Bloody Winter: A Pyke Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page B

young boy.’
    Pyke let his stare drift towards the window, the unfamiliar darkness. He imagined Felix lying there at night. Did the lad ever think of home? ‘Do you think this will be your life, then?’ He tried to keep the disapproval from his voice.
    Felix regarded him with caution. ‘I like what I’m doing, I suppose. I like the discipline; knuckling down to something I think is worthwhile. It isn’t easy or comforting, though: giving yourself up to something, someone, you can’t even see. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.’
    As Pyke listened, he thought about how much the lad had grown up. ‘You seem to be happy.’
    ‘It hadn’t really crossed my mind, whether I’m happy or not. But now you mention it, I suppose I am.’ Felix looked at him and smiled. ‘You never told me why you’re going to Wales.’
    ‘A child has been kidnapped.’
    ‘A child?’ Felix’s expression changed. ‘How old?’
    ‘Four or thereabouts.’ Pyke paused. ‘I used to know the mother and father.’
    ‘It must be a terrible time for them.’
    ‘It made me think of what happened to you and your mother, all those years ago.’
    Felix’s face softened and suddenly the years fell away. ‘I still think about her, you know. Sometimes I can hear her voice, the way she laughed, and but I can’t picture what she looked like.’
    ‘You were five years old at the time.’
    ‘I know. But still, she was my mother.’
    This was the longest conversation they’d had about Emily in years. ‘You look a lot like her, you know. Your eyes and your nose, especially.’
    Felix stood up, agitated, and then sat down. ‘I wish we had a painting of her.’
    ‘I tried to persuade her to sit for one but she told me she was too busy.’ Pyke laughed.
    Then Felix grabbed hold of Pyke’s wrist and squeezed. ‘Find this boy and return him to his parents.’
    ‘That’s exactly what I intend to do.’ Pyke tried to show his gratitude at this unexpected show of support as Felix had never expressed much interest in his work.
    ‘I know you will.’
    Pyke thought about mentioning the thousand-pound reward but stopped himself at the last moment.
    Later, on the platform, while they waited for the arrival of the Bristol-bound service, they were joined by Jakes, who assured Pyke he was welcome to stay for as long as he liked on his return from Wales. Taking Felix to one side, Pyke put his hand on the lad’s shoulder and said he hoped – one day – to attend his ordination ceremony. It was the first time he’d given encouragement to Felix’s decision. Felix just smiled. The train pulled into the station and blanketed the platform with steam. Kissing Felix on the forehead, Pyke whispered that he loved him and then took his suitcase and boarded the train. As it lurched forward, Pyke opened the window and waved at Felix and Jakes. It felt as if he were leaving a part of his life on the platform.
You have to let them go
, Godfrey had warned him shortly before his death. Now Pyke knew what he had meant.

FOUR
THURSDAY, 7 JANUARY 1847
Cashel, Co. Tipperary
    K nox woke suddenly, startled by a noise beneath the window. He lay there, listening to his wife sleeping and to the sound of raindrops pattering against the windowpanes. He waited for the dog to bark but nothing happened so he climbed out of bed, taking care not to wake Martha, put on his robe, and looked at their child, who was fast asleep. Downstairs, Knox unlocked the door and peered out into the yard. The dog looked up at him from the shelter they had built and began to wag its tail. Knox stepped outside and patted the brown mutt on the head. It was barely light and the clouds overheard were ominous. At least it wasn’t as cold as the previous two days, he thought, as he lit a fire in the back room. The dog joined him, even though it wasn’t meant to come inside. Knox patted it on the head again and wondered how long they could keep the animal. It was useful to have a guard dog,