Wolfhound Century by Peter Higgins

Author:Peter Higgins [Higgins, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fantasy, Thriller
ISBN: 9780316219679
Google: FI32MAEACAAJ
Amazon: 0316219673
Barnesnoble: 0316219673
Goodreads: 15790887
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2013-02-26T16:00:00+00:00

38

An hour later Lom arrived at the Shaumians’ apartment and found the door broken off its hinges and thrown to one side. He went in and looked around. Furniture was overturned and the window stood wide open: thin unlined curtains stirred in the cold breeze. He pulled open a drawer in the table. There was nothing inside but a few pieces of cheap and ill-matched cutlery. What had he expected?

‘You’ve missed them. They just left.’

The woman was standing behind him in the doorway. She was wearing slippers and a dressing gown belted loosely over some kind of undergarment. Her hair, bright orange, showed grey roots. She held out her hand to him with surprising grace.

‘Good morning sir. Avrilova. I am Avrilova.’

The way she said her name implied she thought it should mean something to him. He smelled the sweet perfume of mint and aquavit on her breath.

‘They went out and left it like this?’ he said.

‘I mean, you’ve missed the other police. Or were they militia? What is the difference? Could you tell me please?’

‘Madam…’

‘I told you, I am Avrilova. You must have heard me sing. Surely you did. I was at Mogen’s for many years.’

‘What did the police want here? The other police.’

‘The same as you, of course. Looking for the Shaumian women.’

‘And did the police do this to the door?’

‘Of course not. Police don’t break down doors. It was like that before. She’s mad, the old one. She never goes out, but you hear her all the time, shouting to herself. You wouldn’t think she had the voice for it.’

‘But she has gone out. She is not here now.’

‘Well, obviously.’

Lom walked round the room some more. There wasn’t much else to see. A bed. A few books. Poetry. That surprised him. And Modern Painters of Mirgorod, a cheap-looking edition with poor-quality plates. The author was Professor R. t-F. M. S-V. Vishnik.

When he looked up from the book Avrilova was still there.

‘What does she shout?’ he said.

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘You said you hear Madam Shaumian shouting to herself. So what does she shout about? What does she say?’

Avrilova shrugged. ‘Does it matter? Rubbish. Craziness. I told you, she’s mad.’

‘Mad enough to wrench her own door off its hinges?’

Avrilova shrugged again. ‘It would be a mad thing to do.’

‘There must have been some noise when that happened to the door. Did you hear anything?’

‘I sing every morning without fail. The house could blow up while I am singing and I’d know nothing about it.’

‘Madam Avrilova, I need to talk to them. It’s a police matter.’

‘It’s the daughter you want.’

‘Why would you say that?’

‘Well, she’s the trouble, isn’t she? She’s the intellectual.’

‘Do you know where she is?’

‘Why ask me? Haven’t you read the file? I’ve told Officer Kasso all about her several times. He gave me money and wrote it down.’

‘What did you tell Kasso?’

‘He knew the value of good information. Those other ones hadn’t read the file either, but they gave me ten roubles. You only just missed them. You might catch them if you run.

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.