Painkillers Read Online Free PDF

been put more off my stride if she'd turned up at the door.
    'Did Eddie behave himself today?'
    I glanced round at the dining table. Everyone was looking at me. 'Yes,' I said.
    'You know how those two are.' She made them sound like a couple of feisty dogs.
    'Yes,' I said.
    'I forgot it was Justin's birthday, I'm so sorry.'
    'That's fine,' I said, as neutrally as I could.
    She twigged at last that something was wrong. 'Have I caught you at an awkward moment?'
    'We've got some friends round.'
    'Who is it?' said Eva.
    'It's a woman, Eva,' said David Kwok. As though women were an exotic breed of deer. A well-spoken woman.' He turned to look at me over his shoulder, all coquettish. I half expected him to flutter his eyelashes. 'Very mysterious.'
    'Would you like me to call back?' said Money.
    'No, no. Let me take it upstairs. Stay on the line, yes?'
    Eva wanted me to tell her who it was, but David was prancing around like a fairy, distracting us all. 'So sorry,' he was saying, 'I hear a bell, I answer itjust like Pavlov's dog.'
    I ran up to the living room, where Boots was flopped disconsolately on the sofa. He stood up and shook himself, expecting some attention. I ignored him, and took the stairs to the bedroom two at a time. But Boots was too fast for me: as I opened the bedroom door he muscled in past me and jumped onto the bed. I had to tussle with him to get to the phone. I snapped up the aerial. 'Mrs Yau?' I sat down on the edge of the bed and held Boots at bay by his flea collar. He licked my hand.
    'Eddie tells me you have a lovely cafe,' Money said.
    God knows where that came from. I could hardly imagine Eddie saying, 'Guess what, Mother, Adam Wyatt and his wife run this lovely cafe...'
    'Thank you,' I said.
    'Look, Adam, I realise you're busy but we really ought to meet up. I haven't seen you since Jimmy... How does next Friday suit you?'
    'I'll have to ask Eva,' I said.
    'I'm not inviting Eva.'
    This was more the woman I remembered; I almost smiled.
    'Frankly, I don't think she'd be too delighted to know I was seeing you.'
    'Do you have to tell your wife everything?'
    I stayed silent - the telephonic equivalent of a shrug.
    'I don't suppose for a second you've told her about Frank Hamley.'
    Boots leapt on the bed and nuzzled the phone. I clouted him and he fell off the mattress.
    'Adam?'
    'I'm here.'
    'Friday, then,' she said.
    'Friday I work at the cafe.'
    'Wednesday?'
    'I don't think so.'
    'You might want to have a read of today's Post before you put me off altogether.'
    I swallowed.
    'Adam?'
    'What's happened?'
    'Frank was knocked down by a hit-and-run crossing Queensway.'
    I felt as though I were falling.
    'He was due to give further evidence. They don't think he'll regain consciousness.'
    'What are you saying?'
    'The inquiry is going to be looking for a new witness.'
    'You know I wouldn't cooperate.'
    'I know,' Money said. 'But I'm not the one who ran over Frank's head.'
    5.
    I got downstairs again to find things warming up pleasantly. Angelica and Loh Han-Wah were holding hands, listening to a funny story of Eva's. David Kwok had drunk himself silent and Brenda and Flora were bullying him into making a liberal gesture for some charity or other. Hardly anyone noticed when I took my seat.
    'But you must,' Flora insisted. David blinked. 'It'll bring so many interesting people to your new gallery - '
    Loh's laughter drowned out Flora's third-degree. Eva, pleased with her story, leaned over to me. 'Who was it?' she said.
    'Some old friends,' I said, off the top of my head.
    'Who?'
    'Mike and Ylwa,' I said. They were old acquaintances of mine from Hong Kong. Still there, for all I knew.
    'Really?' Eva looked like she wanted all sorts of gossip, so I set about clearing the table of empty bottles.
    'More wine, anyone?'
    Flora and Brenda wanted David Kwok to auction something for a regional opera company they fancied.
    'Something small,' Flora suggested. 'Something jade.'
    They all left early, off to mansions in Barnes and