bushes were dotted around the perimeter. There were sufficient breaks in the foliage for him to find a safe passage through and he climbed the wall into the church grounds. He ducked behind the wall and - under cover of a bush - he peered over towards the back of the flats. There was no sign of his pursuers and Peter breathed a sigh of relief. Then he saw a pair of hands gripping the fence and a man emerged over the fence onto the field. There was no sign of the large shaven-headed man and Peter assumed that he’d been unable to climb the wall or the steep grass verge. This man was tall, slender and, again, had close-cropped hair; the type of guy you wouldn’t quarrel with, not overbuilt but obviously strong. He swept the horizon, his gaze falling on the church.
The man started to come towards the wall and Peter sank back down in panic. He started to move away from the wall, crouching over as the wall was not high enough for him to run upright. He frantically looked around the grounds for a place to hide. He paused for a second, looking over to the far side of the grounds, recognising the very spot where seven of the Excellent Eight had been gathered for the funeral of Gavin Blair, around 24 hours ago. Now there were six.
He didn’t have time to dwell on it; the man would be at the wall soon and would easily spot him scuttling around trying to hide. Peter saw a small break in the wall ahead of him which he thought he might be able to squeeze through to hide on the outside of the wall which surrounded the west side of the church. He scurried over to the gap and squeezed his body through and crouched down.
He was on a small dusty path that followed the wall and then curled off in the opposite direction into an alley. He remembered that the alley separated a row of houses that lay on Plumer Drive ahead of the turnoff he had taken into the cul-de-sac to get to the flats. Peter heard the scraping of rock as the man chasing him climbed into the grounds. Peter pressed his body against the wall and stayed quiet, his heart thumping in his chest as he heard the various rustlings of the man searching the cemetery. The noises grew louder as the man approached his hiding spot. Peter’s entire body tensed as he heard the branches of a tree, directly behind the wall where he sat, being brushed aside. Peter clenched his fists waiting to fight back if the man should find him.
CHAPTER 14
15:16pm
Peter breathed a sigh of relief as the rustling noises started to move away from him. He edged cautiously up the wall and risked a glance into the grounds. He could see the man on the far side of the cemetery now, near the spot where Gavin was buried, making his way around towards the front of the church. Peter could hear the sounds of an ambulance whining in the distance behind him.
He got up and ran along the dusty path and down the alleyway, slowing as he reached the street. He cautiously looked out onto the street, just as the ambulance came tearing up the road and turned into the cul-de-sac towards the flats. Peter crossed over the road timidly and walked away from the commotion.
He was heading towards the town green, which lay out in front of the church, but realised that the man who had been chasing him might come back around this way after leaving the church. He decided to turn right and descended a flight of stairs which brought him down into Crooksbarn estate which lay directly behind the primary school he had passed earlier. This was considered ‘the posh end of town’ and he briskly walked down the street past the large townhouses. He had no idea where he was going and just walked aimlessly, his eyes darting to and fro nervously.
He continued to walk, with hunched shoulders, deeper into the maze of streets within Crooksbarn estate. He lost track of time. Eventually he stopped in the middle of a street. The world was spinning around him, as if he was stood on a merry-go-round. He felt sick,
The man started to come towards the wall and Peter sank back down in panic. He started to move away from the wall, crouching over as the wall was not high enough for him to run upright. He frantically looked around the grounds for a place to hide. He paused for a second, looking over to the far side of the grounds, recognising the very spot where seven of the Excellent Eight had been gathered for the funeral of Gavin Blair, around 24 hours ago. Now there were six.
He didn’t have time to dwell on it; the man would be at the wall soon and would easily spot him scuttling around trying to hide. Peter saw a small break in the wall ahead of him which he thought he might be able to squeeze through to hide on the outside of the wall which surrounded the west side of the church. He scurried over to the gap and squeezed his body through and crouched down.
He was on a small dusty path that followed the wall and then curled off in the opposite direction into an alley. He remembered that the alley separated a row of houses that lay on Plumer Drive ahead of the turnoff he had taken into the cul-de-sac to get to the flats. Peter heard the scraping of rock as the man chasing him climbed into the grounds. Peter pressed his body against the wall and stayed quiet, his heart thumping in his chest as he heard the various rustlings of the man searching the cemetery. The noises grew louder as the man approached his hiding spot. Peter’s entire body tensed as he heard the branches of a tree, directly behind the wall where he sat, being brushed aside. Peter clenched his fists waiting to fight back if the man should find him.
CHAPTER 14
15:16pm
Peter breathed a sigh of relief as the rustling noises started to move away from him. He edged cautiously up the wall and risked a glance into the grounds. He could see the man on the far side of the cemetery now, near the spot where Gavin was buried, making his way around towards the front of the church. Peter could hear the sounds of an ambulance whining in the distance behind him.
He got up and ran along the dusty path and down the alleyway, slowing as he reached the street. He cautiously looked out onto the street, just as the ambulance came tearing up the road and turned into the cul-de-sac towards the flats. Peter crossed over the road timidly and walked away from the commotion.
He was heading towards the town green, which lay out in front of the church, but realised that the man who had been chasing him might come back around this way after leaving the church. He decided to turn right and descended a flight of stairs which brought him down into Crooksbarn estate which lay directly behind the primary school he had passed earlier. This was considered ‘the posh end of town’ and he briskly walked down the street past the large townhouses. He had no idea where he was going and just walked aimlessly, his eyes darting to and fro nervously.
He continued to walk, with hunched shoulders, deeper into the maze of streets within Crooksbarn estate. He lost track of time. Eventually he stopped in the middle of a street. The world was spinning around him, as if he was stood on a merry-go-round. He felt sick,
Similar Books
