Dead of Winter Read Free Page B

eyes went immediately to the gun pointing directly at his face. A muscle in his cheek jumped. Stomach tightened.
    ‘Who the hell are you? What do you want?’
    The man said nothing, just kept pointing the gun. A few seconds later, Kerry reappeared, face flushed.
    ‘Don’t you remember me, Harold?’ the man asked.
    Harold shook his head. ‘No, I’ve never set eyes…’ Just as he said the last word, it came to him. The courtroom. The stoic relatives who sat there, day after day. The blood drained from his face, as if his throat had just been cut.
    The man smiled. ‘Now you remember, Harold. Don’t you? This day’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally arrived…’

CHAPTER FOUR
THE BONE COLLECTOR
    ‘He knows death to the bone.’
    W.B. Yeats,
Death
    K arl stood at the office doorway of best friend and forensic pathologist Tom Hicks. The pathologist’s face was ghostly green, mirrored by a flickering computer screen. Karl could see ant-size digits running riot on Tom’s face and glasses.
    ‘Hello, Tom.’
    ‘Karl…?’ said Hicks, glancing up from his computer. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’
    ‘Lovely greeting. Haven’t seen your grumpy old gob in months, and that’s what I get for coming to visit you, down in this dank, cold, bloody dungeon?’
    Hicks made a grunting sound. ‘This surprise visit wouldn’t have anything to do with severed hands and a reward of twenty thousand pounds?’
    ‘You’re such a cynic, Tom. Anyone ever tell you that?’
    ‘Yes. You. Each time I catch you out. Anyway, how is Katie doing?’
    Karl seemed to hesitate before answering. ‘She’s taking each day as it comes.’ His voice became sombre. ‘She’s still undergoing intensive therapy after that scumbag, Hannah, abducted her.’
    ‘Young people nowadays are very resilient, Karl,’ assured Hicks. ‘Katie will soon be back to her old self. Just you wait and see.’
    ‘I…I suppose you’re right,’ said Karl, believing the opposite.
    ‘What about the locksmith? The one who had his throat cut. Last I heard, his condition was downgraded from critical to serious .’
    ‘Willie?’ Hicks’ question brought flies buzzing around inside Karl’s stomach. He felt slightly queasy with guilt. ‘Finally got out of hospital two weeks ago. I visited him yesterday. Recuperating well.’
    ‘According to reports, he was lucky to have come out of that alive – you all were, with the exception of the two killed in the explosion, Burns and Hannah.’ Hicks looked accusingly at Karl. ‘Blowing up Crumlin Road Prison? Doesn’t get much bigger than that, Karl.’
    Karl didn’t like the direction the conversation was taking. ‘I only have condolences for Brendan Burns. Hannah can burn in hell.’
    ‘Burns was the bomber, wasn’t he?’
    ‘That’s what they say.’ The annoying flies were trying desperately to escape through Karl’s mouth. He could feel dread creeping across his face.
    ‘According to the report I read, he was also the man who tried killing Wilson years ago, leaving him scarred for life.’ Hicks looked accusingly at Karl. ‘You knew that, of course.’
    ‘Eventually.’
    ‘Eventually? Sometimes I think you never weigh up the consequences of your actions, Karl.’ Hicks shook his head. ‘Consequences can be for a lifetime. Burns will end up being one of those consequences, as far as Wilson is concerned. He’ll never forgive or forget your association with him.’
    ‘Fuck Wilson. He hates me, anyway. It was a small price to pay for Katie’s freedom. To me, Burns was a hero. He sacrificed his life for Katie, while Wilson and his useless crew did ring a ring o’ rosies.’
    ‘What…?’ Hicks looked taken aback. ‘What on earth are you talking about? From all accounts, I thought Wilson pulled out all the stops in trying to find Katie?’
    ‘There are things best not talked about, Tom, for your own benefit . The less you know, the less possibility of you being dragged into any future