Meerkat Napa, the gritty new crime fiction from the creators of Meerkat Mystery.

Sergei, are you still in the bath?

Yes, I'm listening to my podcast.

Can I come in?

Ah, no, no, no, no, oh, oh, just need to grab the claw clippers.

Don't worry, I'll cover my eyes.

What?

Whoa!

Come, you're going to follow me.

Whoa!

I'm still not looking and I'm not listening to my podcast don't wombat it meerk at it

Simples ha ha.

I'm being stalked by the hollow out at least that's what I call it. I only became aware of it last year and I might never have known if it wasn't for the old lady on the subway.

A cartoonish rendition really.

Blue cotton dress, silver hair, a pale and wrinkled face framed by a headscarf.

There was nothing that should have seen out of place.

And yet, the longer I looked, the more off, she felt.

We were the only two on the subway that night.

The car was filled with an ominous green glow, complimented by an occasional flash of blue light

from the tunnel outside. The old woman was sitting opposite me,

several rows down, looking straightforward. Her head snapped in my direction,

and I suddenly looked to my feet, feeling awkward for staring.

...