The Uninvited

meaty bulk against the security rail andgazes out at the panorama. I shift a littlecloser, near enough to catch what he says,but not so close to the drop that I can seewhat’s below. The rail is made ofaluminium so it must be burning hot, but hedoesn’t seem to notice. He hasn’t stoppedtalking since we met.‘Ahmed was a goddam diamond, I tellyou,’ he calls to me, continuing the themehe began in the lift. ‘This just was notAhmed. Not one single element of thisbloody mess was him, mun. I mean, hewasn’t a saboteur, no way. Plus, bloodyrat poison, what kind of shit is that, mun?If he had to do it what’s wrong withValium or paracetamol?’ De Vries is oneof those men who become aggressivewhen they are upset. He sweeps out his