Trials in Walls of Ivy (Triskelion Trilogy Book 1)

by Deborah Jayne Pye

  We sat in silence as she watched the cold fireplace, eyes focused on nothing.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  I woke when the front door slammed. I pulled the curtain aside to see Bree striding across the grass. She had a bag slugged over her back and held her hood over her head. It was pouring down. I sat on my bed a moment longer and watched the beads of water rebound off the stone path. I was still exhausted. It was already light when Ash left. Bree and I had gone to our rooms with only a few words. I didn’t want to push her. In truth, I didn’t know what to say to comfort her. As the hours passed it was like a new presence had taken her. Her laugh lines were smooth, her teeth clenched. Bree had taken hold of the night and was clinging to it.

  I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and slumped my way down the stairs. Today, I didn’t want to face anything. I didn’t want to see any police reports, listen to any bombing theories or see Llamp. As soon as Bree returned, I would ask her to slob with me. Today was a day for coffee, chocolate and the TV.

  I opened the living room door to see Jay. He was stood in the centre of multiple piles of boxes. With his hands on hips, he was beaming at me.

  “Morning sunshine. Have a late night, did we?” He asked.

  I walked past him, heading straight for the kettle. “How did you get in?” I grabbed my favourite mug from the cupboard and took another for Jay without asking.

  He pulled open the fridge and handed me the milk. “Karissa let me in. Looked like she was just getting in herself.”

  “Yeah, she’s not one for sleeping.”

  Jay laughed. “You ready for this?”

  I looked at him, surprised. “Ready for what?”

  “Your training. Remember, you said you needed more training to get through the tasks? Well, here I am.” He held out his arms dramatically.

  “Yeah, but Llamp said computing and physical.”

  He reached over and picked up his mug. “Surveillance could come under computing. So, just think of me as your tutor for today.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me back to the living room. “It’s not that bad. Come on.”

  He led me to a chair and began pulling contraption after contraption out of the boxes. We spent the next hour going over each kind of camera, listening device and tracking system. Jay had maps of different areas, showing the best placement for surveillance in each situation.

  “You see, if the camera goes here, it can only see this area. But, if you put it here at this angle, it can see through the window of this building and catch a glimpse of the other side.” His voice rose in excitement with each piece. There was no doubt that surveillance was his true passion.

  He had me completing a computer game where I had to set up cameras to cover the widest area. I watched the screen as little blue ripples showed the line of sight of my cameras. A buzzer made me jump as I failed the game for the second time. He reset it without word and I began moving the controller again, placing imaginary cameras on the digital map.

  “I never thought training would involve computer games,” I said.

  He sucked in a breath, feigning offence. “Computer game? This, I will have you know, is a highly technical intelligent program which specialises in surveillance proficiency. And look, you’ve only got sixty three percent.”

  I looked to the corner of the screen where it reported how much of the area I had covered. “How high have you gotten it?”

  “Ninety seven percent. You need to think about what level as well as where you’re placing them.”

  “What? How did you get that high?”

  He shut the laptop and reached over to a box. “Let’s try something new. You want to practice with the real thing?” He pulled out a container and opened it to reveal dozens of tiny black discs.

  “What are those?”

  I leaned over and picked one up. It was so small I balanced it on the tip of my finger. Its smooth black surface dipped in the centre toward a hole the size of a pin prick.

  “Audio recorders.” He walked around the room placing them on the furniture. “These ones can pick up sound form a seven meter radius. Look at where they go. Do you get it?”

  I watched him to see that he was placing them at every level in the room. One went on the floor in the corner beside the door, another on the fire place and another on the top of the book shelf.

  “Different levels. So you can pick up sound from different angles?”

  “Exactly. You’ve got to think of sound as a liquid.”

  I laughed. “A liquid? How is sound a liquid?”

  He placed the last recorder and picked up a square control from the box. “Think about it, sound travels through air waves. Air waves travel through the room in ripples, like on water.”

  I nodded understanding.

  “Sounds from further away have a higher chance in being recorded if you place the devices at different levels, to catch the waves.”

  “So, you’re recording us now?” I asked, finally fascinated.

  “Almost. I just need to link them all and turn them on.” He pushed a button on the control and a green light lit. “Okay, they’re linked.” He leaned over to show me how he had linked them.

  I nodded again. “This seems easy. Put the little discs around a room and flick a switch.”

  “This is the easy part. Just follow the recordings on here and you’ve got yourself a surveillance system.” He pointed to a window on his laptop screen. “Watch here when I turn it on.”

  He pressed a button and we both jumped as a high pitched ringing screamed through the speakers. He pushed the button again and it stopped.

  “What the hell was that?” I shouted, my ears still ringing.

  He didn’t reply. He threw the laptop to the chair and began searching the room. Books fell to the floor as he pulled them from the shelves.

  “Jay, what are you doing?”

  He pulled the TV forward and stepped behind it, examining the wires.

  “Jay?”

  The colour had drained from his face. I watched him as he fumbled from corner to corner of the room. He was climbing over the settee when he suddenly stopped and looked up. Without word he pulled out the coffee table and stood on it. He reached up toward the lampshade and prised it off the hanging ceiling light.

  His finger over his mouth, he motioned me to follow as he headed through the front door. We walked toward the back of the house, a place I hadn’t ventured too much yet. With the weather constantly so cold and damp, I had never felt the urge to sit out here. He rummaged through the rubbish bin until he retrieved an empty cooking sauce jar. I stepped forward about to speak when he held up his hand again, silencing me. I watched patiently as he gently paced something tiny and black into the jar. He carried the jar at arm’s length to the far end of the garden and placed it on the floor. With a sigh of relief, he pulled my arm and we went back in to the house.

  He wouldn’t let me speak until he had switched his recording devices on again. Finally, he smiled and nodded as he saw a line vibrate on his screen.

  “Can I talk now?” I asked, quietly.

  “You can talk now,” he replied. “But we have a problem.”

  “What was that? What’s the problem?”

  “That,” he pointed to the lampshade, “was a recording device. That was what caused the feedback when I switched our recorders on.”

  “A recording device? How long’s it been there?”

  “No idea. And, I can’t tell whose it is. Can you think of why someone would want to bug this house?” He asked.

  I wrapped my arms around myself. I felt violated, itchy. “No idea. Five of us live here. Who do you think it was there to listen to?”

  “No way of knowing. Unless,” he stood and clambered around the room. He retrieved a recorder from the bookcase. “We try each room.” He nodded up the stairs.

  “We could try. I’m sure they won’t mind.”

  I lead the way up the steps, reaching Bree’s room first. I knew she wasn’t in.

&nb
sp; “Do you think she’ll mind if we just open her door a crack?” Jay asked. “It just needs to be in the doorway, we don’t need to go in.”

  I shrugged and opened the door. Given we were being bugged, I was sure she wouldn’t mind us checking. I pushed her door open a few inches, just enough for me to hold the recorder inside. Holding my trespassing hand still, I watched as Jay pressed the control on his laptop. No sound of feedback, Bree’s room was clean. We repeated the process in Fern, Karissa and Owen’s rooms. None of them seemed to have any sign of a recording device. I approached Warwick’s door and gulped. I had hardly said two words to Warwick since that morning after catching him on the settee. I hadn’t purposely avoided him. He was hardly ever in.

  I held my breath as I knocked on his door.

  He opened it and stood topless in the doorway. “Yes?” His hair was sticking up in all directions. My eyes drifted down to his low hanging jeans, which were gaping open.

  Jay elbowed me out of the way. “We’re just checking something. I need to hold this in your room for five seconds.” Jay walked into the room without being invited. I took a step forward but hesitated as Warwick grinned at me.

  “Like what you see?” He asked. He ran a hand down the front of his chest, his fingers bumping over his defined abs.

  “I’ll wait in my room,” I mumbled, running back across the hall.

  A moment later Jay came into my room, shaking his head. “Nothing. Looks like it was just the living room.”

  I sat back on my bed and let my head crash into the pillow. “Do you think all the houses are bugged? You think it’s the uni bugging us?”

  “It’s a bug the uni use, but that doesn’t prove anything.” He placed the recorder on my desk and sat beside me. “If I can get hold of them for training, anyone could have their hands on them.” He pressed a switch and we both jumped as the feedback screech ripped through the room. He switched it off and looked at me, his face pale.

  Without a word, we both leaped from the bed and began searching the room. I pulled my clothes from my wardrobe, Jay tipped every book. Eventually, he pointed toward the mirror on my wall. I followed his eyes to a small bump on the top corner. I pulled up a chair to stand on and leaned over the top of the mirror. There, lying almost flat against the wooden frame, was a recording device identical to the one downstairs. I gently plucked it free and handed it to Jay. He left the room with it in his outstretched hands.

  I sat on the edge of my desk, looking over the piles of books and clothes on my floor. Someone had bugged my room. Only my room. Who would want to hear what goes on in here? Nothing interesting goes on in here. Nothing but late night chats with Owen and Bree, chats about our ongoing investigation. My stomach churned with the familiar sting of bile.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  I didn’t want to stay in the house any longer. The thought of someone in my room, bugging it, made me feel sick. I hugged Jay in thanks and left the house without a second glance. I offered him a hollow invitation to join me, but Jay said he had gaming plans with Owen.

  My mind was buzzing with panic and dread. Who would want to listen to me? How did someone get in to bug my room?

  My feet stumbled through campus, lost for purpose. I had to solve the bombing mystery. I had to help Bree find who drugged her. I had to train. But, all I wanted to do right now was hide. I pulled my hood over my face against the wind and pouring rain. My jeans were already soaked. I turned onto the familiar path which led to the coffee shop, keeping my head down as I entered and ordered my latte. My feet took me instinctively toward a small table hidden in the corner. I took the one soft chair and curled my legs beneath me without lowering my dripping hood. The wet denim stung my skin, but I stayed still, unable to think of anything else but hiding.

  “Leg seems tae be better.”

  My eyes rolled in exasperation. Hesitantly, I looked up to see Mark stood by my table. I scolded myself for not considering Mark in my search for solitude.

  “Hi,” I said, lowering my head back to my cup.

  The chair beside me scraped as it was pulled out. “Everythin’ okay?” He sat beside me, leaning over and adopting my quiet tone.

  I bit my lip in frustration. “I’m fine.”

  “You didnae sound fine.”

  I bit harder. It didn’t work. “No Mark, I’m sure I don’t sound fine. But you wouldn’t know that, would you?”

  “What’d I do?”

  “Nothing.” I held my breath, forcing my voice to quit shaking. “You took me out. We got almost blown up and you never even bothered to call again.” I blinked away the traitorous moisture building in my eyes.

  “I told you I had tae work. It’s not like we agreed on anythin’ serious.” He laughed like I was behaving ridiculously.

  “Your work stops you from calling? Even after what happened? I wasn’t expecting a second date, just a check in to see if I was still alive would’ve been nice,” I said, sarcastically. “Nice to know you weren’t bothered if I survived or not.”

  He leaned forward. “I’m sorry. I did check you were alright before we left the hospital. But, like I said, I’m workin’ on somethin’ big. Time just got away from me.”

  I shrugged, not wanting to let him off the hook.

  “If it wasnae for havin’ to walk Mendel, I’d be livin’ in that lab. I cannae slack on my work.” I looked down to see the dog sprawled on the floor by the table. His fur was saturated, dripping onto the tiled floor.

  “What can be so important?” I asked.

  “It’s somethin’ I’ve been workin’ toward for a few years. I’m getting’ closer, so cannae take time away from it.”

  “What is it?” I asked, forgetting my anger.

  He smiled. “Like I said when we went oot, I’m trying to find a way of targetin’ genes for surgery.”

  “That’s big project, even for a doctorate. Why did you choose it?”

  He lowered his head and smiled to himself. “Call it family history. Ma sister, she had a condition.” He paused, stroking Mendel absentmindedly.

  “A condition? One that needed genetic surgery?”

  “If what I’m workin’ on existed then, it could’ve saved her life.”

  I reached forward and put my hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Mark. I didn’t mean to bring up anything personal. You don’t have to talk about it.”

  He put his hand over mine and turned to smile. “It’s okay. Cannae hide from the truth. And that’s why I’m workin’ on it. If it takes ma whole life, I’m goin’ tae…” He stopped and leaped to his feet, looking toward the far window.

  I watched my coffee cup spill over as the ground shook. My hands slammed over my ears as they began to ring with the shock of sudden sound. Without realising what I had done, I was huddled under the table beside Mark and Mendel. He had his hand over my head protectively. I yelped as a second low growl split the air. We cowered under the table as the café windows shattered. Glass flew in toward us, like it was riding on a shock wave. I put my arms around Mendel, stroking his thick fur as he whined. Screams blared around me as panic took the crowd. Mark knelt with a hand on both me and Mendel. We looked through the broken glass to see people running, all in one direction with heavy black smoke following.

  “Another one? Mark, it can’t be another one, not here?” I shouted, over the cries of the surrounding café customers.

  I pushed to my feet, with Mark gripping my arm so I didn’t get lost in the rush. We stepped through the empty window frame, Mark carrying Mendel over the glass. Hordes of students fled, pushing passed us as in escape.

  “Where do you think it came from?” I asked.

  He lowered Mendel to his feet but still held him close. “I don’t know. Over that way there’s only the…” his face drained of colour. “Hold him,” he shouted, as he thrust the dog lead into my hand.

  He ran toward the smoke, pushing his way through the crowd. People tried to grab him as he ran. He shoved them away, ploughing his way through.
/>   Sirens began to wail, making my teeth grate through my ears. The siren was familiar, but I knew I had never heard it first-hand before. It rose and fell in sound, just like the old air raid sirens. The hairs on the back of my neck tingled as the rising cat call of the warning bell swallowed the panic of the crowd. I stood like a rock as the waves of students ran passed me. They broke apart around me like water; some screaming, some crying, some with a sickening thrill of excitement. They began to slow as heads turned toward the man in a high visibility vest. He ran toward us, waving his arms above his head. I joined the crowd in walking toward him, pulling Mendel behind with the lead.

  “You all need to get back to your dorms. If you live this way,” he gestured behind him, away from the smoke, “go straight there, close all windows and doors. If you live in the East flats,” he pointed toward the chaos, “you need to follow me to the shelter. No one is to leave shelter until we give the all clear.” He didn’t wait for a response. He turned and headed toward the centre of the campus. A trail of people followed.

  I pulled Mendel gently as the crowd around me rushed and shoved passed. I looked up to see the thick black smoke had begun drifting overhead. It billowed up in self-consuming swirls. Growing bigger and bigger, it cast a shadow over the grass beneath me. I ducked as another blast ripped through the air. The ground shuddered. Splintering cracks rained from above as tree branches fell with the force of the vibration. Shattering glass sounded in every direction. I crammed my hands over my ears as the combined overwhelming sound of destruction possessed the air.

  The crowd panicked. Pushing their way through harder, they shoved others to the floor as they ran from the second explosion. I was knocked to the side. Mendel yelped as a guy trod on his paw. I tried to hold him toward me as bodies flew past us in panic. I craned my neck to search the crowd. Mark wasn’t there. I shouted his name, again and again, but it was drowned out by the screams of the fleeing bodies. I didn’t want to think of him so close to that second explosion. But, I knew I couldn’t stay and wait.

  I huffed, all air forced from my lungs as I was wrenched over to the ground. Feet thundered past my face. I clenched my eyes closed on the gravel path, waiting for the final blow. I wasn’t going to escape this time. It felt like the bombs were following me, searching for the victim who got away. I laid still, my senses overloaded.