Half Moon Investigations - Eoin Colfer [65]
No, I decided. Not possible. The town of Lock was simply not big enough to support two conspiracies. There must be connections running web-like between the victims. I would have to be patient. All would be clear in the morning, as the weather forecaster said to the public. Except those weather forecasters were always getting it wrong.
My body fell asleep because it was so utterly physically exhausted, but I swear my brain stayed awake all night worrying. What if we were wrong? What if our giant was still out there lurking in bushes? Looking for the next victim on his list.
By 8.30 a.m. I was up and dressed, pacing the corridor outside Red’s room.
‘Are you awake?’ I shouted, rapping on the door.
Genie’s voice wafted through the adjacent wall. ‘Shut up, Half Moon. It’s the middle of the night.’
Red appeared at the door, his red hair standing in pyramid spikes.
‘I need your phone,’ I said, flapping my fingers. ‘Quick.’
Red threw his mobile at me. ‘You’re ringing home, right? To tell them you’re on the way?’
‘No. I need to talk to Murt.’
Red snatched the phone away from me in mid-dial. ‘Are you mental? Never call a policeman in the morning. Don’t you know anything?’
‘I need to know if we’re clear.’
‘Of course we’re clear, Half Moon. April and her weirdo friends were behind everything.’
‘Maybe. But maybe not.’
Red sighed. ‘You are so paranoid, Half Moon.’ He handed the phone back. ‘Go on, put yourself out of your misery.’
I tapped in the number. Murt answered on the eighth ring.
‘Sergeant Hourihan. Don’t you know better than to ring a policeman in the morning, whoever you are?’
‘Murt, it’s Fletcher.’
I could hear Murt breathing loudly through the earpiece. It sounded as though he were trying to calm himself.
‘Fletcher Moon,’ he said, at last. ‘You made a right monkey out of me, Fletcher, or should I say, Watson.’
Murt had put two and two together, and a lot quicker than I thought he would.
‘Cassidy told me about the new Sharkey. And April just confirmed my suspicions. I’m on my way over. Do yourself a favour, be there.’
I had no time for this. ‘Am I clear for the arson?’
‘Listen to me, Fletcher. Forget this tomfoolery. You’re in enough trouble.’
‘Am I clear?’ I shouted into the phone. ‘Did the clipboard clear Red and me?’
Silence for a moment, probably while Murt waited for the ringing in his ear to stop. ‘I think it’s a crime to aurally assault a police officer. And in answer to your shouted question, no, the clipboard didn’t mention you or your partner in crime. You still have a lot of questions to answer. I can’t help you if you won’t stay still to be helped.’
My heart dropped to the seat of my pants. We weren’t clear. Our giant was still at large.
‘Sorry, Murt. I have to go. Give me twelve hours.’
Murt laughed. ‘Twelve hours. You’re funny, Fletcher. Really. We’ll have a laugh about this when we meet. Of course, there’ll be a sheet of perspex between us.’
‘Sorry, Murt.’
‘Don’t do it, Fletcher.’
‘I’ve got to go.’
‘Flet—’
I cut him off.
Red had picked up the gist of the conversation. ‘The police are still after us.’
‘Yes. Murt is on his way.’
Red tried to smooth his hair. With mixed results. ‘OK. We’re really under pressure here, Half Moon. What have you got?’
The question hit me like a whack with a shovel.
‘Nothing. I have nothing. I need more information.’
Red pulled on a sweatshirt. ‘What kind of information?’
‘Facts about the victims. I need to find another link.’
Red checked up and down the corridor. ‘What if I knew somebody who could give you that information?’
‘Let’s go.’
‘What about breakfast?’ moaned Red. ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.’
I zipped up my garish tracksuit top. ‘Well, either we skip it or we have it in the cells.’
A GIANT