Lone Wolf - Robert Muchamore Page 0,29

the city. Here they work all week, then come and dig a piece of land like it’s some kind of fun.’

‘Don’t knock it,’ Fay said. ‘My mum used to grow the best-tasting tomatoes. And the courgettes and strawberries were amazing.’

A couple of turns on the meandering tracks brought them to plot sixty-four. The eighteen-metre square was bisected by a crazy-paved path and had two large sheds at the far end.

‘Looks neat,’ Ning said, as she looked along rows of runner beans and raspberry bushes. ‘Who’s been looking after it?’

‘You’re not allowed more than one allotment, but a lot of people want two,’ Fay explained. ‘The woman on plot sixty-three said she was more than happy to look after it when my aunt got sent to prison.’

Fay lifted some anti-bird mesh and picked a couple of raspberries from a bush. She popped one in her mouth and offered the other to Ning.

‘Nice,’ Ning said as the taste exploded in her mouth. ‘It reminds me of the village I lived in when I was little. Except we’d have ducks and chickens around as well.’

Fay led Ning along the strip of crazy paving, until she came to a curved reddish piece of stone that looked like it had once been part of a chimney pot. It was pretty solidly bedded into the earth and Fay had to dig with the fingers of both hands to prise it up.

Beneath the stone were half a dozen woodlice, and more importantly a round metal tin. Fay couldn’t twist the rusty lid.

‘Give us,’ Ning said.

But Ning couldn’t open the tin either, so Fay went down on one knee and prised the lid with a screwdriver. When it eventually popped open, the tin contained a bunch of keys wrapped in thick plastic to keep out moisture.

One of the keys opened a lock on the smaller of the two sheds. The exterior was tatty, but Fay led Ning into a cosy little space. Grubby windows in the roof and door let in light. There was a camp bed, a small camping stove fuelled by gas cylinders and a metal sink with a single tap that would provide cold water.

Fay opened a cupboard and found some tea bags. ‘Fourteen months past the sell-by date! I guess I’d better go to Asda and stock up.’

‘So you’re planning to stay here?’ Ning said.

Fay nodded. ‘There’s no heat or hot water, but at this time of year it should be fine.’

‘What’ll you do when it gets to autumn?’

Before Ning got an answer, Fay turned the tap over the sink. There was a violent chugging noise, followed by a splutter of brown water that made her jump backwards. After a few seconds, the pipe settled down and a drizzle of clear water ran out.

‘By the autumn . . .’ Fay said thoughtfully. ‘By the autumn, I reckon I’ll either be dead or I’ll have killed Hagar and robbed enough drug dealers to afford better digs.’

‘Always planning ahead,’ Ning said chirpily. But on the inside she felt kind of sad because she’d started to like Fay and didn’t like the idea that she might end up dead.

‘So I’ll have to go to the supermarket, get some groceries and some cloths and stuff to give this place a good clean. The allotment shop should have gas cylinders for the stove.’

‘You came with a shovel,’ Ning said. ‘I assumed we were coming here to dig something up.’

Fay realised she’d forgotten and nodded excitedly. ‘Yes! Next door.’

The second shed was larger, but had none of the frills. The windowless interior meant that the only light came through the open door, while the contents were a cluttered mixture of garden tools, pots, netting, and bags of fertiliser and compost.

‘Shovels,’ Ning said, laughing as she rattled some garden tools. ‘So much for carrying one all the way from Elstree.’

Fay sounded narked. ‘Well, I didn’t know what tools I’d find here. I’d never have got the keys to the sheds without the screwdriver.’

‘Joke,’ Ning said airily. ‘Don’t blow your stack.’

Fay took a deep breath and held up her hands. ‘I’ve got a temper, I know. But I’m putting a lot of faith in you, Ning.’

‘How come?’

‘You could go back home and grass me up,’ Fay explained. ‘Can I really trust you? I mean, how long have I known you? A week?’

‘Barely,’ Ning said. ‘But you’re the one who called me at five a.m., asking if I wanted to come and have some fun.’

‘Fair point,’ Fay said. ‘I need you to help