Page 31 of A Good Heart is Hard to Find
‘Or mere figments of the imagination? I know that, but you seemed pretty convinced a few minutes ago.’
‘Well so did you, whenyou first saw me. Who’s Emma?’
He frowned. ‘Did I say that?’
‘Yes.’
His straight lips compressed into an even thinner line, like you might have to prise them apart with a crowbar to get any more out of him, but I persisted: ‘So who is she?’
‘Was. Emma was my wife, but she’s dead. For one minute when I saw you I thought … not that you’re anything like her, really.’
‘I’m so sorry.’ I put myhand on his arm. ‘It must have been a shock—’ I broke off and froze as a low hoarse muttering echoed down from above, followed by a heavy dragging noise. I couldn’t think of any rational explanation forthosesounds, and my mind went blank with surprise.
My hand was still resting on Dante’s sinewy warm arm where the ruffles had fallen back, and the contact between us combined with that blankmoment somehow allowed the door to his mind to open to me, releasing a dark-edged whirlpool of thoughts and feelings.
Mind-reading was not a gift I chose to exercise very much, but this time it came of its own volition and I recoiled, snatching my hand away and backing from him with horror: ‘Such guilt, pain and remorse – have you killed someone? Was it Emma?’
He stared back through narrowed,furious, suspicious eyes. ‘That’s all I need, a bloody mind-reader!’ he snapped, and reached out a hand for me.
The sounds from above, which had been rising in a sort of crescendo, suddenly ceased. Dante lunged, I jumped back – and then there was nothing under my feet and I was tumbling and bumping down the stairs, to fetch up against the wall at the first turn.
The Catherine wheel in my headsuddenly went out.
