Ravens Gathering by Graeme Cumming Page A

why were they here?
    As he returned to the kitchen, he mulled over those
questions.  But no answers were forthcoming.  Suspicions
perhaps.  About Tanya.  He had no evidence that she had been
unfaithful to him over the years, but that didn’t stop him having his
concerns.  She was nearly twenty years younger than him.  She was
beautiful, and sexy, and very physical.  He had no doubt that other men
would find her attractive – and probably pursue her.  The doubts were as
to whether she would respond to them.
    Surely she wouldn’t bring a lover into the house,
though?  The thought horrified him.  He had his suspicions about her,
and they came with a familiar gnawing in his stomach at the thought of her
being unfaithful.
    A year after they’d moved here, she had decided to return to
work, and had got a job as Marketing Director for a small firm in
Westfield.  Soon after starting there, she’d begun to spend a lot of time
working late and attending meetings that needed her to have overnight
stays.  It had been agony for him.  His jealousy had known no
bounds.  Wondering what she was up to – and with whom.
    Many times he’d wanted to confront her, to find out whether
his suspicions were true.  He was afraid of the answer, though.  And
he was afraid of losing her.
    Then she’d left the firm.  He’d sold the first few
houses, and they seemed to be making some money at last.  She’d told him
she could be of more help with the development.  Her reasoning didn’t
really make sense, but he wasn’t prepared to question her.  In part, he
didn’t want to show her how vulnerable he felt.  He also didn’t want to
hear the truth about the reasons for leaving the company.
    The familiar insecurities crept over him, as he wandered
through the kitchen.  He was going to get that Scotch, see if that
helped.  As he passed the window, movement in the yard caught his eye, and
he looked out.  Tanya was coming towards the house.  Beside her was a
tall blond man.  Ian felt his guts twist as he realised they were holding
hands.

Twelve
     
     
    The walk back from the clearing was uneventful.  That
didn’t mean Tanya felt any more comfortable.
    “What happened back there?” she’d asked when they had been
walking for a while.  A look back had told her that the clearing was
hidden from view, and there was no sign of any birds following them.
    “I don’t know.”  Martin shook his head thoughtfully.
    “But you were expecting it.”
    “I don’t know what I was expecting.”
    “But something?”
    He stopped walking and looked warily around them.  She
wasn’t sure if he was genuinely worried, or just trying to keep her
scared.  In fairness, it didn’t really matter.  She had been unnerved
by the appearance of the birds.  And now she had something else to
consider.
    “Yes.  I was expecting something.”
    “Crows?”
    “I doubt it.  They were too big.”
    “Ravens then?”
    He shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I really
don’t.”  He sounded as if he was almost as bewildered by the incident as
she was.
    “I’ve never seen birds like that.  Not gathering
together like that, anyway.  It was like something out of a Hitchcock
film.”
    Martin shook his head, clearly unable to verbalise any
coherent response to that.  “I don’t think you need to worry about being
attacked by them...”
    “Probably not, but you scared me bloody shitless!”
    “Seriously, Tanya, I don’t know...”
    “ Anything ?  Do you know anything at all ?”
    She was looking up at him, trying to see what was going on
behind his eyes, but was thwarted by a combination of the fading light and his
apparent unwillingness to return her gaze.
    “Probably not enough,” he said eventually.
    “But you know something.  What is it?”
    “You wouldn’t understand.”
    “I’m guessing from the way you said that, you’re not
planning to give me a chance to, either.  Are you?”
    He glanced around them, searching for