Every Day After by Katherine Mudd

Author:Katherine Mudd [Mudd, Katherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hidden Point Publishing
Published: 2024-08-05T00:00:00+00:00

25

Wait here and I’ll be right back to get you,” Samuel said as he motioned Kit over to a bench lining the sidewalk.

Louie’s street was dark and deserted. He lived in a quiet part of town with little foot traffic. The unfrequented route was a requirement for the success of Walter and Samuel’s misconduct. Louie’s kitchen had turned into the headquarters for the entire business. As the only one of the group who lived alone, his house was the safest spot to conduct their illicit operation.

Kit considered protesting her brief abandonment but thought better of it. She watched from the bench as Samuel approached the house on the corner of the block, left only with the company of her shadows dancing in the streetlight.

Louie’s house was dim but for one light on the first floor. A figure moved throughout the room. It took only one knock for Samuel to be promptly greeted at the door.

“I need the house.”

Without hesitation, Louie grabbed his coat from the rack and walked out. “When should I come back?”

Samuel took inventory of the state of the house. It smelled rancid, with raw bits of ingredients left all about. Kit was going to leave before they even started. “Jesus, Louie. Couldn’t you clean this place up a bit?”

“Honestly,” Louie looked around, trying to take in the space with a fresh perspective, “I don’t even smell it anymore.”

Samuel rolled his eyes before returning his attention to the task. “I need the house for a few hours. I’ll turn the lights off when I’m done. If you come back and the lights are still on, take another lap around the block.”

Louie nodded obediently and walked out. From her perch across the street, Kit watched him go.

Samuel took a cursory surveillance of the house to ensure it was empty. The last thing he wanted was for Walter to discover he was here with Kit.

Once he’d verified the house’s vacancy, he retrieved Kit and led her inside. Louie’s kitchen was a graveyard of jugs and jars brimming with miscalculated elixirs. The aroma alone was enough to cause Samuel’s eyes to sting, but Kit appeared unfazed.

She picked up the bottle closest to her and gave it a perfunctory sniff, wrinkling her nose at the odor. “Tell me how you’ve been making these,” she hummed, motioning to the containers around the room.

Samuel opened a peeling wooden cabinet next to the oven, placing the ingredients they’d been using onto the counter.

“First, we make a mash from anything we can find. Corn sugar. Potatoes. Whatever is in stock at the market. We ferment it using the still, then add juniper oil, and voilà—gin.” He frowned. “Only it’s not gin at all.”

Kit paced around the kitchen, taking her time studying the different batches of gin, the still, the ingredients.

“Why are you making gin?” She asked gently, voice smoother than any sip of liquor.

Samuel took a few moments to contemplate the question, wanting to answer her honestly. “I want freedom,” he answered finally. “Same as you.”

She leveled him with her eyes.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.