Page 2 of We Chase Shadows

1

It is lunchtime in The Brass Monkey, which is now Axley’s second most profitable pub, since the pub opposite, The Flagon, started selling vapes to teenagers.

‘I’m off to Rosie’s book launch this evening,’ says Steve.

A few nods at this from his regular lunch companions, but no one’s very excited. Steve decides to ramp the story up a notch.

‘It’s in London.’

That does the trick. There are rueful shakes of the head all round.

‘London,’ says Jyoti Das. ‘Rather you than me.’

‘You taking the train, Steve?’ asks Tony Taylor, blowing on a piece of microwaved scampi. ‘Or driving?’

More intakes of breath at the idea of driving to London.

‘Good luck driving,’ says John Todd, in one hand a forkful of shepherd’s pie, in the other a Sudoku, which appears to be eluding him. ‘Don’t know where you think you’re going to park in London.’

John puts down his Sudoku and takes a sip of his pint, like a man who has seen too much in this life.

‘Yeah, I’ll get the train,’ says Steve.

‘Last train back is 11.30,’ says Tony. ‘Don’t miss it. I read a guy missed the last train back and was murdered.’

Wise nods all round.

‘And that’s London for you,’ says John.

‘We’re staying over,’ says Steve.

‘Staying over?’ says Jyoti.

‘In London?’ says John. ‘Staying over in London? All right, Bill Gates.’

‘Rosie’s going on Graham Norton,’ says Steve. ‘The chat show. She invited me and Amy. They put you up in a hotel.’

‘For free?’ Tony asks. He drops his latest piece of scampi into his pint, then fishes it out and eats it.

‘Hope so,’ says Steve. ‘You’d think so.’

‘You’d better check,’ says John. ‘Five hundred quid sometimes in London. Six hundred, I heard once, and you have to tip. No, thank you. What happens at a book launch?’

Steve shrugs. ‘There’s booze, I know that.’

‘Okay,’ says Jyoti. ‘That’s something at least.’

The others nod and chew.

‘Free?’ asks John. ‘The booze?’

‘Think so,’ says Steve.

‘You’d better check that too,’ says Jyoti. ‘Don’t want to be carrying money around in London. I read on Facebook one woman –’

Steve holds up a hand. ‘You’re all aware I was a police officer in London for twenty-five years?’

‘It’s changed,’ says John. ‘It’s sped up.’