Histories: A Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter Short Story Collection by John G. Hartness

Author:John G. Hartness [Hartness, John G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Falstaff Books
Published: 2018-07-25T22:00:00+00:00

Monsieur Bellange managed to erase that smile within seconds of answering the door. A small, effete man with a condescending nature and pince-nez glasses, he stared down at my proffered hand before turning on his heel and walking away from the door. “Come in, but I am afraid my hands are my livelihood, and I cannot exchange manly grips with one such as yourself.” I didn’t quite hear him say, “you giant British buffoon,” but it was well implied. I followed him down the narrow hallway into a salon at the back of his small home. A grand piano dominated the room, set in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window that took up most of the wall. Such a sheet of glass was incredibly expensive, and I had only seen them in the finest homes. He caught my appraising glance and had the good grace to look abashed.

“It was a gift from a student’s mother. I was of some help to the boy in his musical lessons, among other things.” I thought back to Sturdevant’s comments about Bellange and married women and wondered if those talents had anything to do with the window. The little man was either an exceptional piano teacher, or exceptional at other things. I hoped it was the former.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” I said. “If you are deserving of that type of reward, then you are almost certainly the man I am looking for.”

“You will never be anything more than a plinker in the corner of a brothel. If that is your hope, you should look into another instrument. I hear tell that the bass fiddle can be mastered by those of lesser breeding. Perhaps it will be more to your liking.”

“Perhaps I should slam your head in the lid of your piano a few times to teach you how to speak to men who come into your place of business looking to hire you,” I replied. The little man’s eyes went wide, and he took a step back from me.

“Well, I never!” he exclaimed.

“Maybe you should try it. It might improve your disposition. In the meantime, I wish to secure lessons for a young friend of mine. He is talented, but without a teacher at the moment, thanks to some…forced relocation from his native country.” I raised an eyebrow at Bellange, making it pretty clear exactly what I meant. This was a test. I wanted to see if he was sympathetic to the Nazis, or if he wasn’t a complete soulless gag of human refuse.

His expression softened immediately. “There are many in France now who have been forced to leave their homes by politics, and by fear and hate. I will teach your young friend, provided he has the requisite talent. When would he begin?”

I felt better knowing he was just pretentious, not a completely horrible little man. “I don’t know. I haven’t exactly…told his sister of my plans.”

“And it is the sister who sparked your interest in the young man?”

“It is.”

“I understand.” I raised an eyebrow at him.

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.