Page 110 of Four for a Boy

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Chad held up the vial, tipping it as he watched the clear liquid flow. “Is this all?”

A few years ago, Chad would never have met up with a drug dealer he found on the internet in a carpark, but as Ally said, they were expected to bend the rules now and again and this time Chad took it to the extreme.

He slid his gaze to the man beside him, darting looks everywhere as if they were about to be attacked. He called himself Barry … the Buzz-man and promised to supply any drug, except the big hitters of heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy. Primarily a ketamine and weed dealer, but he bragged of a small supply of chloroform.

“Hey.” Barry tugged his beanie over his eyebrows and looked out the back window. “I shouldn’t even be giving you that with everything that’s been happening.”

“You mean the murders?”

“Of course I mean the murders.”

“And would this amount kill me?”

“No.”

Chad gave up the vial and watched it be spun by expert fingers.

“Even if you swallow it all, you’d not die. It would burn, though.”

“Learned that from personal experience.”

Barry narrowed his eyes. “Maybe. Look. Whoever is killing with this stuff, must be using a lot more.”

“And you’ve not had anyone asking for any? You’re not accidentally supplying the killer?”

“Hell, I’ve always got people asking for the stuff, but not liters of it to kill people. Small amounts. A hit of the stuff. Like this.” He passed the vial back to Chad. “So…?”

Chad sighed and reached into his pocket. He shoved a rolled-up wad of notes in the man’s hand. “It’s what you asked for.”

Barry shoved it out of sight and checked no one was watching them out of the windows. He rubbed his hands together, then held them to the heater. Chad frowned as he warmed his fingers.

The vents.

An enclosed space.

Inflamed hands.

Barry twitched his fingers.

“It’s the heating system.” Chad murmured.

“What?” Barry asked.

“Nothing. I think we’re done here.”

“Don’t be tight. It’s cold out there and you took ages.”

“You being cold is not my problem.”

“Heartless bastard.”

Chad slipped the vial into his jacket. “How much do you know about Chloroform?”

“Dab a few drops on a rag and hold it over your mouth, and you’ll have fifteen minutes of light-headed bliss, but if you really want a good afternoon, smoke a bit of weed after and you’ll be zoned out for hours.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

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