Free from all Danger by Chris Nickson

Author:Chris Nickson [Chris Nickson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2017-08-15T04:00:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

Nottingham moved, gently closing Williamson’s eyes and pulling the covers over his body. He stood for a moment, staring down at the man who’d been his friend. Tom Williamson had always been so full of life, so happy to laugh at himself and the world. He was a man in love with his wife, who adored his children. His business thrived, he was an alderman – sooner or later he’d have had his year as mayor.

Now everything had gone. Stolen away from him.

Hannah Williamson sat in the parlour, clutching a shawl around her shoulders. Over the years her body had thickened, but there was still a childish look to her face, an innocence that wouldn’t vanish. She didn’t look up as the constable entered the room.

‘I’m sorry,’ he began. What more was there ever to say than that? She knew what those words meant. All he could ever do was listen to the pain and the anger. But she was silent, giving no more than a brief nod as she tried to hide her tears.

A few folk had assembled outside the house, clamouring for news. Nottingham walked past without a word, back towards the jail.

‘Go home and tell Emily,’ he said to Rob. ‘She knows Mrs Williamson, she’ll want to go and help.’

‘Yes, of course.’

‘Was there any way to prevent it?’

‘No. Williamson tried to stop him.’ Lister spoke slowly, seeing it all again. ‘Nick could have swerved around him without even trying. He ran straight into him. It was no accident. He must have had the knife in its hand.’

‘I want everyone out searching. Pull the night men back in. Make sure they’re all armed.’

‘Yes, boss.’

The constable took a deep breath. ‘I’d better go and talk to the mayor.’

‘Why?’ Brooke asked. ‘Can you tell me that, Richard?’ He blazed around his office, his face red with fury. ‘For God’s sake, Tom Williamson was an alderman. And,’ he added carefully, ‘one of your strongest supporters on the corporation.’

All the way here, Nottingham’s anger and frustration had been building to a head. A few sympathetic words would have tamped it down. Now he exploded.

‘He was also a very good friend. Someone I’d known for a long time. Have you forgotten that? What do you think – that I wanted to see Tom dead?’

‘No, of course—’

‘We’ve been hunting that cutpurse and his girl for days. There are eight of us to cover the town during the day. Eight. Then you and all the others expect us to take care of everything else, too.’ He stood, brought the keys from his pocket and slammed them down on the desk. ‘Since you don’t think I’m doing a good enough job, you’d better have these back.’

‘Richard—’

‘I’ve just had to stand and watch someone I like die, and I couldn’t do a damned thing to stop it. Then I had to go downstairs and see his wife. Do you think that’s a duty I enjoy? Well, do you? Do you believe I want it to happen?’

‘Richard,’ Brooke repeated, but his tone was softer now.

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