The Vampire Tree by Paul Halter

Author:Paul Halter [Halter, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Locked Room International
Published: 2016-11-26T06:00:00+00:00

Patricia had hardly slept that night. The sight of the vicar roaming around outside their house carrying a crucifix had boggled her mind. What was his purpose? Why was he brandishing a crucifix? Was it something to do with the legend of that cursed tree which he frequently talked about? Was there a link to the abominable murders? Could the vicar and the monster be one and the same? Judging from his stern, lugubrious look, she was inclined to think so. All these unanswered questions had nagged at her throughout the night. She’d woken up in the morning with that terrible impression of emptiness that was only too familiar to her. There were no colours in her field of vision, which was dominated instead by a jumble of grey shadows, a manifestation of her despondency. Even Roger had been surprised by her attitude—he who had always told her not to worry and who had claimed to find her more desirable in such circumstances. His silence and fixed stare had utterly bewildered her.

At half past six the next day, Patricia had gone to answer the doorbell which had disturbed the eerie calm which now reigned in the Sheridan household, and had led the two detectives into the lounge without worrying too much about the fact that one of them, a fellow calling himself Inspector Hurst, had claimed to be from Scotland Yard.

Half an hour had elapsed since their arrival and Patricia, lulled by the movement of the rocking-chair in which she was inevitably ensconced, hardly listened to what they were saying. The jumper she was knitting seemed far more complex than the case they were discussing. The same could not be said for Roger who, after appearing relaxed at first, was now showing obvious signs of nervousness. When Inspector Hurst produced the famous handkerchief, he raised his voice to declare that it wasn’t his, that he’d never seen it before, and that his wife could attest to that.

Patricia examined it carefully, confirmed what her husband had said, and returned to her knitting.

Hurst agreed with a sour smile that it could be a coincidence, and the proceeded to list other “coincidences,” notably the tune hummed by the killer.

This time, he struck home. For several seconds, Roger looked like a hunted beast, trapped by a pack of hounds and looking frantically around for an escape route.

‘It—it’s incredible,’ he stammered.

‘So you agree you’re in the habit of whistling such a tune?’ persisted Hurst in a sugary tone.

‘I—I don’t know.’

‘I should warn you, Mr. Sheridan, that several of your friends have already certified the fact. Think carefully before you reply.’

The master of the house stood up, his face scarlet. His voice went up a notch:

‘Yes! Yes! I admit it! I whistle that tune as well as a host of others. So what?’

‘If you add that to the rest, Mr. Sheridan, you’ll understand our—or, rather, your—position, which is, I have to say, rather critical. In your shoes, the wisest thing to do would be to—.’

‘Confess,’ interjected the young man, holding out both hands as one about to be arrested.

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.