Death & the City Book Two by Lisa Scullard Page A

three were in one place."
    "I'm surprised Jason didn't have a go, I'm pretty sure that's all he does in his spare time. As well as watch porn," I say. "Probably a good thing he was called up to go after them. He'd have been competing with them too, otherwise."
    "Probably the REASON he was called up to go after them," Connor agrees. "Speaking of targets that wouldn't die, got a nice image in my head of more than I ever wanted to know about Kaavey Canem right now, since his post mortem . Metal plate in the skull, one lung, one kidney, one remaining third of a liver, stomach bypass, and a pacemaker with automatic re-start, until you put a bullet through it via Sandra Harte. He'd sold half his working body to get a new passport and identity. Dingo rabies would have killed him eventually, untreated, but it's not something they want to spread around here. Couple of his fun-time girls are in hospital having blood transfusions and steroids trying to remove it at the moment. Still trying to track down a third. I have a feeling that's what you and I are up to later. Some other unsavoury types might be after Canem's girls, wanting to silence them about where his organ-donor passport comes from."
    "Can't say I ever wanted a job in International Relations," I admit. "But I'm willing to give it a shot."
    "That's the idea," Connor says, chuckling.
    "I'm glad you mentioned Canem, though," I tell him. "I was just thinking about something. About indestructible contract killers."
    "Yeah," Connor says thoughtfully. "The thing about the really indestructible contract killers though isn't about how to kill them. It's what you'd pay for them to stop."
    "Yeah, I know," I concede. "Bullets are cheap. Not getting shot is expensive."

    I stand in the school playground waiting for Junior, while toddlers run round and round like leaves in a mini-whirlwind, making themselves and their mums dizzy. Snippets of other women's multi-lingual gossip reaches my ears, between the happy squeals of the pre-school children.
    "…He called me a Bunny-Boiler just because I Prodded him on Facebuddy…" …That was in Thai…
    "We've moved the mortgage twice and just re-mortgaged, and now mum wants to sell up and move in with us. HER house was supposed to be ours in the Will, we'll be stuck with ours, and we can't…" …English, with a slight Welsh accent…
    "…He's been granted leave and coming home for three months but he's not right, I can tell from his letters he's depressed. It's that Gulf Syndrome. I'm taking him straight to the Priory for assessment. But he says he just wants to go out and get drunk with his mates, and I know I'll never see him while he's here, if I let him. I just want him nice and safe in hospital, where I can see him every day and make sure he's…" …English again, like the next two…
    "…He does nothing but watch Bunny Girl USA and it's constant, Why don't YOU look like that with a fake tan and hair extensions? He says I look like Worzel Gummidge when I get dressed up. He's no George Clooney himself…"
    "…He hates that I listen to their music and says I'm obsessed, always on their website looking for the latest stuff. I tell him if he looked like that or had their talent or made some sort of effort I'd find him as fascinating…"
    "Oh, it was amazing, she's meant to be three hundred years old and in her former life lived to a thousand years old. In this life she escaped from persecution in France as a witch. She's the original genuine vamp psychic and now she does these incredible past-life soul mate crystal readings. You should come, it's the most amazing thing you'll ever hear, it's not much to pay when you think about what you might learn. Her name is Luna Lumiere, I'll show you her website…" …French, this time…
    "…I told him, you won't get any better than me. I don't care if she makes her own cheese…" …And finally Polish…
    "Mummy!"
    Junior's greeting is a welcome burst of sunshine in the dubious shallows of reality