Snowbird, extract chapter36 (standard:romance, 2737 words)
Author: Brian Cross	Added: Jan 27 2003	Views/Reads: 3807/2451	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
An extract from my novel Snowbird

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

shoulders, ‘I want to see the cells.' 

‘That won't be possible.' Stone swallowed heavily and she noticed. ‘Oh
really Sergeant, and why not, because you've something to hide?' 

Before Stone could grasp what was happening her strong arms had thrust
him aside. She was descending the narrow twisting stairway before he 
fully realised what her intentions were. 

‘Danny' she called as her footsteps echoed on the bare floor below.
‘Danny!' 

‘Charley?' It was a weak voice, it didn't sound like his but she
recognised it anyway. She paced along the small block, her footstep 
accelerating with each stride until she reached his cell. Stone can 
rushing breathlessly down behind. ‘I told you -' 

‘Open this - open it now!' 

Her voice always seemed without strength and yet it seemed to exude an
authority beyond anything Stone had known. 

He felt angered and belittled. But he'd draw strength from the fact that
Wilson was soon to receive his just reward, and her own agony in that 
respect would compensate for her dismissal of him. 

He felt her eyes burning into him as he turned the key to the lock,
fumbling in the basement darkness to turn the light on. 

The door swung open and Charlotte's eyes narrowed as she took in the
dark contours of the man who stood before her. She didn't associate the 
shambling figure with the man she'd known and loved. At least, not at 
first. 

‘Ten minutes.' Stone's voice droned harshly and then the door closed
behind them leaving Charlotte to make sense of the sorry spectacle who 
stood before her. His clothes were in tatters and he was so filthy the 
basement cell reeked of the all pervading smell of bad odour. 

To him, her eyes easily outshone the weak electric bulb which hung from
the ceiling, but that only added to his torment. He so loved her and 
yet her presence was as unwelcome to him as the ultimate penalty he was 
soon to face. It was unwelcome to him because in the very proximity of 
her beauty he felt his own disgrace, and felt her own anguish at the 
death of her father, brought about by his ugly hands. He lowered his 
head, avoiding her eyes. 

But there was no anger in them, only concern for him. Concern, and the
desire to know what had really happened on that fateful night. She took 
three quick strides towards him and held him tightly despite his state. 
‘Danny - I'm so very sorry, sorry about us, sorry about everything.' 
She gazed into his eyes, not the earnest green eyes she'd known so 
well, but tired ones, baleful and troubled. 

She pulled away slightly and caught his hands, clenching them firmly,
‘What happened that night Danny, what really happened? Tell me, I need 
to know, my father tried to kill you didn't he? Look, It's not to late, 
we can get the best solicitor in the region.' ‘I killed your father, 
that's all you need to know.' When he spoke his voice was devoid of 
feeling, almost robotic. He seemed resigned to the consequences of his 
actions, but whatever those actions were, Charlotte believed with every 
ounce of conviction they didn't amount to murder. 

Danny hadn't it in him. If she had only been there that evening and not
preoccupied with her own crusade in Scarborough she wouldn't need to be 
asking these questions. But right now his only chance of survival lay 
in giving her a vivid account of what happened. One she was convinced 
would show things in a different light. 

But his apathy was total. He'd accepted his fate and she'd less than ten
minutes to convince him otherwise. 

Stone summoned a constable to keep watch by the cell door, then stalked
along the damp passageway, his eyes on his watch. He climbed the narrow 
stairs two at a time almost coming to grief as his shoe caught an 
indent in the worn steps. He gave a sigh and hurried on up. Where were 
they for heaven's sake?- The escort should have been here by now. He 
didn't want the beautiful woman being in Wilson's company even for ten 
minutes and he was furious for allowing himself to be so easily 
out-manoeuvred. He didn't doubt she'd try to get the oaf off of the 
hook, but she needed time. Ten minutes would be hardly enough, even for 
someone of her stature. But still he willed the escort to come now; to 
give her no chance whatsoever of saving him. 

He waited at the door, expectant eyes focused intensely on the street
outside. 

Down below, Wilson hardly raised his head as he fidgeted with tips of
his fingers. Charlotte felt like grabbing and physically shaking him 
out of his self-deprecation, but it would do no good. She could shake 
him until his bones rattled but he'd not change his attitude. 

‘Danny, there is something you should know,' she lowered her head before
her fine eyes locked intensely with his. ‘My father found me at the 
farm,' she said, tracing a finger down his grime sodden cheek, ‘he had 
some crazy notion that we were plotting all along to steal his 
inheritance. I think the fact that we both arrived back in Lichfield at 
about the same time fuelled his warped mind. In any case he gave me an 
ultimatum-' she paused, grabbing his arms firmly and pulling him 
towards her  ‘- in a nutshell, if I didn't break all association with 
you then your life would be at risk. That was the one and only reason I 
told you we were finished for good. Not because I didn't want to see 
you again but because I feared for your life.' 

She tightened her grip still further and Wilson's eyes lost their
lifeless shape. ‘Stand up and fight Danny. Don't let them nail you for 
something that wasn't your fault. You know I'll stand by you don't 
you?' 

‘I should have known it all along,' he said in a croaky voice. He felt
choked with emotion, her grip on him was so strong it constricted his 
breathing but she was driving a sense of reality back into him. Hidden 
from his view Charlotte's features had taken on a savage look, though 
her fury was not directed at him. 

‘The bastard threw a lighted match into the cabin, along with some
substance or other. It all happened so quickly. The door opened and 
then the damned stuff was tossed in. You could have been inside for all 
he cared, Charlotte.' Wilson's voice began to break up as he shook his 
head wildly. Charlotte placed her arms tightly around his back and her 
face against his chest. He felt choked with emotion, she was driving a 
sense of reality back into him, reinvigorating him slowly but surely. 

‘Tell me the rest of what happened Danny, I need to know.' 

‘I suppose sheer panic came to my aid,' he said, his gaze staring into
the dim light as he relived the events of the tormenting night, ‘I 
forced my way through the heat and flames and out into the night air. I 
hadn't seen who tossed the stuff in, but in the light of the blaze I 
saw a large figure staggering away towards the track that runs behind 
the cabin. I had no bloody doubts as to who that figure was and I was 
going to have his guts I tell you.' 

Danny paused to wipe away the sweat that had formed on his brow. His
recollections of the night, brought forcibly home were so vivid he 
might be reliving the whole sorry scene again. 

‘He seemed to pause against a tree, he was probably out of breath -'
Danny's voice fell away and Charlotte fighting back the hatred of her 
father that had distorted her face inclined her head slowly, ‘Go on 
Danny -' 

‘I had a gun Charley,' he said his voice a mixture of anger and remorse.
‘I'd bought the bloody thing the day before. I was so certain he'd try 
something.' She felt something wet on her forehead and realised he was 
shedding tears. ‘He moved away from the tree, I took aim and fired. 
When I closed up on him I realised he was dead. In a moment of sheer 
panic I dragged his body back to the cabin, or as close as I could get 
so it looked like the fire had incinerated him. 

Danny stood looking at her aghast, his face as white as a sheet. She
took a step back so that he could see her face, see the intensity in 
her expression. 

‘Danny Wilson, had you ever fired a gun before in your entire life?' 

‘No. But what's that got to -' 

‘How far were you from my father when you shot him?' 

‘I don't know,' he seemed bemused, ‘twenty yards maybe.' 

‘And I bet the vision wasn't too good, you only had the light from the
blaze to go by.' 

‘It was good enough for me to know who it was. Listen, Charlotte -' 

‘No you listen you idiot !' Now her strong hands held him in a vice like
grip, ‘I reckon the chances of you hitting my father were a million to 
one. You say he was dead when you examined him. I'm not saying he 
wasn't, only that you couldn't have been responsible for it, not in my 
book. My father was vastly overweight, unfit and not used to exertion. 
It was natural causes, do you get it?' 

Danny nodded his head, probably he muttered. 

‘Oh Danny,' Charlotte eased her grip and sighed. Outside she could hear
voices, several of them. She could hear the clank of keys and before 
she could utter another word the cell door was opened and Stone stood 
before them accompanied by three others wearing constabulary uniforms. 

‘Time's up, Miss Fitzharding,' Stone said holding himself rigid. She
thought she saw the muscle in his cheek twitch, ‘Mr. Wilson has to be 
on his way.' 

‘He hasn't murdered anyone Sergeant,' I think we should establish that
fact. You see I know my father, I think his death was due to natural 
causes -' 

‘I'm afraid I have to disagree,' Stone said, she thought smugly. ‘You
see Mr.Wilson has signed a sworn statement to that effect. Isn't that 
right?' 

He glared up at Danny who nodded silently. ‘Now please move aside Miss
Fitzharding, you're impeding our duties.' 

‘I'll impede them if any of you lay a single hand on him, he only signed
the statement out of misplaced guilt at my father's death. Ask him 
won't you?' 

Charlotte glared at the four men, her eyes flashing vividly in the poor
light before she swung to face Danny. ‘Come on for heaven's sake, stand 
up for yourself!' 

One of the officers, bearing handcuffs took a step towards him following
a brief nod from Stone. In a moment of uncontrollable indignation 
Charlotte snatched the man's arm, flinging him bodily against the grey 
cell wall. ‘Leave him be why can't you?' 

‘Right you're under arrest for assaulting a police officer,' Stone
snarled, as supported by the remaining two policemen they began to 
manhandle Charlotte from the cell. 

‘Get off her you bastards!' 

Suddenly Danny was upon them, his placidity replaced by an anger
Charlotte had never seen in him before. Launching in to them he tore 
her from their grasp, his fist striking Stone fully on the jaw and 
sending him to the ground. Charlotte cursed under her breath. It had 
all gone terribly wrong. Now Stone would claim he had evidence of 
Danny's vicious nature, and she by her own actions had induced it. 

‘Danny no!'  She swung upon him, wrestling him away with all the
strength she could muster. ‘I didn't mean for this,' she panted, as the 
policemen reasserted themselves. But her restraining action had been 
too late, she knew that, and turning to see Stone rise from the floor, 
an ugly smile creasing his thin face, she knew that Danny's conviction 
had been handed to him on a plate. 


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