By Midnight (Ravenwood) by Mia James

Author:Mia James [James, Mia]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Gollancz
Published: 2010-07-07T04:00:00+00:00

April was so lost in her musings that she almost stumbled into the crime scene. Turning a corner hidden behind dense ivy and a chestnut tree, she found her way barred by black and yellow police tape fluttering in the breeze. April ducked under it and continued along a narrow path near the east wall. The tape was protecting a wide area extending about fifty metres to either side of where she was standing. Does that mean I’m standing right where Isabelle was killed? she wondered. Gingerly she looked around her feet, half-expecting to see pools of congealed blood, but all she saw were leaves, twigs and gravel, not even the heavy footprints of the forensics people. The thought of their light blue moon-suits suddenly made April’s heart lurch as she realised that the same men had probably been walking around her house only days later. She shivered and hugged herself. Suddenly she wanted to get away from here. She turned right and could immediately see the sunlight out on Swain’s Lane through the old iron gate right next to that curious little white stone cottage; the North Gate, the one she had come through that night. Seeing the road out there, only a few hundred metres from bars and cafes, it looked so strange, like staring down the wrong end of a telescope. Back in the enclosed world of the cemetery, it was still the Victorian era and April could feel the gentle presence of the departed, tipping their hats as she passed, polite and welcoming. But here, where the ancient wall ended and the modern world leaked in, bringing its harsh light and blaring traffic, April felt the mood change, darken. It was colder here, the overhead sun pushed back by a thick tangle of branches and creepers, the decrepit tombstones leaning in towards the path, leering somehow. She couldn’t say why, but there was just something different here, like that picture on her grandpa’s wall. It felt ... bad. Even so, she wanted to stop where she had stood before, where the fox had lain, to measure out how far she had been from Isabelle. From what she could tell, April had been very close. She walked carefully towards the gate, the little white house to her right. What the hell is that, exactly? It was like a miniature cottage, with little windows, even a chimney. The coldness felt even more intense here. Yes, it was autumn, but it was also a sunny afternoon - there was no way it should feel this icy. Slowly she approached the building and its white walls seemed to glow in the gloom. Come on, scaredy-cat, thought April, what’s the matter? It’s only a little house. She peered into the dusty black window - and jumped straight back. A white face loomed behind the glass. ‘Jesus!’ she shrieked and was running before her brain could react.

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