Free Wild Blood by Kate Thompson

members of the family were concerned, they were entertaining royalty. But Uncle Maurice was not of the same opinion.
    ‘Are your mother and father on holiday with you?’ he asked.
    It was one question too many. Kevin stood up. ‘If you don’t mind,’ he said, ‘I’ll take my money and get on my way.’
    ‘Ah, now,’ said Uncle Maurice, standing up as well. ‘No need to be hasty. I didn’t mean to pry. Sure, what does it matter, anyway?’
    Aunt Deirdre spoke for the first time. ‘Have your tea, now. ’Tis made and all.’
    She poured it out and Kevin sat down again, reluctantly. Colm handed him another biscuit, a jam one. The silence while he ate it threatened to be a long one, and Tess broke it before it became too awkward.
    ‘You have great weather, anyway. For your holiday.’
    ‘I have,’ said Kevin.
    ‘He has, he has,’ said Uncle Maurice and Aunt Deirdre together.
    The silence fell again and Uncle Maurice finally got round to saying what was on his mind. ‘No,’ he began. ‘It’s only … Just … I thought you could make a great business out of that rat-catching game.’
    ‘I could, I suppose,’ said Kevin.
    ‘If you had the right backing, that is. The right kind of manager.’
    Tess turned away to hide the expression of disgust on her face. So that was what he was up to.
    ‘I’m not sure,’ Kevin began, but Uncle Maurice had launched his campaign and could no longer stem his excitement.
    ‘No, c’mere, listen,’ he said. ‘I could get the world of business for you, the world of it. There are loads of farmers and houses in towns and all, and they have the same problem. Sure, a cure for rats is worth a fortune. A fortune!’
    Tess looked around the room. Kevin was dumbstruck and she could only imagine what was going through his mind. From the expression on Aunt Deirdre’s face it was clear that she hadn’t been let in on the plan and was as surprised as everyone else. Once more Kevin opened his mouth to say something, but Uncle Maurice was still not finished.
    ‘Think of it, lad,’ he said. ‘If you can do a farm and buildings this size, what’s to stop you doing a whole village or even a small town? Can you imagine it? We could get TV people there and radio. We could set up interviews and all …’
    Kevin stood up, his tea untouched.
    ‘Thanks for your concern,’ he said. ‘It’s a great idea but I’m afraid I have no interest in it.’
    Uncle Maurice shut his mouth and the brightness left his features with frightening speed. Anxiety, almost visible, crept over the other members of his family.
    ‘So if you’ll just pay me what we agreed,’ Kevin went on, ‘I won’t take up any more of your time.’
    There was a sinister pause, then Uncle Maurice said, ‘What was it we agreed, exactly?’
    ‘One hundred pounds,’ said Kevin.
    ‘One hundred pounds,’ Uncle Maurice repeated. ‘If you got rid of all the rats.’
    ‘That’s right,’ said Kevin.
    There was menace in Uncle Maurice’s voice as he replied. ‘But you didn’t, did you?’
    Silence dropped again. The faces of the children showed shocked disappointment, but Kevin was not going to be fobbed off without a fight. ‘What makes you say that?’ he asked.
    ‘Just this,’ said Uncle Maurice. He stood up and went over to a plastic bag which lay inside the back door. ‘Something the dogs caught this morning.’ He reached into the bag and pulled out the carcass of a rat. A jolt of pain caught Tess off guard.
    ‘That …’ she began, but stopped herself while she still could. What she had started to say was that she recognised the carcass. It was the old rat, the one who had been left behind.
    The others were still looking at her expectantly, even Kevin.
    ‘That’s what?’ said Uncle Maurice.
    In the nick of time it came to her. ‘That’s been dead for a couple of days,’ she said. ‘I saw it round behind the milking parlour yesterday.’
    Kevin shut his eyes in relief and took a deep breath.
    ‘Oh, is