Read Online Tyack & Frayne Mysteries 01 - Once Upon A Haunted Moor by Harper Fox - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Harper Fox
Ads: Link
years old as promisin g a ruffian as anyone could wish, was twitching in the corner. “What’s the matter?” Gideon enquired pleasantly. “You should be in school, shouldn’t you?”
“I’ve got th’earache!” Daz blurted. He did look sick . Gideon should have noticed, but the Prowse kids were perpetually skinny and malnourished. “Anyway, what’s it to you, copper?” Mrs P drew a fiery breath to blast her offspring through the window, but Gideon held out a hand. “I didn’t do nothing, all right? It weren’t even me. What am I meant to do? It were him, all right? And he told me if I didn’t, the Beast of fuckin’ Bodmin would come on Halloween and eat me up!”
Gideon resisted the temptation to feign a backward recoil. Christ, talk about pushing the button – it was enough to knock anyone down. Bill and Mrs P were staring, mouths open wide. “Him?” Gideon echoed, pointing at Bill. He was fairly certain Darren didn’t mean his father, but he had to be sure. “Your dad made you do something?”
“Naw!” the poor kid fairly howled. “It were her own uncle! What were I meant to do?”
Gideon closed his eyes. It was just for a second – long enough to catch his breath. Then he fixed on Daz a look he knew could threaten twenty-five-to-life in Dartmoor jail. “This is not your fault,” he growled. “It’s mine, and the fault of all the people who were meant to look after you and Lorna Kemp. But I swear to you, Darren Prowse, if you don’t tell me what happened that night, you’ll wish you only had the Beast of Bodmin to worry about.”
“ It were Joe,” Darren croaked. “Joe Kemp. He told me not to let Lorna go home after we’d been playing on the moor. He said to bring her back here instead, but not to let my mam or dad know.”
Deliberately Gideo n relaxed the muscles that wanted to clamp his hands around this kid’s neck and choke the truth from him. “Lorna was in this house? She came back here?”
“Yeah. It were easy. She stops here all the time, don’t she? So she weren’t scared. I just told her her mam had said for her to come here and sleep over. My ma was away, and – ”
Gideon swung to face Bill. “And your dad didn’t notice he had an extra kid that night?”
“He were passed out drunk in that chair! I could’ve brought home six of her.”
Mrs P gave a squawk. She reached out and fetched Bill another slap. “You sot! That child was here in my house? I told you to watch them, you great lard-arsed – ”
“Enough,” Gideon said softly. “Right. She was here. Then what happened, Daz?”
“Nothing. She went to sleep in the back room like she always does when she’s here, and me and the others went to bed too.”
“And in the morning...”
“She were gone, that’s all. I thought she’d got up and walked home.”
“But nobody raised the alarm. Sarah Kemp didn’t call me till morning.”
“Joe told me he’d give her some story so she’d not be worried. And he got me by the neck of my jumper – like this...” Darren demonstrated vividly on himself. “And he said that when anyone asked me, I had to say Lorna started off home by herself that night. That the last time I saw her was on the moor. He paid me five quid.” Desperately the boy met Gideon’s eyes, a twisted scrap of pride flaring in him. “I wouldn’t have done it for that . I tell you, when Ma Kemp came to the school all shrieking and crying and shaking me, I wouldn’t have done it for a hundred. But Joe said...”
“That the Beast of Bodmin would get you? For the love of God, Darren...” Gideon remembered his own panicked flight two nights b efore, and felt a twinge of hypocrisy. “How old are you?”
But Darren had turned white. His defiance and effort at swagger drained away, and he looked at Gideon with hollow eyes. “It were worse than that. He said he were the Beast, the monster. And on Halloween, if I’d told, he’d come for me.” His face crumpled. “And now I
“I’ve got th’earache!” Daz blurted. He did look sick . Gideon should have noticed, but the Prowse kids were perpetually skinny and malnourished. “Anyway, what’s it to you, copper?” Mrs P drew a fiery breath to blast her offspring through the window, but Gideon held out a hand. “I didn’t do nothing, all right? It weren’t even me. What am I meant to do? It were him, all right? And he told me if I didn’t, the Beast of fuckin’ Bodmin would come on Halloween and eat me up!”
Gideon resisted the temptation to feign a backward recoil. Christ, talk about pushing the button – it was enough to knock anyone down. Bill and Mrs P were staring, mouths open wide. “Him?” Gideon echoed, pointing at Bill. He was fairly certain Darren didn’t mean his father, but he had to be sure. “Your dad made you do something?”
“Naw!” the poor kid fairly howled. “It were her own uncle! What were I meant to do?”
Gideon closed his eyes. It was just for a second – long enough to catch his breath. Then he fixed on Daz a look he knew could threaten twenty-five-to-life in Dartmoor jail. “This is not your fault,” he growled. “It’s mine, and the fault of all the people who were meant to look after you and Lorna Kemp. But I swear to you, Darren Prowse, if you don’t tell me what happened that night, you’ll wish you only had the Beast of Bodmin to worry about.”
“ It were Joe,” Darren croaked. “Joe Kemp. He told me not to let Lorna go home after we’d been playing on the moor. He said to bring her back here instead, but not to let my mam or dad know.”
Deliberately Gideo n relaxed the muscles that wanted to clamp his hands around this kid’s neck and choke the truth from him. “Lorna was in this house? She came back here?”
“Yeah. It were easy. She stops here all the time, don’t she? So she weren’t scared. I just told her her mam had said for her to come here and sleep over. My ma was away, and – ”
Gideon swung to face Bill. “And your dad didn’t notice he had an extra kid that night?”
“He were passed out drunk in that chair! I could’ve brought home six of her.”
Mrs P gave a squawk. She reached out and fetched Bill another slap. “You sot! That child was here in my house? I told you to watch them, you great lard-arsed – ”
“Enough,” Gideon said softly. “Right. She was here. Then what happened, Daz?”
“Nothing. She went to sleep in the back room like she always does when she’s here, and me and the others went to bed too.”
“And in the morning...”
“She were gone, that’s all. I thought she’d got up and walked home.”
“But nobody raised the alarm. Sarah Kemp didn’t call me till morning.”
“Joe told me he’d give her some story so she’d not be worried. And he got me by the neck of my jumper – like this...” Darren demonstrated vividly on himself. “And he said that when anyone asked me, I had to say Lorna started off home by herself that night. That the last time I saw her was on the moor. He paid me five quid.” Desperately the boy met Gideon’s eyes, a twisted scrap of pride flaring in him. “I wouldn’t have done it for that . I tell you, when Ma Kemp came to the school all shrieking and crying and shaking me, I wouldn’t have done it for a hundred. But Joe said...”
“That the Beast of Bodmin would get you? For the love of God, Darren...” Gideon remembered his own panicked flight two nights b efore, and felt a twinge of hypocrisy. “How old are you?”
But Darren had turned white. His defiance and effort at swagger drained away, and he looked at Gideon with hollow eyes. “It were worse than that. He said he were the Beast, the monster. And on Halloween, if I’d told, he’d come for me.” His face crumpled. “And now I
Similar Books
