Chapter 24. When the man struck the match, I was nowhere near the cot where he was looking for me.

He was in too much of a hurry to be properly quiet, and even if he had been trying, I had been known to wake up because a cat had walked into the room.

It was the war, even after all this time. It had taken a long while after VE Day to get in a good night's sleep and even longer not to dream about it,

but I don't think I would ever get rid of the part of my brain that assumed someone was creeping up to cut my throat,

probably just as well.

I heard him gasp as he realized I was not where he expected me to be, but I still couldn't be sure he wasn't Freddy.

His approach on the stairs had been enough cover to get pants on and be in the corner with

the barretta when he entered. The sound of the match striking had been enough to cover the safety

coming off, but there wasn't a sound big enough to ask what happened next, if that was not.

Jackie?

Jackie? You hear?

Here, I said from the corner, lowering the gun.

"'Fredy jumped like he'd been electrocuted.

"'He turned to face me and held the match up high,

"'squinting in the paltry lighted cast to see if it was really me.

"'Who else would it be?'

"'Jackie?' he asked just before squeaking in pain as the fire reached his fingertips and he plunged the room into darkness again.

"'Turn on the light, for God's sake, Fred,' I said.

"'No, Jackie,' Fred puffed, striking another match.

"'I think perhaps it is best we do not. Do you still have that bit of candle?'

"'On the table,' I said, reaching for my shirt.

"'What the hell time is it? It's early, Freddy said, focused on the task of lighting the candle.

...