The Death in the Willows

The Death in the Willows by Richard; Forrest Read Free Book Online

Book: The Death in the Willows by Richard; Forrest Read Free Book Online
Authors: Richard; Forrest
thank you.”
    â€œDo you think there’s anything to the old woman’s demons and curses?”
    â€œGood Lord, no.”
    He sat on the edge of his bed. “I thought I knew you from somewhere, so I hope you don’t mind that I asked that we bunk together?”
    â€œNo, of course not. Please call me Lyon, or, in fact, anything you want as long as it’s not Baron Samedi.”
    â€œSamedi?”
    â€œA voodoo bad guy.” Lyon pulled on his drink. “That one’s not in my two-oh-one file.”
    â€œTwo-oh-one file?”
    Lyon detected the vague trace of an accent in his companion’s voice, but couldn’t place the country of origin.
    â€œWhat can I do for you?”
    Collins extended a copy of Lyon’s book, The Wobblies’ Revenge . “I’m going to stop and see my grandson in Springfield, and I bought it this morning. You are the author, aren’t you?”
    Lyon glanced at his photograph on the back of the dust jacket and smiled at Collins. “I plead guilty.”
    â€œIf it’s not too much trouble, I wonder if you’d autograph it for me?”
    â€œOf course.” Lyon accepted the pen and opened the book to the flyleaf to find there was already an inscription. He glanced at it hastily:
    To my beloved grandson, Mark. May he understand the secret of the karst and why it was necessary. Your loving grandpops.
    Beneath the message was a finely drawn series of minute symbols:

    Lyon turned the page, uncapped the pen, wrote his own inscription, and returned the book.
    â€œThank you. It will make the book more precious to my grandson. I glanced through it at the store; you can’t be too careful what you place in the hands of children. It seems to be about some sort of monsters fighting other monsters.”
    â€œThe Wobblies are the good guys.”
    â€œYes, the Wobblies. And their village is attacked by the …”
    â€œWaldoons. They had wings and two heads, as I recall.”
    â€œYes, but not too frightening. I love the Wobblies and I think Mark will too. My only quarrel is that hole the Waldoons come from. You make it seem such a dark, dank place.”
    â€œThat’s probably because I’m a terrible claustrophobic, which is why I prefer hot air ballooning.”
    â€œReally, how interesting. I’d like to hear about that. Perhaps on the bus tomorrow?”
    â€œI won’t be going with the rest of you. The police want to see me again tomorrow.”
    â€œOh, that’s disappointing. Somehow I’d feel safer with you on the bus.”
    â€œI’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, and I doubt that I could help if there was.”
    Collins tapped Lyon’s photograph on the book. “I’ve also heard that you sometimes do things of an investigatory nature besides writing your books.”
    â€œOnce or twice, accidentally.”
    â€œThere are police in the hallway. Did you know that?”
    â€œYes, I understand it’s purely precautionary and probably designed to calm our fears.”
    â€œIt could be that the woman who talks about voodoo is right after all.”
    â€œI wouldn’t have thought you were superstitious, Mr. Collins.”
    â€œDemons can take other forms than the strange names she calls them. I’m an accountant by profession, and tend to believe more in the laws of probability and chance. There’s a rumor among the passengers that the gun you used this afternoon wasn’t yours.”
    â€œIt belonged to a man sitting behind me.”
    â€œDid you know him? Is he here?”
    â€œNo, he slipped away. I can hardly recall what he looked like except for his cap and beard.”
    Collins looked out the window over the darkening city. “A strange set of circumstances.”
    â€œYou’re from Yugoslavia, Mr. Collins.”
    â€œSerbia. We used to make a distinction. I didn’t realize it still showed after all these

Similar Books

Day Dreamer

Jill Marie Landis

Donutheart

Sue Stauffacher

The Naughty Stuff

Ella Dominguez

Wishful Thinking

Jemma Harvey

Shadows and Light

Anne Bishop

Dog Songs

Mary Oliver