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I smile, shaking my head. “Nothing. Just dazed off for a moment,” I say, bringing myself back to the present.
He smiles back at me, finishing off his sandwich with one final delicious bite.
After lunch, I wash up the plates and sit down on the sofa next to Marcus, who has turned on the TV and is flicking through news channels, though nothing relevant appears. The only talk on all the news channels is the usual political chaos of Westminster, as always. I focus on the scrolling headlines across the bottom of the screen as Marcus lingers on one of the channels, listening to the report.
Government faces backlash over emergency cost-of-living support delays. Heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures bring UK travel to a standstill. Israel-Palestine tensions flare as ceasefire talks stall. NHS under unprecedented pressure amid winter surge in admissions. Energy bills to rise again as wholesale gas prices climb.
Then back to the cost of living again. Nothing about a murder.
I wonder if a drug-related stabbing would even make national news. Probably not. I don’t even know how often things like that happen.
As Marcus keeps watching, I pull my phone out to see if anything had been shared across any social media sites or local pages, but there’s nothing there either.
Opening Google, I type in “Manchester stabbing” and the first article at the very top of the page instantly catches my attention. I look at the date. 25thJanuary. That was yesterday.
“Marcus, look,” I say, leaning into him as the Greater Manchester Police website loads up on the screen.
He leans over to look as I read the article out loud.
“Detectives are appealing for information after a stabbing in Salford, Greater Manchester. At around 9pm Friday 24thJanuary, Greater Manchester Police were called to reports of a homicide on Chando’s Grove. A 19-year-old man was pronounced dead on the scene frominjuries caused by a bladed weapon. This is believed to be a targeted attack. The suspects are believed to be two white males ages 21 to 30. They are believed to have been driving a black BMW with tinted windows. Enquiries are ongoing at this time and officers are keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident and may have vital information to assist with the investigation in identifying suspects. Senior Investigating Officer John Torres of GMP Salford said: “We understand that this will be a worrying incident for those in the surrounding area but please be assured that officers are working tirelessly to track down the culprits and we continue to increase our patrols as a result to offer visible reassurance. We urge anyone who may know the culprit or have any mobile, dash cam or CCTV footage of the incident to come forward in confidence.”
I put the phone down in my lap and look at Marcus. “They seem to know it was a black BMW, which is more than we were able to tell them, so that’s something.”
I think carefully back to the car parked outside the coffee shop earlier. “Do you think the car in town was a BMW?” I try not to panic as I try to picture the car again in my mind, but I can’t visualise the logo.
“No, that was definitely a Range Rover,” he assures me.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
Images of the attack formulate in my mind as I try to search for answers.
“Do you think itwasa BMW at the scene?”
“That was the only one I thought it could have been at the time, but I couldn’t say for certain.”
I start to relax slightly. Maybe the car in town wasn’t related after all. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Lots of people drive Range Rovers.
Marcus turns off the TV and swivels to face me, his hand resting on my leg. “Do you think we should do an anonymous call and tell them his name?”
“No,” I say, probably a little too quickly.
“Why not?”
“Because there’s no guarantee they’ll get him, and if he sees his name being revealed, he’ll know it was me, and then he really will come after us.”
“But he doesn’t know where we are, or he would have been here by now.”
Although he makes a good point, I still don’t feel good about it.
“I just don’t think we should,” I say. “I think we should wait.”
Marcus is silent for a moment, turning his head away from me. His hand slips off my leg as his gaze focuses past the TV and out the window.
“Are you sure you don’t still have feelings for this guy?” he asks a moment later, his voice quiet, almost under his breath.
“Yes!” I exclaim, turning to look at him.