32
John Lucas entered the local branch of Pemberry’s and watched as the man behind the counter finished cutting a new set of keys. A young woman was resoling a pair of black shoes a few feet away from him.
The man registered Lucas’s arrival and greeted him.
‘Good afternoon. Can I help you?’
Lucas shuffled awkwardly. ‘Uh, yes, I’m looking for John Ayling.’
‘Ah,’ the man said, a look of faint recognition crossing his face. ‘You must be John Lucas.’
Lucas nodded.
‘Come with me,’ the man said. ‘Lucy, can you hold the fort for a few minutes?’
The girl nodded, and Lucas followed the shop’s manager behind the counter and out into the office at the rear.
Ayling closed the door behind them. ‘So. I got the message from your probation officer yesterday.’
Lucas recognised what Ayling was doi
