A Beastly Business by John Blackburn

Author:John Blackburn [Blackburn, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781939140845
Amazon: 1939140846
Publisher: Valancourt Books
Published: 2014-01-06T23:00:00+00:00

Twelve

Mrs Mackenzie provided another plate of sandwiches, which I made sure Peggy didn’t get her hands on, and directed us to Gordon’s manse which was a couple of miles to the south. It was two-thirty when we set off and the walk was not enjoyable. The storm had cleared, but a hot sun raised misty patches from the damp earth and the atmosphere was almost as humid as Smeaton’s basement had been.

I thought about that basement and what progress had been made since I first stared through the glass door and we’d learned a hell of a lot, though it added up to little.

We’d cleared the flat and disposed of its occupant’s body. We knew that the occupant had been Canon Oliver Hendricks, who’d killed at least twelve women and there had been a large reward for the person who located him. A reward which we could never claim since Hendricks had been flattened in the Council’s crusher.

We felt pretty certain that the Stuart-Vail family had suffered a breakdown and gone into seclusion when they realized what their relative had done, and that Allan Grant, the loyal retainer, had sent postal orders to avoid his arrest and further scandal. More useless information because we couldn’t put the squeeze on Grant or the Stuart-Vails. We’d hidden the evidence.

I’d heard about the outbreaks of animal violence on the island and that little Dr Cayne was believed to be responsible for causing them, though that didn’t concern me. My only concern was the golden head, and though Mr Gordon had been in a state of shock after he encountered the mysterious lady in the cave, I was pretty sure he had seen El Dracardo’s treasure.

Oliver Hendricks had concealed the golden orb in the cave, and some wandering gypsy had found it. Our only task was to find the gypsy, recover Moldon Mott’s possession, and make off before the owner caught up with us.

So simple . . . too simple, though I didn’t think so at the time. Lust for gold is an addiction and I was hooked on Dracardo’s head. I honestly believed that if Mr Gordon could describe the object in detail I was home and dry. I never imagined that the gypsies might have realized how valuable the thing was or that they could have left the island and sold their loot. I just wanted to hear Gordon’s story, and I kept telling Peggy to hurry.

She didn’t and I couldn’t blame her. The road steepened, the sun got hotter and the midges were troublesome. The local inhabitants call them midges, but I think the definition is incorrect. The creatures which attacked us were like huge flying ants and they stung or bit with hellish accuracy. Mrs Mackenzie had warned Peggy against them and given her a tube of repellent cream and it seemed to keep the brutes at bay. I had no such protection and tried to beat them off with a cap. It proved a poor weapon against the insect world, though I knew its effectiveness against larger foes.

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