Mirror Man by Jacques Kat (ereader for textbooks txt) 📗

England anytime soon. He’s never even met them, anyway, and he had no one else to leave it to. You don’t think he’d let the government get their hands on it, do you? Have it turned into another one of them foreign muck takeaways?’

Pete shook his head, but no one else did. I think they were as shocked as me.

‘Are you sure you didn’t know?’ Mum asked again, eyeing my reflection suspiciously.

‘Mum, why do you keep asking him that? He said he didn’t know. Quit it,’ said Tina.

‘I didn’t know. No one tells me anything.’ I folded my arms. ‘You don’t treat me like an adult.’

‘I’m only asking since the police might think it’s motive for… well, you know.’

‘You’ve been watching too much television, Mum,’ said Tina.

Mum rolled her eyes and snorted.

‘John-Michael didn’t know,’ Grandad said. ‘Mr Phillips, PC Williams, and I thought it best we didn’t tell anybody until the time was right, which we thought would be way into the future.’ He waved his hand away from him. ‘But here we are now, and I admit it won’t be easy when news of this comes out. As dramatic as it sounds, Anna is right. I think there’ll be some finger-pointing and accusations until the perpetrator is caught, so best the shop stays shut for a few days. What does everyone say to that?’

Everyone nodded their agreement, except for me.

‘Grandad, what about people picking up their watches? They’ll be counting on me being there,’ I said.

‘Do you have numbers and names for these people?’

‘Yes, I think so. Mr Phillips recorded everything in that ledger and Rolodex of his.’

‘Good. Once the police say it’s okay to go back in, you can get the ledger and ring them and explain what’s happened.’

My gaze sank to where my hands twiddled on the table. ‘You mean… I have to speak to them?’

‘Yes, JC, this is your shop now. You’re going to have to get used to it,’ he said, his tone flat.

I gulped. I rarely spoke to the customers. Had no need to, really. Perhaps this would be the door I needed to walk through to become whole. If I could speak to random strangers in the shop, then maybe I could look at them too.

‘I think I need a sip of that whiskey, Grandad.’ I nodded towards his glass, which had a mouthful left. He slid it over to me, and I swallowed it in one, relishing the burn as slid down my throat.

‘I needed that,’ I sighed.

Everyone laughed.

‘Can I get something to eat now? I’m hungry,’ I said.

‘Sure, I’ll make some cheese-and-tomato sandwiches. Does everyone want one?’ Mum asked.

‘Yes, thanks,’ everyone replied in unison, including me.

Tina leant over to me once Mum had left. ‘You’ve certainly won Mum over now. She’d have gone ballistic over this a week ago.’

‘I know, it’s certainly a massive change,’ I told her. ‘I like it.’

‘She knows deep down you didn’t hurt Mr Phillips. I think I would have run away too if I’d have been in your shoes. I’ve told you before she blames herself.’

‘Why? Is it because of what she said about my eyes?’ I asked her.

Tina shot up straight. ‘You remember her saying that to you?’

‘Yes, it echoes at the back of my mind.’

‘You were so young. This whole time…’ She trailed off. ‘Ignore me,’ she continued and then smiled. ‘You have beautiful eyes, John-Michael. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. Not even Mum.’

‘I won’t.’

‘I think Mum wasn’t well after she had you. She didn’t mean any of those words. At least now she’s trying to make up for it… in her own way.’

At that moment, Mum brought in the sandwiches and a pot of tea. We all sat there eating our dinner like nothing had happened. Though inside, I feared this was the calm before the storm, as I’d heard people say. Something was brewing in the air. I just didn’t know what it was yet.

I needed the guns to be in my possession in case The Suit came back for me and my family. I had to protect them. When I got out of here, if they ever let me go, I would go back to the shop and get them.

Chapter Eighteen

Before I disappeared to my room that night, I retrieved the keys and pocket watch from the showroom and hid them with my journal in its hiding place. I had loads to work through, so I did what I normally did when I had to think: I lay on my bed to talk to Bruce.

‘What would you do, Bruce?’ I asked. An easy question for Bruce to answer, not for me. He would have used his martial arts skills and kicked The Suit out of the shop. I didn’t think he would have left Mr Phillips on the floor overnight, either.

Grandad said it would be a couple of days before we could go back to Claude’s Antiques. Well, it wasn’t Claude’s anymore; it was mine now. Though it would forever be known as Claude’s. There was no way I would be changing the name.

I was desperate to get back in the shop to check on the guns. I had to know they were safe, which I knew they were—I had all the keys—but that didn’t stop me from worrying.

The Suit plagued my dreams that night, hunting down my family and demanding the guns or he would kill them all.

*

Pete returned the next day without Tina to speak to Grandad and me.

We sat around the dining room table and Mum fetched us cups of tea.

‘Right, before I start, John-Michael, I want you to know you’re to be part of all family discussions from now on, no matter what. Okay?’

‘Yes, Pete.’

‘Quite right,’ agreed Grandad.

‘Okay. I’ve instructed a solicitor from Edwards, Adam & Stars to represent our family, should we have any problems down the line.’

I smiled when Pete said, ‘our family.’ I was happy to have the whole family behind me, and I was certain that once Mr Phillips’s