Read Chris Collett - [Tom Mariner 01] for Free Online Page B

turning back to her across the table. ‘Let’s do it.’
    ‘Okay. As I told you, he won’t understand much of what you say to him,’ she said. ‘You’ll need to keep your language very simple. Short questions, using just the key words. And say his name first each time to get his attention.’
    Taking the Hula Hoops packet from Knox, she held it up, deliberately scrunching the wrapper noisily, dangling the proverbial carrot.
    Jamie made a grab for it but missed. ‘Loops. Want a loops!’ he said.
    ‘Jamie, sit down.’ Anna patted the fourth chair beside her and Jamie obediently sat without taking his eyes off the crisps.
    ‘Good,’ said Anna. ‘Good sitting.’ She rewarded him with a single Hula Hoop which Jamie held up to the light, turning it round in his fingers, before putting it in his mouth then holding out his hand immediately for another. Over the years Mariner considered himself to be up to the mark with most interviewing techniques but this one was something else. Anna gave him the nod.
    ‘Jamie,’ he began. Jamie glanced briefly in his direction as if newly aware that there was someone else present. ‘What happened last night, at your house?’
    No response. Jamie’s attention had reverted to the Hula Hoops. Seizing Anna’s free hand he pushed it towards the packet. Anna pulled away. ‘Not yet, Jamie,’ she said, Mariner cleared his throat. ‘Jamie, what happened last night at home?’
    This time the response was instant. ‘Home! Home now!’
    Jamie shouted and jumped up grabbing Anna’s arm, dragging her off the chair and towards the door. Anna wrenched herself free. ‘No Jamie, not now. Look, Hula Hoops.’ She held up the packet and, regaining his attention, led him back to the table.
    ‘Loops,’ Jamie echoed, reaching out for another.
    As he sat down Anna gave him another of the snacks ‘Yes. Jamie sit down, that’s good sitting.’ She looked over at Mariner. ‘Try something different,’ she suggested.
    ‘Jamie, what happened to Eddie?’ Mariner said.
    ‘Eddie,’ the word echoed back at him.
    ‘That’s right,’ said Mariner, encouraged. ‘What happened, Jamie? What happened to Eddie last night, what did he do?’
    ‘Eddie,’ Jamie repeated once more and then, as if a sudden realisation, he leapt up tipping back the chair with a crash and began to restlessly pace the room.
    ‘You’ve said too much,’ said Anna. ‘It’s confusing him Jamie came to a halt, resting his face against the wall murmuring to himself.
    ‘What’s he saying?’ asked Knox. They listened.
    ‘Sounds like “Sally”,’ said Mariner. For a split second Jamie glared at him, angrily.
    ‘No Sally-Ann! No Sally-Ann!’ he shouted.
    ‘Sally-Ann who? Who’s she?’
    Anna pulled a face. ‘I don’t know.’
    They listened again as Jamie’s chanting grew in intensity. Then suddenly, without warning, Jamie began banging his forehead against the wall, in time with the chanting over and over and with increasing force. Both Anna and Knox jumped up and managed between them to drag him away, Knox firmly gripping Jamie by the shoulders to restrain him.
    ‘Jamie, stop!’ said Anna. ‘It’s all right, there’s no Sally Ann. Stop!’ Slowly Jamie ceased struggling against Knox and calmed down.
    Anna turned to Mariner. ‘I told you, it’s a waste of time. He doesn’t understand abstracts. He’s only interested in here and now. Concrete things. Things that are important to him, like Hula Hoops.’
    ‘All right,’ said Mariner, rethinking. ‘How about if we took him back to the house?’
    Anna sighed, wearily. ‘It might be worth a try.’
    ‘Get a car organised, will you, Knox?’

    In the light of day thirty-four Clarendon Avenue looked like any other in the street, with nothing except the narrow strip of crime scene tape to mark it out as so recently called on by death. And even that didn’t look entirely out of place alongside what resembled a small building site in the garden next door,