The Winter Man
Page 31
Blake stood in the doorway watching Sara sleep fitfully as if in a bad dream. Her eyes were lined, needle scars on her arm. Blake’s jaw clenched tight, his anger rising.
His mobile phone beeped in his pocket. He took it out. A picture message. He opened it. It was the one of him from his notebook taken when he was younger but the other piece was no longer missing. A young man, smiled broadly, his arm around Blake, a red raw birthmark at his temple.
‘What is it?’ asked Sara, waking.
Blake came and sat on the side of her bed. He showed her the picture.
‘I remember who this is.’
‘Who is it?’
Blake dialed the picture message number. The line rang.
Nathaniel looked at the ringing phone. His eyes began to glisten. He held his hand out over the phone. For a moment it looked like he was not going to pick it up. Then he did.
Blake listened to the line connect.
‘Nathaniel,’ he whispered.
‘Blake.’ The voice on the other end was like a dream.
‘Long time, brother.’
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Epub ISBN: 978-1-5272-5946-1
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Copyright © Perry Bhandal 2020
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Jacket Photographs: Copyright © Pexels Images (silhouetted man), © Canva Images (train)
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First published by Kirlian Pictures in 2020
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library