Please enjoy a second
extract from Chapter 41 of Mine to Avenge:
It took Linus less than a minute to take the gun from
the drawer, but he hadn’t thought about how he would carry it through the house
unseen. The pockets of his trousers weren’t deep enough. Thinking quickly, he
decided it was more important to get out of his grandfather’s room before
worrying about what to do with the gun. He carefully closed the drawer, lowered
the bed covers and pushed the chest of drawers back into the grooves in the
carpet. He then switched the intercom and video monitors back to their regular
settings before heading to the door.
Cautiously, he opened the door and looked back along
the corridor towards his own suite. He left his grandfather’s suite, leaving
the door ajar as he’d found it, then sped along the passage to his own room. He
opened the door and put the gun on the dresser next to the plate of cheese and
crackers. Then he tipped the food onto the dresser next to the gun, took the
empty plate and left, closing the door behind him before strolling back to the
kitchen with the plate.
The housekeeper and the manservant were together in
the kitchen again when Linus went in. They nodded at him, and returned to their
coffee pot and conversation. Linus went over to the sink, passing the monitor
as he went. He rinsed his plate then strolled casually past the monitor on his
way out, raising his hand unobtrusively to turn it back on.
For the second time in less than fifteen minutes,
Linus hurried up the stairs. He went into his suite, and shut the door with
relief, locking it behind him. He turned off the video monitor, knowing that
this wouldn’t be seen as suspicious. He looked at his watch. It was now almost
10.30 a.m.
He sat in his room, firstly catching his breath, then
trying to compose himself, and then trying to come up with a plan. He
frequently looked at his watch, noting the rapid passing of time, and worried
by his inability to come up with any plan of action that satisfied him.
At midday he walked over to his window, hoping some
fresh air might clear his mind. He slid the window open and leaned out,
supporting himself on the window ledge. As he stood there, trying to muster up
a plan and the courage he needed, he heard footsteps on the gravel below and
looked down. He saw the manservant and housekeeper walking along the driveway
towards the gate. They were both carrying suitcases. What was going on now? He
couldn’t remember his grandfather saying anything about giving his employees
any time off.
A minute or so later, while he was still trying to
work out what was going on, he saw the gardener following behind, also carrying
a suitcase. This puzzled him but he knew he mustn’t let it distract him. Their
departure at least resolved the concern he had about them witnessing his crime.
With renewed urgency, he realised that he had only two
hours left to make his move. He had to act now, plan or no plan, but thought he
should change his clothes first to better conceal the gun. As he was changing,
the intercom buzzed by his door. He answered it reluctantly.
‘Yes, Grandfather?’ he asked.
‘Can you meet me in the courtyard, boy? Immediately. I
have something I need to tell you. It’s important.’
‘Yes, Grandfather. I’ll be there in a minute. I’m just
changing my clothes.’
Linus switched off the intercom, then put on a pair of
baggy cargo pants and a loose lightweight jumper. He carefully tucked the gun
into his waistband, pulled the jumper down over the top of the pants and
checked his image in the mirror to make sure that the gun wasn’t visible. The
pale face staring back at him was that of a complete stranger. He braced
himself, left his room and headed downstairs, silently counting each stair as
he went, knowing that each step was taking him closer to a potential
opportunity to act.
With the employees gone, the house was quiet. The
radio was no longer playing in the kitchen. The cement mixer was no longer
tumbling at the back of the house.
He reached the bottom of the stairs, crossed the foyer
and walked out into the courtyard where his grandfather was waiting for him.
‘Come on, boy … out here. I need to speak to you.’
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