The Red Horse by James R. Benn

Author:James R. Benn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Soho Press
Published: 2020-06-07T15:31:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Not now, Boyle,” Snow said when I intercepted him and Blackford on the way into his office. The major was favoring his bum leg as he steered Blackford through his doorway, wincing as he turned to face me. Blackford wore a stunned look, his eyes wide with shock after seeing Densmore’s body.

“Major, Colonel Blackford needs protection,” I said, as Snow ushered the colonel into his office and began to shut the door.

“Don’t tell me how to do my job, Boyle,” he said, slamming the door an inch from my nose. I thought it was funny he didn’t ask me where I was this morning, since I was involved in all this from the get-go. I would have been one of the first suspects I questioned, but I guess Snow was busy enough trying to clamp a lid down on this mess.

Or maybe my time would come. I headed over to see Kaz, wondering what an SOE interrogation might be like. If Snow brought in some heavies from SOE headquarters, things might get dicey. As I approached the hospital wing, I stopped and pulled my right hand out of my pocket.

Steady as a rock.

I’d forgotten about the shakes when the gunfire started, or they’d forgotten about me. I didn’t like not knowing when they’d start up again, but dead bodies seemed to be a giveaway. Hard to ignore them in the middle of a war, even if that war was being waged by a person or persons unknown within the perimeter of Saint Albans.

I put aside my own worries and took the stairs up to Kaz’s room. It was empty. The bed was stripped and the floor freshly mopped. I went hollow inside. The room swirled, and I had to steady myself, resting my hand on the doorframe.

I felt the tremble.

No, I told myself. There’s no dead body. It’s only an empty room. Go find Kaz.

Five minutes later I did. In what passed for the VIP suite on the top floor. A corner room with views of the walkway and a victory garden thick with cabbages and the leafy greens of potato plants.

Kaz sat in an armchair by the window. Off in a corner, an American major stood talking with two army nurses, both lieutenants. The major was tall and square-jawed, with thick red hair and an imposing presence. He folded his arms, stroking his chin as he listened to the women, each seeming to give her opinion about something he was considering.

“Billy,” Kaz finally said, noticing my hovering presence. “Come in, tell me what has happened. I heard shots fired, but no one will tell me anything.”

“I don’t want to interrupt,” I said, pulling a chair close to him. “You sure?”

“Yes,” Kaz said, keeping his voice low. “These three have been at it for ten minutes. Deciding on my future, I imagine. The major is Dr. Dwight Harken, and his two nurses, Lieutenant van Brackle and Lieutenant Shirley.”

“Did Big Mike tell you about Cosgrove?”

“Yes. About his death, but also how he was responsible for Dr.

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