Concrete Crime by Manning Coles

Author:Manning Coles
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rare Treasure Editions
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

X. In The Well

“Dead?” said Hambledon.

“Shot dead. I saw it. Well, not quite, I heard it, and then that man who was with him carried out the body slung over his shoulder like a sack of coal.”

Hambledon turned to make sure that the door was properly bolted and then went across to lay his hand on Dinel’s shoulder.

“Did he or anybody else see you?”

“Of course not, do you take me for a. fool?”

“No. Sit down again by the fire, Dinel, you are shivering. I will make the fire up, it is a good thing that we have plenty of wood.”

“This isn’t cold.” said Dinel, shuddering, “it is psychological shock. That I should be so easily upset!”

“Is there any wine left? You have it, you need it more than I. Now tell me all about it, when and where did all this happen?”

“Up at that chateau above the vineyards, above the Happy Traveller. You know the place, why are you looking at me like that? When I left you I went up the road a little and then turned up the hillside between the rows of vines. I told you, I wanted a chicken. Their hen house is in the stable yard at the side of the house but there’s nothing there now except these hens and a pig or two in a sty. I did not investigate the pigsty, I was not interested in pork. It was all quiet up there; they do not keep a dog and there were no lights at the back of the house and no one about; the moon was very bright. Stir up the fire, this room is getting dark.”

Hambledon did so.

“I opened the hen house door and slipped inside,” went on Dinel. “The hens never stirred a feather, so I squatted down on the nest boxes and ran my fingers down the birds’

legs very lightly, feeling for the one with the smoothest legs. The youngest, you know. This is the one. I picked her out, took her off the perch and wrung her neck, and not one of the others so much as cheeped. Good, that?”

“Very good indeed. I couldn’t do that.”

“I will show you how, some day, it is easy when you know how. Then I stowed her away in my inside coat pocket, opened the hen house door again, and stuck my head out. Almost I fell down flat, for all the ground-floor windows looking on the yard were lit up and there were people moving about. I could see their shadows, only ten metres away—less than that,”

“Did you—”

“Before I could do anything at all there was a shot fired inside the house so I took my head back again among the hens; they at least do not use firearms. I kept the door open a slit and peered out, and just at that moment someone opened the house door wide. I did not see who or what that was. Then there was a few minutes’ wait, it seemed a long

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