by Rob Johnson
The image began to fade and then evaporated entirely with the sudden awareness that Milly had stopped howling. Whereas most dog owners would have heaved a sigh of relief at the lull in the mayhem, Milly’s silence instantly pushed all of Trevor’s alarm buttons at once. It could only mean one thing. Frustrated that her baying wolf impersonation had failed to produce any tangibly positive results – particularly the reappearance of her so-called master – she had turned her attention instead to the upholstery of Sandra’s car.
‘Oh bloody Nora,’ he said and sprang to his feet.
Although there was no reason to do so, he automatically grabbed the flush handle of the toilet and pushed it downwards. He had already unlocked the door when he realised that all he had heard was a dull clunking sound from somewhere inside the cistern. Turning back, his hand reached out towards the porcelain lid, but it had travelled no more than two or three inches before he abruptly withdrew it.
‘Uh-uh,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘You might have caught me out once, but that’s your lot, pal. You can get yourself a proper plumber this time.’
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am indebted to the following people for helping to make this book better than it would have been without their advice, technical knowhow and support:
Tom Doyle, Nuala Forde, Lisa Garvey-Williams, Richard Garvey-Williams, Bill Huntington, Judy Jagmohan, Trine Ejlskov Jensen, Rob Johnson (a different one), Jim Jones, Tina Keeley, Yiannis Kininis, Diane McDowell, Roddy McDowell, Huw Morris, Alexander Phillips, Derek Poulson, Jane Romans-Wilkins, Petros Stathakos, Nadia Tottman, Bob Uden, Dan Varndell, Naomi Varndell, Chris Wallbridge, Elizabeth Wallbridge, Nick Whitton, Rachel Whyte, Richard Wilkins
COVER DESIGN
Many thanks also to Kostas Tsoukatos for the original artwork and to Brian Ground for the overall design. (Sorry I kept changing my mind!)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lifting the Lid is my first novel, although I have written professionally for the theatre in the past.
My career as a playwright began after having worked for several years as an administrator and publicist for touring theatre companies and I decided to try my hand at writing plays myself. Four of these were toured throughout the UK, but when public funding for non-commercial theatre virtually dried up overnight I was forced into the world of “proper jobs” as my father liked to call them.
Some of these were less “proper” than others and included working in the towels and linens stockroom at Debenhams, as a fitter’s mate in a perfume factory, a multi-drop delivery driver, and a motorcycle dispatch rider. I was actually sacked from the last of these jobs because, according to my boss, ‘We could get a truck there quicker.’
During this period, I also made use of my Equity card and appeared in numerous TV shows as a ‘supporting artiste’, otherwise and somewhat less attractively known as an ‘extra’. (Ricky Gervaise was spot on by the way. Just wish I’d written Extras myself.)
I’m currently in Greece with my partner, Penny, working on a sequel to Lifting the Lid and a couple of screenplays. I’ve also been producing a series of short, hopefully humorous podcasts (with background barking sounds provided by our five rescue dogs).
If you’d like any more information, please…
visit my website at http://www.rob-johnson.org.uk (where you can also listen to my series of podcasts)
follow @RobJohnson999 on Twitter
check out my Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rob-Johnson-Writer/498882313513422?ref=hl
LIFTING THE LID
Published by Xerika Publishing
Copyright © Rob Johnson 2013
The right of Rob Johnson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by Brian Ground from an original painting by Kostas Tsoukatos.
First published 2013 by Xerika Publishing
10 The Croft, Bamford, Hope Valley, Derbyshire S33 0AP
ISBN: 978-0-9926384-0-5
http://www.rob-johnson.org.uk