Matlock and the Christmas Music – Eamonn Griffin

This week I have the pleasure of posting the second of our Crime Cymru Christmas short stories; this time from Eamonn Griffin whos prison story last year was one of my favourites. (You may have sussed by now that our Christmas stories tend not to feature Santa or sugar plum fairies)

A three-legged fox. Its back left was the one that was missing.

Matlock didn’t have a word for the way the fox was moving. Not hopping, not skipping, not limping, not loping. Making its way, though. Despite the snow. Despite the cold. Despite only having three bloody legs.

Being a leg down plus the additional resistance from the snow – not long fallen, maybe two, three inches deep – must have made it hard going. Not that this showed.

The fox stopped. Turned its head slow, like it only now realised that it was being watched. Maybe it hadn’t…