Free The Corpse with the Sapphire Eyes by Cathy Ace Page B

arm.
    A figure, dressed all in white, appeared noiselessly at the doorway. I froze.

Wyth
    â€œWHAT THE—?” GASPED BUD AS he leapt down from the table.
    â€œIt’s only me,” said Siân.
    â€œWhat do you think you’re playing at?” I snapped. I could have hit her.
    â€œI’m sorry I frightened you,” she said sheepishly, as I too jumped down from the table. “I didn’t think there’d be anyone here, then I heard you two and thought I should make myself known.”
    â€œYou very nearly gave me a heart attack,” I said. “What are you doing out there? Have you come looking for food too?” It seemed unlikely.
    â€œNo, I came down to look at the body,” said Siân simply. “I have to see if it’s him.”
    â€œIf it’s who? And stop pointing that in my eyes.” I sounded as cross as I felt.
    Siân lowered the light and said quietly, “David Davies. I have to see if it’s him. I couldn’t believe it when Eirwen said his name.”
    â€œ I told you the man’s name,” said Bud, sounding puzzled. “ I told you it was David Davies. Cait even told me off for saying the guy’s name the wrong way.”
    Siân smiled sadly. “She was the one who said ‘Davies the Eyes,’ you see. ‘David Davies’ could be anyone.”
    Bud held up his hands in confusion. “I don’t get it.”
    â€œI knew four David Davieses growing up,” I explained. “It’s not an uncommon name in Wales.”
    â€œAren’t there enough names to go around?” replied Bud, bemused.
    â€œHmm, it’s funny, isn’t it? I also knew two John Joneses, a Thomas Thomas, an Owain Owens, and a Llewellyn Llewellyn. There is a reason, connected to sons taking fathers’ names, to signify lineage, but I’ll save the lecture, because I think we should focus on my sister. So, go on then, tell us what you’re talking about, Siân.”
    She nodded. “When they said he was called Davies the Eyes earlier on, I couldn’t believe it. I wondered if he was my Davies the Eyes, so I had to come and have a look. It’s taken me forever to find this kitchen, but he’s not here. I don’t know where to look next.”
    â€œAnd who exactly is Davies the Eyes, and what is he to you?” I asked.
    Siân clenched her hands into little fists and growled through her teeth. “Don’t you ever remember the important stuff, Cait? I went out with him, back when I was seventeen, eighteen. Mum and Dad hated him, which, of course, made him all the more attractive.”
    I nodded. “You mentioned someone to me, once, on the phone, though only as ‘David.’ Mum told me more. Is he the one who dumped you before some big party or other?”
    â€œHere’s a great example of sisterly love for you, Bud,” said Siân angrily. “Bluntly put, Cait left home for university when I was thirteen, so I was no more than a child to her then. A child with a very inferior academic ability to her older sister, so worse than nothing. Since then, we’ve had a relationship built solely on Cait’s infrequent trips home when she was at university, phone calls, duty-visits, and, more recently, emails and photos.”
    Siân held up her hand to stop me responding. I thought it best to allow her to rant, which she did. “Cait’s memory is a wonderful thing, if she’s been paying attention. I’m pretty sure she took almost no notice of me at all until I hit my mid-twenties and married Todd. When she came to Wales for our wedding—yes, in case she hasn’t told you, Todd and I came all the way from Australia to be married—she looked surprised to see an adult Siân, rather than a lanky kid. We hardly know each other. We just have childhood memories. Be honest, Cait, that’s the truth, isn’t it? If we were really more to each