TWENTY-TWO
THE MAN IN THE DARK ROOM
At precisely five minutes before eleven in the morning, the taxi carrying Jacob and Michael drew to a halt on the street outside number fourteen Abbotsford Road. Michael had been pleased when Jacob had insisted they use a taxi for the journey. In truth, after the treatment meted out to him by the other man the previous day Michael had felt in no mood for the long walk up the hill in the rising heat of the morning. His throat was still painful from the pressure exerted upon his windpipe and his whole body felt as though it no longer belonged to him. Michael was running on empty, though Jacob appeared to be on a high, pumped up by an adrenalin rush at the prospect of solving what he saw as the riddle of the reason for Michael and the stranger combining t
