THE RIVER 

Part Two - The Grey Ghost
By Tessa Harvey


    Arrested with his sleepy, younger brother, Flash Harry phoned his smart lawyer.
Within days, said smart lawyer had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the sole perpetrator of the theft of the priceless necklace has, in fact, been Charlie Swift, known as Dozy or Noddy.
    Flash Harry was James Sewell. Same mother, whereabouts unknown - different fathers, also whereabouts mostly unknown, perhaps questionable. They had left long ago.
    The men were now adults and needed no family, though secretly Charlies would have liked a real mum and dad like in the books he read. Children's books were his favourite, though he hid them from James, or thought he did. He loved adventure stories.
    James was released. There were no witnesses to the robbery. The sales assistant had left his post for personal reasons. There was only a boy's word based on a brief, panicked glimpse, that he had deliberately rammed the boy's motorbike causing the youth to almost drown in a nearby river, running swift and cold in autumn.
    The colours as they drove into the trees were beautiful reds, flaming shades of orange, sunshine yellow, green and gold. They could hear birds calling. Charlie felt awake and happy. Flash Harry saw little, just an annoying curtain of falling leaves, drifting down in slanting, sun-lit yellow. Stardust in a glitsy parade. He had arranged a surprise for Noddy. A real winner. He chuckled.

    

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