The Garden of Unearthly Delights Read Online Free PDF

the door.
    ‘That
Max,’ said Danbury , pointing to
the Max in question.
    ‘Oh
dear,’ said Maxwell, climbing to his feet.
    ‘Give
me the scroll.’
    Maxwell
grinned a sickly grin. ‘I don’t have any scroll. And I’m really not supposed to
be in this. Would it be all right if I just sort of slipped away?’
    ‘No it
would not. Give me the scroll.’
    ‘I
don’t have any scroll.’
    ‘He
does,’ said Danbury . ‘I sent it
to him in the mail yesterday, after I stole, it from Dr Harney.’
    ‘In the
mail?’ Maxwell dug into his inner pocket, pulled out a roll of paper. The
Queen’s Award for Industry Award (award). ‘You don’t mean this?’
    ‘That’s
it. Give it to me now.’ The count took a step forward.
    Maxwell
took one back. ‘Not a chance,’ said he.
    ‘Give
it to him.’ Danbury made urging
gestures. ‘He’ll let you join his gang.’
    ‘I
don’t want to join his gang. He’s a right bastard.’
    ‘Bastards
have more fun,’ said the count.
    ‘Surely
that’s blondes have more fun.’
    ‘You could
dye your hair,’ said Danbury .
‘You’re a right little shit, you are.’ Maxwell clutched the scroll of paper to
his bosom. ‘I’m not giving this to anyone. In fact, I’m going to rip the bloody
thing to pieces.’
    ‘You
won’t do that.’
    ‘Oh no,
and for why?’
    Danbury
smiled. ‘Because you haven’t the strength.’
    ‘I
have, you know.’ Maxwell gripped the scroll between both hands and struggled
without success to rip it up. ‘I haven’t,’ he concluded, somewhat puffed. ‘I
wonder why that is.’
    ‘Because
I poisoned your cup of coffee. You have only moments to live.’
    ‘You
thorough going swine!’
    ‘So
I’ll take that.’ Danbury reached forward and tore the scroll from Maxwell’s fingers. ‘You can’t change
the plot. The count wins this time.’
    ‘No.’
Maxwell’s fingers were turning numb. His mouth was growing dry.
    ‘But
yes.’ Danbury knelt down before
the count and offered up the scroll.
    ‘Good
boy, my loyal servant, now take this.’ The count placed a silver pistol into
the upraised hand. ‘And kill them all.’
    ‘Yes,
my lord.’ Danbury rose, turned
and aimed the gun at Sir John.
    ‘No,’
croaked Maxwell. ‘You can’t do that. The series can’t finish this way. It just
can’t.’
    ‘It
can, you know.’ Danbury Collins cocked back the hammer and pulled the trigger.
Maxwell turned his face away. Another shot rang out and Dr Harney too fell
dead.
    ‘No,
no, no, no, no, no,’ gagged Maxwell, slumping down onto his knees. ‘It’s all
wrong. The bad guys can’t win. By the Goddess, I feel sick.’
    ‘That
will pass,’ said Danbury . ‘Then
you’ll just feel dead.’
    ‘ Danbury ,’ said the count.
    ‘Yes,
master?’
    ‘Shoot
yourself in the head, will you?’
    ‘Certainly,
master, anything you say.’
    Danbury put the pistol to his temple and shot his brains out. ‘I think I
might just have taken loyalty to extremes there,’ he murmured, as he crumpled,
lifeless, to the floor.
    ‘Good
lad.’ The count made free with the evil grins and unrolled Maxwell’s
certificate. And then a look of some concern appeared upon his face. ‘What is
this?’ he muttered. ‘WHAT IS THIS?’
    ‘It’s a
Queen’s Award for Industry Award,’ said Max, ‘award.’
    The
count spun round.
    And
Maxwell raised his head.
    There
in the doorway stood himself, though looking somewhat better than he’d ever
looked before. His hair was combed high into a shining crest. The face was
tanned, corded with muscle about the hard-set mouth. The eyes were glinting
beneath down-curving brows.
    His
hands were thrust deeply into the pockets of a simply splendid coat of black
leather that reached almost to the ankles of a similarly splendid pair of
riding boots. This coat hung open to reveal a cravat of dark material, secured
by silver pins, a rich crimson brocade waistcoat and a number of belts, which
holstered pistols, daggers and a samurai sword