Free Blood Moon by Jackie French Page B

you ever speak to them?’
    The cubs glanced at each other. Three more head shakes.
    ‘Brother Perry said I was cute as a button,’ said Connie. ‘But Auntie Emerald came over and told me to go see Santa Claus.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘She didn’t like Brother Perry.’
    ‘How do you know?’ I asked.
    Another nose wrinkle. ‘Just the way she smelt. Angry. But not the sort of angry when Bonnie pushed Johnnie down the waterfall. A sort of…’ Connie frowned, ‘a sort of rich anger. But she didn’t say anything to Brother Perry, she just came with me to see Santa too.’
    ‘It was just Gloucester dressed up,’ said Johnnie. ‘Not a real Santa Claus.’
    ‘But he was nice,’ said Bonnie decidedly.
    ‘I think Uncle Dusty was a better Santa Claus,’ said Connie. ‘That was the Christmas before. But he’d been Easter Bunny this year, so it was Black Stump’s turn to be Santa Claus.’
    ‘Uncle Dusty is the best Santa of all,’ said Bonnie firmly.
    ‘Then Uncle Dusty played pirate ships with all us kids,’ said Connie. ‘He was the pirate ship and we had to attack him. That was Portia’s idea, and then she said…’
    ‘No, we didn’t, we had dinner first, then we played pirate ships,’ corrected Bonnie. ‘It was roast chicken but it wasn’t as good as Aunt Emerald’s chicken. And then…’
    I interrupted the memories of the party. ‘What about the Patriarch?’
    ‘Oh, him,’ said Bonnie dismissively. ‘Did you know he wanted Jen to come down and be his wife?’ She wrinkled her brow. ‘Well, sort of his wife, that’s what it smelt like but sort of different.’
    ‘What did Jen say?’
    ‘Jen just laughed. It was at the gathering too. We were hiding in case the pirates attacked and the Patriarch said to Jen, better a real man than being silly bait.’
    ‘Silly bait?’ I wondered. Then I realised: celibate.
    I asked Auntie Emerald what silly bait meant,’ Bonnie continued, ‘and she said it meant being lonely, but Jen wouldn’t be lonely, she had too much gumption for that. Auntie Emerald was angry then too.’
    ‘I see,’ I said slowly. ‘Look, have you any idea who might want to…to…hurt Bother Perry or the Patriarch?’
    Bonnie nodded. ‘Yes,’ she said.
    ‘Really?’ Was it going to be as easy as this, I thought.
    ‘The pirates!’ Bonnie informed me. ‘They snuck into the Valley and eeerrrwwwkkk!’ The small face suddenly scrunched up into a surprising snarl. ‘They slit their throats with their cutlasses and then they sailed away. Portia says they buried their treasure too, and we should go hunt for it but Mummy says we can’t go treasure hunting till the murderer is caught, even during the day. It’s not fair! If I caught a pirate I’d tie him up, bite his balls off and make him tell us where the treasure is and…’
    I let her finish the story. None of the others interrupted. It was evident that Bonnie was the leader of the threesome. Johnnie watched her happily, his mouth slightly open, his tongue protruding in a happy puppy grin. Connie sat more quietly, watching a butterfly investigate the dusty shrubs outside.
    ‘…and then we’d cut off their heads too,’ said Bonnie, her story finally winding to an end. ‘Portia says that’s what you have to do to pirates.’
    ‘So,’ I said. ‘Apart from the pirates, you don’t know who might have wanted to hurt Brother Perry or the Patriarch?’
    The cubs looked at each other then turned back to me.
    ‘No,’ said Bonnie simply. ‘Can we go out to play with Uncle Dusty now?’
    I nodded and they bounced off the sofa, paused briefly while the front door opened for them. (It didn’t squeak, I noticed; but then a sliding door had no hinges, did it? Maybe we should install some sliding doors.) I heard Bonnie yelp for Dusty and Dusty’s answering bark.
    There was no point questioning them further. Why should the cubs be interested in the adult world?
    And the one question I really wanted to ask them—have any