No problem, it was her. The same confident walk, the power to turn heads. Well dressed, well preserved, putting Jimmy and Max to shame.
‘Wow!’ whispered Jimmy.
Hackle nudged him under the table and got up to greet the woman. ‘Susan! So good of you to see us. I know you’re busy. Please…’
Susan sat down.
‘I know you’ll remember Jimmy. Jimmy Love?’
She nodded at Jimmy. ‘Of course. Five-Four, wasn’t it?’
Jimmy smiled and took out the bone from round his neck.
‘I lost mine years ago.’
‘Well… would you like to eat?’ Hackle asked.
‘Thank you, no. I must get back soon, work to mark. Isn’t that right, Edna?’ She stroked the blurb on her shoulder.
‘Edna?’ said Jimmy, smiling at her. ‘Pray tell…’
‘Educational Net Agent. A tremendous help, and, of course, the children love her to bits. Teacher’s pet, aren’t you? Fortunately, educational methods have moved on since we were young.’
‘Not entirely,’ said Max. ‘I have seen the results of the past year. They are nowhere near to our standard.’
‘That was a fluke year, Maximus. As you well know. If you take my results over the last ten years, believe me, I have made improvements. But no more of the past; this is about the AnnoDominoes, I suppose?’
‘You’ve noticed, then?’ asked Hackle.
‘It is difficult not to. The children all have toy bones. They can’t wait to be old enough to gamble. It saddens me, but what can I do?’
Jimmy offered her a forkful of his pie, gladly refused. ‘Max here had you down certain as Cookie Luck,’ he told her, stuffing his face.
‘I am a little too old, and dancing was never my forte.’
‘What about Malthorpe as Mister Million? Paul, eh? How does that grab you?’
‘It doesn’t. Malthorpe hasn’t the balls to do that.’
‘Whoa! Turnabout city, or what?’
Hackle shoved his quarter-finished food aside. ‘Susan, we just need to find Malthorpe, that’s all. Ask him some questions. Are you… that is…’
‘Are you still shagging, the prof’s trying to say.’
‘Jimmy! Please… Susan… I am sorry…’
‘Don’t apologize. Five-Four always was a crude young man.’
‘What? Me? Compared to Paul Malthorpe. Come on… I was—’’
‘No.’ Susan stood up. ‘I knew I shouldn’t have come here.’
‘Susan…’ Hackle was up now, trying to reason with her. ‘We mean no harm.’
‘I live a quiet life these days.’
‘She’s respected in the community,’ sneered Jimmy. ‘That’s a fact.’
‘I have no idea where Malthorpe is. Listen carefully- please. We split up some two years after the… after the thing with Georgie. I hear he went to London, I don’t know.’
‘She’s hiding something. Max.’ Jimmy’s eyes, holding her tight.
‘Will you keep quiet! Susan…’
Hackle grabbed her arm. Susan whispered something evil, and the blurb took off from her shoulder, sting extended. ‘A punishable offence, obviously,’ said Jimmy. ‘Max, I do believe you’re about to get the strap.’
Hackle sat down. Susan called the blurb back to its perch. ‘I don’t know what you’re up to, Max,’ she said, ‘but it’s nothing to do with me.’
‘The thing is,’ said Jimmy, ‘Max here wants to destroy the dominoes.’
‘This is because of Paul, right? About what happened? Forget it. I have. And life is far better for it. We made a mistake, we have paid for it. Now it’s over.’
‘It’s not over,’ said Max. ‘The bones are dangerous, Susan. The nymphomation. You know what could happen—’
‘Max wants to reopen the maze,’ said Jimmy. ‘He wants to go back in—’
‘Who will you kill this time?’
‘That won’t happen,’ said Hackle. ‘We will be careful…’
‘It’s the only way, Susan. Unless we find Malthorpe…’
Susan sneered at them both. ‘I’d wish you luck, if luck had anything to do with it.’ She looked at her watch. ‘I must go now.’
Jimmy turned to Max. ‘I was just wondering, Max…’
‘Yes, Jimmy?’
‘About how Susan’s headmaster would react to certain rumours…’
‘Certain rumours, Jimmy?’
‘Certain rumours about his prized teacher being involved in a murder.’
‘He wouldn’t believe you,’ said Susan. ‘He knows me.’