The Outlaw Read Online Free Page A

angels and demons. As for the
desserts
of the south," he added drily, looking at the chocolate tortes that were being brought to the tables, "they are an altogether different battlefield."
    Jake could not help gaping at the desserts. Each minitorte was smothered in warm chocolate fudge sauce and decorated lavishly with gold leaf.
    "Is that what I think it is?" asked Kas.
    "Genuine twenty-four-carat gold," said Mrs. Knight, reading off the menu. "Don't worry, Kirsty, it's perfectly edible."
    "Great," said Kas. "That's all right, then."
    Mrs. Knight missed the sarcasm. She picked up a golden spoon, took a scoop of gold leaf and chocolate, and popped it into her mouth.
    "Did anyone see that woman in the hotel parking lot tonight?" asked Kas.
    "Mmmm." Mrs. Knight was loving the torte. "What did you say, darling?"
    "A woman in the parking lot," said Kas. "She was carrying two babies in a sling—one on her back and one on her front. She was holding out her hands, begging for small change, and one of her hands was sort of curled up."
    "Leprosy," said the police commissioner.
    "It's a common enough sight," said Mrs. Knight. "The world is very hard on some people."
    "Hard for us, too, of course," said Kas, her voice cracking, "what with all this bleedin' gold to digest."
    "Kirsty, don't swear."
    "Do you think our friend in the parking lot will swear when I tell her we've spent the whole evening stuffing ourselves with gold?"
    "Kirsty Knight, pipe down. You're being completely over the top."
    "I need air." Kas pushed back her chair, stood up, and walked out.
    The police commissioner picked up a gold-colored napkin and wiped his mouth slowly, evidently embarrassed by the confrontation. Jake glanced along the table and saw his father scowling. Kas would have hell to pay later.
    Jake finished his torte in silence. He did not like the thought of his sister's dessert going to waste, so he ate that as well. Then, holding his phone under the table, he touch-typed a tweet: Eatin gold & lovin it.
    "You'd better go and find Kirsty," said Mrs. Knight. "Tell her to come back inside this minute."
    Jake's mission turned out to be harder than it sounded. He expected to find Kas shuffling moodily around the parking lot or perched on the hood of the family car, but she was nowhere to be seen.
    He wandered over to the east wing of the hotel, where the swimming pool was. It was deserted, apart from a bored-looking waiter over by the lounge chairs.
    "
Bonsoir!
" the waiter called to Jake. "If you want to swim after dark, you must be accompanied by an adult."
    "I don't want to swim," said Jake. "I'm looking for my sister."
    "What does she look like?"
    "White skin, black makeup, black hair," Jake said, pointing at his shoulder to indicate the length.
    The waiter nodded. "Round the back."
    Jake followed his directions to the back of the hotel. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he made out the shapes of four big black trash containers. They exuded a foul smell, which made Jake want to retch.
    "Did you eat the gold?" The voice in the shadows down at Jake's feet made him jump. It was Kas, crouching on a wooden crate next to one of the bins.
    "Of course," said Jake.
    "I hope you choke on it." It was too dark to see Kas's eyes, but he could tell by her voice that she had been crying.
    "Mum told me to find you," said Jake. "She says to come back in straightaway."
    "Too bad. I'm waiting for someone."
    "Who?"
    "That woman with the withered hand."
    "She was in the parking lot," said Jake.
    "Well, she's not anymore. That waiter by the pool told me she sometimes comes round here to forage for food."
    "Why do you want to see her?"
    "To give her this."
    Jake squinted down at the object in his sister's hand—a solid-gold fork from the banqueting hall. "You can't do that," he heard himself say. "That's stealing."
    "Stealing from the rich to give to the poor," said Kas. "It's Robin Hood, innit?"
    "It's still stealing," said Jake, taking the fork from her