The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway (mobi ebook reader .txt) 📗

who followed me. Or rather, who walked me, like a dog, through the city. And then punished me like a dog. Took me down right there in the street. Don’t tell me, Alderwoman, that he was saving me from my emotions. Don’t try to tell me you don’t know exactly what he put me through. For Christ’s sake, I thought I would never feel joy again. If it hadn’t been for a nice girl who dumped her water over me . . . to be honest, I don’t know what might have happened. I don’t know if he was killing me with sadness, or stealing my heart, or what. So now tell me your lies, Alice.” Nick shoved his hands in his pockets and prepared to listen. “Go on. Tell me a different story, one I believe. Explain it all away.”

Alice and Arkady stared up at him like he was a ghost. Then after what felt like a year, Alice said, “That woman who splashed you, do you remember anything about her?”

“Yes. Sure. She was lovely. Japanese. Her brother was a total dick and kept taking her picture.”

Alice nodded, comprehension writing itself again across her expression. “Sit down, Nick. No, really. This is very serious. I don’t know this Mr. Mibbs person. That woman and her brother, they were the ones trailing you for us.”

Nick blinked, thinking about that for a moment, then dismissing it. “Oh, sure. That’s good.”

“No, but really. They were.” Alice was digging her iPhone out from where it was tucked in beside her and turning it on. “Here.” She held it up to Nick and he saw a map of central London, with the route he had taken perfectly traced out in red through the streets. Then she tapped again at the screen and handed him the phone. There was a photo of himself and the girl, crouching over her purse. “Kumiko texted right away to say you had a fit in Guilford Street. She said she thought you were about to jump. That would have been a disaster; you are totally untrained. You might have disappeared into the River of Time and been lost. She saved you with that stunt of hers.”

Nick sank down into his chair and stared owlishly at the photo.

Alice kept talking. “Their names are Kumiko and Shuchiro. They’re new, fresh from training. Brother-and-sister team. Twins, actually. Extremely rare, for siblings to jump together. A strong connection. They are very useful to us.”

Kumiko and Shuchiro: The Asian tourists on the embankment. Nick Davenant: Total dick. He scrolled back through Shuchiro’s pictures. Another of the purse gathering, then one of him gripping the gate, looking weak in the knees. He flipped back more quickly. A picture of him standing at the light at Euston Road, then one of him sipping his coffee in Seven Dials. All the way back to a picture or two of him on the banks of the Thames, staring at the water. But not a single one with Mibbs.

He looked up from the phone. “Where is Kumiko now? I want to ask her something. Can you call her?”

“Yes, of course.” Alice took the phone back and tapped at it. “Hello, Shuchiro, this is Alderwoman Gacoki. Yes. Thank you for your work today. Is Kumiko with you? May I speak to her please? Thank you.” She nodded to Nick and handed him the phone. “She’ll be on in a minute.”

Nick held the phone to his ear, waiting. Soon enough he heard that accent again, but the voice was stronger, more self-assured. “Hello? This is Kumiko.”

“Hi, Kumiko. No, this isn’t the Alderwoman. This is Nick Davenant. I’m the guy you trailed today.”

“Oh!” She laughed. “So you knew?”

“No, no. Actually you had me completely fooled. But listen, do you remember, right before you tossed your water on me—was there a man with me?”

“Yes, there was a man. Trying to help you.”

“That was the only time you noticed him? He was dressed ridiculously—you didn’t see him earlier on my walk?”

There was silence as she thought about it. “Maybe I saw him earlier? I don’t know. I still think everyone dresses ridiculously in London.”

“Okay . . . but seriously. What was he doing when you saw him with me?”

“Just bending over you. He must have thought you were going to faint. He came forward before we even realized you were in trouble.”

“Did your brother send all the pictures he took? Do you think he might have a picture of that man? I want to show it to the Alderwoman.”

“Just a moment.” He heard her call to her brother in Japanese. He replied, and after a moment Kumiko spoke again in English. “Yes, we have a picture. He’ll send it right now.”

And indeed, there was the buzz of an incoming text message against his ear, and with it he relaxed; there would be proof. Maybe Alice and Arkady would know who Mibbs was and what he was doing trailing after Nick. “That’s great, thanks so much, Kumiko. And listen, thank you for saving me today. You dragged me right back into the moment. I’m very grateful.”

“No problem.” She paused. “Are you going to be in London long?”

Nick turned his shoulder to Alice and Arkady, as if that would keep his conversation private. “Maybe, I don’t know. I’m not allowed out, you know. You might have to come save me again.”

She laughed, and he laughed, and then he said maybe dinner some night soon, at which point the phone was snatched from his hand.

“Nick is not available for fraternization, Kumiko,” Alice said, on her feet now and frowning at Nick. “No. Yes. Thank you.” She poked at the screen to end the call and get to her texts. She looked at her phone for a moment, then handed it to Nick again. “Is this the man you wanted me to see?”

Unfortunately Mibbs’s face wasn’t visible in the picture, just the back of his head and his hand, clasping Nick’s shoulder. Mibbs looked as if he were a concerned citizen, reaching out to