Read Online A Note of Madness by Tabitha Suzuma - Free Book Online Page B

God, not Professor Kaiser! But there was no clipped accent and he heard the door close and the voices move into the living room. Glancing at the chair wedged firmly beneath the door handle, Flynn crossed to the wall opposite his bed and sat down with his ear against it. He was going to figure out who this was.
    ‘I’m sorry to have dragged you out like this,’ Harry was saying.
    ‘Not at all – I’m glad you rang,’ the voice replied, strangely familiar.
    ‘Would you like a coffee or something?’
    ‘No, no thanks.’ The voice was earnest and low. ‘Is he asleep?’
    ‘I suppose so. Every time I knock on the door he claims that I’ve woken him up, although how someone can sleep round the clock for three days—’
    Jesus, they were talking about him!
    ‘Is that how long it’s been?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘And it’s happened before?’
    ‘Well yes, though never as bad as this,’ Harry said. ‘But last month after we’d been to this concert he shut himself away for a few days and there were several other times before that . . . I just never thought it was anything serious, until this time.’
    ‘Did something happen at uni? Have you got exams or a recital coming up?’
    ‘No, our exams aren’t until the summer. We have a lot of coursework to hand in at the moment, which
is
kind of stressful, but Flynn seems to get good marks without much effort at all.’
    ‘Has something happened with his practice then? That professor can be a bit of a slave-driver, I gather.’
    ‘I don’t think so. Flynn was really into his composing just before this happened and he was trying to write an opera.’
    A short laugh. ‘Yes, that sounds familiar.’
    Flynn recoiled violently from the wall, heart hammering. Rami! He stared into the darkness, breathing hard. How dare Harry? How dare he? He didn’t want his brother here! Rami would never understand! Calm, sensible Rami, living in suburbia with his equally calm, sensible wife, Sophie. Both of them doctors, both of them successful, both of them very much in love and trying for a baby. Blood rushing to his face with fury, he pressed his ear back to the wall.
    ‘Has he stopped practising?’
    ‘Completely,’ Harry said. ‘He’s stopped doing everything. He doesn’t leave his room unless it’s to go to the bathroom.’
    ‘Has he been drinking?’
    Flynn drew back from the wall again, his heart pounding. He breathed deeply, trying to suppress the tears of fury rising behind his eyes. You traitor, Harry! It was none of your damn business – you had no right! How could you do this behind my back? I thought you were my friend! Why, why?
    He looked wildly around his chaotic room. For the first time he noticed the clothes strewn haphazardly around, torn-up shreds of manuscript paper littering the floor, empty bottles, dirty plates and coffee mugs, collapsed piles of CDs, books thrown in rage lying next to the wall. All at once he was acutely aware of himself, smelly and unwashed, greasy hair standing on end. The thought of pulling on some clothes and making a run for it flitted briefly across his mind but he didn’t feel hewould get very far. There was nowhere to go. Gnawing his thumbnail in despair, he pressed his ear back to the wall.
    ‘Is there something else that could have rocked the boat?’ Rami was asking. ‘A girl, for instance?’
    A long silence. ‘I don’t think so. He hasn’t really been seeing anyone . . .’ Harry tailed off awkwardly.
    Flynn held his breath, feeling his face burn. Then Jennah’s name made him start.
    ‘. . . a good friend of ours at the Royal College . . .’ They had moved into the kitchen – damn!
    ‘. . . often speaks about her . . .’ Rami’s voice now.
    ‘. . . nothing going on, but she . . .’ Infuriatingly, the end of the sentence was lost.
    ‘. . . have a boyfriend?’ Rami again.
    ‘. . . not working out . . . she’s been . . . since they first met.’
    ‘. . . what about him?’
    ‘. . .