Read The Revelation Room (The Ben Whittle Investigation Series Book 1) for Free Online Page B

out and handed over the cash. Anyone
with half a brain knew the money would end up in an off-licence till.
    Maddie smiled. ‘There. That didn’t hurt too much, did it?’
    More than you’ll ever know , Ben thought.
    Maddie turned back to Gary. ‘We’ll be kicking around in
Oxford for the rest of the day. Would you call us if you see him?’
    Gary promised that he would.
    Ben thought the promise might as well be written in steam.
    ‘After today, it’ll take us about an hour to get here. So
call us straight away,’ Maddie said.
    Gary nodded. ‘Sure.’
    As they walked away, Maddie turned to Ben. ‘That’s a start.’
    ‘He won’t call.’
    ‘He might.’
    ‘Twenty quid’s a lot of money to pin to a donkey with
“might” for a tail.’
    Maddie ignored him. ‘Let’s get something to eat. I’m
starving.’
    Ben wasn’t. His stomach was too knotted to be hungry. They
went to McDonald’s where he spent most of the time lost in thought and twirling
cold fries between his fingers.
    Maddie finished her meal and wiped her mouth with a
serviette. ‘Let’s give it until four. If we hear nothing by then, we’ll head
off home.’
    ‘I suppose.’
    ‘At least Gary can keep an eye out for him.’
    ‘If he doesn’t spend the money on booze.’
    ‘We’ll just have to trust him, won’t we? Come on, let’s do
another sweep of the streets and then sit down by the Methodist church Gary
mentioned.’
    Ben thought if Gary had mentioned a busker in a hot-air
balloon, Maddie would have spent the rest of the day looking up at the sky.
    By the time they sat down outside the Methodist church an
hour later, Ben’s feet felt as if they’d been fed through a shredder. ‘What
time’s the next bus home?’
    ‘Twenty past four or ten to five.’
    Ben glanced at his watch. Another two hours. ‘Even if we
find this busker, and I join this stupid cult, it will be way too late for my
dad. I mean, it’s Tuesday now. He phoned Friday night and he sounded like he
was at death’s door then.’
    Maddie smiled. The patient smile of a parent with an
inattentive child. ‘You don’t know that, Ben. You have to keep believing.’
    ‘Believing in what, exactly? Miracles?’
    ‘Believing that things will turn out all right.’
    ‘And what am I supposed to say to this busker if we find
him? Hey, mate, do you belong to a cult?’
    Maddie laughed. ‘You’ll need to be a bit more subtle than
that. Just chat to him. See how the land lies. Convince him you’re searching
for answers. Tell him you hate modern living. Play it by ear.’
    Ben’s stomach churned. ‘I can’t do it, Maddie. I work in an
office. Well, a converted coal shed. I’m no good at pretending.’
    Maddie took hold of his hand. ‘You just have to trust
yourself, Ben. Take one step at a time.’
    ‘And then trip myself up.’
    Maddie let go of his hand. ‘If you’re so bothered about it,
why don’t we do it together?’
    ‘Do what?’
    ‘Join the cult.’
    Ben shook his head. ‘I couldn’t ask you to do that.’
    ‘You’re not asking. I’m offering.’
    ‘What about my mother? Who’s going to look after her?’
    ‘We’ll think of something.’
    ‘Like what?’
    ‘I could get my dad to ask Rhonda.’
    ‘Rhonda doesn’t even know my mum.’
    ‘Rhonda’s got a big personality. She’d cope. Trust me.’
    Ben wasn’t so confident. ‘My mother has two modes: nervous
and hysterical.’
    ‘Your mother’s bearing up quite well, considering.’
    ‘That’s more to do with happy pills than anything else.’
    ‘If you don’t want me to help, then fine, I won’t,’ Maddie
said. ‘I’m not going to force you. It was just an idea.’
    ‘And what about your dad? How’s he going to feel if you put
your neck on the line?’
    ‘He’d understand.’
    Ben stamped his foot to shoo away a pigeon that was paying
close attention to his trainers. ‘I don’t know. I think we should just go
home.’
    Maddie plucked a strand of hair off her forehead.