Chapter 2

George Dayton pulled up at the house in Elm Park Road in his executive salon. He spotted the frustrated figure of Adam, sat on the garden wall and smoothed his jacket as he got out of the car.

"Hiya," Adam called out to him and George nodded. There were a few people milling around but his property was in darkness and silent.

"What's happened?"

Adam sighed. "They reckon the guys next door put a chip pan on and didn't turn it off and then they went out," Adam said calmly to groans from his landlord. "And their kitchen caught fire, which is in the corner and it just took hold and it's gutted the back of mine. Well yours."

George shook his head in disgust and reached into his jacket pocket taking out a torch. "Can we get in?"

"Fire Brigade said not to until the Building Inspector comes but feck knows when that'll be."

"Well we can get 'round the back can't we?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah but I ain't been to see it."

The landlord flicked on his torch and looked walked over to the gate by the side of the semi-detached house, pushing it open and walking through it. The smell of charred wood and smoke hung in the air and George swore when he saw the back of the property. "Hell, this is a lot of work here."

"Yeah I guessed that," Adam replied as he caught up. The entire of the house in the bottom right was charred black and three of the windows had melted. It was clear that the fire had burnt most of the downstairs plus the smoke damage and George sighed.

"Only just finished doing this up after those bastards wrecked it," he muttered and Adam pursed his lips. "Did you have anything moved in?"

"No," Adam muttered. "Thank fuck. Was moving in tomorrow." George hummed and swung the torch from one part of the house to the other and rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Look, can I stay in the flat for the time being? I know I signed on to take this on yesterday but I can't move in here, with it in this state."

The landlord sighed. "No. No you can't, not like this. There's weeks of work here. You'd be within your rights to cancel the agreement." He looked at the young man staring at the property

Adam bit his lip and hummed. "So me flat. That been taken?"

George screwed up his face. "Sorry. The couple I showed 'round this morning took it. I signed the agreement a few hours ago." He rubbed his brow and looked at the property again scarcely illuminated by the feint light of the torch.

"Ahh shit," Adam cried out. "Cause I got to get out of there by Thursday and got nowhere to go. I ain't movin' back in with my parents. Ya dain't got anywhere free?"

George sighed. "Yeah, umm, OK. Look it's only a room in a house share on the other side of Lancaster but it's all I got. It's normally seventy quid a week but I can let you have it at half price if you still want to move into the house when it's done up," he told him. "Plus bills that you sort out, I don't get involved in that."

"A room? I got loads of stuff in my flat," Adam told him morosely.

"Sorry," the landlord muttered. "I got 100% occupancy bar this room. It's a house full of girls..." George paused and waited for the objection and shook his head. "Yeah sorry, I know. But it's a house full of girls, they're OK."

"Yeah, if that's all what's available," Adam muttered. "I'll chuck some stuff, well most of me stuff, in storage."

"He surveyed the house again and shrugged. "Yeah sorry, I'm just waiting for some house sales to go through but they are occupied. I think the next free property is after Christmas. Loads in June obviously when the students go home."

Adam bit his lip and nodded. "Ahh well, it'll beat going back with my parents."

"Yeah," George muttered, distracted for a moment. "How are they?"

"Yeah, they're fine. Dad's working too hard and Ivy, well she is shacked up with a right lazy bastard."

George snorted and scribbled a number on a piece of paper. "This is the house phone number, if you want to have a butchers or to meet the girls. They are a nice bunch but just a bit crazy." Adam gave a nervous laugh and the landlord smiled. "They're OK. Bloody awkward but I'll draw up the paperwork tomorrow. Come to the office at ten and I'll give you keys."

Adam nodded and shook his hand. "Cheers. Owe you one."

"Ahh, there you are. I have a little surprise for you," the landlord called as he came back up the driveway from getting his Sunday papers from the newsagent and saw his daughter getting out of her car outside his house.

"What?" Sarah asked, stooping to pick up the bottle of wine from the front seat. "What's up?"

"I have someone who will be staying in the spare bedroom," he told her with a smile. "One of my tenants."

Sarah shook her head and stared at him wide-eyed. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no! Dad you promised. Who?" She barked.

"Adam," came the response with a terse look.

"Adam. A guy called Adam?"

"Well Adam is a boys name," he told her with a smirk. "Now I know..."

"Why would you do this?" Sarah shouted in the street, her arms gesturing wildly. Her father unlocked his front door and scowled at her. "Why would you put a guy in with us? We had this conversation yesterday."

"I do not want to continue this conversation outside," he warned her. "I will not discuss my business with the street." Sarah threw her hands down to her sides and strode into the house.

"Who is he and why?" She shouted as she crossed the threshold.

"He was due to move into a house, it burnt down yesterday so I said he could rent the room off me."

"Well can't he live somewhere else?" Sarah asked, her voice sharp and snappy.

"No," her father replied instantly. "I have near 100% occupancy. I told you that. Anyway you know him, he's a nice lad."

"I don't know anyone called Adam," Sarah sneered and crossed her arms glaring at her father.

"Yes you do know him. Remember that twentieth wedding anniversary we went to few years ago. You were in College I think. Or School. Stuart and Louise, the garage owner. You know, my old school friend. He is their son."

Sarah screwed up her face. "At that posh pub near the hospital?"

"Yeah, that's the one. He's a nice guy."

"He threw up in the flower beds and made a pass at every girl there, didn't he?" The landlord shrugged.

"I can't remember."

"Black hair, tall, wore a green shirt. He was with a podgy girl and they got absolutely hammered."

The landlord sighed and pursed his lips. "Well he might've done, I don't know."

"So, let's be honest, you know nothing about him. He might not be a nice guy, he might be a killer or a rapist or anything."

"Don't be silly, Sarah. You are acting like one of your pupils. He's a nice lad, always pays his rent on time," he told her. "Unlike your friends." Sarah winced and the landlord shook his head and walked into the front room.

"Yeah, 'cause rapists never pay their debts do they?" Sarah spat back, continuing the argument. "If only all those murderers like Ian Huntley and Moira Hindley. If only they'd have paid their rent on time, they'd have not have committed any sex crimes." Her father's expression changed at Sarah's sarcasm. "And I don't want anyone I don't know moving in to the room above me."

"Well that's the problem," her father told her. "Someone you don't know. Everyone is someone you don't know. Now I do know Adam and I know his family. He is a good lad, he won't cause any trouble. And I knew you wouldn't like it, but I gave you ample opportunity to find someone you wanted and you didn't. So I have found someone suitable for you."

Sarah rubbed her face and held out her hands at her father. "He is not suitable. He is a he, for a start. If he was a she we might be talking but being a he is bad. Very bad."

"Yeah, and if you are as vulnerable as you say you are then having a guy in the house is better than all you girls. What happens if you get a break-in?"