Emmy remembered that night well. What the policeman did not realise is that she had been the cause of the fire. She thought back to the events beforehand. There had been something about the animals. Their energy had circled the entities in the field in an unnatural way.
‘Did you say that Lucy was in this field on Saturday night?’
‘Not this one. She was a little closer to town, but the animals were the same or similar, at least. Whilst they attacked Ned, they interacted with her in a much more positive way. I found her in the morning and they were very protective of her. They wouldn’t let me go near until I had put down my gun.’
She rolled her eyes.
‘I get it now; kangaroos are in favour of tighter gun control. You don’t have to keep pushing that message. Tell me more about Lucy. What was she doing in a field in the middle of the night?’
‘I don’t know the ins and outs of it, but basically she used to spend her summers as a child camping under the stars with her father. She has brought his ashes on this trip with her and I suppose that she wanted to have one last camping trip with him.’
‘She took his ashes to the field?’
‘I guess so, but that isn’t important. The kangaroos are what matters here. I didn’t want to tell you so soon after losing your grandfather, but there have been other killings today?’
The words pierced straight to her heart. Her immediate thoughts were that Armareth was behind these killings too. How many more people had he murdered?
‘You remember Walter Coppersmith?’
The name was familiar to her. Pops often joked that a lady named Coppersmith was the only resident of the town that would outlive him.
‘I’ve heard the family name before. Was he the one murdered?’
‘No, he was the killer. He shot his wife and a man she had been having an affair with. He then turned the shotgun on himself. The motive is clear, but something about the case still does not add up. I think his behaviour was influenced by some outside force. The same thing that has been affecting the wildlife in these parts. Not just the roos, but snakes too and I have a story about a chicken that you will never believe.’
‘Let me guess; did it cross the road, perchance?’
‘Actually, it vanished.’
She was beginning to lose her patience. Why did he have to pick this of all days to lose his mind?
‘I’m sure your chicken will turn up. Most probably on somebody’s plate. One minute it’s a bird, clucking and laying eggs and the next it’s pie filling. Who knows how this happens? Maybe it’s magic or maybe it’s just cookery. I don’t really care. Now will you please take me home?’
‘Just take a look at the kangaroo, that’s all I ask. If you do that one thing for me, I will gladly take you home.’
Despite her reservations to the contrary, she decided to humour him, if only to hasten her return home.
The animal was grazing just metres from where the two of them stood and she slowly walked towards it. When she was almost close enough to reach out and touch it, the animal hopped away, re-establishing the original gap between them.
‘This one’s a little shy,’ said Lucas. ‘Don’t give up, though, I promise that the payoff is going to be worth the effort.’
‘You just keep an eye out for an ambush,’ she told him. ‘I don’t want to end up like poor Ned, do I?’
‘Don’t worry; I’ve got your back.’
Completely oblivious to her sarcasm, she could see in her peripheral vision that he actually was looking out for some sort of marsupial crime syndicate. She approached the animal two more times and each time it calmly hopped away. Her next approach was more carefully considered and she feigned a turn away from the animal before quickly spinning on her heel and jumping back so that she landed directly in front of it. This time when it hopped away it did not stop, eventually drifting out of sight behind a row of gum trees.
‘Well, I gave it my best shot,’ she said. ‘I guess that was not one of your “special” kangaroos.’
‘I don’t think the kangaroo was the problem,’ Lucas told her.
She was not impressed with his summation and shot him an icy stare, with her hands planted defiantly on her hips.
‘Are you saying that I am the problem here?’
‘I honestly don’t know. It was like it did not see you, as if you were invisible to it.’
‘What do you mean? It ran away from me. You cannot get more visible than that.’
‘It didn’t look at you, though. It was as if it was only aware of your presence when you disturbed the air around it. This only reinforces my belief that something strange is going on in this place.’
‘Really? It looks to me like you have finally lost your mind. When’s the last time you took a holiday?’
He strode past her and to her relief, he was heading in the direction of the pick-up truck.
‘Find your grandfather’s research on this, okay. I gave him a live specimen and I know that he will have come up with a theory as to why these things are happening. And keep an eye on your e-mails. I’m going to send you a video of the chicken incident.’
‘Lucas Black sending e-mails; maybe there is something in the water. Are you sure it is just a disappearing chicken that you have and not a flying pig?’
He walked around the front of the pick-up and opened the passenger door.
‘Just get in, before I decide to let you walk home.’
She duly obliged and despite not taking anything useful from the brief excursion, it had distracted her from her loss. For that, she was at least grateful. Lucas dropped her off and once he had gone, she went directly to her room. After locking the door behind her, she removed the item she had taken from Armareth’s garage. She was sure that Lucas had not seen her slide it out of the frame. Removing evidence from the property of a killer would not go down well with her friend, even under the current circumstances.
The image both taunted and tantalised her. Pops never mentioned that her mother was close to the mechanic. The pair looked so different to all other images she had seen of them. Her mother always appeared sad and melancholy and David Armareth was nothing but a middle aged creep. How could these two people from such different worlds have been brought together and shared what appeared to be a moment of blissful happiness? There was so much that she wanted to know. When was the picture taken? What happened afterwards to make the mechanic so bitter? Where was her father when this was going on?
Normally, such secrets would be lost to the past, but with the potential that her research brought with it, she wondered if there might be a way to bring them into the present. The one man who had the answers was now dead, but she knew that death was no longer an impenetrable barrier. Lucas did not entirely waste her time chasing kangaroos. She had learnt who the spectre she encountered on the evening of the blackout was. She also knew there was a very strong chance of running into him again should she decide to take another astral trip.
Chapter 28
Jimmy sat on the wooden bench outside of the Sly Fox feeding a stray chicken with breadcrumbs. He teased and toyed with the bird, trying to lead it into thinking that he would throw the food one way, but then throwing it the other.
No matter how much he tried, his ploy never worked. The bird could always second guess him and quite often it would catch the food directly in its beak. Footsteps were approaching, but he was much too engrossed in his game to notice them.
‘Do what, Jimmy?’ a voice called from over his shoulder.
The words were enough to get his attention. He turned to see the Carlton brothers; Sam and Joey, walking towards him. He was unable to discern if they had deliberately sought him out or if they were merely on their way to the pub when they noticed him sitting there.
‘Hi, Sam, were you talking to me?’
‘What money?’ Sam snapped in reply.
The pair stopped walking, but neither of them turned to face Jimmy. They both stared directly ahead and Sam’s words were
seemingly aimed at nothingness.
‘Is everything okay with you guys?’ Jimmy asked, standing as he did so.
‘We’re gonna kill you unless you give us your winnings from last night?’
The threat was clear, but Jimmy thought Sam’s tone was more inquisitive as opposed to aggressive, as if he was asking whether or not he would kill him rather than actually saying that he would do it.
‘I don’t think you should do that,’ said Jimmy, who was starting to feel a little scared by the way the boys were acting.
‘Don’t mess us around, Jimmy,’ said Sam. ‘We’ve not seen you since last Thursday when one of your friends dobbed us in to Lucas.’
‘I know,’ replied Jimmy. ‘Lucas told me to stay away from you guys.’
‘Doing what?’ asked Sam, whose tone was getting angrier by the second.
‘Let’s just leave him, Sam,’ said Joey. ‘He’s clearly crazy. You know what people have been saying about him.’
‘I don’t want any trouble with you guys,’ said Jimmy.
‘You’re calling us crazy?’ shouted Sam.
The older of the brothers took a step forward and grasped at thin air before pushing his hands forward into the empty space in front of him. Joey nodded approvingly from beside his brother, somehow under the misconception that Sam’s bizarre actions were fitting to the occasion.
‘Do you know what happens to people who call me crazy?’ asked Sam.
The bully then took a swing with his right fist, missing Jimmy’s face by almost three feet. The aimless momentum sent him falling forward and he smashed his face on the pavement. Joey went to his brother’s aid and as he helped him back to his feet, Sam shouted ‘we’re gonna get you, Jimmy!’ at the empty road that led back up Main Street. He then dusted himself off and the pair of them walked through the door of the pub in brazen defiance of Lucas’ public order notice.
Jimmy shook his head with disbelief. The chicken had now gone so he decided to just walk home and forget about the strange episode with the Carlton brothers. As he started to walk up Main Street he saw two figures approach. It was Sam and Joey Carlton.
‘How did you guys do that?’ he asked.
‘Do what, Jimmy?’ replied Sam.
‘You just went in the bar; I saw you. It’s not funny trying to mess with me like this. That money is mine and I won’t let you intimidate me.’
‘What money?’ snapped Sam.
‘The money from the poker final last night. You said that you would kill me if I didn’t give it to you.’
‘We’re gonna kill you unless you give us your winnings from last night?’
‘Yes, that’s what you said just a moment ago.’
Sam was starting to become agitated.
‘Don’t mess us around, Jimmy. We’ve not seen you since last Thursday when one of your friends dobbed us in to Lucas.’
The words were eerily familiar, but this time the aggression seemed more real. This time Sam was looking into Jimmy’s eyes as he spoke.
‘Why are you guys doing this?’ asked Jimmy.
‘Doing what?’ replied Sam.
‘Let’s just leave him, Sam,’ said Joey. ‘He’s clearly crazy. You know what people have been saying about him.’
‘From where I’m standing, you guys are the crazy ones,’ said Jimmy.
‘You’re calling us crazy?’
Sam was now seething with anger and he took a step forward and grabbed hold of Jimmy’s shirt before pushing him roughly away.
‘Do you know what happens to people who call me crazy?’
Jimmy thought back and re-ran the previous encounter through his head. That exchange led to Sam lashing out only to find himself falling flat on his face.
‘Absolutely nothing,’ said Jimmy. ‘You’re more likely to head butt the pavement than hit me.’
He knew exactly when and where the punch was coming from, which enabled him to easily sidestep out of its way. He capitalised on the dodge by shoving Sam in the back, adding to the other man’s momentum just enough to send him crashing to the floor where he landed on his face. Knowing that they would not give chase, Jimmy ran as fast as he could up Main Street to get away from them. As he did so, the words ‘we’re gonna get you, Jimmy!’ echoed behind.
***
Lucas had completed the journey so many times that it was all too easy for him to drift into autopilot and let his mind wander. It disappointed him that the one person whom he thought would take his theory seriously had dismissed it as a cruel practical joke. He wondered if he had done something wrong in the field; if there was some kind of trigger to the animal’s behaviour that he had overlooked.
As the town rose up from the desert in front of him, it looked the same as it always had; peaceful, dull, but most importantly; safe. If only that really were the case, he thought. Val was much too discreet to let slip any details of the double murder and suicide, and Libby was still in shock. If rumours were to start, and they would, it would probably begin with Mindy at the pub. A captivated audience is also a thirsty audience; a fact the landlady knew all too well. At least he could keep the news of Professor Fox’s demise out of public knowledge for a little while longer.
He decided to reach the station by way of Main Street instead of taking the back roads into town. It would give him a chance to see if the news had reached the streets and if so; show the residents that he was still a presence within the town. To his relief, the streets were clear and panic had not yet gripped the population of Jackson’s Hill. He relaxed back into his seat.
His eyes could not have been off the road for more than a second, but a second was sometimes all it took. He slammed his foot down on the brake pedal, bringing the pick-up to rest mere inches from the pedestrian that had run into the road.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked, as he stepped out of the vehicle to check on the person he could very easily have killed.
‘I’m fine,’ came the reply. ‘I knew you weren’t going to hit me. I would have seen it coming.’
It was Jimmy. This was the last person Lucas wanted to see.
Or was it?
Emmy had not believed him about the kangaroos, but even she would not be able to dispute that Jimmy’s recent behaviour was far from natural.
‘You still think that you can see the future, do you?’ asked Lucas.
‘I can’t help it,’ replied Jimmy. ‘It happened again, just a few minutes ago. Sam and Joey were going to beat me up, but I knew it was coming, so they couldn’t. It doesn’t happen all of the time; usually when I am not expecting it. Am I in trouble, officer?’
‘I cannot imagine you ever getting into trouble. Well, of a legal kind at least. Right now though, you could really help me out. I think I may have a way to explain what is happening to you, but first you will have to come with me to see the doctor.’
Lucas paused for a moment and studied Jimmy’s expression carefully.
‘Did you already know I was going to ask you to come to the doctor’s with me?’
Jimmy shook his head.
‘Like I said; it doesn’t happen all of the time.’
Lucas believed him.
‘Hop in. I’ll give you a lift.’
It was only a one minute drive to the doctor’s surgery and when Lucas got there he was shocked to see the queue of patient’s extended well into the street. The people waiting did not look sick. At least they did not appear to show any physical symptoms of illness. There was, however, an air of anxiousness emanating from the crowd. Some of the people looked to be shielding their eyes, whilst others looked around, focusing blindly on the random spaces between objects.
‘Follow me,’ he said to Jimmy.
He used his badge to jump straight to the front of the queue. Nobody objected, but he did receive a few strange looks from people. It was like they did not quite recognise him and were looking at him for the first time. People he had known all of his life were staring at him like he was a stranger.
The doctor was w
ith a patient, but Lucas did not wish to wait. He was about to rap on the door when it suddenly opened as if recoiling from his touch. The doctor was sitting behind his desk whilst Sally Ritchie, a local shop girl, stood holding the door.
‘I was just about to knock. How did you...’
His voice trailed away when he looked the girl in the eyes. There was a strange familiarity contained within. Her expression was not altogether unlike that of Jimmy. He glanced over to the doctor who was shaking his head with a mixture of alarm and disbelief.
‘She said that you were here,’ the doctor said. ‘I don’t know how she knew, but she did. She just stood up and said “that’s Lucas, I better let him in” and there you were.’
There was only one window in the doctor’s office and it looked out onto a garden and then the back of a house. The road could not be seen from this side of the surgery and Lucas had not called ahead or given any warning that he was coming.
‘Can we talk in private?’ he asked. ‘I came here to see you about Jimmy, but I now realise that whatever is happening here is spreading faster than I thought. Am I right that all of these people are experiencing visions of some sort?’
The doctor laughed, nervously.
‘Perhaps you better go, Sally. I will call round to check on you later.’
‘No, you won’t,’ she replied, but left without complaint.
The doctor closed the door behind her and once it was secured he turned to face Lucas.
‘This is a lot worse than just a few hallucinations,’ he said. ‘If that was all we were dealing with I could have put it down to sun stroke. This is a whole lot weirder. I’ve had a patient in here that could actually read my mind. They weren’t using trickery either; they could do it. In forty years I have never seen such unexplained neurological changes taking place. It is like the population has evolved overnight.’
‘You think this is neurological?’ asked Lucas.
‘What else can explain it? So far I have encountered no physical changes in any of my patients. The only thing affected by whatever is going on here is brain function.’
Diamond Sky Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 24
