Alex drew up to my side and called, ‘Hello,’ nervously down to him. The man stopped, surprised. ‘Oi! You’re not supposed to be back here!’ ‘Oh, sorry,’ replied Alex. ‘We’re just looking for Gavin?’ ‘Oh,’ said the man, and he walked a little closer, squinting in the afternoon sunlight. ‘Are you Alex?’ I recognised his voice now, too, and every hair on my body was raised in prickly goosebumps. We’re gonna die, we’re gonna die, we’re gonna die. ‘Come on down,’ he invited, gesturing with his arm. ‘Come into my lurve shack.’ ‘Oh,’ I said. ‘Oh. No. No thanks. Come on, Alex. Time to get going.’ Alex laughed, swinging easily down the ramp. ‘I’m not walking five miles in these wedges, Tatty Lula. Come on.’ She stopped when she reached the man on the ramp and said, ‘Ah. You must be Gavin’s cousin Michael?’ ‘Yeah,’ he said, and I saw a glint of gold on a front tooth. ‘Call me Mickey.’ ‘Good to meet you, Mickey. We need to be getting back.
