Barrington, his last resort, had been incompetent again, failing to kick him to death, only succeeding in destroying his libido. There was nothing else to live for now; only what he had to do.
But as McMarn tried to walk away from the boys and towards the picnic he felt a pain in his chest that began to increase, so much so that he could hardly breathe. He sat down heavily on a nearby seat and closed his eyes against it all, seeing Tommy come running towards him over the common, the cheeky, alluring grin on his lips.
I didn’t mean it, said McMarn to himself. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Tom.
The pain increased so sharply that he tried to call for help, but he couldn’t bring the words out. Instead, McMarn opened his eyes, seeing the boys still watching him, their cold arrogance slicing into his chest like a knife. He fought for breath but couldn’t summon up even a suggestion of it.
The darkness came slowly as McMarn turned his gaze away from the boys and on to the picnic on the grass. He seemed to catch Joe’s eye, but for this moment at least there was not a flicker of recognition. It was as if Joe, rather than McMarn, had blotted everything out and left the planet.
“That’s Timothy’s godfather,” said Peter. “But I don’t think he’s feeling very well.”
Joe rose to his feet, gathering up Timothy in his arms.
“Who is he?” asked Anne fearfully.
Joe put Timothy down on the rug again and began to move towards the slumped figure on the seat.
“Don’t come with me,” he said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Joe took the Candy Man’s wrist but there was no pulse. He gazed down at him, knowing McMarn was dead. His eyes were open and he looked as if he was staring ahead at Anne and Peter and Timothy. There was a slightly surprised expression on his face.
“It’s over,” muttered Joe.
In his mind’s eye, he saw his mother’s hand reaching down to him. He heard the ice cracking underneath his feet, but he knew he was safe.
To my great friend and editor, Miles Huddleston,
and to Helen, with love and thanks
A Note on the Author
Many of his novels carry deep insights into social problems, which he experienced over four decades by helping the socially excluded. He ran soup kitchens for drug addicts and campaigned for the civic rights of gypsies and other ethnic minorities. Masters is also known for his eclectic range of non-fiction titles, ranging from the biographies of such diverse personalities as the British secret service chief immortalized by Ian Fleming in his James Bond books (The Man Who Was M: the Life of Maxwell Knight).
His children’s fiction included teenage novels and the ground breaking Weird World series of young adult horror, published by Bloomsbury. He also worked with children both in schools and at art festivals. Anthony Masters died in 2003.
Discover books by Anthony Masters published by Bloomsbury Reader at
www.bloomsbury.com/AnthonyMasters
A Pocketful of Rye
Confessional
Finding Joe
Ghost Blades
Hidden Gods
Murder Is a Long Time Coming
The Men
The Seahorse
Children and Young Adult Books
Cries of Terror
Dead Man at the Door
Horror Stories to Tell in the Dark
I Want Him Dead
Nightmare in New York
Scary Tales to Tell in the Dark
Vampire Stories to Tell in the Dark
Werewolf Stories to tell in the Dark
For copyright reasons, any images not belonging to the original author have been
removed from this book. The text has not been changed, and may still contain
references to missing images.
This electronic edition published in 2013 by Bloomsbury Reader
Bloomsbury Reader is a division of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 50 Bedford Square,
London WC1B 3DP
First published in Great Britain 1998 by ISIS
Copyright © 1998 Anthony Masters
All rights reserved
make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means
(including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying,
printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the
publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The moral right of the author is asserted.
eISBN: 9781448213153
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