him on the back foot. Not let him reclaim the upper hand.
  "Yes, she's pregnant so you need to be really careful now, as her doctor, you need to make sure the baby stays safe. As her doctor it's your duty isn't it Haywood?"
  "Her doctor."
  "That's it. Her doctor. Your duty."
  "Stays safe."
  "Yes."
  "Not dead?" There was a tinge of hysteria creeping back into the voice.
  "No."
  "Dead like Rhodes?" The voice creeping ever higher. Shit⦠he was losing him. Haywood wobbled on his feet, a tremor working its way through his body.
  "Haywood!" The voice was the major's⦠it sounded like he was shouting through treacle.
  No! Not now! Ashe thought.
  The major reared up in front of the window as he forced himself to his feet and stumbled towards Haywood.
  If anything, Haywood's face grew calmer in response to the rather lame attack. It put him back on the defensive and he knew how to handle that.
  "Get back!" Ashe said, tugging Walsingham to one side as Haywood pulled the trigger and put a shell straight into the major's face. A light spray of blood and the lumpen, scrambled egg of brain matter came through the window, glinting slightly as it caught the moonlight.
  Now! Ashe thought, while he reloads!
  He pulled his revolver from his pocket and tried to get an aim through the window. Helen had got to her feet â maybe making a break for the door â and was in the way. He pushed himself through the window, old muscles demanding to know what he thought he was doing. As he hit the floor on the other side he heard the sound of a shell clicking into place and realised he'd been an idiot⦠started to believe those movies for a minute there, he thought, stupid old man. He rolled onto his back, his left arm throbbing from where he had dropped his weight on it. Hope it's not broken⦠not that it'll matter in a secondâ¦
  "Sorry," he said, dropping the gun and holding his hands out in as deferential manner as he could.
  Haywood was pointing the rifle between Ashe and Helen, his pupils bloated black bullet-holes swamping the irises. He didn't fire but that was as lucky as Ashe was going to get. He glanced at the body of the major, his head now no more than a fur collar of that salt and pepper beard.
  "Need to think," Haywood said, edging to the door, shaky on his feet but not letting the rifle lose its aim. He pulled back the bolt and stood out of the way. "Come in," he called to Walsingham, who needed no further encouragement.
  "Helen," he said as entered, "are you alright?"
  "Just marvellous thank you darling," she replied.
  "Need to think," Haywood repeated. He used the rifle to gesture Helen over to the door. "Outside."
  This is not good, Ashe thought, in a moment this whole situation was going to become untenable. "You don't want to go out there, Haywood," he said, shifting on the floor and grimacing as he placed a flat palm in Kilworth's still warm blood.
  "Need to think," the doctor said again, his mind spasming now, stuck on a single track and seeming unable to veer from it. He gestured with the rifle again.
  Helen grabbed her coat and walked out of the door.
  "Don't, Helen!" Walsingham begged.
  "If you have an alternative I'd be glad to hear it," she said, tugging on her coat as she walked.
  Haywood shifted sideways to the door, keeping the rifle moving, switching back and forth between Walsingham, Ashe and Helen's retreating back.
  "Need to think," he said, one more time, "don't follow."
  Yeah right, thought Ashe, like that's going to happen.
  Haywood vanished through the door and they listened to his steps descend the wooden stairs.
  "What are we to do?" Walsingham asked, close to tears. He wasn't cut out for this sort of thing, Ashe realised. He was a man of
  "Yes, she's pregnant so you need to be really careful now, as her doctor, you need to make sure the baby stays safe. As her doctor it's your duty isn't it Haywood?"
  "Her doctor."
  "That's it. Her doctor. Your duty."
  "Stays safe."
  "Yes."
  "Not dead?" There was a tinge of hysteria creeping back into the voice.
  "No."
  "Dead like Rhodes?" The voice creeping ever higher. Shit⦠he was losing him. Haywood wobbled on his feet, a tremor working its way through his body.
  "Haywood!" The voice was the major's⦠it sounded like he was shouting through treacle.
  No! Not now! Ashe thought.
  The major reared up in front of the window as he forced himself to his feet and stumbled towards Haywood.
  If anything, Haywood's face grew calmer in response to the rather lame attack. It put him back on the defensive and he knew how to handle that.
  "Get back!" Ashe said, tugging Walsingham to one side as Haywood pulled the trigger and put a shell straight into the major's face. A light spray of blood and the lumpen, scrambled egg of brain matter came through the window, glinting slightly as it caught the moonlight.
  Now! Ashe thought, while he reloads!
  He pulled his revolver from his pocket and tried to get an aim through the window. Helen had got to her feet â maybe making a break for the door â and was in the way. He pushed himself through the window, old muscles demanding to know what he thought he was doing. As he hit the floor on the other side he heard the sound of a shell clicking into place and realised he'd been an idiot⦠started to believe those movies for a minute there, he thought, stupid old man. He rolled onto his back, his left arm throbbing from where he had dropped his weight on it. Hope it's not broken⦠not that it'll matter in a secondâ¦
  "Sorry," he said, dropping the gun and holding his hands out in as deferential manner as he could.
  Haywood was pointing the rifle between Ashe and Helen, his pupils bloated black bullet-holes swamping the irises. He didn't fire but that was as lucky as Ashe was going to get. He glanced at the body of the major, his head now no more than a fur collar of that salt and pepper beard.
  "Need to think," Haywood said, edging to the door, shaky on his feet but not letting the rifle lose its aim. He pulled back the bolt and stood out of the way. "Come in," he called to Walsingham, who needed no further encouragement.
  "Helen," he said as entered, "are you alright?"
  "Just marvellous thank you darling," she replied.
  "Need to think," Haywood repeated. He used the rifle to gesture Helen over to the door. "Outside."
  This is not good, Ashe thought, in a moment this whole situation was going to become untenable. "You don't want to go out there, Haywood," he said, shifting on the floor and grimacing as he placed a flat palm in Kilworth's still warm blood.
  "Need to think," the doctor said again, his mind spasming now, stuck on a single track and seeming unable to veer from it. He gestured with the rifle again.
  Helen grabbed her coat and walked out of the door.
  "Don't, Helen!" Walsingham begged.
  "If you have an alternative I'd be glad to hear it," she said, tugging on her coat as she walked.
  Haywood shifted sideways to the door, keeping the rifle moving, switching back and forth between Walsingham, Ashe and Helen's retreating back.
  "Need to think," he said, one more time, "don't follow."
  Yeah right, thought Ashe, like that's going to happen.
  Haywood vanished through the door and they listened to his steps descend the wooden stairs.
  "What are we to do?" Walsingham asked, close to tears. He wasn't cut out for this sort of thing, Ashe realised. He was a man of
Similar Books
![Good Will Ghost Hunting: Demon Seed [Good Will Ghost Hunting 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)](https://fs.ageofbook.com/580509/thumbs/152x264/good-will-ghost-hunting-demon-seed-good-will-ghost-hunting-1-siren-publishing-classic.png)
