K-9 (29 page)

Authors: Rohan Gavin

BOOK: K-9

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A faltering man’s voice responded from behind him. ‘He’s a l-liability.’ Then he completed the instruction: ‘Put him down.’

The silenced bullet hit home with a thud.

King never knew what hit him, and collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap. The city lights, and the full moon, bore silent witness. The newspapers would report that the body of crime boss Barabas King was found stripped naked in a suspected gangland hit. The coroner’s report would find that although King was double-jointed and able to dislocate limbs at will – not to mention being extremely hairy – he was, without a shadow of a doubt,
human
.

In the clearing, Darkus leaned over Wilbur, balancing the dog’s head in his arms. Wilbur raised his eyebrows expectantly and twitched his whiskers.

‘Hold on, boy, you’re going to be OK,’ Darkus whispered, then Wilbur rolled over, revealing a deep gash in his chest.

Darkus touched it, then took his fingers away, wet with blood. Wilbur panted faster.

‘Dad? Get help!’ Darkus commanded, then turned back to Wilbur, fighting back tears. ‘My eyes are your eyes, to watch and protect . . . My ears are your ears, to hear in the dark . . . And my life is yours, as long as you live . . .’

Chapter 27

Wilbur

Darkus watched as the shaggy tail bobbed and weaved playfully through the tall grass, like a periscope. Hampstead Heath looked less sinister by daylight and the recent storms had washed away the few remaining ‘lost’ posters.

Darkus sat back on the bench and watched the ducks take off and land on the glittering surface of the ponds. Then they all appeared to take flight at once, as a voice interrupted him.

‘Doc?’

His father stood on the path, having approached unnoticed.

‘Your mother’s worried about you,’ said Knightley, then paused, hoping for a response. ‘So’s Tilly. And Alexis. I knew where to find you,’ he added.

Darkus didn’t turn round, but could now see the Fairway cab out of the corner of his eye, stationed in the car park with Bogna standing guard in front of it.

‘I told you. I’m not interested in talking to you,’ said Darkus.

Knightley crept forward slowly and sat down on the bench next to him.

The dog’s tail zigzagged happily further away across the meadow.

Darkus budged over on the wooden seat to create distance from his dad. Behind him, on the slats of the bench, was an engraving.

The shaggy tail finally emerged from the tall grass to reveal a Labrador retriever, which ran back to the side of another young master, who ruffled the mutt’s hair as it jumped up on his chest. Darkus watched as the boy and his dog walked off into the distance.

‘I’m so, so sorry, Darkus,’ his father whispered.

Darkus continued staring ahead, then reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out the stainless-steel card holder – and handed it back to his dad. Knightley cracked it open to see the
Knightley & Son
business cards, still inside.

‘I’m leaving the business,’ Darkus said simply.

‘It’s not that simple . . . The Combination –’

‘Until you can be an ordinary dad, and I can be an ordinary son, there’s nothing to talk about.’ Darkus looked back at the engraving. ‘You see, if we were ordinary . . . he’d still be here.’

Knightley’s eyes misted up and he adjusted his hat, looking down.

Darkus got to his feet, buttoned up his nylon anorak and walked along the pathway in the opposite direction to his dad.

Knightley took a few moments to compose himself, then stood up too.

‘Doc, wait – !’

But the words evaporated in the wintery air, because the path was empty. And his son was already long gone.