A Knot of Sparrows by Cheryl Rees-Price

Author:Cheryl Rees-Price [Rees-Price, Cheryl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Book Folks - publishers of bestselling Welsh crime fiction
Published: 2021-02-27T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

He felt exhausted and all he wanted to do was to curl up under the duvet, go to sleep, and never wake up. The problem was when he slept he had the most vivid nightmares. It was getting difficult to tell what reality was. He was having doubts if he was following the right path. He had moments of clarity when he felt himself and went about his daily business, until he would hear talk in the village – a reminder of what had happened, that it was real. Then he would remember what he had been chosen to do; no matter how hard, he had to see it through.

He pulled on his coat and put a hat on. He noticed some hair had fallen onto his shoulders. He brushed it off. He should get a new wig, he thought, but there was no point now. He left his house and breathed in the crisp air. He used to love the smell of the coming winter, now he couldn’t smell anything. He felt like the world had lost its flavour, become bland, grey, and lacking true feelings. As he walked through the village, he noticed a man was taking photos of the church and a woman was scribbling notes. He knew at once that they were from the newspaper. It was too late to try and avoid them.

‘Good evening,’ he said.

‘Hello,’ the woman said. ‘Would you mind answering a few questions?’

‘Not at all.’ He smiled. ‘Though I doubt there is much I can tell you.’

The woman proceeded to ask him a series of questions while people came past and walked into the church. Most of them only stayed a few minutes. He guessed they were lighting a candle, making a show of paying their respects. Hypocrites, he thought. Most of them hadn’t stepped foot in the church other than for a wedding or funeral.

‘Are you afraid?’

‘What?’ His mind had wondered while the woman had been talking to him.

‘Are you afraid living in the village where already two people have been murdered?’ the woman asked.

‘Not at all. This is my home and I’m sure the police will catch the culprit soon.’ What he really wanted to say was that he had no reason to be afraid. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He’d led a good life, kept the commandments.

‘Thank you for talking to us,’ the woman said. ‘Do you mind if we take your photo?’

‘No, that’s fine.’ He forced a smile as several shots were taken. Then he left the two of them and headed to the river.

Thankfully, there was no one on the bridge or footpath that followed the river. The light was fading, and he guessed no one wanted to be in an isolated spot in the darkness. They were all too afraid. Shame they didn’t have the same fear of God, he thought. It was like Sodom and Gomorrah in these valleys at times. Sex and money were what occupied their minds. They gave no thought to God until they needed him.

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