page28 (1/2)
“Hey,” he said easily
There was a brief pause, and then a sharp inhale, and a woman’s voice “Hello,” she said “Is this the person who put Marie’s picture in the paper?”
“Yeah Who’s this?”
Nick spoke autoo away before he had a chance to think
“My name is Natasha Walsh,” the woman said “Marie was my sister”
“She’s dead?” Nick rapped out
He felt nothing but satisfaction at the thought She was dead then, that sirl, and if she was dead she could not lay clai up on her then
The woman spoke an instant before he did “Look,” she said, and then her words tuether “Is this about Alan? Is he all right? I haven’t seen him since last Christmas”
The way she talked about Alan sounded personal Nobody whom Nick had never heard of before in his life should be able to talk about his brother like that
“Last Christmas,” Nick repeated
So Nick’s half suspicion had been true: Alan had gone away and left the to do a translation; he’d left Nick in a cold, dark house that felt abandoned, with Mu upstairs Nick wanted to knohy he’d done it He wanted to know exactly what this girl had been to Alan
He put a hand to the back of his neck, his own grip stronger and rougher than Alan’s, and thought about trusting his brother
“Look,” he said abruptly “This isn’t a good time Can I—I’ll call you back”
He turned the phone off before she could speak again Then he weighed it, s hand He didn’t knohy he even had a phone, he thought; he never wanted to call anybody
He did knohy, of course Alan had given him the phone, and he’d kept it because he knew it et in touch with Nick whenever he wanted and check that he was safe
Nick slid the phone into his pocket and ca Nick had been hiding things too, but he’d tell Alan that he knew about Marie and what he’d done to find out more Alan would understand that the secrets and lies had to stop
He wasn’t in the bathrooan to retrace their steps, going slowly back tohere they’d left Mae and Jaht and held by the sound of his brother’s voice behind a door
“I knew he’d be sick,” Alan said “That didn’t matter”
Nick had been about to open the door, and now he found hi at it instead
“It sees haven’t mattered to you,” said the voice of Merris Cromwell
There was a s I’ve done”
Alan had been set on co hiht that Alan had cold-bloodedly accepted that Nick would be ill made him feel an uneasy shift in his stoe of his brother Alan — who’d raised hie of Nick’s bed like a s for him to fall asleep — with the dispassionate voice behind the door
“You ret it, but the Market will resent it,” Merris Cromwell said, her voice low and cold “If we had knoould never have let you coain”
Alan had told Merris about Mu about that, but he didn’t He felt nothing He stood in the cold, echoing corridor unable to
“Do you think I care?” Alan demanded “Can you help me or not?”
“I can’t help you, and I’lad I can’t,” Merris said icily “Don’t look to the Market for help froainst you You’re on your own”
Nick heard Alan nized, a soft, shaky breath; hurt but pulling hiht I would be I knohat I have to do, then Thank you”
“Don’t thank me,” Merris said “Don’t do this” There was a real note of pain in her voice suddenly, as if she’d thought she knew Alan, as if she’d believed in Alan like Nick had “Take my advice, Alan Nobody ever needs to know about this Hand it over to the icians Walk away”
It was good advice, Market advice Nobody froician, or been suicidal enough to openly defy a Circle Nick wished Alan would take it If he’d just give up on Muive away the charician, and she deserved to die With the threat of a whole Circle after theet that mark off
But apparently he didn’t know Alan any more than Merris did
“Take my advice, Merris,” Alan said in a voice twice as cold as hers “Don’t ever suggest anything like that to ain”
Merris’ voice was a low hiss “Get out of my house”
“No,” said Alan “First I want you to arrange somewhere else for us to live”
“And why should I do that?”
p>
“Hey,” he said easily
There was a brief pause, and then a sharp inhale, and a woman’s voice “Hello,” she said “Is this the person who put Marie’s picture in the paper?”
“Yeah Who’s this?”
Nick spoke autoo away before he had a chance to think
“My name is Natasha Walsh,” the woman said “Marie was my sister”
“She’s dead?” Nick rapped out
He felt nothing but satisfaction at the thought She was dead then, that sirl, and if she was dead she could not lay clai up on her then
The woman spoke an instant before he did “Look,” she said, and then her words tuether “Is this about Alan? Is he all right? I haven’t seen him since last Christmas”
The way she talked about Alan sounded personal Nobody whom Nick had never heard of before in his life should be able to talk about his brother like that
“Last Christmas,” Nick repeated
So Nick’s half suspicion had been true: Alan had gone away and left the to do a translation; he’d left Nick in a cold, dark house that felt abandoned, with Mu upstairs Nick wanted to knohy he’d done it He wanted to know exactly what this girl had been to Alan
He put a hand to the back of his neck, his own grip stronger and rougher than Alan’s, and thought about trusting his brother
“Look,” he said abruptly “This isn’t a good time Can I—I’ll call you back”
He turned the phone off before she could speak again Then he weighed it, s hand He didn’t knohy he even had a phone, he thought; he never wanted to call anybody
He did knohy, of course Alan had given him the phone, and he’d kept it because he knew it et in touch with Nick whenever he wanted and check that he was safe
Nick slid the phone into his pocket and ca Nick had been hiding things too, but he’d tell Alan that he knew about Marie and what he’d done to find out more Alan would understand that the secrets and lies had to stop
He wasn’t in the bathrooan to retrace their steps, going slowly back tohere they’d left Mae and Jaht and held by the sound of his brother’s voice behind a door
“I knew he’d be sick,” Alan said “That didn’t matter”