Till Sudden Death Do Us Part by Simon R. Green

Author:Simon R. Green [Green, Simon R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery
ISBN: 9780727888860
Google: TB_gvwEACAAJ
Amazon: 0727888862
Barnesnoble: 0727888862
Goodreads: 43893670
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2019-04-14T14:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

Enemy Action

Even the longest night draws finally to a close.

The next morning, after a surprisingly healthy breakfast of All-Bran and fruit juices, Robert and Penny and I left the house and walked back into town. Given how tired I was, I would much rather have taken a taxi; even if it was driven by Cathy. But Robert insisted that since it was a lovely sunny morning, a stretch of the legs would do us all good. I wasn’t convinced, but if Robert could contemplate walking all the way into town at his age I didn’t see how I could reasonably object.

At first, I didn’t so much walk as stumble. After a night without any rest, because I didn’t dare relax my self-control for a moment, I was exhausted. I’d barely managed three words over breakfast, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed. But the bright sunlight and the fresh morning air helped to sweep the cobwebs out of my thoughts, and soon enough Penny and I were strolling along behind Robert as he strode down the narrow lane humming what he fondly imagined was a tune.

The lane was bordered on both sides by low drystone walls and great open fields, with grass so green it was practically fluorescent. The sky was a deep blue, with clouds drifting purposefully past overhead as though they were late for an appointment. It was still unnaturally quiet, without even a hint of birdsong. As though they were hiding, afraid to draw attention to themselves. Penny punched my arm lightly, to get my attention.

‘You look awful. There are dark smudges under your eyes, you’ve barely done anything but grunt at me since you got up, and you’re walking like something inside you is broken. Did you get any sleep at all last night?’

‘Not much,’ I said.

‘You should have said something. We could have sat up and talked for a while.’

‘You needed your sleep,’ I said.

Penny gave me a hard look. The one that meant: You’re the one who needs looking after, not me. She knew something was wrong, but she couldn’t tell what. She slipped her arm through mine anyway, to show I was forgiven, and we walked on down the lane.

Robert strode ahead of us as though he was leading a parade, though he was already getting short of breath. I wanted to tell him to pace himself but I knew he wouldn’t listen. He was trying to convince himself he was still the same man he used to be, the last time we were together; and who was I to tell him different? I looked about me, drinking in the morning. The town was actually a lot closer than it had seemed last night, when the lane was full of darkness. Already I could hear traffic roaring through the streets, and the bustle of a town waking up and setting about its business. Penny felt me relax, and pressed my arm against her side.

‘Best foot forward, Ishmael. We have a murderer to catch.’

‘I’ll keep an eye out for him,’ I said.

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