Time difference

‘... and my colleagues in the Uniformed Branch tell me they’ve organised better than a dozen additional foot patrols over the past three months on the basis of your... information.’ He stabbed the air with his forefinger and then seemed to pull himself back. ‘Now, that’s a helluva lot of extra Police time, and they found precisely... nothing.’

‘There was nothing going on the nights those coppers were out,’ protested Kevin, rather unnecessarily.

‘Nothing at all,’ agreed the Inspector. ‘No flashing lights, no Mandarins, no jolly red giants. What d’you reckon they do? Snap their fingers and disappear the minute they see our boys, or look into a crystal ball and see us coming before we know ourselves?’

***

The Nightmare Fair, Chapter 1

***

Before she could form a suitable reply, the breath caught in her throat. Along the gloomy corridor a figure shambled towards them, not quite humanoid, not quite alien, its face seemingly composed of a single, gaping, cavernous hole.

‘There’s a helluva racket goin’ on,’ the figure yawned.

‘I’m trying to get some kip in –’

‘Geoff!’ exclaimed Kevin.

‘Hello, Kev,’ said the missing brother amiably. ‘What are you doing here? D’you know the time?’ By way of a reply, Kevin caught him in a gigantic bear-hug, which, from the look on Geoff’s face, was not the usual reaction he provoked in his elder brother.

(...)

‘You know,’ said Geoff to his brother, confidentially, ‘in the couple of days I’ve been here, I’ve seen more oddballs –’

‘Coupla days?’ asked Kevin.

‘Yeah.’ Geoff continued in the same confidential tone of voice. ‘You get so you don’t ask any daft questions, Kev. Know what I mean?’

***

The Nightmare Fair, Chapter 9