Nobody Saw No One Read Online Free PDF Page B

shapely too, like the dummies you see in the window displays of lasses’ clothes shops. She’s got eyelashes long as shoelaces and earrings big as Hula Hoops. Big glossy smile an’ all, all under a big hat wi’ feathers in it. She whips it off and shakes her head, so her hair’s flying everywhere – thick long locks. The most amazing hair ever.
    “Grace,” Mr Virus smiles. “Do come in. You’ve missed dinner, I’m afraid.”
    “Ain’t ’ungry, am I?” She steps in, unbuttoning a long black leather coat. “All right boys? Safe?”
    En’t I seen her before somewhere?
    Everyone starts jabbering at the same time.
Grace this
and
Grace that.
Leaping from their seats, offering her bits o’ sausage.
    Mr Virus lifts his hand. He holds it still in the air. Dead still. Looks like he’s getting a headache.
    “Oi!” Citizen Digit snaps. Everyone shuts it, sits back down. Mr Virus casts his eyes across the table at us, making sure we’re all quiet and still, then he nods at Grace.
    She grins back at him. “Yer tribe’s growin’ more critical every day. ’Ow many nephews you actually got, Vi?”
    Mr Virus gestures to one o’ the boys, who straight away stands, so Grace can take his seat. Grace gives the boy her coat to take. She’s wearing a pink jumpsuit and when she sits down her perfume floats over us. She smells like the soap in Mr Virus’s bathroom. Like flowers.
    “Grace,” says Mr Virus, “meet Alfi Spar. He’s
Cash Counters’
latest employee. Alfi?”
    He looks at me. Grace looks at me. They’re all looking at me.
    Don’t muck it up.
    “Hello, miss,” I say, sounding like a Year Three girl. Feel me cheeks going all red. Tex and the others start sniggering.
    “You can call me Grace, sweetheart.” She beams at me. “Whole postcode does.” She shakes me hand. Me whole face is bright red now. She turns back to Mr Virus.
    “’E’s a darlin’ this one, ain’t he?”
    “Well,” says Mr Virus, “a friend of the Citizen’s is a friend of ours.”
    “Ain’t it,” she says. “Wot’s ’is talent, then?”
    Mr Virus sort o’ twinkles at me. “His face, Grace. Just look at that face. Did you ever see such an honest angel face in your life?”
    She nods quietly, biting her lower lip like she’s thinking it over. “You wouldn’t suss it, then,” she says, “that ’e’s a little finger-dipper.”
    What?
It’s Byron who’s always nicking stuff, not me.
    She grabs me arm and reaches up inside the sleeve o’ me
Cash Counters
shirt. Her nails tickle. I squirm away.
    “Sensitive, ain’t yer?” She pulls her hand out, holding a gold cigarette lighter. “Mus’ be the cool metal against yer skin.”
    How’d that get there?
    “Yo!” yells iTunes. “My lighter! You gettin’ crashed, New Boy!”
    He comes charging at us like he’s going to bash us up, but Grace steps between us and somehow gets iTune’s hands in hers and dances him away from us. “What’s your beef, iTunes? Yer lighter’s still in your pocket, like for ever.”
    iTunes reaches into his pocket and brings out the gold lighter. He laughs.
    Neat. How did she make it
disappear
and then
reappear?
She’s a
magician.
    “Where’s your brains?” Citizen Digit says to iTunes, putting a hand round his shoulder, and giving him a friendly pat. “You know Grace’s tricksies well enough by now.”
    iTunes grins at Citizen Digit and goes back to his seat.
    “Digit,” says Mr Virus, “give iTunes his lighter back.”
    Grace pulls open the Digit’s jacket and wags her finger at him, like he’s a naughty boy. He looks all shame-faced – though I can tell he’s just playing – and puts his hand in his pocket and bring out the gold lighter. “Apologetics, iTunes.” He shrugs.
    “iTunes!” Mr Virus snaps his fingers. “You need to sharpen your wits. A blind man could have seen that one coming.”
    I can’t help but laugh.
    “Good times?” Grace ruffles me hair and it feels like she’s sprinkling stardust on me