The Bonehill Curse (26 page)

‘Go on, say “I told you so” if it makes yer feel any better,' Alfie muttered. He raised a hand over the body.

‘What are you playing at now?' Josie snapped.

‘The least I can do is apologise,' Alfie growled. ‘I promised 'im and I've failed. I'll have to make it right.'

Josie glared as Alfie began to shake
. Waking the dead is easier for him now. He's getting better at it
, she thought.

Horace Grimhurst suddenly lurched upright, his shoulders shaking. Josie stared, slack-jawed, as she realised that the corpse was laughing.

‘Mr Grimhurst, I'm sorry,' Alfie said, downcast.

‘
Sorry?
' chuckled Grimhurst. ‘
What . . . for?
'

‘She found us with the gold and she's taken it,' Josie said, frowning. ‘Why are you laughing?'

‘
She's tried to . . . kill me . . . before . . . Several times.
' The cadaver shook with mirth. Alfie lifted up his head to listen. ‘
I wanted . . . her dead too. I kept a . . . bottle . . . of port . . . laced . . . with arsenic . . . ready.
'

‘Oh Lord,' Alfie murmured. ‘The one on the bottom row . . .'

‘
I carried the . . . letter to you . . . in my . . . pocket . . . just in case . . . she got to me first.
' Grimhurst gave a rattling laugh. ‘
You . . . moved the poisoned bottle . . . up to the top. She'll be enjoying . . . her bedtime glass . . . just . . . about . . . now . . .
'

Josie and Alfie stared at each other in horror.

‘
How I'm looking forward to . . . seeing her again . . . very soon.
' Horace Grimhurst gave a final gargling snigger and fell back, the breath sighing from his mouth.

Also by Jon Mayhew

Mortlock

The Demon Collector

Bloomsbury Publishing, London, Berlin, New York and Sydney

First published in Great Britain in May 2012 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP

This electronic edition published in April 2012 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

The Bonehill Curse text copyright © Jon Mayhew 2012

Mr Grimhurst’s Treasure text copyright © Jon Mayhew 2011

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Epigraphs: traditional folk ballads, traditional proverbs,

proverbs from the Old Testament Book of Proverbs,

and based on The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night

All rights reserved

You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise

make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means

(including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying,

printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the

publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication

may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9781408826492

www.bloomsbury.com

www.jonmayhew.co.uk

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