Read Online The Death List by Paul Johnston - Free Book Online Page B

started to collect the bundles.
    “He paid you in cash?” she said, looking dubious again. “Did you sign a contract?”
    “No. His is a cash business, innit?”
    “All right,” she said, after giving it some thought. “I won’t tell the Inland Revenue.” She grabbed my wrist. “But I want first option on any juicy bits, okay? The paper will pay well.”
    “I’ll see,” I said noncommittally. “That’ll be up to the man himself.”
    Sara watched as I put the money in a holdall. “You’d better bank that tomorrow,” she said, stretching her arms behind her head. “You know how unsafe this place is. You haven’t even got an alarm.”
    I nodded. I knew only too well how unsafe my flat was. And how unsafe Lucy and Caroline were in our former family home. But the sight of the woman I loved waiting to be undressed on my bed drove away the fears. I brushed away the realization that my sparring with the lunatic and the disposal of Happy had aroused me, too. I didn’t know what that said about my psychological condition.
     
    Afterward Sara fell asleep quickly—she’d been away on assignments a lot recently. That left me on my own and anxiety gripped me again. What was I going to do about the White Devil? I wrestled with the problem for a long time.
    The last time I looked at my watch, it was three-thirty. Sleep wasn’t coming, and neither was anything like a plan of action.
     
    Sara left first thing, after giving me a kiss and ruffling my hair. She was going to her place in Clapham to change for the office. I had a shower and got dressed, then headed off to pick up Lucy. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing how she was taking Happy’s disappearance.
    As it turned out, I needn’t have worried. Caroline and Shami had concocted a story that the dog had gone to dog hospital and that the dog doctors were taking care of her. My ex-wife told me that in a whispered conversation before she went to catch her train.
    “Daddy?” Lucy said as we walked away from the house.
    “Yes, sweetie?”
    “Do you think Happy will come back from the dog hospital?”
    I looked down at her freckled features and squeezed her hand. “Of course she will.”
    “It’s just…” She paused and I heard a tiny sob.
    “What is it, darling?” I said, bending down.
    “It’s just, Martin Swallow’s dog got ill and he never…he never came home.” Her eyes had filled with tears.
    I gave her a hug and tried to comfort her. While I was telling her lies about Happy’s imminent return, anger coursed through me. That bastard. He was already screwing up my daughter’s life. What would happen when Caroline and Shami had to come clean about Happy having gone for good? One way or another, I was going to get back at him.
    The rage was still in me when I got back to the flat. I’d only been in for a couple of minutes when the phone rang.
    “’Morning, Matt.” The White Devil’s voice was jaunty. “Ready to start writing my life story?”
    I swallowed hard and tried not to show any emotion. “I’m ready.” It seemed that his proposition really was that I tell his story for him.
    “Good. Turn on your computer. You’ll find plenty of information. Read it and see what you think. Then do what you’re good at. Don’t worry, I don’t want a biography. I want you to turn what I’ve done into the best crime story ever written. Add whatever you think is necessary, but don’t take anything out. And make sure it’s in the first person, okay? I, I, I.” He gave a dry laugh. “I’m a reasonable man, Matt. Do me ten thousand words in a week and I’ll send you another five grand. You’ll get more information every day.” He broke off. “And, Matt, remember the ground rule. Don’t tell anyone.” His voice was harsher. “You’ll never know when I’m watching or when I’m listening. Just like you’ll never know if I decide to make a move on Lucy or anyone else you care about.”
    The line went dead. I hit 1471 and was told that