The Overnight by Ramsey Campbell Read Free Book Online Page B

much point in saying that about me, will there? Come along now or—"
    The boys duck out of her grasp and dash through Psychology. "You touched us. You've had it now," one cries with embellishments as they fling books from the top shelves in their wake. Jake sprints after them, leaping over Jung, but they've fled the shop. Staff aren't supposed to pursue miscreants once they're out of the exit, since Texts isn't insured against whatever might happen next, and so he trudges back to Agnes. "I'll put them straight," he says.
    A nearby mother looks askance at that. While Jake retrieves the books as if they're injured birds and somehow his fault, Agnes picks up the boys' answer sheets. Their sole contents are drawings she would be embarrassed to see on a wall. She stuffs them in the pocket she has taken Bryony's sheet from and collects the rest. Bryony has outdone them by half a dozen answers and returns in time to see it. "This young lady is the winner," Agnes says, displaying the evidence.
    The others straggle off to find their parents. She's about to take Bryony to receive her prize when Woody darts out of the exit to the staffroom. "Why were you after those boys, Jake?"
    The nearby mother lets her wordless agreement with his doubts be heard as Jake holds up a textbook with a broken spine. "They were being stinky-mouthed," he says. "I chased them out and here's their revenge."
    "There's too much damage in this store."
    Woody sounds so accusing it's no wonder Jake refrains from exhibiting the other ruined volumes. Agnes is willing the confrontation to finish when the mother steers her young daughter over to Woody. "Are you the manager?" she demands.
    "That's me, ma'am. How may I help?"
    "We thought there was going to be a competition."
    "It's my impression we had one. I'm sorry if you missed it, but I'm sure there'll be—"
    An even sterner woman shoves one of her sons at him at the end of either arm. "Aren't you meant not to let staff or their relatives play?"
    "I don't believe the store has a specific policy on that, but I'd think—"
    "Then you should," she objects, and gives her sons a ventriloquistic shake. "Tell him what you told us."
    All three children start to clamour, but the girl's shrillness triumphs. "The one who won's mummy works here."
    "And you said the organiser took her answers and hid them, didn't you?" her mother prompts.
    It's to protect Bryony as much as herself that Agnes says "I didn't hide the answers. I just looked after them while Bryony was kind enough to take a damaged book to the counter."
    "More damage? Good God," Woody says, frowning at Jake while the boys' mother mutters "I'll bet she looked after them."
    "I'm sorry if there's been a misunderstanding." Agnes assumes Woody is about to defend her until he adds "If you'd like to take your children to the counter they can all have prizes. That includes anyone who was in this half of the quiz."
    As the mothers and their undeserving tribe head for the counter, he motions Jake over. "Maybe you could work on not being quite so obvious around children." he says low.
    "Unless you're straight, you mean."
    "That's kind of unreasonable, wouldn't you say? You know we're an equal opportunity employer."
    "I'll try and be surreptitious all the same, shall I?" As though he's indulging himself one last time, Jake says more loudly "Kids aren't my meat, by the way."
    Woody stares at him before following the parade to the counter, and Agnes grows aware of Jill's daughter. "Come with me, Bryony. You're still the winner. Let's make sure you get your prize."
    Jill is having some trouble with issuing vouchers while Woody observes. Perhaps she's distracted by the sight of her ex-husband and Connie at the end of Erotica. "Don't tell me, it'll come to me," Connie is saying to him. "Orient /Occident, that's where you work."
    "And you were one of the party in leather."
    "Keep some of my secrets," she murmurs, touching a finger to his lips and another to her own. "So can I help