Nightshade

75

Nightingale lit a cigarette as they walked towards Jenny’s Audi. ‘You’re not getting into my car smoking that,’ she said.

‘Come on, the new car smell went ages ago,’ said Nightingale.

‘It’s not about the smell, it’s about secondary smoking being a killer.’

‘I’m not sure that’s true,’ said Nightingale. He took a lungful of smoke, held it deep in his lungs, and let it out, careful to blow it away from the car. ‘There’s a lot of anti-smoking hysteria these days.’

Jenny shook her head, unwilling to get into a discussion about the rights and wrongs of smoking with Nightingale. ‘So what do you think?’ she said.

‘About what?’

‘About what she said? Possession? Do you believe that?’

Nightingale shrugged and took another drag on his cigarette. ‘If he was possessed then maybe whatever it was moved from the girl to the nurse.’

‘So where is it now?’

‘I’m no expert on this, kid,’ he said. ‘Maybe it just moved on. I don’t know.’ He dropped the remains of his cigarette onto the pavement and ground it out.

‘There is another possibility, of course,’ she said.

‘Yeah? What’s that?’

‘Mrs Steadman might just be stark raving mad.’

Nightingale smiled thinly. ‘To be honest, I hope you’re right,’ he said. ‘Because if she isn’t, I’ve no idea what the hell I’m going to do.’

Jenny’s phone rang. She smiled apologetically at Nightingale and took the call. ‘Uncle Marcus!’ she said, and Nightingale winced at the enthusiasm in her voice. ‘Sure. Dinner would be great. Excellent.’

She ended the call and put the phone away. ‘Uncle Marcus?’ said Nightingale.

‘He’s in London on Friday and wants to take me for dinner.’ She unlocked the Audi and climbed in.

Nightingale forced a smile. ‘You can’t turn down a free dinner.’ He got into the front passenger seat.

‘Not at the Ivy, anyway,’ said Jenny. ‘Do you want to come? It’d give you a chance to get to know him.’

‘I’d love to,’ lied Nightingale. ‘I’ve got something on.’

‘Jack, I promise not to mention work,’ she said.

‘The thought hadn’t even entered my mind,’ said Nightingale.