Live to Tell by G. L. Watt Read Free Book Online Page A

given him morphine. He’ll be out of it for some time.”
    I started crying again and Jurgen put his arm around me. “When I get back, we’ll go to the hospital. Okay?” I nodded. I needed to get into a hot bath before I thought I could do anything.
    He didn’t come back for over two hours and I was sure he had done more than just take Emma home, but I could hardly say anything about the delay. He was tidying himself up in the bathroom and I decided to make him a large mug of coffee when the door bell rang.
    A thick-set man stood there holding up a police warrant card. “I understand there has been an incident here,” he said. “Can I come in?”
    Aidan’s blood was smeared across the white tiles in the outer hallway and I stared at it mesmerised. In the early morning light I hadn’t noticed it but now I felt an urgent desire to clean it away.
    “Now, then,” he said, taking out his note book, as Jurgen re-joined us. “What happened?”
    “We don’t know. We were in bed. We don’t know what happened,” I said.
    “I see. So you two were in bed. Which room were you in?”
    Jurgen looked angry. “We sleep separately. I was in that room, and she was in that one. We just share this apartment. Aidan’s room is the one at the end, there.”
    “So, neither of you can corroborate where the other actually was!”
    I realised, in all probability, the police were more likely to think that Jurgen had attacked Aidan than I had and I needed to protect him. I also guessed that he wouldn’t want Emma involved.
    “It wasn’t like that,” I said. “I heard a noise. Then I found Aidan outside the door. It was me that woke Jurgen. He was asleep,” I finished feebly.
    “Okay, let’s move on then. Have you any idea who caused Mr Monahan’s injuries?”
    “No,” we both said in unison. “No idea,” Jurgen added. “He is a nice chap. Everyone likes him.”
    “Right.” The policeman looked from one to the other of us. “And you didn’t have a quarrel?” He stared at me hard.
    “No, we didn’t. Can I ring my dad, please? I want my dad. I want my dad to be here.”
    “How old are you, miss?”
    “Eighteen, er eighteen-and-a-half.”
    “Then I’m afraid that legally, as you are not a minor, you must answer my questions on your own. Now tell me again, in your own words, what happened.”
    “I don’t know what happened!” Again, I started to cry. Jurgen glowered at the policeman and clenched his fists.
    “Right. Then let’s turn to Mr Monahan’s injuries. The letter “P” was carved into his forehead. Can you explain that, for me?”
    I had a sharp intake of breath and the world went black as my knees buckled. I came to my senses to find Jurgen holding my head, cursing quietly in German, at the other man. He must have caught me and lowered me onto the sofa. Looking angrily at my flatmate, the policeman fetched a glass of water and I turned my face to Jurgen’s.
    “I didn’t know,” I whispered. “How awful. Poor Aidan. I’m so sorry to be such a wimp.”
    “It’s alright,” he said gently and turned to face the returning policeman. “You must believe me. Not her or I know anything about this. There was so much blood. But it might suggest to me a reason.”
    “Go on.”
    “In Germany we have something that I believe you have here also. I understand, you call it queer bashing? And another word is poof? Sometimes, my college friends say it.”
    “Oh, I see. Well, that might place a different complexion on things, sir. So your friend, Mr Monahan is a homosexual?”
    His eyes travelled up and down Jurgen’s body.
    “No,” I protested. “That’s not fair. Aidan was celibate. He didn’t like to advertise what he was. I think he was ashamed. And Jurgen isn’t gay.” As soon as I said it, I realised I had probably made things worse.
    I could tell by Jurgen’s body language that he was trying to control himself. He must think that being a foreign student mixed up in a beating is not a good