Free Sinners and Shadows by Catrin Collier Page A

granddad saw Buffalo Bill’s show in Cardiff when he was young and he said they had real buffaloes. They were ‘normous.’ One of the urchins sketched an outline in the air to indicate just how enormous a buffalo was.
    â€˜I doubt there are any buffaloes in Broncho Bill’s show.’ Joey pulled the boy back from the edge before he plunged into the river fifty feet below. ‘If there were, the Observer would have printed pictures of them. And they only mentioned horses.’
    â€˜I know there aren’t any,’ one boy smaller and thinner than the rest said authoritatively. ‘But there is a band, Prairie Bob’s Great Cowboy Band. They’re real cowboys, with guns and hats and everything. I saw them and heard them play.’ He held out his hand. ‘Give us sixpence, mister, and I’ll show you a place where you can crawl under the tent and see the show for free.’
    Joey looked at Rhian. ‘What do you say? Shall we crawl under the tent and see the show for free?’
    â€˜Most certainly not. You’ll be sorry if a policeman catches you. You’ll get half a dozen strokes of the birch,’ she lectured the boy.
    â€˜Thanks for the offer, son, but it would spoil the lady’s dress. But here you go.’ Joey opened the tin of toffees he had bought for Bella and Harry and handed each of the boys a sweet.
    â€˜You do realize that you’ve just rewarded criminal behaviour,’ Rhian informed him when they reached the other side of the river.
    â€˜My brothers and I did a lot worse than sneak under a circus tent to see a show for free when we were kids.’
    â€˜Lloyd and Victor criminals? I don’t believe it.’
    â€˜Thank you. From that comment I take it that you think I’m capable of worse than them. But believe you me, my brothers weren’t always the upright citizens they are now. Shall we walk up to the house alongside the canal? I know it’s cold but the primroses might be out and we can pick a bunch for Sali if they are.’
    â€˜All right.’ She tried to sound casual. The canal walk to the house was longer, prettier – and more secluded than the main drive.
    He took her hand when they left Bridge Street. ‘It’s times like this I realize just how little fresh air there is in Tonypandy, especially in the store, and most especially between the perfume and shoe and luggage departments. Between the smell of leather and the scents of violet, gardenia and attar of roses it’s a wonder I can breathe.’
    â€˜Perhaps you should move the departments further apart.’
    â€˜That, madam, would make for too much work.’ He dropped her hand, picked up a stone and tossed it into the narrow canal.
    â€˜If everyone did that, there’d soon be no canal for the barges to float on.’
    â€˜One stone – and it’s probably already sunk deep into the mud.’
    â€˜It’s one stone more than was there a minute ago,’ she said with mock gravity. ‘If the canal fills up, everyone will know who to blame.’
    He picked up another stone and pressed it into her hand. ‘Go on, try it. It’s fun. I promise not to tell if you don’t.’
    â€˜You just want to make me as guilty as you are.’
    â€˜Of course.’
    â€˜I refuse.’ She dropped the stone on to the path.
    â€˜Have you ever thought how one tiny instant can change your whole life?’
    â€˜Like throwing one small stone?’
    He brushed his gloves together to rid them of the dirt he’d picked up, opened his coat and took a small box from his inside pocket. She looked from the box into his face and froze. She sensed what he was about to say and she was terrified. All she wanted was for things to remain as they were, but she knew that nothing she could say would stop him. Not now. But that didn’t prevent her from trying.
    â€˜Please, don’t, Joey!’ She didn’t hear