Don't Want To Know

by Steve Beresford

About the Author: Steve Beresford was originally an astrophysicist, but now writes stories, of all genres, with 100s published all over the world. Steve has won the odd story prize too, and written a few things for TV.

Excerpt

THE BEGINNING

“What are you up to?” Fran was trying not to get irritated. But she did get very irritated with Joey very quickly these days.

“Just looking for something,” Joey said.

It was the way he said it, with too much innocence. Fran shivered with suspicion. She knew he was up to something. Again.

Joey, her husband, had come down and started rooting about in all the drawers and cupboards in the kitchen. She’d already heard him upstairs, moving about in the spare bedroom they used as a home office. He then moved on to the bedroom, opening and closing everything that could possibly be opened and closed.

“Looking for what?” Fran was getting dinner ready—it was her turn—and all the noise had set her nerves on edge. And now he was getting in the way. “That thing.” Joey opened the drawer with the odds and ends in and rifled through the assorted contents.

“What thing?”

“You know, that thing. The whatsit. You use it for … Ah, here it is.” He held up something that looked like a stunted misshapen screwdriver. Fran had no idea what it was and couldn’t guess what its function might be. Much like a lot of stuff in that drawer. That was where Joey stashed items that he saved in case they one day turned out to be useful. Today was clearly that one day.

“Why were you looking for it upstairs first?”

“I wasn’t. I was looking for something else then. I’ve been on a gathering mission.”

Story Comments