The Hunter

by Alan Norris

  ‘Yes, she passed me on the road. I didn’t want to intrude so I waited until she left. I remembered you said she’d be going on down to Nantes.’

  ‘You wouldn’t have been an intrusion – you know that. But thanks anyway, some time alone with her was good. She seems to have changed quite a bit. More confident certainly, perhaps more worldly, not sure. But I like who she’s growing up to be.’

  ‘Oh that’s nice. I’m really looking forward to meeting her.’

  ‘You will, maybe Sunday or perhaps one day next week for lunch. Is everything still OK for tomorrow night with Jacques?’

  ‘Oh, that’s the other reason I’m here. He’s meeting some of his friends Friday night and would like to meet up earlier if we can. I thought perhaps about six o’clock at the restaurant in town?’ she smiled, a faraway look in her eye.

  ‘Sure, OK with me.’

  ‘He’s just so difficult sometimes. I’m sure it’s the crowd of lads he’s with these days. I’ve not met many of them, only one or two, but they seem very rough – is that the right word?’

  ‘I think I know what you mean. Perhaps it’s best to hope that it’s a phase he’ll grow out of?’

  ‘Oh...I hope you’re right. I rather expect that he’ll leave tomorrow almost as soon as he decently can. The way he drives somedays, I wonder if I’ll ever see him again.’ she had that distant look again, then shook her head and smiled. ‘But, after he’s gone we can go home, maybe listen to some music.’ Marie giggled and took hold of my hand. ‘I think we need to practice. Bring the wine, I’d like to see your bedroom again.’

  Well, I’d not been to bed at four in the afternoon for many years. I think probably the last time was to nurse a hangover from a too heavy lunchtime session at the pub in England. But I wasn’t complaining. It was late when she left.

  ~ ~ ~

  Friday afternoon arrived and so did Marie. She’d called earlier to say that she’d come by and pick me up. Jacques would meet us at the Restaurant.

  ‘I called to make a reservation, but being so early – they said we could sit anywhere we liked, nobody else expected until later.’ she laughed, ‘Not sure I’m very hungry yet. It’s perhaps too early for you too?’

  ‘Oh, I’m always hungry. Don’t worry about that.’

  We drove the rest of the way in a comfortable silence. I watched her as she concentrated on the road. She wore a pale yellow, almost white, silk dress that was in a vaguely Chinese design. High collar and a row of tiny toggled frogs to fasten the front, it fitted as though it had been woven around her and perfectly set off her glossy hair that framed her tanned face. There were no tell-tale lines of underclothes, so I assumed she was naked beneath the silk and felt a heat build in my groin. Looking closely I noticed a few tiny, tiny freckles at the side of her nose. She must have felt my eyes, because she glanced across at me and laughed in a sort of cute, self-conscious way.

  We found a parking spot near the restaurant easily, the town was quiet, almost empty.

  ‘Jacques is here.’ said Marie, pointing at a sleek looking sports car. ‘That’s a small relief.’

  ~ ~ ~

  The restaurant was quite empty apart from our usual table which had been set with three places. Jacques looked up from his cell phone as we walked in, but made no attempt to stand or offer a greeting, his thumbs busy with a text or email, he appeared to ignore us. Could be a quiet meal, I thought.

  ‘I can’t imagine what you find to talk about all the time Jacques, you’re hardly off the thing.’ said Marie, attempting conversation. ‘If you could find a moment or two away from your friends, perhaps you’d say hello to William.’

  I smiled across the table, simple good manners are cheap and I’m sure my eyes would have showed my disapproval. But I was committed to make the effort.

  ‘Nice to meet you Jacques.’ I offered.

  ‘Yeah, You too man.’ he said in good English but didn’t look up from his phone.

  ‘Do I hear a slight American accent?’ I asked.

  ‘Jacques went to University in the States. I guess that’s where he learnt his fine manners and conversational skills!’ Marie slapped the table with her hand. ‘I need to visit the toilet. Have that thing put away by the time I get back.’ and she stood. ‘Sorry William, I won’t be a moment.’

  Jacques’ eyes lifted from his phone and his gaze followed his mother as she crossed the restaurant. I wasn’t sure if his eyesight was perhaps affected by the constant use of his phone’s small screen or if there was something else affecting him, he seemed sort of dazed. I noticed that his eyes appeared dark because his pupils were almost fully dilated

  His face turned towards me and the thin lips smiled, but a chill was reflected in his eyes.

  ‘Mother has told me quite a bit about you. A poet eh?’

  His voice sounded almost mechanical. His thumbs stopped the seemingly compulsive twitching and he laid the phone down on the table.

  ‘I’ve been lucky enough to have some work published.’

  ‘Yeah....I Googled you.....War poems and you’re an ex-marine.’

  ‘That’s about the size of it, I guess.’

  ‘Well let me tell you this.’ he sat forward slightly. ‘Mother isn’t for you. I’d be very happy if you crawled back to your dreary old England and left her alone. You see, we’re happy as we are. You’re not needed. Not wanted.’

  ‘Oh...Is that so. You’re right about one thing though.’ I forced a smile and leant towards him, lowering my voice, ‘England is a dreary old place….That’s why I left. But I think the rest of your speech is bollocks.’

  The waiter arrived with menus and the wine list and we both sat back, silent.

  ‘I have to go soon, I’ll just have the first course.’ said Jacques, as Marie came back to the table. His cold smile seemed to be painted on his expressionless face, but his hands gave the lie to his composure, his fingers constantly fidgeted with mobile phone, cutlery, anything that was within reach.

  ‘I suppose you know what you’re doing Jacques.’ said Marie, as though she was speaking to a moody child. ‘Drive carefully, won’t you. It’s Friday and the Gendarme patrols are more frequent this end of the week.’

  His smile twitched as his phone vibrated. ‘I think I’ll skip dinner. Gotta go.’

  And he was gone. No goodbyes. No apologies.

  ‘Marie’s face dropped and her eyes filled with tears. ‘I just don’t know what to do with him anymore. I really don’t. He used to be such a nice lad.’

  ‘Does he work?’ I asked.

  Marie shook her head, ‘He had a job as a chef. And he was a good one. But he became unreliable and got the sack a few weeks ago. So now he does nothing, except hanging out with this bunch of so-called friends of his.’

  ‘Perhaps you could get him a job away somewhere. Break the connection with the group he’s taken up with.’

  ‘I thought of that...But he just refused to consider it.’

  ‘Perhaps as a last ditch, you could cut his allowance to the minimum?’

  ‘Oh I don’t know. I really don’t.’ she shook her head then sat up, ‘I’m really not too hungry anymore, perhaps it’s too early. What if we went home and I cooked a dinner for you?’

  ‘Sounds good to me.’ I grinned.

  ~ ~ ~

  Jacques worried me, he was obviously using some drug or other. But how to tell his mother? Maybe it’d be easier to steer the conversation in that direction later.

  Chapter 10

  There were just a couple of days to go now before the Hunting and Shooting Club meeting welcomed their newest member. William wasn’t sure he wanted to hunt, to kill. He’d seen enough killing in his time with the Royal Marines. But, he thought, when it comes to the crunch....nobody could make him pull the trigger. A new poem had begun to form in his mind.

  The chase, the noble sport of kings

  once, necessary to survive

  now a selfish bloody plunge.

  With guns and dogs they
hunt

  to kill the fearsome deer.

  Across the land, we hear their chilling cheer.

  ~ ~ ~

  The drive back to Marie’s from Pontivy didn’t take long, for the most part we were silent. No doubt her thoughts were coasting along in roughly the same direction as mine, except I needed to be very sure of my facts. It would be a serious accusation if I was right, but equally serious if I was wrong.

  ‘Will you be leaving very early tomorrow for your run to Paris?’ It had occurred to me that I had no transport to get home.

  ‘Not so early as last time....train goes at nine-thirty. So plenty of time for breakfast....and to drop you home on the way.’ she smiled.

  ‘I know I’m being nosy, and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but what do you go there for?

  ‘Oh...An old friend needs medical treatment from a specialist clinic. Sometimes I only need to pick up medication. Other times, when I need to leave early, a consultation is necessary so I drive up taking the patient with me.’ she glanced across the car to me. ‘And of course I don’t mind telling you.....I don’t think you’re nosey. Probably just concerned.’

  I thought I saw a fleeting blush on her face, as though maybe she hadn’t told me the whole truth.

  ‘Must be a very dear friend?’

  ‘Mmm....’ she frowned, ‘I’ll tell you all about it someday. But my mind is too full of Jacques and who he is becoming, to think about anything else.’

  ‘Yes...Something is very wrong. But I think I’ve an idea what it could be.’ I told her some of our conversation while she’d been in the toilet. Mentioned the signs I’d seen, of his eyes and nervous fidgeting.

  ‘Oh dear. How could he say such things...I expect you think he’s on drugs. I thought that too....I asked him. He swore he’d never do anything so stupid, but did mention that he was taking something the doc had prescribed for an allergy problem. So, perhaps that’s it? I just don’t know.’

  We swung into her driveway and I decided to let the subject rest. I was as sure of my suspicion as I could be, but it really wasn’t my business. Or was it?

  ~ ~ ~

  The dinner that Marie made for us was of course quite excellent. I sat on a tall stool watching her work and we both sipped cold champagne while we chatted.

  After dinner, which we ate in the kitchen, Marie and I sat in the lounge with coffee. For quite a while we were silent, just gazing at the flickering flames with her head resting on my shoulder.

  ‘You’re a damned good cook.’ I said feeling an unusually awkward need to break the silence. ‘Dinner was an absolute treat...Better than in a lot of restaurants I could think of.’

  ‘Ah well...That’s part of another long story. Before I married into this family, that’s what I did for a living.’ she sighed, refilled the coffee cups and turned to face me.

  ‘Dad was a top-class chef for a busy restaurant in Bordeaux. I had no brothers or sisters and he made it fairly obvious that he wished I was a boy, but he went ahead and got me an apprenticeship in his kitchen. It was very difficult back then, dad watching over my shoulder all the time was bad enough, but girls weren’t supposed to do such things. At first I was given all the awful jobs, cleaning burnt pots and roasting tins. They hoped to break my spirit and have me resign. But I’d made up my mind to do it and eventually, they accepted it and even sent me to college part-time, one afternoon and an evening.’ she stared into her coffee cup, as though searching for the words. ‘In a way, I was happier when Dad became ill and had to retire. Bit like finally finding the road you knew you should be on and arriving at the seaside to breathe the fresh air.’ she stopped her story and smiled through some painful memories. ‘Do you think that was terrible of me, feeling that way?’

  I kissed the tip of her nose, ‘No, I don’t think you’re terrible. Perfectly normal.’

  ‘Perhaps I should have opened a restaurant rather than a shooting club.’ she said thoughtfully. ‘Jacques might not have turned out so bad. He’s a good chef too you know... Jacques trained at the Hôtel Le Bristol in Paris, Dad got him in there a few months before his cancer killed him. But the young fool hasn’t done anything for a long while now.’

  ‘Well selfishly, I’m glad you didn’t open a restaurant....because I’d never have met you.’ I gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head. ‘But surely....if it’s something you want to do, it’s never too late.’

  She sat up and looked at me. ‘I’ve thought about it a lot. Maybe, just maybe I’ll do it. But I think you’re right. It’s never too late. Except now. Right now. I’ve neglected you....us too long, I’ll get some wine and take you upstairs. You’ve not seen my bedroom yet.’

  ~ ~ ~

  Well, what could I say? Marie’s bedroom looked like something straight out of a film set. A four-poster with fine gauzy drapes, a separate dressing room that led through to a private bathroom that was almost big enough for an entire football team. The colour scheme was based on a pastel shade of primrose-yellow and the concealed lighting made it all feel very intimate and inviting. Throughout the whole space was a polished oak floor and, having just sanded a much smaller floor, I could imagine that this one must’ve taken a week...at least.

  Marie grinned as I looked around, ‘All my own work.’ she swept her hand around the room. ‘Well....I had a bit of help. But I chose and planned everything myself. What do you think?’

  ‘I think that these rooms would grace any five-star hotel. It’s just stunning!’

  She giggled and with a graceful wriggle, slipped out of her pretty silk dress.

  ‘Come on, I love to look at you naked. Let’s have a shower.’ her expression turned serious. ‘Hope you don’t think me too forward. But in France we are taught to say what we think.’

  ‘Marie....I think you are absolutely charming. Don’t change.’

  We showered together, drying each other with warm soft towels from a heated cupboard. Then, sipping bubbly champagne, we climbed into the four-poster. We chatted for a while about the plans she’d like to make for her very own restaurant, what sort of food, how it would look. But my mind wandered, the fast approaching test of my initiation was worrying me and I asked her again what was involved.

  ‘You’ve nothing to fear.’ she said snuggling closer to my side. ‘It’s all a bit of fun. You’ll be just fine – I know it.’

  ‘I suppose you’re right. I guess it’s not knowing that’s the worst.’

  ‘Well, Jacques normally runs the affair – if he turns up. But there’s plenty of people going to come, so you’ll be ok and Henri will look after you. You see him tomorrow morning don’t you?’

  ‘Mmm, that’s what we arranged.’

  ‘Good...If things go well for me tomorrow at the clinic, I could well be home tomorrow night. It’ll be late, but if I am, I’ll be able to see you on Sunday before it all starts.’

  And she took my glass and turned out the light. We made love tenderly and slowly and then fell soundly asleep in each other’s arms afterwards.

  ~ ~ ~

  It was still dark, at a guess I’d say it could have been just as dawn might have been showing its first light, when the bedroom door creaked open and heavy feet trod across the fine oaken floorboards. Marie switched on the lights and pulled the duvet up to cover us.

  Jacques, his face suddenly reddened by his anger looked down on us. He held a small tray with a coffee pot and cup in his trembling hand.

  ‘What the hell is this!’ shouted Jacques. ‘I’m out for a few hours and this is what happens!’

  ‘What I do in this house is none your business, Jacques.’ Marie said her anger close to the surface. ‘Put the tray down and get out.’

  He bent lower, towards us and I could smell the tell tale odour of amphetamines, it was vaguely similar to dirty socks. Jacques had to be a speed user, and from the look of him, an addict.

  Jacques’ thin lips twisted into a cruel sneer. ‘And you....you fornicating bastard. I told you yesterday that yo
u’re not wanted here. I’ll see to you later. Count on it!’

  He threw the tray to the floor with a crash, hot coffee splattered across the duvet and pooled on the floor amidst the broken shards of porcelain.

  Then he was gone. Speechless, we heard the doors slam as he went out and just seconds later we heard the spin of his sports car wheels on the gravel driveway.

  ‘Oh William....I’m so sorry. Please ignore it....I’ll speak to him later.’ Marie sobbed through her tears. ‘Whatever he’s becoming – It’s worse!’

  She mopped at the spill with one of the towels that we’d used the night before.

  ‘Never mind Marie...We’ll find a way to sort him out. Leave that....I’ll clear it away. Perhaps you’d like to go put a fresh pot of coffee on? I could certainly use a cup.’

  It was early, much earlier than we’d intended. I dressed quickly and went downstairs to the kitchen, I’d have a shower when I got home. Marie was sat at the long counter.

  ‘He’s taken my purse.’ she said. ‘It’s what he’ll have come home for. Money. His room hasn’t been slept in. He must’ve come in just before he came upstairs. I slept so soundly, I never heard a thing.’

  ‘No...me neither. You shouldn’t let him get away with it though, why don’t you get on the phone, cancel your credit card and whatever else he took?’

  ‘Yes, I think I will. He’s taken money before...stolen I suppose, but never like this.’

  It only took a few moments and the plastic was cancelled and a theft notification lodged.

  ‘He’ll be furious you know.’ she said. ‘But we’re up good and early, I’ll be able to catch the first train out. I’ll definitely be back tonight, so I can be there tomorrow, in case the fool tries to cause any more trouble.’

  I had a busy day coming up, Henri this morning at the club then Rachel due to arrive in the afternoon. It seems that I had rather a lot to tell her now. I was beginning to wonder if it was all worth the trouble that I seemed to be causing. But the sight of Marie coming downstairs in a smart black trouser suit with an open-neck white shirt and wearing her lovely smile made my mind up. I realised that she had begun to mean a great deal to me and had become the sole focus of my affections.

  Chapter 11

  The initiation ceremony that was outlined to him was a surprise. Henri and William walked through the private hunting grounds for nearly two hours. Henri showed him the easy route that everyone took, turn right after the start and follow a ravine gulley down to the valley where a shallow ford cut through a loop in the river. The giant oak tree that marked the finish was only a short sprint away from the riverbank. Tomorrow he’d be given a head start of ten minutes before the hunt set out behind him. He’d be the quarry. If caught...he failed. But if he managed to reach the Oak tree first, he would become the new member.