byA blue-bottle buzzed against the inside of the window pane, keeping me awake. The lower half of the window was wide open, but the fly showed no interest in escaping; even its buzzing was lethargic.
Like me. I sat in my shirt sleeves and sweltered through a London heat-wave. Gray’s Inn Road was quiet.
Those people who couldn’t afford a trip to the coast must be sleeping. I could vaguely remember such a trip with my parents when I was young. A sea breeze was the most delightful thing I could imagine when I heard footsteps on the stairs.
Quick, bouncy footsteps announcing the coming of youth. I sighed a little.
She was about fifteen I decided as she bounced into my office and into the client’s chair. She wore school uniform, the tunic too tight and the skirt too short. She had too much
