The Stranger Times

by C. K. McDonnell

  Hannah tried to process this new piece of information, but found herself lacking the capacity. She would think back later and cringe at the fact that she nodded and said, ‘OK. Thank you very much.’

  Dr Carter gave her a condescending little smile. ‘You’re welcome.’ Then she turned her attention to Banecroft. ‘Vinny, if you wanted to see me again, there were easier ways to manage it. You’ve got my digits.’

  ‘Yes, I think I’ve definitely got your number now.’

  ‘Oh dear. I really didn’t think you’d be the type to be intimidated by a powerful woman.’

  ‘Not at all,’ said Banecroft. ‘I just don’t think it would work out. I’m the editor of a newspaper while you appear to work for a shadowy organization whose express purpose is to run the world for its own evil ends.’

  Dr Carter shrugged. ‘Oh, come now, can’t I do that and still be your lawyer? I mean, a little pro bono work is good for the soul.’

  ‘Yes, but I’m not entirely sure you’ve got one. Besides’ – Banecroft pulled a cigarette from somewhere and patted down his coat, looking for a lighter – ‘I think we’ve got an excellent case for false imprisonment here. It might be a real conflict of interest for you, though – what with you being the head honcho of this little fascist cub scout outing.’

  Dr Carter gave a mocking pout. ‘Oh Vinny, sweetie, are you upset about me telling you a few teeny-tiny fibs?’

  ‘Of course not,’ said Banecroft. ‘I work on the assumption that anything coming out of a lawyer’s mouth is invariably a lie. Although I’m sure you had my best interests at heart.’

  ‘You might not see it, but I really did.’

  Banecroft looked around, having been unsuccessful in his attempts to find a light. ‘I don’t suppose any of you have a …?’

  Dr Carter clicked her fingers and the end of Banecroft’s cigarette lit itself. He took a puff and looked at it appreciatively. ‘D’ye know, I’ve been inundated with this hocus-pocus nonsense for the last couple of days, and that’s the first bit that’s actually been useful.’

  ‘As a doctor, I should point out that those things will kill you.’

  Banecroft took the cigarette out of his mouth and looked at it. ‘Really? From the woman who’s putting boggle-eyed parasites into people, that is really saying something.’

  Dr Carter gave a soft little clap. ‘Well deduced.’

  ‘Not really. You’re here, and you must’ve followed us somehow, so it stands to reason you must be the person who is responsible for whatever the hell that was in PC Plod’s head. I bet it’s been there a while too.’

  ‘DI Sturgess is a conscientious and relentless detective. It has been advantageous for us to keep tabs on his work.’

  ‘Clearly,’ said Banecroft. ‘Lucky you did too, seeing as you apparently couldn’t find this wingbat Yankee window-licker yourselves.’

  Hannah noticed a flash of irritation in Dr Carter’s eyes. ‘I’m sure we would have, eventually.’

  ‘Really?’ said Banecroft. ‘You seemed keener to hush things up than to catch any perps. Not to fault your sense of timing, but it looked like we interrupted proceedings at a crucial juncture.’

  ‘Enjoy the victory while you can, Vinny dear – you won’t remember it in the morning.’

  ‘Guess again,’ said Banecroft. ‘I and my two colleagues here are employees of The Stranger Times and therefore protected under the terms of the Accord.’

  ‘Ah,’ said Dr Carter. ‘I see that Mrs H has popped in for a visit.’

  ‘Yes. Very enlightening. She clarified quite a few things.’

  ‘Did she now?’ said Dr Carter. ‘Well, you and I will have to have a clarification session of our own one day.’ She turned to the nearest man in a balaclava. ‘These two can go.’

  ‘Three!’ said Banecroft, pointing down at Stella.

  Carter shook her head. ‘She is a person of interest.’

  ‘What she is, is my employee. Protected. Given what happened here today, I would have thought your lot would be keen to be seen to be sticking to the Accord in all its glory.’

  ‘She is undocumented.’

  ‘Don’t you worry,’ said Banecroft. ‘I’m more than happy to document her and everything else that happened here in great detail.’

  ‘That will not be necessary,’ said Carter stiffly.

  ‘Well,’ said Banecroft, ‘that very much depends, now, doesn’t it?’

  Dr Carter looked down at Stella and then back at Banecroft. ‘Fine. Her too.’

  Two of the storm troopers stepped forward and freed Stella.

  ‘And,’ said Hannah, ‘the police must return all of our stuff and DI Sturgess must be reinstated.’

  ‘I don’t control the police,’ said Dr Carter with a shrug.

  Banecroft barked a mocking laugh. ‘Yes, you do.’

  Dr Carter rolled her eyes. ‘All right. Fine.’

  ‘And I want my gun back!’ added Banecroft.

  ‘Sure, why not?’

  ‘Oh,’ said Hannah, feeling embarrassed. ‘And, of course, those two poor people.’

  ‘What?’ Dr Carter glanced up at the two figures pinned to the wall. ‘Yeah, whatever.’

  With a wave of her hand the two prisoners tumbled to the ground. Hannah ran over to them with Stella by her side. The two freed hostages were busy pulling the leather muzzles off their faces, gasping for air as if they’d been rescued from an angry sea.

  The man rubbed at his jaw. ‘Bloody Founder bastards,’ he said, his voice a gummy lisp.

  ‘I heard that!’ Dr Carter’s voice carried across the warehouse.

  ‘Are you OK?’ asked Hannah.

  The woman looked up from rubbing her legs. ‘We’re alive. Let’s leave it at that.’

  ‘Right.’ Hannah felt herself blush – not her smartest of questions.

  Two of the storm troopers moved forward to try to pick them up.

  ‘Do not place your hands on me,’ said the woman. ‘I need nothing from your sort.’

  The men stepped back and the woman looked up at Stella. ‘You, on the other hand, love, I could really use a hand from. I’m Vera, by the way.’

  Stella nodded and helped Vera up from the floor. Her legs wobbled and Stella placed herself under her arm to prop her up. Hannah did the same for the man.

  Dr Carter waved cheerfully. ‘Sorry for the inconvenience.’

  Banecroft met them as they walked slowly towards the doors, having reclaimed his crutch. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

  ‘Is that it?’ said Hannah. ‘What about Moretti, Xander and the boy?’

  As she spoke, she looked across at young Daniel, a storm trooper standing awkwardly beside his wheelchair. He still looked only vaguely aware of his surroundings. Still, there he sat with cuffs on.

  Vera spoke, her voice exhausted and yet laced with anger. ‘There will be no justice for them,’ she said grimly. ‘That Moretti monster is a Founder – and they do not kill their own. It is their core belief. Nothing is more sacred than the life of a Founder. He’ll be locked away somewhere until they decide they need him again, and the rest they shall sort out amongst themselves. There will be a testy meeting and that will be it.’

  ‘That’s awful,’ said Hannah. ‘After all they’ve done, they get off scot-free?’

  As they approached the threshold to the outside world, the spring sunlight dazzling after the gloom of the warehouse, Vera patted Stella on the arm and then stood on her own two feet. ‘That is the way of their world. However, there is one thing they did not account for.’

  She spun her body around with a dexterity Hannah found almost impossible to believe, forming shapes with her hands as she did so. The two storm troopers who had been walking a few steps behind them rushed forward but they were too slow. A screech of metal cut through the air.

  Hannah heard the roar of the beast and then saw a flash of movement as it leaped across the room. Banecroft threw himself on top of her, dragging her to the ground as the air filled with the dea
fening crackle of automatic gunfire and a terrifying scream from the dying beast.

  In the maelstrom, something thumped against the corrugated wall beside Hannah.

  She looked up to see the Were dancing in place as bullet after bullet thumped into its body, before finally it crumpled to the ground.

  Dr Carter’s words echoed around the warehouse at a volume not achievable by human voice alone. ‘Cease fire. Cease fire. It’s dead.’

  As the echo of gunfire faded away, Hannah looked across at where the circle of storm troopers had been. A body lay on the ground.

  Dr Carter looked in their direction, her face filled with rage. ‘Get them out of here. Now.’

  The storm troopers grabbed them roughly under the arms and started frogmarching them towards the exit.

  ‘What happened?’ asked Hannah.

  An object lay on the ground in front of them, as if the universe were providing an answer. As they walked past, Hannah realized what it was. The severed head of Charlie Moretti.

  Banecroft barked a manic laugh. ‘He’ll feel that in the morning.’

  CHAPTER 49

  Hannah turned off the ignition and listened to the engine as it made soft clicking and whirring noises. She didn’t know enough about cars to say if it was supposed to do that or not. She also couldn’t care less either way. She was back outside the hospital again. Had it really only been a few hours since her last visit?

  She had offered a lift home to the two survivors from the warehouse. The woman named Vera had eagerly accepted, but the man called Jimmy had shaken his head and said no, thank you. Hannah thought he was Scottish, but it was hard to be sure given his lack of front teeth. She’d also offered to drop him at the hospital – or anywhere else – but he’d turned down flat that offer too. Banecroft had looked at the tremble in Jimmy’s hands and, without a word, had handed him the half-empty bottle of whiskey he unsurprisingly had about his person.

  Stella had carefully guided Vera into the back seat of the Jag. Banecroft had climbed in beside her and promptly fallen fast asleep. Vera gave Hannah an address in Chorlton and Stella, sitting in the front passenger seat, had directed her there.

  On the way, Hannah had received a text from DI Sturgess in which he told her that he’d woken up on his sofa and was confused as to how he’d got there. Hannah had just texted back that all was well and she’d explain more later. At that moment, she had no idea what she could tell him, seeing as the truth about the thing living in his skull could literally kill him. That, she decided, was a problem for another day.

  Feeling moved to make conversation, Hannah had commented on how Vera’s family would no doubt be delighted to see her safe and sound. She hadn’t responded, simply sat in the back seat and stared out the window, lost in thought. When they’d arrived at a nice semi-detached house in suburbia, Vera had thanked them and exited the car. They’d watched as she rang the doorbell, looking incongruous, standing there in her dressing gown in the middle of the day. The door had been opened by a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair. Vera had clearly been trying to say something, but the words wouldn’t come, not before she was swept up in a bear hug. Two teenage girls rushed out of the door after their father, and Hannah and Stella watched from the front seat of the Jag as the family hugged and cried.

  And now here they were, sitting in the hospital car park. Neither Hannah nor Stella made to move, and Banecroft was still unconscious in the back seat. Hannah knew they needed to talk, but she was struggling to know where to start. After an awkward stretch of silence, it finally came to her.

  ‘I’m sorry about saying Grace was dead. That was awful.’

  ‘Forget it,’ said Stella.

  ‘No, I …’ She nodded in Banecroft’s direction. ‘Grace told us that when you got angry your, y’know, thing happened, and …’

  ‘It’s all right,’ said Stella. ‘I get it. I know what you were doing and why.’

  Hannah noticed that Stella’s accent was different now. Instead of the cod London ‘y’get me’, it now had a hint of a West Country burr about it.

  ‘So, how long have you …?’ Hannah laughed nervously. ‘Sorry. I’m doing a rubbish job here. I don’t even know what to call it.’

  Stella shrugged. ‘Neither do I. I’ve just … It’s always been there, I guess, but as I got older it happened more. I can’t control it or anything.’

  ‘That must be scary?’

  Stella nodded.

  ‘Am I right in assuming that you didn’t end up at The Stranger Times by accident?’

  ‘I … I ran away from … Well, I don’t think you could call the place “home”, exactly. I was being kept in a place and I decided to escape. Got on a train to Manchester because it was the first one that turned up. Then I was looking for somewhere safe and … It’s hard to explain, but the church – it had a feeling.’

  ‘So when Banecroft found you breaking in, you weren’t trying to rob the place …’

  Stella shook her head. ‘No. I was trying to just get inside.’ She glanced back at his dozing form and lowered her voice. ‘Him taking me in – that was better than I’d hoped for. I was just trying to find somewhere safe for the night until I had to run again in the morning.’

  ‘Well, that worked out well.’

  And then, because life sometimes likes to take the easier punchline, Banecroft farted loudly.

  Hannah could feel some of the tension release from her body as laughter overtook her. She looked across to see Stella similarly trying to hold herself together as her frame shook and tears rolled down her face.

  Hannah put her hand over her mouth and gradually regained a semblance of self-control. ‘God, I needed that.’

  Stella nodded.

  They both watched as a man walked by the car wearing just a surgical gown, glancing over his shoulder furtively as he did so. Without comment, they watched his bare-arsed escape from wherever he was supposed to be.

  Hannah nodded towards him. ‘Do you think he’s changed his mind about having an operation?’

  ‘I dunno,’ replied Stella. ‘He looks like a man who’s expecting to be chased. Maybe he’s escaping from custody?’

  ‘Is it wrong that I really don’t care? I just don’t have the energy.’

  Stella shrugged again. ‘Was Grace mad?’

  Hannah turned to look at her young colleague, taken aback by the question. ‘Why would she be mad?’

  ‘It was because of me that those … whatever … came to her house.’

  Hannah reached across and moved Stella’s hair away from her eyes. ‘Right, you listen to me. I can’t pretend to understand what you’re going through, but there’s one thing I definitely know. None of this was your fault. Are we clear on that?’

  Stella nodded, but avoided Hannah’s gaze.

  ‘Stella?’ Hannah pressed. ‘I need you to say it. None of this is your fault.’

  Stella finally looked up, tears in her eyes. She smiled. ‘Are you trying to do that scene from Good Will Hunting?’

  ‘I … Well, I might be drawing on it as inspiration, yes.’

  Stella smiled and nodded. ‘It’s a good film.’

  ‘And,’ said Hannah, ‘to use a phrase I heard on the bus yesterday – I’d drink Matt Damon’s bathwater.’

  ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘I think it means he’s hot. I should probably check I’m using it right, though.’

  ‘Yeah, you probably should.’

  ‘And the other thing might be from Good Will Hunting, but it doesn’t mean I’m wrong.’

  Stella smiled again, then drew in a deep breath that caught in her throat. ‘I was going to kill him, you know. That Moretti guy.’

  ‘But you didn’t,’ said Hannah.

  ‘But I—’

  ‘But you didn’t. What you did was save me and those two poor people Moretti had taken. You saved us all. Even …’ Hannah jerked her head towards the back seat.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Stella. ‘Well, there’s a downside t
o everything.’

  ‘Seriously, though – thank you. While it’s been touch and go lately, I think I might still prefer being alive.’

  ‘Don’t mention it. You bought doughnuts, so let’s call it even.’

  Stella and Hannah watched as two harassed-looking police officers came rushing out of the doors to A & E and looked around.

  Hannah pointed at them. ‘I think you might have been right about our friend. Should we say something?’

  Stella shook her head. ‘Nah. Speaking as someone who has to run again, I say give him a head start.’

  Hannah was shocked. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Those people, that Dr Carter woman – they know about me now. Trust me, it isn’t safe. I’ve got to go.’

  ‘No, Stella – you can’t.’

  ‘I have to. It won’t be safe for the rest of you.’

  ‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it looks like it might be pretty unsafe either way. Maybe we need somebody with your … thing on our side.’

  ‘No,’ said Stella firmly. ‘I don’t want to put anyone in danger. I need to—’

  ‘You’re not going anywhere.’ Hannah jumped with shock as Banecroft’s voice boomed from the back seat. ‘You’re my employee and I do all of the hiring and firing. You don’t get to leave The Stranger Times until I say so. Have you forgotten our agreement?’

  ‘But—’

  ‘But nothing, young lady. Like you said, the church is a safe place.’

  ‘You were listening?’ asked Hannah.

  ‘Of course I was listening. If you ever want to find out useful information, pretend to be unconscious.’

  ‘The farting was a nice touch,’ said Hannah, pleased to see Stella’s smirk.

  Banecroft ignored her. ‘You are an employee of The Stranger Times, ergo you are protected by the highest power imaginable.’

  ‘The Accord,’ clarified Hannah.

  ‘Sod the Accord,’ said Banecroft, ‘I was talking about me. I will not be …’

  Banecroft left his thought unfinished as the man in the surgical gown sprinted past the front of the car, the two police officers in hot pursuit.