“Do you know a Rachel Evans?”
“Can’t say as I…. Why?”
“Wants to buy my stuff for On The Wall.”
“Who?”
“Art shop. Mind if I google them?”
“Go ahead. Laptop’s in the living room.”
“Ooh, you got the wireless sorted.”
Pete entered the living room with a Bodum of green tea and two mugs. “You know you haven’t mentioned Tommy Hill yet. I was expecting full on ranting from you. How hot is this woman?”
“It’s not about the hotness. It’s that I’m sure I should recognise her.” Joe scrolled down search results and clicked one almost at random. “She’s very hot. And very little of it’s painted on.”
“You going to shop him?”
“Don’t know. Considering how the Police treated me last time I don’t think they deserve any help.”
“You might get your money back.”
“Doubt it. They’re a bunch of arseholes. Well, most of them are.”
“I noticed you asked for Woods.”
“It was the uniform. And the keeping me out of prison. Otherwise, just a bit too uptight for me.”
“And you have your art bimbo to fantasise about now.”
“Just because she’s blonde doesn’t mean she’s….”
“Hugh Evans.”
“What?”
“Hugh Evans. Didn’t you share a house with him back in the second year?”
“You know I’m crap with names.” Joe was deep in thought. “Yeah, I think I remember him. Whatever happened to him?”
“Haven’t a clue. Didn’t he have a kid sister?”
“Of course he did. Cute kid, bit of a tomboy. We used to take her climbing trees in Platt Fields and try to sneak her into the students’ union. She visited a lot, I think their parents were divorcing.”
“You think it could be her?”
“Could be. But she’d only be….” Joe stared at the ceiling as he did the mental arithmetic. “God, that was fifteen? Fourteen, fifteen years ago. She was twelve, thirteen. That makes her…. Yeah, that makes her about the age of this Rachel I met today.”
“But is it the same person?”
Joe shivered. “Gah! I hope not. I used to boost that kid up trees. It has to be wrong to have dirty thoughts about someone you used to treat as a kid.”
“Tell you what. You get me a picture of her and I’ll have the dirty thoughts for you.”
“Fuck off.”
NaNoWriMo Progress
Other fiction- check out Heavensent, the propeller-punk sci-fi war novel I recently wrapped up, or download Another Education/Ruby Red or Ten Years Asleep.
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