Page 65 of We Chase Shadows

‘I have to be a bit quiet,’ says Ernesto. ‘Somebody is here at the villa, I think. Should there be somebody here?’

‘Ernesto, mate,’ says Steve. ‘It’s Steve.’

‘Hey, Steve,’ whispers Ernesto. ‘It is really good to hear your voice.’

‘There’s a new cleaner,’ says Amy. ‘But we paid her for a month, and told her not to visit.’

‘Local cops?’ asks Steve. ‘Perhaps they followed you after you dropped the corpse off? I would’ve.’

‘No one followed me,’ says Ernesto. ‘I’m good at not being followed.’

‘Same,’ says Steve. ‘Same. One of Jakob Eriksson’s men?’

‘You’d guess so,’ says Ernesto.

‘What are you going to do?’ asks Amy. ‘You going to go in?’

‘I think so,’ says Ernesto. ‘Do you think so?’

‘I think so,’ says Amy. ‘There’s a trellis at the back with soft vegetation, that’ll take you up to the roof, and I left a Velux window ajar.’

‘Ajar?’

‘Ajar,’ repeats Amy.

‘A bit open,’ says Steve.

‘Okay,’ says Ernesto. ‘And “trellis”?’

‘Big wooden frame,’ says Steve. ‘For plants.’

‘Okay,’ says Ernesto. ‘One final question –’

‘A Velux window is a sloping attic window,’ says Amy.

‘I am caught up,’ says Ernesto.

‘You have a gun?’ Amy asks.

‘No,’ says Ernesto.

‘No problem,’ says Amy. ‘I’m guessing you’ve broken into all the outbuildings by now?’

‘Of course,’ says Ernesto.

‘In the first accommodation cottage,’ says Amy, ‘I left a gun in the cistern.’

‘The bit full of water on top of the toilet,’ says Steve.

‘Where’s Rosie?’ asks Ernesto. ‘She would enjoy this.’

‘Sleeping,’ says Amy. ‘We’re in Palm Springs to see Tommy Griffin. The last man from the big Vegas meeting.’

‘Okay,’ says Ernesto. ‘Tell her I said hi. Especially if I’m shot and killed.’

‘Will do,’ says Amy.

‘You won’t be shot and killed,’ says Steve.