Page 127 of Drift

“Why would the Night-walkers offer him money? They were talent-scouting themselves that night, and they don’t seem the type to bargain. Grant doesn’t seem the type to tolerate them doing it if he turned away from life because of them.”

“Yeah.” Raif gave a rough sigh. “That’s my concern too. I think it’s time I had a word with Jackson away from the house. He was there the night Grant died and is the best source from here on in with how sick Drift said he was. George will bring over the blood sample kits.”

“Get on it.” Gray glanced Light’s way. “If Driftwasgiven the virus, him and Ava are the only ones to come out of it. It also hit his system a lot sooner than it did Ray. So it was still in testing stage.”

Light nodded as he took a seat next to Simon and took his laptop. “I’ll get in touch with the UK Health Security Agency, let them know about Drift, see what they advise on the blood sample, what tests need to be run,ifthey can be run with the potential infection being over seven years ago.” He shook his head. “I know antibodies can last in the system for several months, like with Covid-19, but this isn’t Covid, and the time period has been far too long.”

“It’s not historic infection that’s my concern,” said Gray. “This virus has been worked over years, not months. They’re keeping a close watch on him for a reason.”

Light sent a hard look at Gray as he eased back in his chair. “You’re thinking patient zero and the testing is…ongoingwith Drift?”

“If Ava had the same virus, they have two potential patient zeros,” Martin said quietly. He looked at Gray. “Maybe Ava ranwith the Night-walkers to avoid being a test subject, so that just leaves Drift as her personal lab rat.”

“Hmmm. But they’re not blood related, so maybe they were taken abroad somewhere together and picked up an immunity somehow?” Light frowned. “I don’t know. But what about the tie to cannibalism in all this and getting Drift to drink it?”

“Maybe nothing to do with the virus itself. Just a product of the cell,” said Gray. “Last known cannibals on British soil were the cannibals of Gough cave in Somerset, some fourteen-thousand years ago. They used to carve patterns into the bones of their dead before they ate the bone marrow. Drift said the woman took time to carve into the bone too. It was never really known why the cannibals of Gough cave did it, but archaeologists theorised it was most likely ritualistic: a celebration of the dead by eating the dead.”

Martin looked his way. “And you had issues with me picking up Orwell’s1984for leisure reading?”

Gray snorted a small smile.

“You’re thinking the same here?” said Simon. “Ritualistic?”

“He said theorised,” said Martin. “Nothing’s certain. But one thing is sure: the young lady who potentially carved the bones and injected Drift with the spliced bone marrow…” He looked Gray’s way. “She’s your instigator. She’s your geneticist.”

“But didn’t Drift say all the kids that night had died?” Simon wiped a hand over his face, and Gray looked his way.

“He said he wasn’t sure of any of the detail. The only one to go to the police thinking something else was coming was Jackson. He must have seen someone get out. And the fact he tookdamage at the police station after she was supposed to be dead, thatcallssomeone got out.”

“Jackson hasn’t been targeted since, though.” That came from Martin, and all emotion was gone from his eyes, blackness swamping them. “What’s the chance he made a bargain with the geneticist to keep his kids and Feeders safe on the street? He knows how high up this cell goes and the damage they can do. So he allows any potential ongoing testing with Drift? And Jackson will do anything to protect his kids, even kill. He—” Martin fell quiet too quickly as Simon eased to his feet.

“Oh a talk with Jackson, it is.”

Gray shook his head at Simon. “Raif handles him, but let him know about Jackson potentially allowing any kind of testing Drift’s way. Tell him to dig deep. Jackson’s not going to trust anyone but a street-walker at this stage, and how Raif knew Grant might just be the ice-breaker.” He handed him the iPad. “Find out everything about Ava, why it says in the report that she’s still at home with the Farlands. I also want the officers who got Jackson alone. Track the station, the dates West’s given on here. I’ll handle the rest.”

As he went to head out, Martin pulled him to a stop.

“We haven’t addressed the main issue here,” he said quietly between them.

Gray looked his way.

“The virus potentially targets disorders.” Martin held his look. “So why the hell did they give it to Drift? If he’s no psychopath, whathashe inherited in the blood from me and Jack, or even Cutter’s side?”

Yeah. That was the main damn issue here, and he went to head out again, but Martin shook his head.

“My turn,” he said quietly. “My kid. One who dances around personal details as professionally as he moves around the street and dancehall. There’s something going on between him and Ava too, and from the look in his eyes, it’s something worse than being forced to go cannibal and eat blood and bone as well as be injected with bone-marrow.”

Martin had picked up on that too. Gray watched him for a moment. “Okay. Jan takes West. She’s more open to talking. You work them together. Let Jan know what he’s got to question her about.” He nodded at Martin. “Find out why. Find out when. I’ll observe via CCTV. Simon gets the names of the policeman who raped Jackson, I’m in talks with Brennan.”

Chapter 36

THE TROUBLE WITH AVA

Rubbing distractedly at the crease of his arm now he’d had bloods taken by Simon, Drift stood in the reception hall, over by the Japanese sword homed in a glass case. The offer troubled him. He’d only really seen the hall upstairs on his last “visit,” and hadn’t paid attention to much when Light had taken them over to the summerhouse, but now? He was lost on the Japanese samurai sword, the fine carvings to the red case and the startling offer of only colour in the otherwise white granite perfection of the hall.

The contrasts seemed almost like a drop of blood on pale skin, a drip held in place behind a glass wall, safe enough inside, but too easy to break and let drip and… drop.

Drift wiped a hand over his face.

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