Read TOYL for Free Online

guy had his back to him, sitting on the grass, leaning on his hands.
    ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Will demanded. ‘Are you following me?’
    And then the man turned.
    ‘Excuse me?’ He looked puzzled, shielding his eyes against the sun. ‘Do I know you?’
    It wasn’t him.
    ‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ said Will, holding up his hands and stepping back a couple of paces. ‘I thought you were a friend,’ he said, trying to explain.
    ‘Right…’ said the man warily. ‘That’s fine. Don’t worry about it.’
    ‘Sorry,’ Will said again, turning and pacing away in the opposite direction.
    ‘What the hell am I doing?’ he muttered to himself as he walked away, his face flushed with embarrassment.
    He only stopped walking once he had put enough distance between himself and the man – there was no way he wanted to run into him again. He leant against a wall and put a hand to his head.
    Why did this have to happen?
    He thought back to how the man had looked at him. Like he was some kind of maniac, ready to pull out a knife and attack him.
    My God, he was really cracking up.
    Then his thoughts turned to Emma and not for the first time he felt intense, painful shame. She thought he was the perfect brother, the one who had supported her through everything. And he had revelled in playing that part.
    ‘You’re a bloody impostor,’ he shouted, just as a family with two young toddlers walked around the corner. The father shot him a reprimanding glance.
    ‘Come on kids,’ he said, shepherding them away from Will. ‘Let’s go over to the zoo.’
    ‘Yes, Daddy!’ the little girl shouted excitedly, tugging at her father’s trousers. ‘Can we see the monkeys?’
    ‘Sure we can,’ he said, ruffling her hair.
    ‘Yes!’ she said, jumping up and down on the spot. ‘I love monkeys!’
    Will watched them as they walked away, the two children leading from the front, unable to curb their enthusiasm. The man and woman held hands just behind. Faced with a scene of such love, Will felt lonelier than he had ever felt in his entire life.
    But worst of all, he realised with disgust that he was beginning to empathise with the man who had caused all these problems.
    ‘Please,’ he said, looking up into the deep blue sky, ‘don’t let me become like him.’

    ***

    ‘Emma?’ the man at the door said.
    Emma nodded.
    ‘Detective Inspector Mark Gasnier,’ he continued, holding out a hand and flashing a surprisingly white, movie-star smile.
    ‘Hi.’ Emma took his hand and met his firm but fair grip. The guy certainly wasn’t what she had expected. He was a towering figure; his hair was gypsy black and his skin summer-tanned. She’d expected someone scruffy, even hangdog, but this guy was wearing a designer suit.
    ‘This is Detective Sergeant Christian Davies,’ added Gasnier, nodding towards his companion.
    ‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Davies, also shaking hands. He was at least a foot shorter than his partner; they looked like quite an odd pairing.
    Emma smiled and waited.
    ‘So can we come in?’ asked Gasnier, smiling again. This time it seemed more businesslike than friendly.
    ‘Oh, sure, yes, come on in,’ Emma said, forgetting herself.
    She led them into the lounge, where Lizzy was waiting nervously on the sofa.
    ‘Hi,’ Lizzy said, getting up to welcome them. ‘Would you like a drink? Tea, coffee?’
    ‘It’s okay,’ Gasnier replied, sitting down without invitation. ‘We’ve just had one back at the station. And we won’t be here for long, you’ll be glad to hear.’
    Lizzy smiled nervously. She’d never been involved with the police before; she’d never even as much as spoken to a policeman in her life. But now she had two detectives from the Met sitting in her apartment. It was just too crazy.
    Emma joined Lizzy on the sofa, facing the two officers. Gasnier, with his ample frame, made the sofa look as if it was toy-size.
    ‘This must be a really difficult time,’ began Gasnier,