Read Online Dying Fall, A by Elly Griffiths - Free Book Online Page A

you can, it feels strange to be hemmed in on all sides by grassland and trees—and wall-eyed sheep.
    They stop at a crossroads while Cathbad consults the map. Ruth reads the place names out loud: ‘Fence, Stump Hall Road, Crow Trees Brow. Weird names.’
    ‘The magistrate who tried the Pendle Witches came from Fence,’ says Cathbad. ‘It must have been quite an important place once. I think it’s this way.’
    He takes the smallest and least prepossessing of the roads. The car crawls between dark hedgerows. The rain, which has been threatening all day, begins to fall. Kate starts to cry.
    ‘Look, Kate,’ says Ruth desperately. ‘Sheeps!’
    But there are suddenly no sheep. When they turn the corner they are in the cleft of a sharply sloping valley and there are no animals of any kind to be seen.
    ‘Look,’ says Cathbad, pointing.
    Halfway up the hill is a small, white house. A flickering light shows in one of the windows.
    ‘Dame Alice’s Cottage,’ he says.
    ‘What?’ says Ruth.
    ‘Dame Alice’s Cottage. That’s what Pendragon’s house is called. Dame Alice must have been one of the witches.’
    It isn’t the cosiest house name that Ruth had ever heard, but right now she’d do anything to get out of the car, give Kate a cuddle, go to the loo and have a cup of tea. She looks up at the isolated little cottage.
    ‘Does the road go that far?’ she says.
    ‘We can park by the gate. We’ll have to walk across the field.’
    Ruth lifts Kate out of her car seat and, as she is still inclined to be whiny, carries her across the uneven grass. The rain is heavier now and Ruth hasn’t unpacked her cagoule. Cathbad strides beside them, looking around with every appearance of pleasure.
    ‘Wonderful place. Wonderful energies.’
    As far as Ruth is concerned, it can keep its energies to itself. She’ll never be horrible about Norfolk again.
    ‘Cheer up, Kate,’ she says. ‘We’re going to see a nice man and have a cup of tea.’
    ‘Stop!’ shouts a voice. ‘Or I’ll shoot.’
    Ruth looks up and sees a white-bearded figure brandishing a rifle. As they stop and stare at him, a pit-bull terrier runs towards them, barking hysterically.

8
    The dog makes straight for them, teeth bared. Ruth presses Kate against her shoulder and tries to think of everything she’s ever heard about pit bulls. They go for the throat, when they bite you they never let you go, if you run they chase you . . . She turns, shielding Kate with her body, trying not to think about that woman in France who had her face bitten off. Then she is aware that Cathbad is lying on the grass next to her. Oh God, the devil dog is savaging Cathbad. What should she do? She can’t put Kate down and, anyway, how can she fight off a trained killer, maddened by the smell of blood? Then she realises that Cathbad is, in fact, embracing the devil dog, pulling its ears, even kissing it between its wide-apart eyes.
    ‘Hello, Thing. How are you, boy? There’s a good dog.’
    ‘Dog,’ comes Kate’s muffled voice.
    ‘Yes,’ says Ruth, ‘dog.’
    The man with the gun is now running towards them though he has, mercifully, lowered his weapon.
    ‘Cathbad? Is that you?’
    Cathbad gets to his feet. ‘Call this a welcome, Pendragon, you miserable sod.’
    Pendragon puts the gun on the grass and, with almost a sob, rushes forward to embrace Cathbad. The two men stand, entwined, as the dog frolics around them. Cathbad is tall but Pendragon is even taller, a huge Father Christmas of a man, dressed in a dirty army pullover and jeans. His beard reaches to his waist and snow-white hair cascades down his back. The dog is also white, with a pinkish snout and merry, dark eyes. He comes over now to investigate Ruth.
    ‘Want dog,’ says Kate, but Ruth doesn’t put her down. She still can’t forget stories about these dogs savaging children and, besides, there is a lethal weapon a few feet away.
    Pendragon finally releases Cathbad and wipes his eyes on his