Page 108 of Souvenir Heart

David knotted the reins and jumped down from the box. “Isidore,” he said. “I’ve decided to call him Isidore. And taking him with us is the least we can do in payment for his loyal services.” He leaned down to pat the dog’s head and offer him a treat.

Andre nodded at Maguerite, “You can dismount now. Fetch Marcus’s horse. We’ll tie him to the back of the coach. Don’t look at Marcus,” he repeated his earlier warning, as she stumbled numbly to the ground.

Marguerite straightened, fixing her gaze resolutely on the dapple grey. It was standing a short distance away from Marcus. Its saddle was smeared with blood.

“Not until David and I have got him in the coach and we’re certain those fellows at the gate haven’t detected any plot holes in our performance and decide to follow.”

Performance? Marcus was dead and his so-called friends were calling it a performance? She walked past his body in a slow, sickened daze. She reached the horse, put a hand out for the reins.

“Lucky thing one of those guards managed to get off a shot,” Andre said.

Lucky thing? She turned to see David nodding in agreement. He was kneeling beside Marcus’s body; the dog was snuffling at Marcus’s bloody chest.

“I see my pig’s bladder of blood with the explosive fuse worked nicely,” he said, looking up.

“Can you get your beast off me?” Marcus hissed attempting to keep his features rigid.

Alive. Marguerite braced herself against the grey’s neck. Marcus was alive.

“His name is Isidore,” David corrected, catching the dog by the collar and drawing him back. Getting to his feet, he said to Andre, “I’ll toss some of the furniture now—we’ll make a quick show of me protesting, you threatening me with your gun for the guards at the gate, then squeeze Marcus in there as best we can.”

Hands shaking with relief and fury, Marguerite drew the pistol at her hip and pointed it at the men. “I think I can handle the threatening part of this performance.”

David threw up his hands. Isidore barked. Andre shot an elbow in Marcus’s direction. “This was his half-assed back-up plan.”

“Back-up plan? He planned this?” Pistol still pointed at David and Andre, Marguerite stared at Marcus’s splayed body in disbelief.

“He didn’t give us a great deal of time to work out the details.” Andre spread his hands. “Can…you…uhm…put the pistol down? Pretty sure the threat looks convincing enough for the guards at the gate. Looks threatening enough to me…”

“Me, too.” David added hastily. “And we need to get Marcus into the coach.”

Marguerite lowered her weapon.

David caught Marcus under the arms. Andre grabbed his feet, then glancing over his shoulder at Marguerite. “We can drop him a few times if you’d like.”

“A tempting offer.” She glared at her lover’s not corpse.

“I would not like.” Marcus muttered, as they lifted his blood and dirt-smeared body out of the road. “Going to have a hell of a bruise on my shoulder. And my ribs, thanks to your boot.”

“Had to make it look real,” Andre said, addressing Marcus, but his face turned as if speaking to Marguerite. “Isn’t that what you said, right after you clocked me in the alley?”

“Why do I feel like you’re enjoying this far too much?”

“Chatty for a corpse, isn’t he?” Andre said, reaching out a hand and swinging open the coach door.

“Chatty for Tyns.” David nodded in agreement.

“Almost like he’s been reborn.”

“A new man if you will.”

They both looked at Marguerite.

“I hear love will do that,” David mused, as they heaved him feet first into the carriage and Andre swung the door shut.

Sixty-Four

Several miles down the road, David turned off down a narrow lane, stopping the carriage by a stream whose banks were largely hidden by a large copse of ash trees. He lifted the dog down and tied him with sufficient rope to sniff and pee on this new landscape to his heart’s content. “I’ll water the horses. You all can change.” He glanced over at Marcus, whose blood-soaked suit was beginning to attract flies. “And wash. I’ll leave it to you all to decide if you want to unload a bit more furniture and ride inside the Berlin or stay mounted.”