The reception was busier than it was last night. As he passed, he asked the desk clerk if he had any calls. The answer was no, nothing.
The Pit was livelier now. Jonathan Wheeler was back, sitting at Newport’s desk, eyes down. The current hot topic was the latest riddle. York looked at the wall clock. The morning was nearly gone. So was their time.
Over by the chalkboard The Pit Bull stood staring at the new riddle. Stepping up next to her he said, ‘Any ideas?’
Mason’s stare remained fixed on the board. ‘I think if I looked at this for the rest of the day I’d be none the wiser.'
York waited, sensing Mason had more to say.
'The papers are calling us lax, inept, and I don’t think I can argue it. We’re nowhere, jumping through hoops for this bastard. He has us right where he wants us.’
‘Yep,’ said York scanning the riddle.
No legs have I to dance, no lungs have I to breathe, no life have I to live or die, and yet I do all three.
‘He’s back,’ someone called out. York and Mason turned to the see PC Dale Yates standing at the bay window looking out.
York and several others joined him. The man in the green hoodie had returned, standing exactly where he had the first time, hands in pockets, back casually to the fence.
‘You want me to take our answer out this time, ma’am?’ Yates said to Mason.
‘Don’t call me ma’am, Dale,’ said Mason.
A thin smile crept onto York’s face. ‘There’s nothing to take out there yet. If we don’t find the answer to this riddle soon, someone we probably know isn’t going to see the night out.’
Yates looked back to the figure in the street. ‘How do we even know there is an answer? All that shit on the board, it means nothing to me!’
‘There’s an answer. Giving us something unsolvable is not his style.’
He spotted Roy Sunnily walking into the Pit hand-in-hand with Abigail Fuller. It looked like they were leaving.
‘Going somewhere?’ York asked cutting them off. Abbey looked back at him with gentle green eyes.
Roy Sunnily smiled. ‘We were just released. Apparently you don’t need us anymore so I’m going to take Abbey here down to Social Services, get her on the register. And afterwards we’re going to go hit KFC, right, Abbey?’
‘What’s this?’ asked Abbey walking demurely over to the chalkboard.
‘It’s a riddle,’ said York. ‘We play games in here too, you know. We’re not a bunch of boring sods.’
Abbey's smile broadened. ‘Ha, well you’re not very bright then, this is an easy one!’
The majority of the room heard the girl drop the bombshell.
‘What…what did I say?’ she muttered.
‘You know the answer to this?’
‘Of course, I love riddles! Jeez, grown-ups are soooo thick sometimes!’
Silence.
‘Okay look,’ she said, exasperated, ‘what dances, other than human beings? Fire, of course! Fire needs oxygen to breathe, and a fire comes to life and then it dies, simple!’
Turning to the Pit crew, Abigail offered a small curtsey.
‘You heard the girl, go-go-go! Prep the envelope again. No bugs this time. There will be no pursuit!’ Then York knelt to Abigail Fuller’s height. ‘Abbey, I think you’re the most amazing ten year old I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.’
‘I know,’ she smiled. ‘I’m pretty cool.’
‘Keanu Reeves doesn’t know what he’s missing.’
Roy Sunnily stood patiently behind the girl, tugging at his beard.
‘I’m going to have to go now, aren’t I?’ she murmured.
‘I don’t know what’s going to happen, Abbey,’ he replied honestly. ‘Roy’s going to take care of you for a while. But I’ll keep up with your paperwork. If I know where you are, I can drop in on you from time to time.’
‘You promise?’
‘If it earns me a hug.’
Without encouragement, Abigail Fuller wrapped her tiny arms around him and squeezed.
‘Not too hard. I’m an old man.’
‘Oh, I know,’ she grinned.
Sunnily stepped forwards. ‘We should be going, Nicolas. Lots of paperwork to fill out, you know how it is.’
It had been eighteen months since he’d held a child in his arms, or felt that genuine feeling of warmth and vulnerability only children emitted. There was a big age gap between Frasier and Abigail, but the effect was the same. For just a moment, a split second even, his loneliness had abated.
‘I’ll see you soon, Abbey,’ he said quietly.
She stepped forwards and kissed him on the cheek. ‘Bye, Nicolas,’ she murmured, and Roy Sunnily led her out of the Pit.
29
This time as York crossed the street more people were filtering through the morning, mice lost in a maze, passing the hooded figure with little or no interest. Clutching the envelope tightly he stood before the messenger and waited silently.
In the bright daylight, the messenger pulled the hood further down until only his lightly stubbled jaw line was showing. Mirroring his first visit, he reached out, palm upwards, and waited for the package to be placed into his hand. York obliged, and the envelope disappeared into the hoodie. Then the messenger began to walk away, mixing subtly into the crowd.
Clenching his fists York let out a yell of pure frustration. Heads turned his way; others gave him a wide berth.
For fuck's sake! His adversary was the one cordoning off areas with yellow tape, restricting places he needed to see. He yelled again, the frustration pouring out of him. More people strode wide of him, some crossed the street.
He dug his hands into his pockets and leaned against the fence where the
