If Necessary Alone by V M Knox

Author:V M Knox [Knox, V M]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780648592051
Publisher: The Book Reality Experience
Published: 2019-08-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Clement pushed back the hatch and lifted himself into the dark space. Around him, pale specs of light filtered through between the tiles. It was cold and the incessant wind whistled its eerie screech through the cracks. With barely an hour of daylight remaining, he grasped a wooden beam above his head then placed one foot on the adjacent rafter, inching himself forward. Something hard hit his face. He recoiled from it but he knew what it was. Reaching out, his fingers traced along the wire until he felt several others. Placing his knife between his teeth, he took out his torch and flicked it on for one second only. But it was enough. Antennae wires, arranged like a metal bed head, criss-crossed the space in front of him and thick dust coated everything. He stared into the dark space before him. The amount of dust he had seen confirmed the antennae had not been installed recently.

Returning to the trapdoor, he placed one foot on the top rung of the ladder and descended to the belfry, his enemy’s unseen presence like the pervasive icy wind. He walked towards the window facing south and looked over the villages of Huna and Canisbay. Somewhere out there his nemesis lurked. Twilight was descending. Nothing stirred. He turned and stared at the stalactite-like ropes in front of him. Still. Waiting for the hand of Robert Wallace or Ian McAllister to inform the region of invasion or the end of the war. Clement frowned trying to recall how long the nation’s church bells had been silenced. He thought it was more than a year now. Was it possible the antennae had been in place that long?

Wallace or McAllister. Both men fitted his physical profile of the killer. But if not these men, there was only one other who had ready access to the bell tower. He stared at the ladder behind the door that rose vertically to the trapdoor above his head. Had Aidan lied about being fearful of heights? Clement stared at the perpendicular ladder. It was certainly not for those afraid of heights. He searched his memory about it. Sarah had also told him about Aidan’s fears. Moreover, on the morning of Donald Crawford’s death, Aidan had gone to visit his neighbours to pay the rent and had seen both he and Sarah conversing in the graveyard. The Frews sisters had even given Aidan a sponge cake. Clement felt the relief. Aidan was the one person who had a water-tight alibi.

He looked around the belfry. While the bell tower was the best surveillance point in the area, he knew he couldn’t remain there. Not only was there a risk that the killer may return, but with the plummeting temperature, Clement needed a warmer place if he were not to freeze to death. From now on, he needed to be mobile and able to move at a moment’s notice. Donning the few remaining items of warm clothing from his pack, he scaled the ladder again and hid the bag in the rafters.

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