It took Joe a little longer to get ready than usual. He cut himself shaving and then couldn’t find the styptic block to stop the bleeding. His fingers fumbled over his shirt buttons and he couldn’t find a matching pair of socks in his drawer. In the end he pulled on two that were approximately the right colour, but one was short, the other long.
‘What’s the matter with me?’ he grumbled, fishing about in his wardrobe for a pair of walking shoes. Tying them up more aggressively than necessary, he broke a lace and had to tie a clumsy knot as a result. He sat on the bed for a moment and thought about what lay ahead. He had a really bad feeling about it.
‘Come on Joe, what are you doing?’ called Kim from the hall. ‘The girls are in the car and I’ve locked up the back.’
‘Coming.’ He rose reluctantly and made his way downstairs. ‘I’ve got awful bad vibes about this Kim. Can’t we just call the police?’
‘You’re not the only one,’ she replied. ‘For two pins, I’d stay here and forget I know anything about clones or poison or any of this nonsense. But we have two very scared young women out there and we have to help them. Not to mention the other three.’
Joe noticed she made no reference to Xavier. ‘Jury’s out on him,’ he thought.
Add comment
Comments