David Trevellyan 03 -More Harm Than Good by Andrew Grant Read Free Book Online Page A

people were hoping for. They wanted me to throw a couple of buckets of iced
water around, if you know what I mean. Make sure none of the neighbours were getting too nosey.”
            “Were you successful?”
            “Time will tell. And
don’t worry – I kept your name out of it. Can I come in?”
            “Be my guest.”
            “So I’m told you’re here
because you’re sick,” she said, crossing to the foot of the bed and unhooking
the clipboard that held my charts.
            “Injured, actually,
rather than sick,” I said. “See for yourself.”
            “This looks convincing
enough,” she said, studying the papers.
            I shrugged.
            “One more question for
you,” she said. “What were you doing in my room, last night? I mean, what were
you really doing?”
            “I saw that guy go in.
Jones. I followed him. I thought he was a thief.”
            “The elusive boot thief,
perhaps?”
            “You know about that?”
            “I took a peep at
Jackson’s email while I was waiting for him to turn up, just now. There was one
from a woman called Lydia. She was refusing to officially record the theft -
alleged theft - of your boots because you wouldn’t fill in some form.”
            “According to her, if
it’s not down in black and white, it didn’t happen."
            “So, your boots get
stolen and you do what? March barefoot all the way to the CEO
himself. You don’t think you could have been over-reacting, just the
tiniest bit?”
            “There was no one else
around to talk to.”
            “This isn’t some
elaborate cover for what you’re really doing here?”
            “No. They were just nice
boots. I wanted them back.”
            “Listen, David. Your
name actually is David? Please. I’m in a bind, here. We both could be. The
people above us may not play well with others, but that doesn’t mean we can’t.
We’re the ones at the sharp end. And we both have reasons to be here. They
could be separate. Or they could overlap. Yes? So I’d like to know. I don’t
need specifics. But tell me - should I be looking over both shoulders, now? Or
only one?”
            “Only one,” I said,
after a moment.
            “Really?”
            “Really. I’m here
because I hurt myself. I was busy making a serious mess of someone else’s day
when a metal spike did the same thing to my head. So now, I’m waiting for test
results. I’m not working. And I’m not going to interfere with what you’re doing
- whatever that may be - in any way.”
            “Are you sure? Cause you
pretty much interfered the hell out of Tim.”
            “That was an accident.
He was in disguise. I didn’t know who he was.”
            “Some accident. The
guy’s young. He’s fully fit, and he finished top of his class in training
school. Which means I’m struggling to see someone with brain damage demolishing
him in two seconds flat.”
            “It took longer than two
seconds.”
            The agent didn’t reply.
            “Look, the truth is, I
don’t have brain damage” I said. “And I may have prolonged my stay here a
little because I want my boots back. It’s outrageous they were stolen, given
how I got here, and the hospital suits won’t do anything to help. But that’s
all.”
            “Give me your word on
that?” she said.
            “I do.”
            She didn’t look
convinced.
            “OK,” I said. “If you
don’t believe me, look around for those boots. Any footwear,
in fact. If you can find a single thing in this room I could wear on my
feet, you can call me a liar.”
            She glanced at the
locker at the side of the bed, then shook her head.
            “It’s all right,” she
said. “I do believe