Strange Winds: A Raven's Wing Irish Murder Mystery by T.E. Harkins

Author:T.E. Harkins [Harkins, T.E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Charles Fort Press
Published: 2024-03-17T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

The noontime sun, already drifting lazily westward in the sky at this time of year, struggles against the bracing wind to share its warmth. Standing on the cliff near the ruins of Caste Doyle, where gales off the ocean have triumphed over any trees that attempted to grow here, I look around at the beautifully barren landscape surrounding me, thinking of Kathleen.

Was she already dead when she left this place, before being taken to the tree where she would later be discovered? From the brief glance I had of her face, shrouded as it was in mist, I could tell she was afraid. Had she known she was about to die?

In my mind, Kathleen’s face is replaced by my mama’s. She, too, had been murdered. I morbidly wonder what she was thinking in the moments before she died and whether she knew they would be her last.

“I miss you, Mama,” I whisper into the wind.

Seeming to sense my sadness, Fergal snuggles against me, his large body rubbing against my hip as his head nuzzles my shoulder.

I’d brought him up here, to get exercise for him and a little solitude for myself. After lunch, Madeline had arranged to do a Skype call with her son, Curt’s father, so the family could catch up. Not wanting to intrude on their time together, I decided to get out of the house for a bit so they could have some privacy. It’s not their fault I no longer have a family of my own.

Determined not to allow myself to wallow in self-pity, I begin wandering around the interior of the castle ruins. Large stone walls rise high above me, and I try to imagine how the castle might have once looked. The rooms are still clearly defined by empty doorways. The once timber or stone floors are now littered with empty beer bottles and rough patches of wild grass.

As Fergal and I explore what, I believe, was once a circular stairway leading to the upper floors, Fergal’s ears perk up, and he begins to growl. Listening closely, I can barely make out the sound of a car engine dying. Edging closer to a vacant patch of wall that had once been a window, I can feel my heart rate rising. Did someone follow me here?

At first, all I see is a white car parked next to my rental. Scanning the area around the car, I see nothing. Whoever had arrived in the vehicle must still be inside. Only when I start to feel lightheaded and have to rest my gloved hand against the castle’s dewy walls do I realize I’ve been holding my breath.

Whoever is seated behind the wheel of the white car seems to be waiting for me to show myself, knowing I’ll have to approach them if I want to drive away. I could never make it to my vehicle without them overtaking me. And that’s just me. I also have Fergal to worry about. I could never leave him behind.

My mind races through the escape possibilities, discarding each thought almost as soon as I think it.

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.