Werewolf by Matthew Pritchard

Author:Matthew Pritchard
Language: eng, eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Salt Publishing Limited
Published: 2014-10-14T10:40:44+00:00

7

NEXT MORNING ILSE rose early and washed herself using a bucket as best as she could. It was Thursday morning and Captain Booth was coming to see her.

She was downstairs, drinking tea and smoking, when she heard the crunch of his tyres on the gravel outside. She fixed a smile on her face, went outside to greet him . . .

. . . and stopped dead.

Sitting beside the Tommy in the jeep was a young boy with the worst hare lip she’d ever seen. What the devil is he doing, bringing people like that to the house? Ilse thought.

Booth must have seen her smile falter, because when he got out of the jeep he put an arm around the boy and said, ‘Ursula, this is my friend, Piotr.’

Piotr stuck his bony hand out. Ilse hesitated before grasping the mangy fingers, but forced a smile when she saw Booth frown. Then he said, ‘I’ve brought you some victuals,’ and lifted a box of vegetables, fruit and tins from the jeep’s rear seat. ‘There’s fat and potatoes in here. I thought we could fry them. Can I come inside the house?’

Thank God I can say yes, Ilse thought, as she motioned for him to come inside. The suspicion in Booth’s eyes had been evident this time. Now she no longer needed to provoke his mistrust.

She led him into the kitchen and made tea, which they drank sitting at the rickety kitchen table. Booth’s pensive air continued, though. There was something else on his mind, she realised. He looked tired and nervous, but he wouldn’t say what the matter was, so Ilse stopped asking and they drank in silence. Why was it that men always thought they were protecting women when they refused to tell them what the hell was going on?

They smoked cigarettes as Booth began cooking; soon the kitchen was filled with the smell of frying potatoes. God, she nearly fainted when she breathed it in. For a moment, it was as if the hollow in her stomach had become a real thing and she’d felt herself folding in half.

When the food was ready, Booth took the Polack a plateful. The boy set about it with his filthy fingers, seated on the grass. Ilse and Booth sat down together at the table inside.

‘Have you heard about the murders that happened a few days ago?’ he said, after a long silence.

‘Of course. People in the town are talking about them.’

‘I don’t think you should be alone out here, but I’m going to be very busy for while, so I’ve asked Piotr to come and look in on you each day. I promise he won’t be too much bother. He can chop wood and fix things for you, do some odd jobs. I think you’ll find he’s very handy to have around. I hope that’s not a terrible imposition.’

Ilse did her best to smile. Imposition? As far as Ilse was concerned, the Polack was precisely the sort of person she should be locking doors and windows against.

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