would not have noticed any change in the smile on Holdenâs face, behind it the raised hopes were suddenly extinguished. She wondered how she could have been so stupid to expect anything else. With Danny, there was always someone following, so of course there was bound to have been someone following Jake, as there had been someone following Sarah, as no doubt Danny had been followed all the way from his room to the day centre that morning. Not to mention yesterday. Or the day before.
âHow do you know he was being followed?â she asked, but her questions were now on autopilot. Only, unlike an airliner, they were going nowhere.
He frowned, as if puzzled by the question, then after a few seconds smiled. âIt was obvious,â he stated. âObvious!â
âItâs not obvious to me,â said Holden, her autopilot betraying signs of irritation.
âYou didnât know him,â he said calmly. He was still smiling, not at
Holden though, but at his hands. He held his left palm open, and with his right he traced a pattern on it â a figure-of-eight, Holden reckoned â first one way, and then the other. âI did. And from that day, he was different.â
âHow do you mean, different?â Holden asked.
Danny looked up from his hands, but he was still smiling, almost beatifically. Holden was reminded of a picture of a saint that had adorned a notebook once given to her by her Aunt Ida. âDifferent like two identical apples,â he explained, and his hands traced smooth patterns through the air as if he was a priest standing before the altar. âOne apple is green and shiny, and when you bite into it, it tastes like the best apple you have ever tasted, like the one your dad picked off the tree that day he took you to the fair and you sat on his lap down the helter skelter. And the other apple is green and shiny too, but when you bite into it, the flesh is soft and brown, and in the middle is a long black worm that has gorged itself so full that as soon as your teeth reach it, it explodes like a landmine of bitterness inside you. That was what Jake was like after Iâd smashed his car.â
Holden leant back. She had turned the autopilot off, but the feeling that she was wasting her time was growing by the second. She looked back at Dannyâs grinning face, and then up at the looming figure of Fox. Her eyes sent out a SOS, and he dutifully responded.
âCan you give us a description of this man that was following Jake?â he asked.
âA description?â Danny replied with puzzlement in his voice.
âYes Danny,â Fox said firmly. âHow tall was he? What colour hair did he have? Or was he bald? What was he wearing?â
Fox paused, but Danny made no reply. His right hand was tracing patterns on his left hand again, but the movements were faster than earlier, and jerkier. âYou did see him, didnât you Danny?â Fox pressed. Again there was silence. Dannyâs right hand began to slow down, until it stopped moving altogether. There was a slight shrug of the shoulders, and a single muttered word: âNo.â
âIn that case,â Holden smiled, âI donât think we need to ask you any more questions, Danny. But thank you. Youâve been very helpful,â she lied.
As Danny got up from the chair, Holden motioned to Laing to stay.
She waited until Fox had closed the door before asking her question. âSo what is your take on all of this, Ms Laing. I gather you know something about the vandalizing of Jakeâs car?â
âWho doesnât here? It was the big day centre news when it happened.â
âAnd when was that?â
Laing shut here eyes briefly as she tried to focus on the detail. âAbout three months ago, I should reckon. But you can check that in your records. Jake reported it to the police because his car was so damaged. But until just now, I had no idea that it was Danny who did
Landon Dixon, Giselle Renarde, Beverly Langland