Newt didn’t want him go, but he knew he had to. So when River slept, Newt stayed awake and an hour later, hepersuaded him to go back to his bed.
Newt was outside early the next morning, raking up the leaves at the front of the house. He’d already dragged one load down the garden and was halfway to filling another bag when he heard the sound of car engines. Maybe two vehicles. He assumed they’d drive past the house but they stopped at the gates. When he saw photographers scrambling from the cars, he gulped.Shit!
“Hey!” a guy shouted. “Over here!”
Newt ignored the call. Maybe he could pretend he owned the house and had never heard of River.Yeah, right.More likely they’d think he was the gardener.
“Does River Lawson live here?” a man shouted.
“If he comes out for a photo, we’ll leave,” called another.
“How is he?” yelled the first.
Newt took the rake back to the garage and closed the door. His heart was pounding. He hurried through to the house. Andy and Jesse were in the kitchen.
“The press are outside,” Newt said.
“What?” Jesse’s eyes widened. “How do they know Dila is here?”
“I don’t know that they do. They asked about River. Is he up?”
“I’ve not seen him,” Andy said.
Newt called him on his phone.
“Newt?”
“Don’t open your curtains. There are photographers outside. I’m going to call Max.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll go up and tell Dila.” Jesse left the room.
Newt called Max.
“What’s wrong?”
“There are photographers outside the gates. They say if River comes out for a photo they’ll leave. They’re asking how he is.”
“Fuck!”
“Can they take pictures of him? Isn’t that hounding him?”
“They can legally take pictures of anyone if they’re in a public space. Outside the gates,they’rein a public space. But it’s a criminal offence to harass people in their homes.”
“If they stay outside but keep calling for River to come out, that’s harassment?”
“Yes. But…” Max sighed. “The press are annoyingly persistent. Maybe it would be better to let them have a few shots of River and Dila. Then they’ll go away. No one is to speak to them. No questions to be answered. But they need to be told that the house must not be identified. I’ll speak to Dila.”
Max ended the call and Newt put his phone back in his jacket pocket.
“What’s happening?” Andy asked.
“Max says River and Dila should go out and let them take a few pictures but not speak to them. No one’s to speak to them apart from telling them the address is private.”
Something was niggling at Newt. Who had told the press where River lived? He hoped Max didn’t think it was him.More likely to be Jorge getting his own back. Or maybe one of the others River had sacked.
Dila, River and Jesse came into the kitchen. Dila was on her phone.
