Cycle of Violence by Colin Bateman

Author:Colin Bateman [Bateman, Colin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-61145-594-6
Publisher: Arcade Publishing
Published: 2011-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

It was a dreamless sleep. He woke with a start in total darkness. He reached over and switched on the bedside lamp. The policeman was gone. He checked his watch. It was still there. 6:30 A.M. He threw back the covers and limped slowly round the apartment. His head wasn’t quite as sore, but his legs and arms ached. The bandages on his chest weren’t heavy, but they were still constricting and when he breathed he snatched at the air as if the Red Cross was doling it out in welcome but insufficient pockets.

He was thirsty. He went to the fridge for a pint of semiconscious milk. He shook his head blearily. Semi-skimmed. He drank it straight from the carton. Refreshed, somewhat, he returned to his bed and sat on the edge. His thoughts returned to Marie, of what she had said about people who disappeared in Crossmaheart, that they never turned up alive.

He phoned her. A gruff female voice answered.

“Hello … my name’s Miller, Fm a friend of…”

The voice was immediately softer. “Yes. I know who you are.”

“Oh …”

“I’m Mrs. Hardy. It’s my house. She told me quite a lot about you.”

“Oh, well… “I’m sorry to trouble you so early …”

“Not at all, not at all. Fm up. I can’t sleep with all this going on …”

“I’m sorry … “I’ve been … away … there’s no word on her then?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

“Have the police said nothing?”

“Not a word. God, I don’t know, I hope the wee love’s okay.”

“Have you any idea what might have happened?”

“None, none at all. Listen, love, she was there one minute, gone the next. Her clothes are all here. Her medicine’s all here. It’s like she just popped out to the shop and disappeared off the face of the earth.”

“What sort of medicine?”

“I can’t really say.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“No need to get cheeky, son.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be. I’m just worried.”

“I know, love. It’s okay. She just wouldn’t like me to say.”

“I understand that… but, I mean, she’s not going to, like, die without it or anything, is she?”

“No. Of course not. She’ll just be … well, less well balanced without it. Oh dear, I don’t know, to lose one guest is unfortunate, to lose two is sheer carelessness.”

“Quite an analogy.”

“I’m” sorry?”

“The paraphrase from Wilde.”

“What?”

“It’s from his play, The Importance of Being Earnest”

“Marty Wilde has written a play?”

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