A Breath of Madness: A Ruben Quinn Novel by HJ Reed

Author:HJ Reed [Reed, HJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Malago Press
Published: 2026-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

21

The meal passed in awkward silence. Delphine picked at her food. Quinn was hungry, but ate more to cover his uneasiness than anything else. Chenard poured them both wine, but neither touched their glasses. He cleared his plate like a man used to taking meals on the run, not looking up until he had finished. Then he sat back and looked from one to the other of them.

‘Well?’ he said, narrowing his eyes as Delphine pushed a congealing mound of rice around her plate. ‘You are both very quiet. Was it something I said?’

She managed a weak smile. ‘We’ve been waiting for you to get back. Ruben sent me off to bed – I’ve been asleep all afternoon.’

Chenard grunted. ‘At least someone has some sense.’ He turned to Quinn. ‘Did you get any further with those files?’

‘No, not really. We need more information to make any sense of them.’ Quinn exhaled, sending a little prayer of thanks heavenward. At least for the moment Delphine had decided to back him up. ‘What about you?’ he asked. ‘Did the post mortem throw anything up?’

Chenard didn’t bat an eyelid. ‘Nothing conclusive. According to the pathologist the actual cause of death was drowning. Nothing definitively suggests murder. The evidence indicates he tripped over a line. He was found with one foot caught in a rope and his head under water.’

‘Tripped?’ Delphine looked sceptical. ‘In broad daylight?’

Chenard nodded. ‘Yes. I forgot to say, there was the equivalent of a bottle of whiskey in his bloodstream. Tripped, stumbled, passed out – call it what you will, he was blind drunk.’

Her eyes widened. ‘You’ve got to be joking …’ She shook her head. ‘He wasn’t the type anyway, not from what I saw. I don’t believe it!’

‘Nevertheless …’ Chenard shrugged, spreading his hands wide.

‘I don’t envy you,’ Quinn said lightly, ‘stuck in a mortuary all afternoon on a day like this.’

Chenard tilted his head and met his eye. ‘We must all make sacrifices, Dr Quinn. It’s no worse than being holed up in a stuffy old townhouse, isn’t that so?’

There was something about Chenard’s expression that made him feel uneasy. Then, with a stab of realisation, he shot to his feet, far too quickly, and had to lean on the table to steady himself. ‘Sorry,’ he said, feeling himself colour at their startled looks. ‘Bathroom.’ He dashed out of the kitchen into the parlour and went over to the computer. The Post-it note he had left on the screen was gone. He stifled a groan, crept back out and into the downstairs toilet across the hall. He waited a couple of minutes, slowing his breathing, then pulled the flush and splashed his face with cold water. He stepped back out into the hall just as Chenard was coming out of the kitchen.

‘Are you okay?’ Chenard asked, taking a pace towards him. ‘You had us worried.’

Quinn gave him a sheepish smile. ‘Yeah. Sorry, I’m fine. I just felt a bit queasy, that’s all. Probably tired.’

Chenard nodded, but didn’t look convinced.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.