Mercy (The Guardians Series 1)

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘You kept an eye on him?’ Jake murmured.

  ‘Self preservation,’ Olivia replied ‘as soon as I was old enough I found out as much as I could. He’d already kidnapped me once and I was afraid he would try again. He never did and he remained in Morley Ridge and life went on.’

  ‘What changed?’ Erica asked.

  ‘He escaped yesterday morning,’

  ‘What?’ Jake stood abruptly and paced the room in agitation.

  ‘How?’

  ‘He had help; Chief Walcott had security footage of the escape. He had several people helping him, and from the footage it looked like they were professionals. They had gas masks on so I guess they released some kind of gas which knocked out all the guards and other patients, they basically strolled straight out the front door.’

  ‘Shit,’

  ‘It gets worse,’ Olivia sucked in a breath. ‘The Chief had the visitor logs and my name is on it, now he thinks I’m in on breaking him out.’

  ‘You went to see your dad?’ Jake asked softly.

  ‘No,’ her voice was barely above a whisper, ‘I was going to, after Aunt Evie died, I thought, hell I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I wanted some answers so I went to see him. I signed in and got as far as the first lot of security checks and I freaked out. I had a massive panic attack and ran out. I never saw him or spoke with him; I don’t even think he knew I was there.’

  ‘Is that all the Chief said?’ Erica asked.

  ‘No,’ Olivia shook her head, ‘He told me that there was a string of murders back in ‘94 just before my mom died and they stopped mysteriously after my dad got arrested.’

  ‘Was he a suspect in the original investigation?’ Erica replied whilst Jake remained curiously silent.

  ‘That’s just it,’ Olivia frowned. ‘I don’t think he was, but now according to Chief Walcott Adam Miller was murdered in exactly the same way as the first victim from ’94. There were details that were never released to the public and there’s only three possible explanations, one the murderer has access to the police files, two, it’s the same murderer who has just taken a twenty year break for some reason or three, the new murderer is either a partner or protégé of the original murderer.’

  ‘It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the sheriff has done the math on this one.’ Erica grimaced.

  ‘Yeah except he is putting two and two together and coming up with thirteen, he’s way off.’ Jake suddenly spoke up. ‘There’s nothing concrete to tie Charles Connell to the ‘94 murders and he was still at Morley Ridge when Adam was killed.’

  ‘Why has he got it so bad for Olivia then?’ Erica replied in confusion, ‘I’ve never seen him so sheer bloody minded, he’s ignoring all logic.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Jake shook his head as he looked over to Olivia, noting the look on her face. ‘What? What are you not telling us?’

  ‘My father may be tied to Adam’s murder, I’m not sure,’ She looked him straight in the eye. ‘The man who seemed to be in charge of breaking my father out of prison, he is a very distinctive looking man. He is young; he doesn’t appear to be more then maybe mid thirties but his hair is pure white.’

  ‘Go on,’ Jake indicated for her to continue.

  ‘I’ve seen him before, the first time I saw him was outside the pub, the night Adam was abducted and since then I’ve seen him several times around Mercy. He’s never done anything threatening and he doesn’t seem to bother hiding himself from me. It’s almost like he’s watching me and he wants me to know it.’

  ‘Christ Olive,’ Jake blew out the breath he was holding.

  ‘What if my father was involved in the murders and this white haired man is his partner?’

  ‘We don’t know that for sure,’ Jake replied thoughtfully, ‘we need to get a look at the original case files from the ‘94 investigation.’

  ‘How?’ Erica interrupted, ‘it’s not like the Chief is just going to hand over copies.’

  ‘Chief Walcott won’t but Chief Grady might.’

  ‘Who is Chief Grady?’ Olivia asked.

  ‘He’s retired now but he was the Chief of police who headed up the investigation back in ’94. He should be able to tell us what happened and who they were looking at, even suspects that didn’t make it into the original file.’

  ‘You seem to have given this some thought,’ Olivia replied suspiciously,

  ‘Olivia,’ He sighed, ‘Look the truth is I’ve known for a couple of days about the earlier murders, Doc Hughes mentioned it to me when I went by to pick up Adam’s autopsy report, I’ve been trying to get a look at the files down at the Police station but the Chief has them locked up in his desk. I can’t get to them, he’s already taken me off the investigation into Adam’s murder and he’s finding the shittiest jobs for me to do that keep me tied up and out of the station, so I had to figure out another way to get my hands on the information.’

  ‘And you came up with Chief Grady?’ Olivia’s eyes narrowed.

  ‘Yeah,’ he shrugged.

  ‘Fine,’ she pulled the blanket off her legs and stood up, ‘then I’m going with you.’

  ‘The hell you are.’

  ‘Jake,’ she grasped his arms stilling his agitated movements. ‘I need this, I need the truth, whether you like it or not I seem to be caught up in the middle of whatever this is, I have to know how my father is involved, I deserve to know.’

  ‘Olive’ he breathed, torn between the desperate desire to protect her and knowing that she was right. She deserved to know the truth about her father, even if it meant finding out he was a serial killer.

  ‘Fine,’ he nodded, ‘as far as the department are concerned I’m not due back from Salem for another couple of hours, so we should go now.’

  ‘Alright then,’ Erica stood up, ‘call me later and let me know what you find out,’

  ‘I will,’ Jake promised.

  ‘Good,’ she glanced down at her watch. ‘I’m really sorry but I have to run.’

  ‘Erica?’ Olivia called out as she headed towards the door, ‘thank you, I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t turned up at the police station when you did.’

  ‘You’re welcome,’ she smiled, ‘just be careful.’

  Olivia nodded as Erica headed out the door.

  ‘I like her,’ she turned to Jake.

  ‘Well how about that,’ he smiled, ‘Come on, let’s go.’

  Wallace Grady’s house was a smart little single storey bungalow with white washed walls and neat lawn, The American flag snapped proudly in the afternoon breeze as Jake and Olivia climbed out of the car and headed up the path, which was flanked by neat rows of shrubbery.

  ‘Stop fidgeting,’ Jake murmured as he knocked at the door.

  ‘I can’t help it, I’m nervous,’

  Jake knocked again and this time the door opened and they were greeted by a short sturdy looking woman in her fifties. Her short dyed blonde hair was tucked behind her ears and she wore a nursing uniform.

  ‘Ma’am,’ Jake nodded. ‘My name is Deputy Jake Gilbert with the Mercy police dept. I was hoping to speak with Wallace Grady.’

  ‘Gilbert eh?’ Her gaze narrowed as she looked him up and down appraisingly, ‘you John and Harriet’s boy?’

  ‘Yes Ma’am,’ he replied.

  ‘Hmmm,’ she replied grudgingly, ‘knew your mama back when she was a nurse.’

  She stepped back seemingly satisfied, allowing them to enter the neat living area.

  ‘This is my friend Olivia West.’

  The woman nodded.

  ‘I’m Adele Leland,’

  ‘Is Wallace home?’ Jake asked.

  ‘He is,’ her lips pursed speculatively. ‘He’s in his room, don’t know as you’ll get much out of him but you might be lucky, today is one of his better days.’

  ‘Sorry?’ Jake replied in confusion

  ‘Come with me,’ she beckoned them forwards.
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br />   They both followed Adele down the hallway towards a bedroom; she slowly opened the door and allowed them to enter. The room was light and airy, decorated in a soft blue edged in white. A medical bed was tucked neatly against the wall to the right of them and to the left by the dresser were French doors overlooking the garden.

  A high backed chair sat facing the serene view of the autumn garden and in it sat Wallace Grady, Olivia presumed. The older looking man was leaning heavily against the winged side of the chair; his hair was iron grey and curled tightly against his head, a contrast against his dark skin. The side of his face seemed to droop slightly and his gaze deviated slightly to the left. His left arm curl curled into his side and his gnarled hand hooked against his chest.

  A very pretty young woman with honey coloured skin and jet black corkscrew curls perched on a small stool beside him, smiling affectionately at him as she slowly spooned soup into his mouth.

  ‘What’s wrong with him?’ Jake asked softly.

  ‘Massive stroke last winter,’ Adele answered, ‘I’m his full time nurse and this is his grand-daughter Charlotte.’

  ‘Charlie,’ she interrupted with a smile, ‘only Pops here calls me Charlotte, usually when I’m in trouble.’

  ‘Is he able to speak?’ Jake asked.

  ‘A little on a good day,’ Charlie wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin. ‘He usually finds a way to communicate what he wants if you’re patient enough,’

  Olivia wandered closer and knelt down next to the chair. She watched curiously as Wallace Grady’s gaze tracked across the room before finally falling on her. His eyes burned into hers and for a moment she saw a flicker of recognition. There was intelligence in that sturdy gaze, his mind still functioned but it was trapped in a broken body.

  ‘Hello Mr Grady,’ Olivia smiled, her voice soft, ‘My Name is Olivia.’

  His other hand came up slowly and his fingertips gazed her cheek, his skin felt dry and papery but not unpleasant.

  ‘Pretty girl,’ his voice was low and gravelly, his words slurred.

  Olivia’s smile widened.

  ‘Look like your mother.’ He spoke very slowly and deliberately, fighting to get his mouth to form the right words. ‘Always knew you’d come back.’

  Olivia’s smile dimmed and her eyes filled with tears as she pressed his warm hand to her cheek.

  ‘Looked for you,’ he sighed, his hand trembling with the exertion, ‘so long.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

  ‘Chief Grady,’ Jake stepped into the older man’s field of vision, ‘we need to ask you about a string of unsolved murders back in the summer of ‘94 do you remember them?’

  ‘Files,’ he slurred, perspiration breaking out on his forehead as he pointed towards a closet.

  ‘Pops has a box of old police files in there,’ Charlie explained.

  ‘Can we take a look?’ Jake crouched closer so the old chief could reach him.

  ‘Trust no one,’ he whispered as his eyes drooped closed.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Charlie interrupted, ‘that’s the most I’ve heard him speak in months, he’s probably exhausted. You’re welcome to take a look at his files but I’m afraid he needs to rest.’

  Jake nodded stepping back with Olivia as Charlie lifted her grandfather’s feet onto a small footstool and covered him with a patchwork blanket before kissing his forehead tenderly.

  ‘Rest now Pops,’ she whispered before turning back to Jake and Olivia. ‘If you want to go back through to the other room, I’ll find the box and bring it to you.’

  Jake nodded and took Olivia’s hand, leading her back out of the bedroom.

  It only took a few minutes for Charlie to reappear carrying a shabby brown file box which she placed on the table in front of them.

  ‘I don’t think he’s supposed to have these,’ she frowned. ‘But I remember him telling me before the stroke, that there were a couple of cases that just didn’t sit right with him, unsolved cases. I know one of them was the deaths of Isabel and Alice West.’

  Olivia stiffened as her eyes sought out Charlie’s.

  ‘Your mother?’

  ‘Yes,’ Olivia replied quietly.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Charlie murmured thoughtfully, ‘that case never sat well with him. He used to keep going over the file, even after he retired.’

  ‘Why?’ Olivia frowned.

  ‘He always felt like they’d missed something.’

  ‘There were other files though?’ Jake asked as he lifted the lid off the box and started leafing through the stack of files.

  ‘Yes,’ Charlie nodded, ‘but just what’s there in the box. Like I say, I think they’re all unsolved cases, the ones he couldn’t let go.’

  Jake stopped as he came across a thin file labelled ‘multiple homicides Jun-Aug 1994’ but when he opened it the file was empty.

  ‘What the hell?’ he murmured, ‘do you have any idea what happened to this file?’

  ‘No,’ she frowned.

  ‘Has he had any other visitors recently, anyone asking about old cases?’

  ‘I don’t think so, just family,’ she looked across as Adele wandered back into the room. ‘Adele, has anyone else been to see Pops recently?’

  ‘Your mama and your brother last week, and his cousin Truman came in from Florida last month.’

  ‘Anyone not family?’ Jake persisted.

  ‘There was a gentleman here about a month and a half ago,’ she frowned thoughtfully, ‘I mentioned it to your father at the time Charlie.’

  ‘Who was he?’ Jake asked suspiciously.

  ‘Said he was internal affairs, just cleaning up some loose ends on a couple of old cases.’

  ‘Did he ask to see any of these files?’

  ‘No,’ she shook her head. ‘He wanted to speak with Mr Wallace but he was having one of his bad days and he wasn’t making any sense. I could tell the young man was getting quite frustrated.’

  ‘Was he alone in his room at any point?’

  ‘Now that you mention it, yes, yes he was, I was about to show him out but I had to take a phone call. It was the pharmacy, they had made a mistake on the dosages printed on his meds and it took me a while to straighten it out. When I went back into the room the young man seemed a lot calmer, he thanked me for my help and left.’

  ‘So he was alone long enough to have looked around Wallace’s room?’

  ‘Yes,’ Adele’s eyes widened as her hand went to her mouth in a gasp of distress. ‘You think he searched through Mr Wallace’s things.’

  ‘I think it’s probably a fair assumption.’ Jake sighed in frustration. ‘Do you remember his name?’

  ‘No,’ she shook her head. ‘I’m sorry I don’t but I do remember what he looked like, because it was a little strange.’

  ‘Strange, how?’

  ‘Well like I said, he was a young looking man, couldn’t have been more than late thirties but his hair was pure white and he had very pale coloured eyes.’

  Jake and Olivia exchanged a long look before Jake finally tucked all the files back into the box.

  ‘Well thank you for your time,’ he told them tightly. ‘We really appreciate it.’

  They kept silent until they were both standing back on the sidewalk and the door shut behind them.

  ‘Well that little bastard does like to get around doesn’t he?’ Jake frowned.

  ‘What do we do now?’

  ‘I don’t know yet,’ Jake admitted quietly, ‘but I don’t like the fact that you’re at the stick house all by yourself, it’s too secluded. They’ve already found one body a stone’s throw from your house and with Brody missing.’

  ‘You don’t think they’ll find him alive do you?’

  Jake shook his head slowly.

  ‘I hope to God I’m wrong, but I don’t want to take any chances with you, I’d like you to think about staying with either me, Erica or Louisa. All of our places are more central to town wit
h better security.’

  ‘I appreciate it Jake, I really do,’ she smiled softly as they began to walk back towards his car, ‘but the stick house is my home, I’m not leaving it.’

  ‘Don’t be stupid Olive,’ Jake frowned, ‘You’ve got a murderer dumping bodies around your house, taking victims who are connected to you and you have an unknown man who may be connected to this whole mess stealing files, breaking your father out of custody and stalking you.’

  ‘The murderer has obviously got a thing for guys I’m not his type,’ she replied.

  ‘This is serious Olive; you could be in very real danger.’

  ‘Jake,’ she stopped and took his hand. ‘I love that you worry about me. Trust me, after being on my own for the past twenty years it means more than I can tell you, but I can take care of myself. My house may not have up to date security but I have powerful protection wards around the property. What you saw me do the other night with the fire, it’s not even a fraction of what I’m capable of, so trust me when I say, nothing that wishes me any harm is getting over that line.’

  ‘You’re not going to budge on this are you?’ he sighed.

  ‘Not for the moment,’ she smiled, ‘but I’ll concede that if anything significantly changes I’ll think about it okay?’

  He nodded in agreement but she could see the reluctance in his eyes.

  After dropping her home Jake headed back to the police station to see what he could find out, leaving Olivia on her own. She made herself a sandwich and sat down to get some work done on her latest project but she just couldn’t focus. She found herself pulling out the notes she’d made at the museum about Theodore Beckett and his family. Feeling uneasy and restless she climbed up to the top of the shelf where she’d stored Hester’s trunk and pulled it down. She flicked through Theodore’s journal again and pulled out the sketches. This time she looked at them in a lot more detail and she found herself once again drawn back to the picture that looked alarmingly like her house. In fact the more she looked at it the more she recognised little details.

  No, she shook her head, it just wasn’t possible, there had to be another explanation. There was just no way the picture of her house and the picture of her that the guy in the hospital had on him, was drawn over three hundred years ago. Taking a deep breath she stood and tucked all the pictures back into the journal placing them carefully in the box and putting it back on the shelf. There was only one way to get answers, she was going to head straight back to the hospital and ask the guy himself and if he didn’t give her the answer she was looking for she was having the damn sketches carbon dated.