Escher Twist
Page 19
Mudge looked wretched. He muttered something to the provost guard, who grunted and turned on his heel. Mudge walked away from Otis and stood in the shade of a tree.
Thoroughly frightened, Otis fumbled at the cork of his canteen. His throat was parched. Swallowing the warm water, he kept anxious eyes on Mudge’s back. Was Charley calling for a firing squad? Were they going to put an end to him here and now? They wouldn’t do it on the march, would they? Not without a court-martial?
But Otis had seen it happen in another regiment, and that boy had only skedaddled twice. He had screamed for mercy, but they had shot him anyway.
Then Otis took a shaky breath of relief. It was only Tom Robeson. And, thank God, good old Tom Fox was strolling up with his sack coat slung over his shoulder, eating cherries from his hand.
And Seth Morgan was right behind Fox. Oh, Seth, Seth, you won’t hurt me, will you, Seth? Not sweet-natured dear old Seth?
Otis watched as the four of them stood murmuring with their backs to him. Fear always made him sick to his stomach.
He couldn’t keep quiet. “Tom,” he called out to Robeson, “remember that piece I wrote for you? It was my piece, Tom, remember? Oh, those were good times, weren’t they, Seth?” Then Otis’s sentimental pathos gave way to a cry from the heart, “Oh God, Charley, oh Jesus, Seth, how did we get into this mess?”
They were deciding his fate. Otis couldn’t stand it. He hurried forward into the pool of shade and fell on his knees. He could only jabber, “A classmate, boys, you wouldn’t shoot an old classmate.”
Somehow, against all hope, it worked again. Mudge glanced at the others, then looked down at Otis and said severely, “Listen, Otis, I don’t know exactly what’s coming, but there’s going to be a fight. And every man in this regiment will be told to shoot you dead if you’re caught skulking one more time.”
Otis got up from his knees, sobbing and gushing his thanks. Mudge strode away. Fox and Robeson hurried off and didn’t look back. Seth hurried away too, but he looked back and smiled.
… a mighty work was before them. Onward they moved, night and day were blended, over many a weary mile, through dust and through mud, in the broiling sunshine, the flooding rain … weary, without sleep for days … yet these men could still be relied upon, I believed, when the day of conflict should come.
—Lt. Frank Haskell, 16 July, 1863
Buy The Deserter: Murder at Gettysburg Now!
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Artwork by M. C. Escher reproduced by arrangement with Cordon Art B. V. © 2001 Cordon Art B. V., Baarn, Holland. All rights reserved. M. C. Escher® is a registered trademark of Cordon Art B. V.
Drawing at the end of chapter 5 by Jane Langton.
copyright © 2002 by Jane Langton
978-1-4532-4760-0
This edition published in 2012 by MysteriousPress.com/Open Road Integrated Media
180 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014
www.openroadmedia.com
THE HOMER KELLY MYSTERIES
FROM MYSTERIOUSPRESS.COM
AND OPEN ROAD MEDIA
MYSTERIOUSPRESS.COM
MYSTERIOUSPRESS.COM
Otto Penzler, owner of the Mysterious Bookshop in Manhattan, founded the Mysterious Press in 1975. Penzler quickly became known for his outstanding selection of mystery, crime, and suspense books, both from his imprint and in his store. The imprint was devoted to printing the best books in these genres, using fine paper and top dust-jacket artists, as well as offering many limited, signed editions.
Now the Mysterious Press has gone digital, publishing ebooks through MysteriousPress.com.
MysteriousPress.com. offers readers essential noir and suspense fiction, hard-boiled crime novels, and the latest thrillers from both debut authors and mystery masters. Discover classics and new voices, all from one legendary source.
FIND OUT MORE AT
WWW.MYSTERIOUSPRESS.COM
FOLLOW US:
@emysteries and Facebook.com/MysteriousPressCom
MysteriousPress.com is one of a select group of publishing partners of Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
The Mysterious Bookshop, founded in 1979, is located in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. It is the oldest and largest mystery-specialty bookstore in America.
The shop stocks the finest selection of new mystery hardcovers, paperbacks, and periodicals. It also features a superb collection of signed modern first editions, rare and collectable works, and Sherlock Holmes titles. The bookshop issues a free monthly newsletter highlighting its book clubs, new releases, events, and recently acquired books.
58 Warren Street
info@mysteriousbookshop.com
(212) 587-1011
Monday through Saturday
11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
FIND OUT MORE AT:
www.mysteriousbookshop.com
FOLLOW US:
@TheMysterious and Facebook.com/MysteriousBookshop
SUBSCRIBE:
The Mysterious Newsletter
Find a full list of our authors and
titles at www.openroadmedia.com
FOLLOW US
@OpenRoadMedia