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‘Jane?’ Bob was telling her as she ended the call. ‘Remember, look after number one . . .’

  Gravy and Gorgeous George

  The two men crossed the tarmac, heading for the multi-storey car park. Gravy was taller than George Renshaw by a couple of inches. Thinner, too. He carried the blue carrier bag. Renshaw signalled to the driver of his taxi. Everything’s going to plan. Keep the engine running. This won’t take long. On the way down in the lift, he had pulled on a pair of tight leather gloves, an idea borrowed from Don Empson. He flexed his hands as he walked.

  ‘So you’re a mate of Benjy’s?’ Renshaw was asking. ‘How’s he doing?’

  Gravy just shrugged.

  ‘How did he ever think he’d get away with it?’

  Another shrug.

  ‘And Don. You do know Don, don’t you?’

  A shake of the head.

  ‘You don’t know Don?’

  ‘I know it’s his car.’

  ‘So how exactly do you fit in, Mr Gravy?’

  ‘It’s just “Gravy”, not “Mr Gravy”.’

  ‘Whatever. Which floor are we going to?’ They were entering the car park.

  ‘This one,’ Gravy said.

  The level was only half full, and Renshaw spotted Don Empson’s BMW straight away. He gave a low whistle, almost jogging towards it.

  ‘I tried cleaning up the blood,’ Gravy was explaining. ‘I did my best.’

  ‘Sure you did, kid,’ Renshaw said. He rubbed a gloved hand over the car and peered inside. Then he turned to Gravy. ‘So?’

  ‘The boot,’ Gravy said.

  ‘Got the key?’

  Gravy nodded.

  ‘Give it here then.’

  The key changed hands. Renshaw pressed the button and the boot clicked open half an inch. He yanked it all the way up and stood there, mouth hanging open. Benjy’s body was curled into a ball. It was swelling and leaking and starting to smell. Renshaw began to cough. He took a step back, then turned towards Gravy. Gravy was holding the blue bag. He was pointing it at Renshaw. Then he pulled the trigger and the bag exploded. The kick sent the gun flying from Gravy’s hand. Renshaw winced and went down on one knee, then fell backwards, clutching his right leg. The bullet had gone into his upper thigh. Blood was pumping out. Renshaw’s face was screwed up in pain. Gravy knelt down and touched the man’s forehead.

  ‘Warm,’ he said. ‘Warm, warm, warm, warm.’ Five times for luck. Then, curious, he touched the man’s chest. Stood to reason. If the head was warm, then the heart should be cold.

  Stone cold.

  But it wasn’t.

  People were coming. A woman and two men, running. Gravy didn’t know them. He stood up, and one of the men shouted for him to step away from the vehicle. Gravy was happy to do that. The woman was walking slowly towards him. The other man was phoning for an ambulance. The woman glanced inside the boot of the car, then she locked eyes with Gravy.

  ‘My name’s Detective Inspector Harris,’ she said.

  ‘Mine’s Gravy.’

  ‘Yes, I know. What are you doing here, Gravy? You’re a long way from home.’

  Gravy nodded his agreement with this.

  ‘Are you working for Don Empson?’ she asked.

  Gravy shook his head. ‘I’m just Benjy’s pal, that’s all.’

  ‘I’m guessing this is Benjy?’ She meant the body in the boot. Instead of answering, Gravy looked over towards George Renshaw. Renshaw was clutching his wounded leg, cursing and swearing and making pained noises as he rolled around on the floor.

  ‘I don’t like swearing,’ Gravy stated. ‘My mum told me it’s not clever.’

  ‘Your mum was quite right.’ DI Harris was studying the car. ‘This belongs to Don Empson, doesn’t it?’

  Gravy nodded again. ‘But I thought it was Benjy’s. Can I go back to work now?’ he asked.

  Harris didn’t answer straight away. She had her own phone out and was telling someone on the other end of it that they should enter the bar and check the cellar. Flicking the phone shut, she asked Gravy if he was sure he was all right.

  ‘I’m fine,’ he said. ‘I didn’t want to shoot him. I just didn’t know what else to do. Benjy wanted me to hide the gun.’ He looked at her. ‘I’ll get into trouble, won’t I? I didn’t do what he wanted.’ He took a deep breath and gave a long, loud sigh.

  ‘Is there any money, Gravy? I’m thinking there should be money.’

  But Gravy was shaking his head. ‘If you’re looking for Celine,’ he told the detective, ‘she’s not here. I don’t know where she went, so there’s no use asking, is there?’

  ‘Celine?’ For the first time, the detective looked confused.

  Gravy pointed to the ground where the remains of the blue bag had landed. There was a CD lying there. ‘My fingers feel funny,’ he said, studying them. ‘I don’t think I want to do any more shooting.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it.’ Harris had crouched down to pick up the CD.

  Gravy was pressing the palm of one hand against his chest. ‘Warm heart,’ he told the detective. ‘That’s got to be a good thing, hasn’t it?’

  Jane Harris nodded, but she was still left wondering . . . what on earth did Celine Dion have to do with any of this?

  Quick Reads

  Books in the Quick Reads series

  Pick up a book today

  Quick Reads are bite-sized books by bestselling writers and well-known personalities for people who want a short, fast-paced read. They are designed to be read and enjoyed by avid readers and by people who never had or who have lost the reading habit.

  Quick Reads are published alongside and in partnership with BBC RaW.

  We would like to thank all our partners in the Quick Reads project for their help and support:

  Arts Council England

  The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills

  NIACE

  unionlearn

  National Book Tokens

  The Vital Link

  The Reading Agency

  National Literacy Trust

  Welsh Books Council

  Basic Skills Cymru, Welsh Assembly Government

  Wales Accent Press

  The Big Plus Scotland

  DELNI

  NALA

  Quick Reads would also like to thank the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills; Arts Council England and World Book Day for their sponsorship and NIACE for their outreach work.

  Quick Reads is a World Book Day initiative. www.quickreads.org.uk www.worldbookday.com

  Reaching for the Stars

  How you can make your dreams come true

  Lola Jaye

  Harper

  ‘When I was eleven years old I used to shut myself away in my room and write, creating characters and imagining them on children’s telly!’

  Lola Jaye always dreamed of being a writer, but getting her first book published wasn’t easy. She would come home from her day job and write every evening and weekend. But it wasn’t until years later, after lots of rejections, that she finally got her first book deal.

  Now Lola wants to help others reach for their dreams. In this step-by-step guide, she shows that, with plenty of self-belief and hard work anything is possible.

  The Dare

  John Boyne

  Black Swan

  At the start of his school holidays, Danny Delaney is looking forward to a trouble-free summer. But he knows that something terrible has happened when his mother returns home one afternoon with two policemen.

  There has been an accident. Mrs Delaney has hit a small boy with her car. The boy is in a coma at the local hospital and nobody knows if he will ever wake up.

  Danny’s mother closes herself off, full of guilt. Danny and his father are left to pick up the pieces of their broken family.

  John Boyne tells the story from the point of view of a twelve-year-old boy. The Dare is about how one moment can change a family forever.

  Dr Who: The Sontaran Games


  Jacqueline Rayner

  BBC Books

  Every time the lights go out, someone dies...

  The TARDIS lands at an academy for top athletes, all hoping to be chosen for the forthcoming Globe Games. But is one of them driven enough to resort to murder? The Doctor discovers that the students have been hushing up unexplained deaths. As he begins to investigate, the Doctor finds a squad of Sontarans invading the academy!

  As the Sontarans begin their own lethal version of the games, the Doctor is captured and forced to take part in the Sontaran Games. Can even a Time Lord survive this deadly contest?

  Featuring the Doctor as played by David Tennant in the acclaimed hit series from BBC Television.

  All These Lonely People

  Gervase Phinn

  Penguin Paperbacks

  The world is full of lonely people. One wonders where they all come from…

  Even with a huge problem to worry about, Father McKenzie still manages to see the good in everyone. His job is made more difficult by his nosy housekeeper and the gossips from the shop down the road. Will they succeed in spoiling things, or will Father McKenzie’s advice win the day?

  This charming tale shows the ups and downs of everyday life in a truly heart-warming way. It will have you laughing out loud and shedding a tear - all at the same time.

  The Tannery

  Sherrie Hewson

  Pan

  This is the story of one family struggling to survive the war years.

  It’s 1938. Dolly Ramsden is six years old. Times are hard. But Dolly doesn’t care. Her family is everything to her.

  Then war comes and everything changes. Her father leaves his job at the local tannery and joins the war effort. He leaves behind a bitter wife and a daughter who can see no hope for the future. With no money, Dolly’s mother is forced to take desperate measures to help them survive. Soon she becomes lonely and depressed. She turns to drink and Dolly’s life becomes a living hell.

  When the war ends and Dolly’s father comes home, he finds a teenage daughter who has grown up too soon, and a wife who has been destroyed by what she’s become. Hatred and secrets hinder his attempts to restore a normal life for them. Until, one night, things get out of control….

  Black-Eyed Devils

  Catrin Collier

  Accent Press

  One look was enough. Amy Watkins and ‘Big’ Tom Kelly were in love. But that one look condemned them both.

  Amy’s father is out to kill Tom. All Tom wants is Amy, but Tonypandy in 1911 is a dangerous place for Irish workers who have been brought in to replace the striking miners.

  The miners drag them from their beds and hang them from lamp posts as a warning to those who would take their jobs. Frightened for Amy, Tom fights to deny his heart, while Amy dreams of a future with the man she loves. But her dream seems impossible until a man they believed to be their enemy offers to help. But, can they trust him with their lives?

  101 Ways to get your Child to Read

  Patience Thomson Foreword by Michael Morpurgo

  Barrington Stoke

  Some children find it hard to read. Some parents find it hard to help them. So how can you get your child reading if they can’t read, or won’t read? And what if you’re not a great reader yourself? 101 Ways to get your Child to Read has the answers.

  This is an accessible and friendly book. It draws on Patience’s thirty years of experience teaching reading, and her ten years of publishing books for reluctant readers. It features advice and encouragement from celebrity parents and well-known dyslexics. It also gives practical, tried-and-tested tips to help every parent to encourage their child to read.

  Dragons’ Den

  Your road to success Duncan Bannatyne, Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Theo Paphitis and James Caan

  Collins

  4 million people watch the Dragons on TV. Now you can read their stories and learn from them.

  Duncan Bannatyne, Deborah Meaden, James Caan, Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis are the stars of TV programme Dragons’ Den, but they haven’t always been millionaires and TV stars. Here, they reveal the secrets that have taken them from nothing to the very top.

  The Dragons tell their personal stories of success and failure. They also give advice on how to succeed in business and in life, including how to make money from scratch.

  If you’re looking for advice on making the most of your life or your business, this is the perfect book for you.

  Other resources

  Free courses are available for anyone who wants to develop their skills. You can attend the courses in your local area. If you’d like to find out more, phone 0800 66 0800.

  A list of books for new readers can be found on www.firstchoicebooks.org.uk or at your local library.

  Publishers Barrington Stoke (www.barringtonstoke.co.uk), New Island (www.newisland.ie) and Sandstone Press (www.sandstonepress.com) also provide books for new readers.

  The BBC runs a reading and writing campaign. See www.bbc.co.uk/raw.

  www.quickreads.org.uk

  www.worldbookday.com