'Who can’t? And what do you mean, it’s day two? Do you mean you’ve been here two days? Smiler, you aren’t making much sense this morning, love. Eat up, eh.'
But Smiler stood up and pushed the plate away from him. 'I have to warn her.'
'No, Smiler.' Aunt May was as adamant as he was. 'Breakfast first, then we’ll talk. OK?'
'But----'
'No buts.' She pushed his plate towards him.
Obediently, Smiler started to eat. When he had cleaned the plate, he looked at Aunt May.
'OK,' she said, 'spill the beans, sunshine. Tell Aunt May your problem.'
'I…' He swallowed hard. How was she going to take this? Would she throw him out? After barely two days living here in a proper home, the last thing he wanted was to be back on the streets. Dare he tell her the truth? He hesitated a moment longer, then blurted out quickly, 'I see things.'
She leaned close and said with great interest, her head cocked on one side like a nosy little sparrow, 'You mean, like psychic visions sort of “see things”?'
He bit his lip. 'Yeah.'
She laughed, and Smiler’s heart sank. But only for a moment, as she said, clapping her hands, 'Great, tell me more.'
'You mean that you believe?' Smiler asked in amazement.
'Why wouldn’t I? I’ve lived long enough to see many a strange thing with no logical explanation. And you aren’t the only one who sees things, Smiler. Rest assured, son, you aren’t alone… I used to know someone who swore she saw the Virgin Mary on a regular basis.'
'Did you?' Smiler leaned forward eagerly.
'Yeah. She ended up in the nuthouse, though.'
Smiler’s face fell. Aunt May reached out and patted his hand. 'Just kidding, son. Actually, to tell you the truth I don’t bloody well know what actually happened to Edna Byers. I think she married and moved away... Anyhow, always keep an open mind, that’s what I say, and that’s what I kept telling my boys. Bet Mike doesn’t believe, though.'
Smiler shook his head ruefully.
'Don’t worry, it’s his policeman’s mind. He likes cold hard facts. So tell me, what have you seen?'
Smiler sighed, and did his best to explain. At first he found it hard, and stumbled awkwardly trying to find the right words. But gradually some of his life story began to emerge.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Cassie walked along the street towards the school. The bus had dropped her off earlier, but she’d backtracked to look in the shops. She’d caught the earlier bus to do just that, leaving Jayne to get the regular one. It was her mother’s birthday in two days time, and everyone seemed to have forgotten. Even Mum.
She smiled, thinking of her mum. It had been exciting watching her go up in a helicopter this morning, and, knowing that she was nervous of flying, Cassie had been proud of her.
She looked at her reflection in a jewellery shop window. Everyone said she looked just like Dad, and Jayne looked like Mum. That's true, she supposed. I’ve got Dad’s dark hair and eyes while Jayne has Mum's red hair. Well, she had Mum's hair yesterday morning before she dyed it. Which really was a pretty stupid thing to do, Jayne’s hair is gorgeous. I always wish mine was that colour, instead of black.
She spotted a pretty red flower brooch surrounded by sparkling stones, and looked closer. She gasped when she saw the price. 'One hundred and fifty-five quid?' she muttered. 'No chance.'
She sighed, knowing her Mum would love it. Will Uncle Billy be able to lend me the money?
She doubted it. Uncle Billy was kind, but he she knew he didn’t have that sort of money to spare. Anyhow, I’ve got no way to pay it back, and Dad certainly won’t cough that much up, not if he thinks it's for Mum. Moving on, deep in thought, oblivious to the traffic around her, she didn’t see the car coming her way do a swift turn and pull up slightly in front of her.
She recognised the voice though, a moment later, when she heard, 'Come on, kid, jump in.'
Cassie leaned forward, as Maria opened the door and poked her head out. 'Did you hear me? You’re gonna be late. Might as well grab a lift to the school gates when it’s offered. Come on, kid -- don’t just stand there, get in.'
Cassie hesitated. She glanced at her watch, and got a shock. Two minutes to go! Must have been daydreaming.
Still she hesitated. She knew enough not to get in a stranger’s car, but Maria wasn’t really a stranger -- she was Jayne’s best friend. Even if I don’t really like her, I know who she is.
'You coming, or what?' Maria urged.
Making her mind up, Cassie moved towards the car. The school was only along the road, but the car would be quicker. And she hated being late. Everyone stares at you as if you’re some sort of freak. 'Thank you,' she said as she got in.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Mike took Jill’s coat and hung it in the closet before they entered the morgue.
'Thanks,' she muttered, walking over to the body, which was laid out with a white sheet covering it.
Mike stood close as she slowly folded the sheet away. The body was lying face down. His back, from his neck to his heels, was in the same condition as the previous one. Both Mike and Jill shook their heads at the sheer depravity of it all.
'Help me turn him over.' Jill handed Mike a pair of gloves. Silently he moved round to the other side, slipping the gloves on as he went.
As they were about to turn him, Kristina walked in. 'Jesus, not again,' she gasped. 'All I was told was to get myself over here, there was a body that might need fingerprinting – not that the poor sod was like this. Oh, dear God… It’s so much worse in the flesh.' She grimaced as Jill and Mike looked at her. 'You know what I mean.'
'Afraid so,' Mike said, as he and Jill carefully turned the body. Mike winced, thinking the same as he had when he’d first seen Alicia. No way could anyone be comfortable lying on that horrendous mess. It was one of those ludicrous thoughts that were impossible to shake off.
For a few moments, all three of them stared at the dead young man. Finally, Kristina said, 'Anyone know who he is?'
'Never seen him around before,' Mike replied, as Jill shook her head. 'Er, he hasn’t got hemathidrosis, has he?'
'No,' Jill replied, still staring down at the body.
'OK. Guess I’d better fingerprint him, then.' Kristina took her kit out of her bag and got on with the job, while Mike and Jill stepped back to give her room.
'Ohh,' Kristina said a moment later, quickly dropping the man’s hand.
'Rat bites,' Jill said.
'Jesus… There’ll be no fingerprints off that hand, then.' Pulling a disgusted face, Kristina walked round to the other side.
'Where’s the piece of paper that was found in his hand?' Mike asked.
'In the office,' Kristina replied. 'Though it doesn’t make a lot of sense. A few wiggly lines and circles.'
Mike frowned. 'Haven’t got a clue.'
Twenty minutes later, Kristina waited until a large truck passed before pulling out onto the main road. Mike was in the passenger seat, staring at pictures of the dead man.
This close, he could smell Kristina’s perfume. It was different from the one Jill wore, more flowery. He knew the name of this one. He’d bought it for her a few times. For a moment, it took him back four years to another hot sultry summer. Then he wondered why she never mentioned her husband.
A moment later, a loud bang on the windscreen, and Kristina’s sudden harsh braking, caused his seat belt to nearly throttle him. 'What the..?' he yelped, looking around him.
'A kamikaze pheasant!' Kristina breathed deeply.
'That’ll do it every time.' Mike looked over the car bonnet. There were a few wing feathers captured in the window wipers, but no sign of anything else. 'Looks like you’ve been lucky,' he observed, easing the seat belt away from his shoulder.
'Yeah, well, he hasn’t,' Kristina said, staring at the dead bird through her rear view mirror. 'Bloody damn good job there was no one behind me.'
'Poor thing.'
'It was
him or us,' Kristina said frostily, giving Mike a scathing glance.
'Yeah, OK.' Mike nodded his agreement as Kristina set off again. She was right, no argument there, but he still felt sorry for the poor bird. He was looking at it out of the side mirror and didn’t see Kristina smile and shake her head.
A few minutes later they reached the station. Kristina got quickly out of the car, slamming the door behind her, and with Mike’s help, gave the bonnet a thorough examination.
Mike was pleased they didn’t find any damage. He knew, if even one of the avian kind had marked her beloved car, Kristina was quite capable of conducting a personal vendetta against anything with feathers.
He followed her into the station where they were met by chaos.
Mike recognised Shelly’s brothers. The shorter one, Gary, he thought, looked about ready to strangle the desk sergeant. Glancing up, the sergeant heaved a sigh of relief when he spotted Mike. 'See, here he is,' he said, pointing at Mike. 'Told you.' Transferring his gaze to Mike, the sergeant added, 'He didn’t believe me when I said you weren’t in.'
Gary spun round. 'You, at last! What the hell’s going on here? My sister is still missing and so is that fucking prick of a boyfriend of hers. And you lot are doing sweet fuck-all about it.'
'If you would like to come through,' Kristina said placatingly, putting herself between Mike and Gary as she led the way through the double doors.
When they were seated in the interview room, Kristina said, 'I would like to assure you that we are doing everything we can to locate your sister.'
'Yeah, well, it ain’t fucking well enough,' Gary interrupted.
'Excuse me,' Mike snapped. 'I’m the complaints department round here. Raise your voice once more, or use any more fucking foul language, and I’ll toss you out on your ear. And that ain’t a threat.' Mike had spoken quietly, but the menace in his voice was very clear.
Looking at Mike, Gary saw a man whose build was nearly equal to his own. Although he knew the man in front of him was a good few inches taller, it was the way he was staring at him that made Gary back off. There was no fear in those dark eyes, just a blank statement. Don’t mess with me.
'OK,' he said after a moment. 'I apologise. I may be overreacting, but can’t you see we’re worried sick about her? She happens to be a diabetic, and time is important. She could be anywhere, needing help. That prick of a boyfriend of hers told us last night that he hadn’t even reported her properly as missing, and now he goes AWOL.'
'Danny’s missing now?' Mike frowned. 'Since when?'
'Well, his mate Evan, poor sod, says he’s never seen him since last night, and his f… his car’s gone as well. Evan’s car, not Danny’s. Didn’t think he had enough common sense to drive.'
'How well do you know your sister?' Mike asked.
Gary frowned. 'What sort of question’s that?'
'A simple enough one.'
'I…' He gestured towards his brother Liam. 'Me and my brothers, we brought her up after our parents died. She was only five years old. I think I know her pretty well.'
'Would she get involved with anything shady?'
'No.' The answer was sharp, indignant even. Gary glared at Mike.
'OK.' Mike stood up. 'If you’ve nothing further to tell us, leave your mobile number at the desk and I’ll get back to you as soon as we hear anything.'
'Is that it, then?' Gary frowned.
Kristina threw him a warning glance. Reluctantly Gary stood up, pushing his chair out as he did so. It made an irritating scraping sound. Liam did likewise. Mike winced. At the door, Gary turned to face him.
Before he could say anything, Mike said, 'Trust me. Your sister will be top priority.'
For a moment their eyes locked. Then Gary nodded, trusting his instincts that this man would do his best to find Shelly, pleased that something was at last going to be done. Leaving the door to Liam, he turned and walked away. Liam gave them both a brief smile, then headed after his brother.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Simmonds' knuckles turned white as he squeezed the phone. 'I want you up there by tomorrow at the latest. I need someone on hand to make sure the job is done properly. Those fucking morons will go in half-cocked and kill the wrong man. The smooth bastard can easily persuade one of his followers to take his place. I know how he works… What?'
Simmonds frowned as he waved a young, beautiful, scantily-clad black girl out of the room. His frown deepened. She seemed to hover a lot, this one. Better keep an eye on her. Plus she wasn’t that good a pet, she still had a spark in her, although he had to admit it did make things interesting now and then.
'What?’ he asked again, his concentration having wavered for a moment.
After listening for a few minutes, he snapped, 'You’re frightened you’ll blow your cover? Who gives a shit! Get in there, and kill the fucking lot of them if you have to, then get back out. Simple. OK… Early train. Got it?'
He put the phone down without waiting for an answer. Rising, he walked over to the window. From this high he could see most of London – or rather his part, the money part, the part that mattered. All else was superficial.
Power and money, that’s all that counts, it’s all that ever counts. And those peasant ants running around down there exist only to serve.
But Simmonds was worried, even if he wouldn’t fully admit it to himself. For the first time in his life, as he surveyed his kingdom, he felt a twinge of fear – fear that the madman in Northumberland could bring everything they had built over the centuries crashing down around them.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Brother David lifted the young man’s head up and gently fed him water, admonishing him to take only a sip at a time. When he’d judged the man had drunk enough, he laid his head back down on the pillow.
The man’s eyes flickered open. 'Thank you,' he said quietly. 'Where am I?'
'The monastery.'
'Safe?' His eyes begged Brother David to say yes.
'Sorry. None of us are safe here. Our lives are held in the grip of a madman… What is your name?'
'Danny. My… my girlfriend, Shelly… Is she all right?'
Brother David frowned. 'She is with the man who calls himself The Leader.'
Danny struggled to sit up, helped by brother David who put cushions behind him. 'I fucking hope not, I’ve heard enough of that bastard… Sorry, Father. How the he… how was this allowed to happen, what’s the coppers doing?' Danny shook his head and regretted every movement, as pain shot like a buzz-saw along his scalp. He didn’t know what hurt the most, his head or his ribs.
'They came in the middle of the night over a year ago, he and his henchmen. They murdered three of our brothers and herded the rest of us into the Great Hall. This place is now the main drug factory for the whole of the UK and God knows where else. Also, he deals in flesh, either working the kids to death or selling them. That is the only reason you are alive, to work. Because the work force has dwindled over the last week.'
Clutching his side, Danny swung his legs off the bed, 'How the hell do I get out of this fucking nightmare? Sorry, Father.'
'You can walk out the gate, but you wouldn’t get far. They would shoot you, and one other.'
'What?'
'That is how he keeps us here. Any attempts at escape and he not only kills the escapee, he kills others. No one wants the death of a child on their conscience. Some have committed suicide to be free, but now even that brings death to others.'
'The ba… So what happens now?'
'Now, seeing as you can stand up, you go to work.'
'No way.'
Brother David sighed. 'I’m sorry, but if you don’t work, then trust me, you will be flogged.'
'Flogged? Where am I, Hell? We gotta get outta here, man… like right now.'
'Have you not heard a word I said?'
Danny sat back down on the bed. 'This isn’t real. I’m in some sort of nightmare. Some nasty bastard must have spiked my drink. That’s it, that’s wh
at’s the matter, I’m tripping off somewhere, aren’t I? You’re not real, are you?' He gave a nervous laugh, while Brother David looked sadly at him.
‘'Cos you see, everything just keeps on getting worse. When you think it’s all over, everything takes another fucking dip… sorry… so it can’t be real, can it?' He shook his head, felt the pain again, winced, and answered himself. 'No, it’s just a nightmare. I’ll wake up, and the last few days won’t even have happened. Alicia will still be alive, and Shelly… Shelly…' He grabbed hold of Brother David’s wrist. 'It is real, isn’t it?'
Brother David sighed, as he nodded. 'Come with me. And keep quiet. The less attention you draw to yourself the better.' He’d thought about telling Danny that help might just be on its way, but the young man seemed rather hyper and could possibly blurt things out. No, best to keep quiet for all our sakes.
Frowning, Danny got off the bed and followed Brother David. They walked down a long panelled hallway, with at least a dozen doors leading off to each side. As they closed in on the end door that faced them, Danny could hear a low murmuring. Brother David opened the door, and Danny gasped. The smell was over powering. 'Jesus,' he muttered, looking at Brother David. 'Sorry.'
Brother David shushed him.
'Shh?' Danny muttered, taking a step back, 'you telling me to shh? Five minutes in here, mate, and I’ll be high as a fucking kite… Sorry.'
A man holding a gun turned and glared at them. The blood left Danny’s face as he gulped. It was the thug from the night before. The only satisfaction Danny could glean from the whole episode was the two black eyes the gunman sported. Seeing Danny, he snarled, lifted the gun and pointed it at him.
Danny’s heart missed a beat. He felt his legs buckle, but Brother David grabbed him with a strong arm as the thug turned away from them. Danny gasped, and Brother David put a finger to his lips as he moved him down the hall.
Slowly Danny looked around. There were at least fifty people in the large hall, most of them teenagers, a lot of girls and a smattering of boys, a few men and women. None of them lifted their heads to show any interest in the newcomer. Some were bent over tables packing small yellow tablets into tiny plastic bags, others were tending rows of cannabis plants, while three small girls packed everything into boxes.
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