What’s he doing?

I mentioned yesterday that I’ve been looking through various jottings, and came across several characters from ‘The Stalking of Rosa Czekov’ which I continue to write not for publication. Though I published it twelve years ago, I still have their stories running in me head.

Don’t read on if you think you might want to read the book and find what happened to the main characters!! Here’s a part of a story,some time after the dramatic events happened, when Rudi returns to the home he shared with his wife Estelle, after being away for several months. His best friend, Luka Czekov now lives there with her:

“Hi, man!” Luka repeated.
Rudi strode past him without a glance and went straight into the front room on the right, his music room. Tentatively, Luka followed him.
Was he angry?
Estelle had not been in the room since Rudi had left so there was stuff strewn everywhere. Papers, music, drawers and cupboards gaping open, guitar stands empty of their instruments because Rudi had taken some of them when he had left.
Except he hadn’t taken them. Tyche had arrived, rushed in, grabbed Rudi’s overflowing bag, the favourite guitars Luca had mutely painted to, and other stuff to shove in the small black car, now standing outside on the drive. “Where’s Tyche?” Luka blurted.
Rudi looked up sharply, stared blankly at him, then went back to rapidly sorting through papers.
“Coffee?” Luka couldn’t bear the silence. Rudi nodded but said nothing as he wrested open an apparently stiff drawer.
Luka went back into the hall. Estelle was standing halfway up the stairs looking down at him. She was trying to control herself but she was shaking, cold, nervous, afraid – or “what’s he doing?” she whispered.
“Going through papers!”
But when she asked what for Luka shrugged and mimed drinking and hurried to the kitchen.