Alistair had called them on the burner phone and given them a rundown on Blake. Mostly things they were likely to find out in the interview but some that they wouldn’t. He didn’t sound like a nice guy. A mistress in her early twenties. A child he rarely saw. He never gave to charity. Maybe Alistair was worried they’d back out and was trying to convince them. Joe kept that thought to himself.
No sooner had that call ended, than Kaden had another on his own phone. He moutheddadto Joe.
“Hi,” Kaden said.
Joe got up to wash the dishes.
“Everything’s fine,” Kaden said. “I feel great… No, I’ve not remembered everything but some memories have come back. We’ve moved to another place for three months. I’ll text you the address. Doing a friend of Danny’s a favour… Muswell Hill… Not Jalis now—Joe. That was the name we used when we were gaming.”
Joe looked his way and Kaden smiled at him.
“I’m doing a day-in-the-life article for a government minster tomorrow. Eli Blake…” Kaden chuckled. “I don’t think Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor would be up for one, no… I am, Dad. I promise… My memory… I told you. It’s coming back in bits… No, I can’t remember how I ended up in hospital… Yep. We will. I promise. Okay… Bye.”
He turned to Joe. “Shit.”
“Should you have told your dad about Eli Blake?”
“Probably not, but as long as I don’t tell him anything more…”
They sat together on the couch and Joe snuggled up to him.
“I can’t think of any way of explaining what happened to me,” Kaden said.
“Is he going to keep asking you?”
“Probably.”
“Do you want to tell him the truth?”
Kaden shook his head.
Joe nodded. “Walk me through tomorrow. You must have it perfect in your head by now.”
“I don’t want you to come with me. I can take his picture.”
Joe sat up straighter. “What? No!”
“It’s not up for debate.”
“You don’t get to decide that for me.”
“Yes, I do,” Kaden shot back. He took the device from his pocket. “This is where it changes. This is where it stops being just an interview. I can’t let you get caught. Which is why you’re not coming in.”
Joe stood up and faced him properly. “So I just sit outside while you take all the risk? That’s your plan?”
“My plan is that if something goes wrong, it’s only me in there.”
“And you think that makes it better?”
“Yes.”
“It doesn’t,” Joe said sharply. “It just means you’re doing something stupid on your own.”
Kaden’s jaw tightened.
“You don’t even know how to use the camera properly.”
“Then show me,” Kaden fired back.
