staring.
âWould you like to come in?â He held the door wider.
She walked past him into the freezing flat. âHow was last night?â
âBusy. Very busy.â
âYou were awake all night?â
âJust got in.â
âDonât you get tired?â
He shook his head. âSometimes. Not like you. At least, I donât fall asleep on my visitors like you do.â
Lilyâs face heated. âSorry.â
He scrubbed a hand back through his hair from his temple, holding the back of his neck, eyes down. âI didnât mind. It was the highlight of my night with what came afterwards, put it that way.â
The silence was awkward. Lily took a breath. âAnyway . . .â
He leant against the desk and folded his arms. âWhy did you come?â
She pulled her computer from her bag and went over to the table, where the newspaper clippings were spread out and the thesis lay open. âFYI, taking this stuff without permission was low.â
âI know,â he said. âBut I heard your father on the stairs and I thought youâd come for them anyway. If not, Iâd have returned them.â
Lily didnât answer that. âDid you find anything in them?â
âNo. Your motherâs disappearance was never solved.â
âYes, well, anyway,â Lily cut across him as the brief flare of hope burnt out, âsomeone was making contact with Vicky through Facebook before she disappeared. Someone called David Smith.â
âHuman boyfriend?â
âA boyfriend with no other friends?â Lily looked up at him.
His expression was blank. âWould that be so strange?â
She looked back at the screen. âOkay, well, try a boyfriend who arranged to meet her on Blackfriars Bridge the night before last? Maybe thatâs where Gambleâs got mixed up. Perhaps heâs the same build as you, or something.â
Regan crouched down next to her. âShow me,â he urged.
Lily pointed to the exchange on-screen. He read it. âWe have to find him,â he said without taking his eyes from the computer. âHow do we do that?â
âItâs not quite that simple. I hacked his account too. Heâs got a blank avatar â meaning no photo of himself â and, from what I can see, is as good at protecting his identity online as I am.â
Regan pushed to his feet and started pacing. âOkay. But is this all that unusual?â
âItâs not all that usual , put it that way. But itâs not just that.â Lily sat back in the chair. Regan turned to her, waiting. âVicky goes to the same doctorâs surgery as I do. Last month she had a blood test.â
He shook his head. âHuman stuff, I donât get it. Explain itto me.â
Lily shrugged. âIâm not one hundred per cent sure, but if you think the Agency might be watching me, it seems too much of a coincidence that a girl going to the same surgery for blood work has an otherwise anonymous, unhackable boyfriend. And thereâs enough of a connection between this girl and your kind for Gamble to see her with you in a vision.â
Regan walked into the kitchen. âMaking tea. Like some?â
âYes, please.â
He came out a minute later with a mug and gave it to her. Lily thanked him and sipped. âWhereâs yours?â
âThatâs the only mug.â
Lily rolled her eyes and handed it over.
He accepted it wordlessly and took a mouthful. âSo, what do we do now?â
âWell, Iâm due to give blood. I thought we could go to the surgery and see if thereâs anything to be found out there.â
He sat on the edge of the desk and passed the tea back. âLike what?â
âI donât know. But they hook me up for a while, and Iâm usually left on my own. If I can get into their computer system, I can have a look at Vickyâs records, and at mine. See if
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