Skinner's festival

53

'Gammy' Legge shook his head. 'No damned explosive I've ever seen looks like that.' He stood in the second, inner room of the James Thin coffee-shop, still wearing his heavy black blast armour. 'You can come up now,' he called loudly.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and, a few seconds later, Arrow, Rose and McGuire appeared together in the doorway.

The black briefcase which the man had brought with him lay open on the table. It was full to the brim with fist-sized packages wrapped in brown paper. Legge had slit one open, and held it in the palm of his hand.

'What is it?' asked Arrow.

'Buggered if I know, old son. But it isn't explosive.'

Maggie Rose took the parcel from him. She looked at the powder inside and sniffed.

'You're wrong there. Major,' she said quietly. 'This stuffs explosive all right. It's high-octane and very dirty-looking heroin!'