A Murder Most Literate by Jefferson Bonar

Author:Jefferson Bonar
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Armada made sure the boys of the pupilaje were not in before approaching the front door of Ambrosio’s house. He walked round the building several times, slowly and carefully, listening through open windows for any signs of movement inside. He didn’t want any of them knowing what he was about to do. It would have raised too many uncomfortable questions and possibly put Lucas in danger.

Armada was trying not to think about Lucas too much, as he had a case to be getting on with. But he couldn’t help it. There was a nagging thought that he should have already pulled Lucas out of the pupilaje, away from Julian and the other boys and all they promised. But he may have already waited too long. Armada could see the look in Lucas’s eyes when the subject of San Bartolomé came up. The boy was already being seduced by their charms and questioning his loyalties. It had always been a danger. He’d thought Lucas could handle it, that he wouldn’t forget all that Armada had done for him after his parents died.

But it had been unmistakable. That little “V” shape cut into his forearm, the one that may never heal properly. It was a worthy symbol of what the boy was going through. Was that not a sign that Lucas had made his choice? It made Armada wonder, if one of the boys was the killer, would Lucas see it? Or would his loyalty to them completely cloud his judgement? He’d never tested Lucas in this way before. There was no way to know.

Armada thought perhaps he should make his peace with the fact that he’d overestimated the boy’s resolve and pull him out anyway. Lucas wouldn’t want to go, but there were ways to ensure he did, including telling his new friends exactly who he was and why he was here. But Lucas would be angry at him in a way he’d never been before. It was something their relationship may never recover from.

And Armada needed Lucas. He couldn’t imagine approaching a case again without his process-oriented mind, noticing all the dull little details in a case that Armada’s own mind found so hard to grapple with. Armada found himself resentful of Lucas’s weakness in the face of temptation.

But perhaps it wasn’t fair to judge the boy so harshly. Armada had also been seduced once, when he was not much older than Lucas. Those early years in the army in Peru were ones of companionship. Even now, he remembered each soldier in his company by name and countless personal details about their lives, their fears, their dreams. And he had no doubt they still remembered him as well.

But he wasn’t with them now, was he? He had deserted. A very serious crime. He had broken those bonds. Those men he left behind would never forgive him for what he’d done, not for the rest of their lives. Contemplating it all these years later still made him feel so lonely. It had taken him years to learn not to numb the loneliness with drink.

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