‘Impossible,’ the word was out of her mouth before she could censor her reaction.
‘What’s impossible,’ he leaned forwards his eyes eager.
‘Nothing,’ she murmured, her mind trying furiously to work it out.
She was almost certain that if this was truly a sketch by Theodore Beckett, the same Theodore Beckett referred to in Hester’s journal, then it couldn’t have been done by the man in the hospital. That was just ridiculous; that would make him over three hundred years old. No, it was something else, some other explanation.
Theodore Beckett’s journal was also in the box in her library with Hester’s journal and in his journal were several sketches. Maybe the guy had broken into her house and stolen the sketch. No, that didn’t make sense, why would there have been a sketch of her in his journal, unless it wasn’t her at all? What if it was a sketch of Hester and there was just a really strong family resemblance between her and Hester, after all she was directly descended from her. Her mind was working furiously now. If it was a sketch of Hester and the man had broken into her house to take it, the question was why? Why take one sketch, a well hidden one at that, how would he have even know where it was or that it existed and why take it? There were just too many questions and not enough answers.
Chief Walcott watched her face intently, she was trying to work something out, he was sure of it.
‘Miss West,’ he interrupted her thoughts.
‘Do you recognise this picture?’
‘No,’ she replied dropping it back on the table.
‘You’re lying,’ he accused
‘Why don’t you prove it,’ her gaze hardened as she once again leaned back in her chair. ‘Don’t I at least get a phone call or bathroom privileges?’
‘Deputy Carl, would you be so good as to show Miss West where the ladies room is.’
‘Sir,’ he nodded, as he beckoned Olivia to follow him. With an arrogant tilt of her head she stood and swept past the Chief as the door opened and Deputy Hanson walked in holding onto a laptop.
Waiting until Olivia and Carl were out of the room the Chief shook his head. ‘She’s hiding something, I know it,’ he murmured to himself.
‘Sir,’ Helga interrupted.
‘What is it Deputy?’ He frowned as if he were just noticing she was in the room.
‘Morley Ridge sent over the security footage.’
A slow smile spread across his face as he took the lap top and laid it on the desk in front of him.
‘Well then, why don’t we just wait for Miss West to re-join us?’
Olivia stepped back into the room purposefully; swinging around the desk she hooked her jacket off the back of the chair and shrugged into it, fixing the Chief with a steely gaze.
‘Well Chief, I think we’re about done here. I have work to do and I find I really can’t spare you any more of my time so I’m afraid you’ll have to live without the pleasure of my company.’ She headed towards the door ignoring his frown.
‘We’re not done here Miss West,’
‘Yeah we are,’ she turned to face him hands on hips and eyes blazing belligerently, ‘So either charge me with something or stay the hell out of my way.’
Turning back to the door she found Deputy Hanson blocking her way.
‘Get out of my way,’ her voice was low and controlled, ‘or badge or not I will make you get out of my way.’
Helga looked at the Chief, who nodded and she stepped aside allowing Olivia to pass.
‘It’s about your father.’
Olivia froze in the doorway, her spine stiffening as she turned slowly back towards him her expression blank.
‘What could you possibly have to say to me about my father that I would actually want to hear?’
‘Please,’ he indicated the seat opposite him, which she had just vacated.
They stared at each other for a moment until Olivia finally unbent a fraction.
‘Fine,’ her tone was curt as she moved around to the chair and sat back down. ‘You have five minutes and then I am out of here and next time you want to speak to me, trust me, I won’t be so accommodating.’
‘Fine,’ he repeated as he sat back in his seat. He had the appearance of a man with aces up his sleeve and Olivia didn’t trust that one bit.
‘Four minutes thirty seconds, you better hurry up.’
‘Miss West, were you aware that there was a string of murders back in the summer of ‘94?’
‘I was eight Chief Walcott, what do you think?’ she replied derisively her eyes narrowing in distaste realising that the more time she spent in the Chief’s company the more she disliked him. ‘Besides, that was the summer my mother died as you are well aware, that pretty much eclipsed everything else.’
‘Was murdered you mean,’ He answered softly.
‘That was a cheap shot and you know it,’ Her lip curled in contempt, ‘Four minutes,’
‘That summer there were four murders, all young men between the ages of eighteen and thirty five. I am unable to disclose any more information except to say that the first victim matched Adam Millers injuries exactly.’
‘A copycat?’ Olivia shrugged.
‘We don’t think so, the manner in which he was killed, the method and the state of the remains all matched exactly and none of those details were ever released to the public.’
‘So you think someone took a twenty year vacation and then suddenly decided to start murdering again,’
‘Of a sort,’ the sheriff replied carefully.
‘I fail to see what this has to do with my father?’
‘The murders stopped abruptly, after your father was imprisoned.’
‘Are you fucking serious?’ Her voice was dangerously soft. ‘It isn’t enough for you that he was convicted of murdering my mother and grandmother but now he’s a serial killer too? You are unbelievable’
‘Miss West, the time frames fit,’
‘Was he even a suspect in the original murders?’
‘Not at the time, no,’ he conceded.
‘Then why the hell would you suspect him now? He’s locked up in a secure mental facility.’
‘We suspect he may have an accomplice,’
‘An accomplice?’ she repeated dangerously. ‘Chief you are trying my patience,’
‘When was the last time you saw your father?’
‘I haven’t seen or spoken to him in twenty years.’
‘Now that’s not exactly true is it?’ The Chief smiled coldly as he pulled a piece of paper from the file in front of him.
‘What’s that?’ Olivia asked uncomfortably.
‘The visitors log for Morley Ridge State Psychiatric facility.’
Olivia clamped her lips shut as she stared hatefully at the man in front of her.
‘Your name appears on that list on the 27th of October.’ His eyes flared with triumph at having caught her in a lie, ‘that was the day you arrived back in Mercy was it not.’
‘Time’s up Chief,’ she moved to stand but he held out his hand to stop her.
‘One more moment of your time Miss West,’
‘I don’t think so,’ she hissed.
There was absolutely no point in trying to defend herself to this man, he didn’t want to hear the truth about what happened the day she went to visit her father, he was looking at her for murder and nothing she said was going to convince him otherwise.
‘I’m done trying to reason with you Chief Walcott, you want answers? I suggest you go and ask my father.’
‘I would if I knew where he was,’ he replied coolly.
‘What?’ her breath caught in her throat and her heart clenched painfully before beginning to beat erratically. ‘What do you mean you don’t know? He’s at Morley Ridge, where he’s been for the last thirteen years.’
‘Not anymore,’ he carefully watched her reaction. ‘He escaped yesterday morning.’
‘You’re lying,’ she whi
spered, the colour slowly draining from her face.
He smiled slowly as he flipped open the laptop in front of him and hit a few keys before spinning it around to face her. Olivia couldn’t move, every muscle in her body froze as her eyes fell on the face of the one man she had tried so hard to forget.
She was obviously looking through the lens of a security camera at her father sitting in a room not unlike the one she was in now, except he was chained to his seat and wore a very unflattering but clean and neat orange jumpsuit.
He looked the same, her heart squeezed painfully as she took in the man she both loved and hated. He had barely aged at all except for the greying hair at his temples which weren’t so much detrimental but more like a personal accent. If it was possible he was even more good looking and Charles Connell had always been a handsome man.
She continued to watch as another man entered the room and her breath involuntarily caught in her throat. She recognised the man with a young looking face and white hair. It was the man she had seen outside the pub the night Adam was abducted, the same man who had been following her around town.
‘What is it?’ the Chief interrupted as he noted her shocked and confused expression but she continued to ignore him, her attention firmly fixed on the scene unfolding on the screen before her. She watched on in horror as the two men donned gas masks and walked straight out the door. The security feed switched and picked them up on the camera’s mounted in the corridor, then the main entrance. They were joined by several other men who seemed to be in on it and then they essentially strolled out the front door before getting into an expensive car and disappearing.
Her father was loose and he’d had someone watching her. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, her lungs felt too small, she couldn’t breathe. The buzzing in her ears had now become a roar as she stumbled to her feet her vision greying at the edges.
‘I need to get out of here,’ she breathed heavily. Her chest felt like it was being crushed and there seemed to be an iron band around her temples that kept tightening.
She tripped and fell against deputy Hanson as the Chief watched her with a cool detachment which bordered on sadism.
I need to get out of here,’ she repeated as she struggled to get loose of the death grip Helga had on her arms.
‘You’re not going anywhere Miss West,’ Chief Walcott spoke his voice deceptively quiet.
‘No,’ Olivia hissed as she pulled away again, ‘Let me go.’
The nausea was rising in her throat as the first licks of panic took hold, gripping her around the throat like a fist. Her heart was beating so wildly now if felt as if it would burst right out of her chest.
Suddenly the door burst open and slammed against the wall so hard the mirrored window shook. Through her hazy vision she could make out masses of wild red hair and violent green eyes and for a brief irrational moment Olivia thought she looked like a fiery Celtic goddess and fought back the urge to laugh hysterically.
‘Take your hands off my client right now deputy.’ Erica’s voice cracked like a whip.
Helga released Olivia and stepped back her hands held up. Erica was across the room and pulling Olivia protectively behind her before anyone could blink.
‘You are in so much trouble Chief Walcott,’ she said acidly, ‘I don’t even know where to begin, but as of now this interview is terminated.’
‘It's over when I say it’s over,’ his eyes flashing angrily. ‘Miss West is here voluntarily.’
‘Be that as it may,’ Erica’s fury was barely contained, ‘she agreed to answer a few questions. She did not agree to these bullying tactics.’
‘Now listen Miss Kelly,’ he snapped.
‘No, you listen,’ she interrupted coldly, ‘you will not come anywhere near my client unless you have absolute incontrovertible proof against her that will hold up in a court of law. If you do not, you will leave me no recourse but to lodge a formal complaint with your superiors and to advise my client to sue not just your department but you personally for victimisation, undue duress, causing extreme emotional distress, harassment and anything else I can make stick, do you understand me?’
‘Perfectly,’ He replied icily. ‘Deputy Hanson please escort Miss Kelly and her client out.’
‘Don’t bother,’ Erica added contemptuously, ‘we can find our own way out.’
She kept a light hold on Olivia as they made their way through the department; despite the fact that Olivia was white as a sheet she held her head upright by sheer will alone.
‘I’m so sorry I didn’t get to you sooner,’ Erica whispered under her breath just loud enough for Olivia to hear her. ‘They kept stalling me.’
Olivia didn’t trust herself to speak; she just concentrated on the doors as soon as she was outside she ran around the corner down the alley at the side of the building. Leaning against the rough brick with one hand she heaved and vomited on the ground, retching painfully until her stomach was empty.
‘Jesus, Olivia,’ Erica rubbed soothing circles on her back, ‘what the hell did they do to you, this can’t just be about Brody disappearing.’
‘You know about that,’ Olivia gasped shakily wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
‘I do now,’ Erica frowned, ‘Tell me what happened.’
‘Not here,’ Olivia straightened, her body shaking and her breath shallow, ‘take me somewhere else and I’ll tell you what I know.’
Chapter 9.
Olivia took a sip of her tea, cupping her hands around the warmth of the cup, allowing the sweetness of the tea to soothe her ragged throat as well as her nerves.
‘I called Jake, he’s on his way,’ Erica wandered back into the library which was fast becoming Olivia’s favourite room in the house.
Erica pulled a throw off the back of the sofa Olivia was curled into and tucked it over her, glancing over at the fire she nodded in approval.
‘Good, I see you’ve started a fire.’
Olivia wasn’t about to tell her just how she’d managed that and quickly changed the subject.
‘Where was Jake? I expected him to be at the Police station.’
‘Salem,’ Erica frowned.
‘What was he doing in Salem?’ Olivia asked in confusion.
‘Fool’s errand,’ Erica shook her head, ‘looks like the Chief wanted Jake out of the way because of his friendship with you.’
‘Damn it, I didn’t want any of this to happen, Jake’s wanted to be a cop ever since we were kids, I never meant to cause him trouble with his job.’
‘Olivia,’ Erica told her bluntly, ‘none of this is your fault, Jake’s a big boy, trust me he can look after himself.’
‘Doesn’t stop me feeling bad,’ she sighed.
‘I know,’ Erica sat down next to Olivia and patted her knee companionably.
Olivia dropped her head back against the sofa and blew out a deep breath.
‘So you and Jake huh?’ she asked curiously.
‘Not exactly,’ Erica laughed, ‘we’re both married to our jobs; we kinda have a casual ‘whatever’ going on,’
If it works for you,’ Olivia shrugged.
‘What about you?’
‘What about me?’
‘No guy pining for you because you moved back to Mercy?’
‘I don’t do relationships,’ Olivia took another sip of her tea.
‘Because?’ Erica nudged.
‘Just because,’ she answered lightly, wishing she’d not brought the subject up in the first place.
Erica looked up at the knock at the door.
‘That’s probably Jake, I’ll get it.’
Olivia allowed Erica to fuss over her; it was kind of nice to have people care. Dropping her head back against the sofa again she stared into the flickering flames of the fireplace. She’d always found the fire soothing, maybe because it was her element but as she watched the flames she found them separating, strands of gold, red and yellow winding an
d twisting. Her heartbeat slowed as did her breath and she felt peace for the first time in days.
‘Olive,’ Jake shook her gently.
‘Sorry,’ she murmured blinking to focus her eyes on the good looking guy crouching in front of her with a look of concern, ‘My mind drifted a bit.’
‘Are you okay?’ he tugged a loose curl that had escaped the messy knot on the top of her head.
‘I am now,’ she gave a small smile; ‘Erica took good care of me.’
He threw a grin over his shoulder as the redhead took a seat in the chair opposite.
‘Yeah she’s good at that.’
Casual whatever, my ass, she thought in amusement at the intimate look which passed between them.
‘So are you going to fill us in on what happened? I have a client meeting at one o clock,’ she glanced down at her watch.
Olivia took a deep breath and looked at both of them.
‘I am assuming what I say here is going to be held in confidence,’ She placed her cup down on the floor and sat up a little straighter turning to look directly at Jake, ‘I know I’m putting you in an awkward position Jake but the simple fact is I don’t trust Chief Walcott and there are things I don’t want him to know.’
‘Olive,’ Jake frowned, ‘whatever you say to me will be between us. Something is going on with the Chief and I don’t know what, I’m not sure I trust him at the moment either.’
Nodding in agreement she cast her mind back trying to organise her chaotic thoughts.
‘You were right Erica when you said this wasn’t just about Brody Walker. The Chief blindsided me with information about my father, just to see how I’d react.’
‘Your father?’ she frowned, ‘what has he got to do with this?’
‘You know about my family history?’
Erica nodded.
‘I made it my business to know when I took you on as a client.’
‘Okay, so twenty years ago my father was arrested and convicted for murdering my mother and grandmother and kidnapping me. Due to his mental status at the time he was sentenced to a high security mental institution rather than prison. After a few years being a model patient he was downgraded to a medium level security facility and about thirteen years ago he ended up at Morley Ridge where he has remained.’
Mercy (The Guardians Series 1) Page 14
