Craven Manor(19)

He backed to the door and turned to face the outside world. A chill wind nipped at the holes in his jeans and coat. The coins felt heavy in his pocket. There were still a few hours until sunset, and he had plans for how to spend them.



“Sorry… are you sure?”

Daniel leaned over the bench of the pawnshop. He was trying to figure out if he’d misheard or if there was simply a mistake. The broker sat opposite, turning one of the coins over in his fingers. Brick-a-brack, second-hand jewellery, and antiques cluttered the surfaces around them and filled the glass case below Daniel’s elbows.

“It’s a fair price. You won’t get better anywhere else.” The broker placed the coin flat on the table and pushed it back towards Daniel, a signal that he wanted a decision.

Daniel swallowed. The broker’s tone made it sound as though Daniel had complained about how little he’d offered for the coin. He couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

The price for one of the coins would cover a month of rent and food, with enough left over for a decent bottle of wine. Daniel’s fingers had gone numb. He hoped his face didn’t look as shell-shocked as he felt. “Um. Sure. That’s fine. Uh, could I have a couple of envelopes, too?”

“Absolutely.” The broker, a short man with smile lines around his mouth, pulled out his receipt book. “If you get any more of those coins, bring them to me first, okay? You’ll have a hard time selling them elsewhere, being a collector’s item and all. But I know people who will want them, and I can get you a good price.”

When Daniel left the store, he was still in shock. The money in his pocket was more than he’d ever owned at one time before. And the mysterious Bran had promised him more if he kept working at Craven Manor. Up until the moment the broker gave him the quote, Daniel had half expected the coins would be worthless. But they weren’t. He was rich… by his standards, at least.

He’d traded one of the coins but kept the other safely in a zipped pocket in case of emergencies. The pawnbroker’s store was across the street from Kyle’s apartment, and Daniel waited until he was inside the lobby before taking out the money out and dividing it into portions.

Forty dollars went back into his pocket. With Bran supplying food and shelter, he wouldn’t need much cash, but he knew it would be smart to have some on hand. Two hundred went into a second envelope to help Kyle with the rent until he could find a new roommate. The rest was tucked into the second envelope, and Daniel held it close to his chest as he jogged up the stairs.

The light flickered at the end of the hallway. It had grown worse in the two days Daniel had been away. The carpet seemed to be growing barer, too. Daniel stopped outside Mrs. Kirshner’s room. When he bent his ear to the wood, he could hear her cooing to her cat in German. He slipped the envelope under her door.

Daniel followed the hall until he reached the lonely and discoloured 16 hung from Kyle’s door. He still had his key, but it seemed rude to use it. He didn’t live there anymore, after all. Instead, he knocked. The door cracked open a moment later, then Daniel was gasping as Kyle slapped his back.

“There you are! I was afraid you’d gone and died in a gutter somewhere.” Kyle was wearing an old sweatshirt and had let his stubble grow to an unruly stage, but he looked happy.

Daniel laughed and let himself be dragged inside. “Sorry, I should have left a note. I moved into the groundskeeper’s cottage.”

Kyle squinted at him.

“Remember? The job I told you about—tending to a house’s garden?”

“You kidding me? I thought that was a joke.” Kyle shook his head as he looked Daniel up and down. “So what’s the deal? You moving back in? Flint’s girlfriend took him back, so you can have your room again.”

Daniel hesitated for only a second. “Actually, I’m going to stay there. It’s a good job. It pays well. Here.” He held out the envelope. “Two hundred to cover the next few weeks of rent. Do you think you can find someone else to share with before them?”

“Maybe.” Kyle pulled out the cash and thumbed through it, counting it, then tucked it into his back pocket. His grin stretched plump cheeks. “Wow, look at you. Real job. Real money. You’re finally growing up, huh? Come on, let me buy you a beer. It’s the least I can do. I want you to tell me all about this job.”





Chapter Nine





Kyle lounged beside Daniel at the bar’s counter. It was a busy night, and a cloud of chatter surrounded them. A football match played on the TV suspended from the ceiling, and every few minutes, whoops and cheers drowned out their words as the local team scored.

The beer was going to Daniel’s head. He couldn’t remember how many he’d drunk, only that it was a lot, and both he and his cousin were slurring their words. Kyle had bought him a hearty meal and was paying for the drinks, and he seemed to be in good humour.

“So, so, hang on, the place is really empty?” Kyle nursed a beer, sloshing the liquid inside its bottle. “You’re all by your lonesome up there?”

“Just me, the cat, and the birds.” Daniel tried to laugh, but it came out as a giggle. The lights were very bright. “And the guy who delivers food, but he only comes once a week.”

“That’s bonkers, man.” Kyle shook his head like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “Absolutely nuts. But he’s paying you okay, isn’t he?”