Pass the Cyanide by Karmen Spiljak

Author:Karmen Spiljak [Špiljak, Karmen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9788690533602
Publisher: Karmen Spiljak

It was nearly time for the final course, Eric’s favourite stage of the process. His guests had grown restless and probably suspected something was off. Soon enough, they’d learn the truth, or else he’d tell them. He owed them this much.

Oliver, careful as ever, arranged the bone china on the silver tray and rotated each cup, so the golden handles faced outward. All except one.

‘How would you like to proceed, sir?’ Oliver asked.

Eric bit his lip, as he glanced over the bite-size cookies and miniature cakes. Each one had been perfected to appease the senses. Too bad Finn and Dee were too numb to properly appreciate it.

‘Let’s start with the strawberry shortcake and chocolate truffles. Then, you can serve the coffee.’

‘Very well, sir.’

The daylight asserted its callous touch, unmasking the hidden details. He’d have to take precautions until dusk settled. If people started to ask too many questions, he’d have to leave, for longer this time, and he wasn’t ready to do that. Not just yet.

All he needed were one or two good stories to keep him sated. He could wait months for the next feast if he had to. He’d done it before, anything to keep his dark legacy a secret.

Oliver wouldn’t tell, faithful Oliver, who’d seen it all happen before, with Eric’s father. How many times had Eric cursed his bloodline and the condition passed down the male line of his family? He’d searched for a cure, but found only despair and misery. The condition was too rare to be medically significant, they said. He’d thrown money at institutes and researchers and they’d still come up with nothing.

What was he to do? Give up? The longer he suffered, the more desperate he grew. Every hint led to a fresh disappointment, an expensive swindle at best.

He’d been at the end of his wits when his condition deteriorated. Soon, he’d been told, his skin would crack and purple marks would spread throughout his body till he resembled one massive bruise. That was how he remembered his father in his final years, closed off in his study, not allowing anyone to come close. No one could touch or hold him. Not that anyone wanted to.

Later, his limbs would harden until he could no longer use them or walk without crutches. He’d be lucky if he lasted a few years before they’d put him in a wheelchair and park him on the veranda. There, he’d wait until his internal organs would turn on each other and digest him like a biscuit.

No wonder Eric’s father had chosen to end his life. Had it not been for Oliver…

Fortunately, Eric’s salvation had come unexpectedly and after he’d already given up. Ready to quieten his mind and prepare himself for what was coming, Eric had walked past an advertisement that said, ‘Hoping for change?’

It was a cheap-looking poster. He’d walked past it many times without considering it, but at that moment, it spoke to him. What did he have to lose? Three weeks of silence had sounded like a blessing.

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