A few minutes earlier
A few minutes earlierWhat was strange about the footman’s corpse was that it appeared to have been arranged after death.
afterPitman did not think the man had moved himself: that in the act of dying, he would so spread out his arms and cross his ankles in imitation of the Crucifixion. He himself was a devout man, but he doubted even he’d have the will to assume such a pose with life fleeing so fast. In his brief examination before he remounted and heeled his horse again in pursuit of the coach, he saw that the footman’s head had been near severed. One stroke, he’d wager. By an axe or perhaps a cleaver.
Behind him, the bugle man sounded. Brass brayed, the hounds gave tongue and Pitman flinched. The rule of silence he’d imposed on these men who’d insisted on accompan
