Read Online The Tunnel Rats by Stephen Leather - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Stephen Leather
Ads: Link
want to do?'
Sean drummed his fingers on the table, his brow furrowed. 'We could go to the zoo,' he said eventually.
'You want to go to the zoo?' said Wright, surprised.
'Fine. I guess.'
'Okay, it's the zoo, then.'
They went out to the car park. Wright opened the door to the Fiesta for Sean and waited until he'd fastened his seatbelt before getting in himself. It took several turns of the key before the engine burst into life. Wright drove to Regent's Park, doing his best to keep the conversation going. His son seemed happy enough, but it was clear from the number of questions that Wright had to ask how little they knew about each other.
'Here we are,' said Wright, stopping in the zoo car park. As they walked towards the entrance, spots of rain began to fall. Sean pulled up the hood of his blue anorak. 'You're not cold?' asked Wright.
'I'm okay,' said Sean.
Wright looked up at the clouds gathering overhead. They were grey rather than black and the rain didn't seem to be getting worse, but Wright wondered if he should suggest going somewhere else. The problem was, he couldn't think of 50 STEPHEN LEATHER a single place to take a seven-year-old boy on a wet Saturday morning.
He paid for them to get in and they walked together towards the large cats enclosures, which was always Sean's favourite part of the zoo. They passed several other father-and-son couples. The zoo was a popular place for divorced fathers to go with their children.
'Can you see them?' Wright asked.
Sean shook his head. 'Lions don't like the rain,' he said.
Drops of rain began to pitter-patter on the hood of Sean's anorak and water trickled down the back of Wright's neck. 'I'm sorry,' said Wright. He put his hand on his son's shoulder.
Sean looked up at him. 'What for?'
'The rain.'
Sean smiled up at him. 'It's not your fault.'
In the distance there was a flash of light followed a few seconds later by a roll of thunder. Wright and Sean hurried back to the car as the skies opened.
Sean looked out of the window as Wright drove towards Tavistock Place. 'Where are we going?' he asked.
'It's a secret,' said Wright.
It was only when Wright pulled up in front of the Gothic-style brick building in Tavistock Place that Sean realised what their destination was.
'It's your office,' he said, his eyes wide.
'Smart lad,' said Wright. 'You should be a detective.' The black metal gate rattled up and Wright drove through to the courtyard. There were fewer than a dozen cars parked there and Wright pulled up next to Tommy Reid's Honda Civic.
They found the man himself in the CID office, slouched in his chair with a naked foot propped up on his desk, clipping his toenails. He seemed totally unfazed by the appearance of Wright and his son and continued to drop pieces of clipped nail into a wastepaper bin. 'I thought you were playing video games,' he said.
'Nah, they encourage violent tendencies,' said Wright.
Reid raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'Do they now?' he said. 'I must remember that.'
- I THE TUNNEL RATS 51 'Then Sean here said he wanted to see animals. So I thought. . .' He gestured around the office.
'What better place?' Reid finished for him with a wry smile. He put down his clippers and pulled on his sock. 'How are you doing, Sean? My name's Tommy.'
Sean said hello but he was more interested in a large whiteboard which Reid had placed in front of the window on an easel. On it Reid had stuck a photograph of the body in the tunnel. 'What's that?' asked Sean, pointing at the photograph. 'It's a body, isn't it?' he said, stepping forward for a closer look.
Too late, Wright realised what Sean was looking at, and dragged him away. 'What the hell's that doing up here?' he yelled at Tommy. 'It's meant to be in the incident room. That photo's enough to give the boy nightmares.'
'They've only just finished connecting the phones and computers downstairs.' Reid went over to the coffee machine. 'I'm still checking lists of missing persons on the Police
Sean drummed his fingers on the table, his brow furrowed. 'We could go to the zoo,' he said eventually.
'You want to go to the zoo?' said Wright, surprised.
'Fine. I guess.'
'Okay, it's the zoo, then.'
They went out to the car park. Wright opened the door to the Fiesta for Sean and waited until he'd fastened his seatbelt before getting in himself. It took several turns of the key before the engine burst into life. Wright drove to Regent's Park, doing his best to keep the conversation going. His son seemed happy enough, but it was clear from the number of questions that Wright had to ask how little they knew about each other.
'Here we are,' said Wright, stopping in the zoo car park. As they walked towards the entrance, spots of rain began to fall. Sean pulled up the hood of his blue anorak. 'You're not cold?' asked Wright.
'I'm okay,' said Sean.
Wright looked up at the clouds gathering overhead. They were grey rather than black and the rain didn't seem to be getting worse, but Wright wondered if he should suggest going somewhere else. The problem was, he couldn't think of 50 STEPHEN LEATHER a single place to take a seven-year-old boy on a wet Saturday morning.
He paid for them to get in and they walked together towards the large cats enclosures, which was always Sean's favourite part of the zoo. They passed several other father-and-son couples. The zoo was a popular place for divorced fathers to go with their children.
'Can you see them?' Wright asked.
Sean shook his head. 'Lions don't like the rain,' he said.
Drops of rain began to pitter-patter on the hood of Sean's anorak and water trickled down the back of Wright's neck. 'I'm sorry,' said Wright. He put his hand on his son's shoulder.
Sean looked up at him. 'What for?'
'The rain.'
Sean smiled up at him. 'It's not your fault.'
In the distance there was a flash of light followed a few seconds later by a roll of thunder. Wright and Sean hurried back to the car as the skies opened.
Sean looked out of the window as Wright drove towards Tavistock Place. 'Where are we going?' he asked.
'It's a secret,' said Wright.
It was only when Wright pulled up in front of the Gothic-style brick building in Tavistock Place that Sean realised what their destination was.
'It's your office,' he said, his eyes wide.
'Smart lad,' said Wright. 'You should be a detective.' The black metal gate rattled up and Wright drove through to the courtyard. There were fewer than a dozen cars parked there and Wright pulled up next to Tommy Reid's Honda Civic.
They found the man himself in the CID office, slouched in his chair with a naked foot propped up on his desk, clipping his toenails. He seemed totally unfazed by the appearance of Wright and his son and continued to drop pieces of clipped nail into a wastepaper bin. 'I thought you were playing video games,' he said.
'Nah, they encourage violent tendencies,' said Wright.
Reid raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'Do they now?' he said. 'I must remember that.'
- I THE TUNNEL RATS 51 'Then Sean here said he wanted to see animals. So I thought. . .' He gestured around the office.
'What better place?' Reid finished for him with a wry smile. He put down his clippers and pulled on his sock. 'How are you doing, Sean? My name's Tommy.'
Sean said hello but he was more interested in a large whiteboard which Reid had placed in front of the window on an easel. On it Reid had stuck a photograph of the body in the tunnel. 'What's that?' asked Sean, pointing at the photograph. 'It's a body, isn't it?' he said, stepping forward for a closer look.
Too late, Wright realised what Sean was looking at, and dragged him away. 'What the hell's that doing up here?' he yelled at Tommy. 'It's meant to be in the incident room. That photo's enough to give the boy nightmares.'
'They've only just finished connecting the phones and computers downstairs.' Reid went over to the coffee machine. 'I'm still checking lists of missing persons on the Police
Similar Books
