Her Vampyrrhic Heart Read Online Free Page A

life five years ago was hugely important to him – and hugely personal. He wasn’t going to be portrayed as some lunatic on television so someone could earn a fistful of cash.
    Tom had no appetite for the soup now. He hated it when his privacy wasn’t just invaded but trampled on like this. He closed his eyes and listened to the angry beat of his heart.
Why don’t they leave me alone? What do I have to do to escape the gossip and the finger-pointing?

SEVEN
    O wen Westonby and Kit Bolter sat on bales of straw. The pair were in a barn that belonged to Jez’s family. Jez had been called away to help his father with a recalcitrant computer.
    Kit examined the metal cylinder. ‘Let me get this straight. You found the pod by the river?’
    â€˜Pod? It’s a cylinder.’
    Kit shook his head. ‘It’s a pod in the sense that it contains an object or objects.’
    Owen grinned. ‘So you’re going to get all scientific on me?’
    â€˜You asked me to find out what this does.’
    â€˜OK, pod it is.’ Jokingly he made the introductions. ‘Mr Pod, meet Kit Bolter. Kit Bolter, meet Mr Pod.’
    â€˜Just plain “pod” will do.’ He poked a pencil through a split in the casing. ‘Interesting. Very interesting.’
    â€˜Any ideas?’
    â€˜Some. Where did you find it exactly?’
    â€˜Oh, up the valley near the old footbridge.’
    â€˜How was it lying?’
    â€˜Lying? Is that important?’
    â€˜Might be.’
    Owen thought for a moment. ‘Sort of pushed into the soil. Like it had fallen from a plane and the impact had embedded Mr Pod into the muck.’
    â€˜Or a heavy weight had crushed it into the earth?’
    â€˜Yeah, s’pose so.’
    â€˜The pod’s been crushed.’ Kit indicated the mangled casing. ‘Whatever did that was well heavy, mega-heavy.’
    â€˜If you say so.’
    â€˜Did you see any tyre tracks?’
    â€˜You mean, if it had been run over?’
    Kit nodded.
    Owen laughed. ‘You’re really taking this seriously, aren’t you?’
    â€˜I’d like to get into forensics. This is good practice.’
    â€˜Really? You in the police?’
    â€˜Why not?’
    â€˜Yeah, OK, why not?’ Owen nodded. ‘So what have you deduced, Sherlock?’
    â€˜If you’re going to take the piss … you find out what this is.’ He dropped the pod on to Owen’s lap before walking out of the barn.
    Owen sighed. Kit Bolter must have been fathered by an alien or something. His family were notorious for getting into all kinds of trouble, which usually led to visits from the police. Kit Bolter, on the other hand, had a sensitive, thoughtful nature. That sixteen-year-old with the pale blue eyes and gentle manner must be a foundling.
    Owen went to find Kit. When he caught up with him in the farmyard he apologized, insisting he’d been joking. ‘I’m a thoughtless goon,’ Owen confessed.
    â€˜You are,’ Kit agreed.
    â€˜I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made fun of you.’
    â€˜Apology accepted. Where’s the pod?’
    The cylinder that Owen had found that morning fascinated Kit. He’d seen a mystery there and wanted to find some answers. They returned to the barn. This time Owen sat quietly while Kit took the floor.
    â€˜This is an instrument pod,’ he told Owen. ‘There’s electronics inside, and the pod must have been contained in a housing of some kind. See? There’s no sign of weathering even though it looks as if it was designed for outside use.’
    â€˜Could it be part of a missile from a military aircraft?’
    â€˜Doubtful. If you hold it up to the light you can see a USB plug, so it’s meant to feed data into a computer.’
    â€˜Any idea what the pod is?’
    â€˜Could be a roadside speed camera. Maybe someone tried to destroy the evidence to avoid being fined for