Gimmy and Don were like brothers. They lived together; they helped each other; they confide their fears and thoughts.
Since the first meeting with James and Roger, Gimmy has appeared to be the only person who could know what was crossing Don’s mind. Gimmy, indeed, found Don in front of Mark’s house. How did he do that? In the next paragraphs, I’ll try to tell you how Gimmy realised where Don could have gone. “I’m being lucky.” Gimmy sprinted back to the shopping centre. “That car came exactly at the right moment to allow me to disappear from those detectives.” Gimmy didn’t regret to have talked to James and Roger, but he feared that somebody might have seen him. “My companions don’t like bottlers’n’stoppers.” The emergency door screeched as Gimmy opened it. “I’ll get to my…” A scream echoed in the main aisle; a man ran after another. “It’s my pillow, you beast!” The follower shouted. “You have one already, Sim!” Gimmy watched the men passing by and shook his head. “They’re like kids.” He lay on his old, battered sleeping bag, but he couldn’t help but thinking about Don. Where was him? Why were those coppers looking for him? Was he going to avenge Ivonne’s death? “Don has always been able to manage his life. I shouldn’t get worried so much.” Gimmy was woken up by the noise of morning commuters going to catch the first train from Stratford Station. After a while, the electrical humming of the cleaning floor machine decided that the day had to start. Numerous homeless got up and started picking up their stuff. Some of them did it in complete silence, while others started grumping and moaning at the man who was driving the machine. Gimmy followed his mates and began to fold his sleeping bag and the blanket. He, then, walked to the second alleys to his left and stocked everything in a small, unused alcove. “The stalls’ owners stock everything in these back alleys. This niche has been empty since I arrived, and nobody has ever complained.” People were starting to bring in stands and trolleys full of goods and clothes, but Gimmy didn’t consider them. He was still thinking about Don. “Where is he?” He decided that he had to find him, and, to do that, he had to check in a few places before going to his main shelter in Primrose Hill. Gimmy walked to the station; there were some tricks for travelling without paying the tube ticket, and Gimmy knew almost all of them. He stood in front of the busiest gate. The perfect moment immediately came; he queued and stuck to the traveller before him. The unaware man swiped his Oyster cad, and, before the gate closed, Gimmy walked fast behind him. “I’m sorry!” Gimmy unintentionally stamped on his heel. The man scowled at him and walked in his way. Gimmy grinned satisfied; he had got through without the tube staff noticing him. Gimmy visited Southwark, then Waterloo Station and Victoria Station, but he found no sign of Don. “I don’t know where to look for.” Gimmy desperately thought. “I may get back to Stratford. Maybe, he got back to Papa House.” Late afternoon had come to Gimmy. When he entered the shopping centre, the big supermarket had already closed, and the stalls had disappeared. In a corner, in front of an emergency exit, Gimmy recognised two men. “What the hell are they doing here?” James and Roger beckoned him and went out through the green push door. Gimmy glanced carefully around and followed them. The hallway smelled rotten food and urine. The sides of the pavement were slimy because of the rain of the previous days. At the end of the alley, there was a three-steps stair. The passage led to a huge parking area for vans and lorries. Gimmy found the detectives waiting for him at the bottom of the steps. “What are you doing here? Are ya outta mind?” “We need to talk to you.” James started off. “No! My companions don’t like people like ya!” Gimmy was furious. “What if they saw ya?” “Nobody saw us.” Roger said. “We need you to take us to Don’s refuge in Primrose Hill.” James briskly explained. “It’s important for our investigation.” “Why should I do this?” Gimmy asked. “I don’t want to have anything to do with you!” “But you want to find Don as much as we do.” Roger grinned. “Help us, Gimmy.” James said. “You know where it is! Lead us there, and we’ll leave you in peace.” Gimmy stared at them. “This might be a good opportunity for having a look at that place. Even though I have the coppers with me…” “Will you take us there?” James asked. “All right! All right!” Gimmy sighed. “I’ll do it, but I’ll do it only to find Don, and we’ll have to move carefully! I do not want anybody to see me with people like you!” James and Roger exchanged a look, then nodded. They quickly headed to the car parked a few yards from the exit. Gimmy stared at the two detectives who were inspecting Don’s shelter. “They’ve been searching this area for a while, but they found nothing.” He thought. “I didn’t find any clue about where Don might have gone either.” James crawled and picked up a business card. “Wow! They found a business card.” Gimmy scoffed. “They haven’t got any clue of what they’re doing at all, that’s just rubbish.” Gimmy walked around the bushes. There was something he couldn’t figure out that annoyed him; a small, insignificant detail. “The detective said…” Gimmy’s train of thought stopped. “How could I have been so stupid! Don knew where Ivonne used to go three times a week!” He instinctively brought a hand to his mouth. “Of course, he must be there! I know where you are Don! And I’ll get you!” James and Roger came out of the shelter, and Gimmy reached them. A cunning smirk grew on his face. Marble Arch was crowded with commuters entering the tube station. Gimmy rapidly avoided them and looked around, trying to guess where to go. “To my left, I have Oxford Street. To my right, I head to Notting Hill. In that way, I’ll reach Hyde Park Corner.” Gimmy pondered. “What was that she used to say…she said that…” Gimmy made a huge effort to recall Don’s words about those strange sessions with the psychologist Ivonne used to have. “She liked…there was something in the office that she liked….it was…” Gimmy thought, then the exact words popped out of his mind. “The stunning view of the trees in the park trembling at the soft breeze! This is what she said!” Gimmy turned in the road leading to Hyde Park Corner. A tall skyscraper towered over the surrounding buildings. Gimmy strolled around it and peered inside, trying not to be seen by the guardian sat at the reception’s counter. “I can’t be sure Don’s here.” Gimmy sighed. “What if I’m mistaken? Probably, he is at Papa house and…” The noise of an emergency door slamming made Gimmy turn and hide behind a car. He stealthily peered towards the direction of the slam. Suddenly, to his surprise, Don came out of the narrow alley. “Don! What are you doing here?” Gimmy thought and was about to call him, when he strolled in the opposite way. “I better off follow him. When he won’t expect, I’ll come out and stop him! I want to see where he’s going!” Without making any noise and keeping a safe distance, Gimmy trailed Don. The fourth instalment dedicated to “The fear eater” is out. If you liked it, and you want to read the novella, you can find it on Wattpad for free. CLICK HERE. Take care and see you the next week with some news and a short answer to the last interrogative left. Cheers!
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