.’
    I took a mobile from my jacket pocket and gave it to him. He looked at the phone like he’d never seen one before. Then he looked left and right, trying to find a way out of the jam he was in. He pulled another cigarette from his pack and lit it with shaking hands. He puffed on the fag for a moment, trying to think his way out. He had no chance of that. After he’d done his thinking, he fished a small black book from his jacket pocket and flicked through it. He found the number he wanted and dialled. I leaned in close so I could hear what was said. A voice came over the line. A man answered and Bowker asked for Paget. There was a pause and finally I heard Paget’s voice. Bowker told Paget what I’d told him to say. Paget said, ‘Really? That’s very interesting.’
    The line went dead. I took the phone from Bowker. Paget’s mobile number was now in the memory. I put a hand on Bowker’s chest.
    â€˜Now,’ I said, ‘tell me about Brenda.’
    He stopped breathing for an instant. He said, ‘Who?’
    I put a fist in his diaphragm. It was only a poke, really. I wanted him to be able to talk. He doubled up and puked, his vomit splashing by my feet. He crumpled to the ground. I let him stay there until he could breathe again. Then I prodded him with my foot and told him to get up. He climbed back to his feet. His greasy quiff had fallen over his eyes.
    A man came out of the pub. He looked us over.
    â€˜What’s going on?’
    A few people were peering at us through the window. I told the man to fuck off.
    â€˜This is my fucking pub, mate.’
    I told him to fuck off again. He went back inside.
    Bowker was shaking, rubbing his gut. Yellow spittle hung down from his lip and he wiped it off with a trembling hand. He couldn’t look at me.
    â€˜You remember Brenda,’ I said. ‘Tall lady, black, worked for Marriot. She smiled a lot. They found her