Denise Mina - Exile

"Oh." His eyes slid to the floor and he looked very serious. "You were asking about a guy. Thought I might know him."

"Do you know him?"

"Is there a photie…?"

He waited, leaning into her expectantly. The most paranoid man in Brixton had called a stranger to his fortress flat to see if he could be of any assistance. Maxine had warned her about this: she had told them to get rid of the picture. "I'm afraid I've lost it," she said innocently, "but how about if I describe him to you?"

Parlain didn't like it.

"Would you be able to identify him then?" she asked.

Parlain didn't like it at all.

"He's quite distinctive," she said.

"How did ye lose it?" he snapped.

"How did I lose what?"

"The photo." He was nearly shouting at her.

"I was in a bar today and I showed it to someone and they asked to keep it."

"In the Coach?" His face was turning red and he was on his feet, pacing up to the barred window with his hands behind his back.

"No." She tried to think of another pub. "It was the one down by the…" She pointed and frowned as if she couldn't quite remember. "By the… Opposite the railway station, across the road."

He was next to her, leaning over her and frowning. "The Swan?"

"Could be. I don't know this area well."

She really wanted to get out. She felt sorry for Parlain but she didn't know what this level of paranoia would make him capable of.

He leaned in closer and she could feel his breath on her forehead. "Big bar, long bar, bald guy serving? Talks like a poof?"

"I think so," she said, because she wanted out. "That's right, there."

"What was the guy like?"

"Which guy?"

"The guy who took the picture?"

"Wee, English accent, wore a dark coat-"

"Fat?"

"Yeah, he was quite fat."

"Right," he said, his arms hanging by his side, his fingers wriggling like a bushel of worms. He walked back to the window and looked out. "And he was there when ye left?"

"Yeah, this was like fifteen minutes ago. Ye paged me when I was with him." Parlain was going to leave the house and go to the Swan. He was going to leave her in here. "I'll take ye to him. He was a nice guy, I'm sure he'll give me the photo if I ask him."

He looked at her. "Aye." His neck twitched nod after nod. "You come with me." He stormed into another room and came back with a battered leather jacket.

Maureen wondered if he had taken the precaution of washing it with soapy water too. She stood up, smiling stupidly. "Let's go, then," she said happily. "I'll buy ye a pint if ye like."

But Parlain was beyond being touched by courtesy. He ignored her offer, unlocked the door, and they stepped out into the stairwell. Maureen felt the updraft of warm air and knew she was lucky to have gotten out of there. Parlain peered down the stairs as he locked up carefully. He led the way, turning back occasionally to make sure she was still with him. He led her down the stairs and out of the door to Argyle Street.

"I'm not sure it's called the Swan," said Maureen, thinking on her feet. "It's past the Underground and over the road a bit."

Parlain stopped. "That's not the Swan."

She pulled him by the elbow, trying to give the impression that she was keen to stay with him. "Come on anyway, and I'll show you. Down here."

They took the road straight down to the high street. Parlain's paranoia was not confined to the house. He kept his head down, looking straight forward, anxious not to be seen.

"Straight down and across the road," she said.

She walked alongside him all the way down the hill, wittering shit about home and how cold it was and she liked it here and the people were really friendly. Parlain stopped responding after the first two hundred yards and Maureen gradually let her chatter peter out. When they got beyond the long social-security building she began to drop back, walking in the edge of Parlain's line of vision for a little while, slipping back when they got to the mouth of a small lane. She let him get a couple of feet ahead of her and then she bolted, walking as fast as she could at first and then running, skipping around the corner, running and running to get the fuck away from him. She ran down Brighton Terrace and cut down a series of small streets before heading back to the high street and scurrying into McDonald's. She sat at the far table with her back to the window. Kilty Goldfarb watched her come in. She looked around, giggled and stood up, tiptoeing over to the table like a panto villain. "Hiya," she said. "Are you avoiding me?"

"Kilty," said Maureen, sweating and staring at the table, "do you like to drink?"

"Yeah."

"Will you go out to the road and hail a cab to take us into town?"

"You look terrified."

"I am terrified," whispered Maureen.

Kilty stood up and disappeared. Two minutes later she tapped Maureen on the shoulder. "Come," she said, watching the distance like a bodyguard. Maureen stood up and hurried outside to the waiting taxi. "Where are we going?" asked Kilty, shutting the cab door and sitting down next to her.

"Busy place with pubs," said Maureen.

"Covent Garden," called Kilty to the driver.

The taxi sighed as the hand brake came off and they drove away along the high street.

Leslie had slept all night in the armchair. She was desperate to get out of the cold house for an hour or so but she couldn't handle the kids at all. They were hungry and there wasn't any food in the house, apart from white bread. She had decided to dress them and take them to a I but Alan had hidden their clothes so that no one could take them anywhere.

Six-year-old John was playing nicely with the babies, talking to them and trying to make them wear Leslie's crash helmet, but it was big and black and it scared them. He pulled it on himself to show them it wasn't scary and sat in front of them, stroking their little legs. Alan was still in his pajamas, sitting in his daddy's chair, his little hands spread over the sticky armrests, looking up at her like an evil child genius.

"Tell me where the clothes are, Alan," said Leslie, for the fourth time in fifteen minutes.

Alan smirked at her.

"Where are the fucking clothes?" shouted Leslie, pressing her face into his.

"Hey, they're weans, ye can't talk to them like that," said Cammy, pulling her back by the arm. "They've had a bad fright."

Leslie glared at him. "Don't you raise your hand to me."

"I'm not raising my hand to ye, Leslie. I'm just saying yell upset them if ye shout like that."

As if on cue Alan started to cry. "I want my daddy," he said. "Where's my daddy?"

John whimpered under the helmet. The babies picked up the panicked theme and began to howl.

"See?" said Cammy. "You've upset them."

Leslie poked him hard in the chest. "No, Cameron, you've upset them."

Just then the front door opened and Jimmy came in, flanked by the two police officers. In silence the children ran, staggered and crawled over to their dad, clinging to his legs and hands, holding on to one another when they ran out of limbs. John was the last to get there. Blinded by the oversize helmet, he banged into the door frame and bounced back, staying on his feet. He grabbed his daddy's jumper, pulling it down at the side, baring Jimmy's skinny yellow shoulder. Jimmy calmed them all down with a pet and a hush each, but the children hung on tightly, tethering him like a rogue zeppelin.

"Where's the ticket, Jimmy?" The fat guy looked very tired now. His hand was tucked under Jimmy's armpit and he looked as if he'd like to smash him off a wall. "Is it under the chair?"

"Aye." Jimmy looked exhausted.

The blond woman lifted the cushion and began to rummage through the papers.