Page 105 of Inbetweeners
Emmett pulled back into the traffic, indicated right, then managed to do a U turn in the road which left them six or seven cars back from Greyson.
“Don’t lose him,” Nix said.
The lights were not in their favour and twice Emmett was forced to wait while Greyson drove on. But it became clear that he was heading towards Erith.
“Looks like he’s going back home,” Emmett said.
“Yeah.” Anxiety churned in Nix’s stomach. Was this all going to be over soon?
Emmett parked several houses away. “Now what?”
Greyson went inside with the young man.
“The woman’s not had time to get here, assuming this is where she was heading,” Nix said. “Two against one and he doesn’t know we’re coming. But I go in ahead of you.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want you losing another life. And don’t read anything into that. Hey, look. He’s coming out again. Get ready to duck if he turns this way.”
Greyson got into his car and carried on down the road.
“Well, if that’s not an invitation for a home invasion, I don’t know what is.” Nix got out of the car.
They each picked up a stool from the back seat and pocketed a bottle of holy water. Nix felt stupid, but they weren’t bad ideas. Emmett rang the bell. No one answered.
“Back door,” Nix said.
They made their way to the rear of the house. Nix reached over the gate to pull back the bolt and they went into the yard.
“Knock again or break in?” Emmett said quietly.
Nix tried the door, just in case, then used one of the stool legs to smash a pane of glass in the door. He reached inside, and a moment later, they were in the house.
“We stay together. Keep your back to me,” Nix said.
It looked like a regular house. Remnants of a breakfast left in the kitchen, shoes on the floor, a coat hanging over the back of a chair, theMetroon a coffee table. There was no one in any of the downstairs rooms and they made their way upstairs, Emmett still walking backwards.
The first door was locked. Nix kicked it open. Four inbetweeners. Two men sat on the bed. Another man and a woman were on chairs. They looked up at Nix and Emmett, but didn’t speak. Nix was about to step into the room when Emmett pulled him back. “Look!”
A line of white crystals lay along the threshold.
“What is it?”
“Looks like salt or sugar.”
Nix bent down and touched it with his finger. When he lifted it to his mouth, Emmett hissed at him. “What are you doing? It could be arsenic.”
Nix laughed and licked a tiny bit of the substance. “Salt.”
“Okay.” Emmett stepped over it into the room. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“We’re waiting for Simon to come back.” The guy who spoke was the one they’d just seen with Greyson.
“What about the woman?” Nix asked.
“Me?” the woman asked.
“Not you. The one who killed you.”
