Page 106 (1/2)

INSPECTION DAY

JACK WAS BEYOND IRRITATED with his old colleagues Sure he understood the necessity to get the details straight, but he had other things, s to deal with He looked at Davina, sound asleep in the ar to deal with He’d been thinking about his life all day long, but it had only truly fallen into place when she’d walked into the kitchen to save him from Ken Doll Jack kneith the ut with the police anyed with Crazy Davy

It was past ht when he’d cleared the last of the police out of the house He closed the front door, from the inside – a novelty that made him smile – and went to find Davina She was still asleep on the kitchen chair, looking breathtakingly beautiful even though her eye iven her raccoon face Mine, Jack thought Mine He knelt in front of her and placed his hands gently on her thighs She blinked a few times before she focused on his face

“Are they gone?” she said with a voice hoarse from sleep

“It’s only us”

She stretched before rubbing her eyes,them even messier than before Beautiful

“You’re not supposed to be here,” she said “Not inside the house until inspection day”

He was about to point out that he’d been dragged into the house by a lunatic, but had coic as other people

“It is inspection day,” he told her, nodding towards the old broken pendulum clock on the wall

She followed his direction

“Oh,” she said with dismay

Jack almost chuckled

“Do you want to inspect now?” Davina asked glumly

“Yes, I do, but first there are a few things I’d like to talk about”

She sank back into the chair She looked so resigned to her fate that Jack almost caved