Black Cathedral (department 18)

by L. H. Maynard

  ‘Oh, yes, I’m sure. There’s something evil on this island, Jane. Something more evil than anything I’ve encountered before.’

  ‘Very reassuring considering some of the cases you’ve worked on.’

  ‘And I’ll tell you something else.’ He pulled two cigarettes from the pack on the table, lit them and handed one across to her. ‘It wants something from us.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I wish I knew,’ he said. ‘Maybe we’ll get some answers to night. I’ll have a word with Kirby and tell her we want to eat early. The longer we have afterwards the better.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  ‘I think you’re out of your wee mind, wanting to go over there again. When Fiona rang me I couldn’t believe it. Not after what happened the last time. You were lucky they didn’t arrest you.’ Cameron Whyte closed the engine housing on his boat and wiped his oily hands on a rag.

  ‘But will you take me across, Cameron? That’s the question.’ Bayliss leaned against the rail, glancing over his shoulder at the wavelets lapping against the hull. A few gulls were circling overhead, crying out to each other and ducking down to the water, searching for food.

  ‘Aye, I’ll take you. I’ll take you because Fiona asked me to, and that’s the only reason.’ Whyte threw the rag into a metal bucket and went back to the wheel house. Bayliss pushed himself away from the rail and followed him, avoiding the numerous lobster pots littering the deck. Cameron Whyte made a good living as a lobster fisherman. Restaurants as far away as London paid top dollar for the blue crustaceans Whyte and his crew pulled from the waters around this stretch of the coast.

  ‘When?’

  ‘When what?’

  ‘When can you take me?’

  ‘This evening, when I take the pots out.’ Whyte looked up at the sky, predicting to himself what the weather conditions would be later. He was generally right most of the time.

  ‘Not before?’ Eagerness roared out of every pore of Bayliss’s body, making him edgy and more than a little twitchy.

  ‘This evening.’ Whyte glared at Bayliss, then turned his eyes to the chart laid out on a table in front of him.

  ‘I was hoping to get onto the island sooner.’ He was almost bouncing with anticipation, a remote control figure with the hand controls on maximum.

  Whyte looked round at him with amusement. ‘Then swim.’

  Bayliss held the other man’s gaze for a long moment. Finally he relaxed and smiled. ‘This evening it is then. I’ll be back about five.’

  ‘Make it six.’

  ‘Right. Six it is. See you then.’

  He swung himself from the boat and walked back along the quayside. It wasn’t the result he wanted, but there was nothing he could do about it. Besides, he’d waited this long for something else to happen on Kulsay; another few hours was neither here nor there.

  Raj sat at the computer they’d set up in one of the sitting rooms, making sure the complex arrangement of cameras and microphones he and Kirby had installed so far were working and feeding their signals back. Wireless technology meant Kirby could place equipment in the most obscure locations and record what ever was happening there. It was a far cry from the early days in the Department when they’d had to lay countless yards of cable and double-check every connection. In those days they’d been dependent on main electricity, and a number of times investigations had been hampered by sudden power surges or brownouts. Now everything ran on long lasting rechargeable batteries, so no matter what state the power supply was in, the cameras and microphones continued to record, sending their images and sounds back to the hard drive of the computer.

  ‘How’s it going?’ Kirby appeared and set a mug of coffee on the desk. She pulled up a chair, peering at the screen.

  ‘Going well, so far,’ he said, picking up the mug and taking a long swill of the dark brown liquid. ‘Christ, you make good coffee,’ he said, wiping his lips with the sleeve of his shirt. ‘What’s your secret?’

  ‘Cardamom seeds,’ she said. ‘No secret; just a few in the pot. Gives it an edge, doesn’t it?’

  ‘Damned right.’ He took another long drink, the heat of the liquid not troubling him at all.

  She pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, watching the changing images on the screen as he tested the cameras. ‘Where’s McKinley?’

  ‘Said he was going up to wire the attic.’

  She nodded slowly. ‘I wonder if he’ll want coffee.’ She liked everybody, and enjoyed working with each of them, but McKinley was the most difficult to get to know so she guessed she liked working with him least. She couldn’t ever feel totally relaxed with him.

  ‘Couldn’t say,’ Raj said, shifting his attention back to the computer and tapping a few keys to bring up a menu.

  ‘What do you think happened to the Waincraft people?’ Kirby said.

  He shrugged. ‘That’s what we’re here to find out.’

  ‘But you must have some idea. You’ve been on so many of these investigations. You’ve seen so much.’

  ‘Too much, I think sometimes.’ He clicked the mouse and the screen went blank. ‘That’s downstairs done. Do you want to give me a hand with the rooms upstairs?’

  She shook her head. ‘I’ve got food to prepare. Robert wants an early dinner to night. Apparently he’s holding a séance afterwards.’

  Raj’s eyes narrowed. ‘Have you ever sat in on one of Carter’s séances?’

  ‘No. What are they like?’

  ‘Unlike any séance you’ve seen before. For a start four out of the five of us sitting there have some kind of psychic ability. It tends to make things interesting.’

  ‘No table rapping and trumpets?’

  ‘Hardly.’ It was difficult to explain to her how unorthodox Carter’s methods were compared with most people’s. The fact that he did things differently every time made explanation impossible because you couldn’t second-guess him.

  ‘I’m disappointed. I was hoping to get in touch with my late Uncle Horace.’ It was a lame joke that did nothing to assuage the mounting apprehension she was feeling.

  Raj didn’t smile, which made her feel worse. ‘It’s no joking matter, believe me. You’ll need to protect yourself. If you’re not able to, then I suggest you have a word with Jane, or Carter himself, and give it a miss.’

  Kirby bristled. ‘I’m not a child. I know how to protect myself.’

  ‘Then make sure you do so. I’ve seen things get pretty ugly in the past. Carter may be an asshole, but he’s an incredibly powerful medium. He sometimes gets some startling results. Did he say where he’s holding the séance?’

  ‘In the library.’ Why would Raj suddenly express doubts about her ability to see this through?

  Raj reached out for the mouse and brought the screen to life. Seconds later he was looking at the library through the lens of the camera. Wall-to-wall books, a low-slung couch covered in faded gold brocade, and a table in the center of the room; round, five feet in diameter. ‘Ideal,’ he said. ‘I dare say he’ll want some special cameras set up in there. Infrared, even thermal imaging.’ There was an edge of excitement to his voice.

  Kirby looked at him curiously. ‘You’re looking forward to it, despite what you just said.’

  ‘Of course I am. A séance raises challenges that only another photographer would fully appreciate.’ He started to scribble notes down on a pad beside him.

  Kirby felt as if she’d suddenly become invisible. She sighed. ‘I see. You’re entering geek mode. I’ll leave you to it.’ She caught something out of the corner of her eye and looked back at the screen. Something was moving in the library; a small ball of light was bouncing off the walls.

  She opened her mouth to speak, to tell Raj about it, when the light-ball hurtled towards the lens of the camera. It happened so fast and so suddenly that she flinched, but she kept her eyes on the screen. In the split second before the light vanished, it changed into a face; white, eyes wide open in terror, mouth stretching into a silent scream
.

  She must have cried out because Raj grabbed her arm and brought his face to within inches of hers. ‘Kirby? What is it?’

  She could hear his words, but they seemed to be coming from a very long way away, his mouth working in slow motion to form them.

  ‘Kirby?’ Someone was calling her name; she could hear it as if it was behind several sheets of linen.

  Gradually everything slipped back to normal. She shook herself. ‘It’s okay. I’m all right.’

  ‘What happened?’ Raj said. ‘Why did you cry out?’

  ‘Did I? I wasn’t aware…’ She looked from him to the computer screen. The library was still displayed, but no lights, no face. ‘I thought I saw something.’

  ‘Saw what?’ He glanced back at the screen.

  ‘Don’t know.’ She pulled away from him and ran a hand across her face. ‘Are you recording this?’ she said, pointing to the image of the library.

  ‘I’m recording everything.’ Professional pride tinged his voice.

  ‘Can you play back the last couple of minutes?’

  He reached out for the mouse and brought up a series of sub-menus. ‘Just the last few minutes?’

  She nodded. She wasn’t sure she wanted to go through with this but in truth she had no choice. Like everyone she had effectively chosen to be here. It was her job to investigate what they found, what they saw, what they heard.

  Raj scrolled and clicked a few times. ‘Okay. It’s rolling.’

  She leaned forward, a frown of concentration creasing her forehead. The minutes ticked by.

  Nothing.

  ‘Do you want me to repeat it?’ It was clear from his tone that he considered that suggestion to be a waste of time.

  ‘Yes.’ She must have missed it the first time. The ball of light, the face. It had all been so clear when she saw it.

  She watched it through again, willing the light to appear. Even wishing that dreadful face would appear.

  ‘What did you see?’ Raj said, studying her closely. She was seriously affected by something she thought she had seen in the computer scrutiny of the library. Trouble was the computer, the cameras and the microphones, had picked up absolutely nothing.

  ‘I thought…I saw…light. A ball of light.’

  ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘Nothing’s been recorded.’ He kept his voice level, an even tone, so that she couldn’t detect any judgment from him. She had made a mistake, and at this level, on an investigation such as this, that was serious.

  ‘Not much point having all this state-of-the-art equipment if it doesn’t work,’ she said. The attempt at humor died at birth.

  ‘Hey, that’s not fair. I didn’t see anything. Perhaps you imagined it?’

  She looked at him steadily for a moment, a riposte twitching on her lips. Then something went out of her. She maneuvered herself out of the chair. ‘You’re probably right,’ she said. ‘This place has got me a little jittery.’

  ‘Yeah, me too,’ he said.

  ‘Catch you later,’ she said and walked from the room.

  He watched her go, then shrugged and went back to his notes.

  Back in her room Kirby threw herself down on her bed. Her face felt hot, flushed. She’d just made a complete fool of herself, crying out like that. And in front of Raj, of all people! It would give him the ammunition to ride her about it for weeks. But she was certain she’d seen something in the library. That face! That screaming face! She lay back on the pillow and closed her eyes, trying to recapture the image in her mind’s eye. Seconds later, she sat up and reached for the file on the bedside table. She opened it, turned to the dossiers on the Waincraft team, and flicked through the pages. When she reached Jo Madley’s page she stopped. She took the page over to the window where the light was better.

  It was her. It was definitely Jo Madley’s face she’d seen. She took a few deep breaths, trying to steady her nerves, then went back to the bed and lay down again. Okay. Let’s think this through. She closed her eyes and concentrated, bringing the face back into her thoughts and focusing on it. So where are you? She thought.

  ‘ Trapped.’

  The answer came immediately. She flicked open her eyes and looked about the room. She was alone.

  She closed her eyes again and tried to focus, channeling her mind. I’m here, she thought. I’m open, I’m receptive. Show yourself to me.

  ‘Help me!’

  The voice was all about her; everywhere and nowhere.

  ‘Where are you?’ She said it aloud this time.

  ‘Here. Look.’

  She snapped open her eyes. The wall ahead of her was rippling, moving. She blinked, rubbing at her eyes. The floral wallpaper was starting to balloon outwards, as if air was being pumped in behind it. It was starting to take form; a human form. She could make out a head, shoulders, legs; small breasts pushing out from the chest. She could even see the small buds of nipples crowning them.

  She got up from the bed and took a few tentative steps towards the wall.

  ‘Are you Jo? Joanne Madley?’

  ‘Yes.’ The word swirled around her head as if caught by a strong wind.

  ‘How can I help you?’

  The figure was perfectly defined by the wallpaper now. She could make out the features of the face; could see the line of the mouth.

  Kirby moved closer, until she was within a yard of the wall.

  ‘Come with me,’ the voice said.

  The sound of ripping wallpaper was as loud as a thunder crash. Two wallpaper-clad arms burst from the wall and reached out for her; rose petal fingers fluttering, scrabbling at her clothes, trying to get a grip.

  Kirby threw herself backwards, lost her balance and fell, her head crashing against the leg of the bed. For a second she blacked out, concussed by the impact of bone against wood. Then her eyes were open and she was drawing quick shallow breaths into her lungs as the spindly fingers closed around her ankles, and she was dragged across the floor to the wall.

  She twisted from side to side, fingernails clawing at the carpet, digging in, trying to arrest her terrifying progress. She glanced up at the figure dragging her, but saw nothing but wallpaper, tiny red roses on a cream background, stretched bizarrely across the features of a grinning face. It was Jo Madley’s face and she was sheathed entirely in the wall covering; the paper moving as she was moving; rippling, tearing slightly at the joints, making a soft rustling sound. Behind her the wall had opened up into a black cavern, glowing amber in the distance.

  Inch by inch Kirby was pulled towards it. She flung out her hand behind her and her fingers closed around the leg of the bed. Using all her strength she hung on grimly; sweating palms slipping; the muscles in her arms screaming with the effort. And then the bed began to slide across the floor as well, and the journey towards the cavern resumed.

  She could see figures moving in the dark mouth; gray shrouded figures, emerging from the blackness, coming to receive her.

  ‘No!’ she yelled at the top of her lungs. And then the darkness reached out and swallowed her.

  Something struck her across the face. Not a hard blow, but it stung and made her eyes water.

  ‘Kirby? Kirby! Wake up!’

  Suddenly she was aware of someone else in the room. A familiar voice.

  Robert Carter’s face swam into view above her. ‘Kirby, are you all right?’

  She struggled to sit up. There was a crushing pain in her head. Tentatively she touched it, her fingers tracing the outline of a lump at the back of her skull the size of a gull’s egg. ‘I fell,’ she said. ‘Must have hit my head.’

  There was concern on his face and kindness in his eyes. ‘How did you fall?’

  Kirby’s gaze flicked towards the wall. Smooth, unblemished. ‘I’m not sure.’

  His eyes narrowed. ‘Tell me the truth, Kirby,’ he said.

  ‘Nothing to tell.’ She got to her feet and walked to the window, resting her forehead against the cooling glass.

  ‘I’m sorry. I don’t believe you
.’

  ‘Believe what you like.’ She could see Carter’s reflection in the glass. He was unmoving, staring at her intently.

  ‘I think you should leave the island,’ he said.

  ‘You’re kidding! On the strength of one stupid accident?’

  ‘But it’s not just that, is it? I was talking to Jane earlier. She’s under the impression this place is getting to you, and you know Jane, she’s very good at reading people.’

  ‘Did she tell you why I was upset?’ There was a guarded look in Kirby’s eyes.

  ‘No. Do you want to tell me?’

  Kirby shook her head.

  ‘That’s okay. But you’ll have to be careful. The island works on the emotions. Believe me, I know. I felt it the moment we stepped off the boat. What worries me is that some of us won’t be able to handle it.’

  ‘You mean I won’t be able to handle it.’ Christ, first Raj, now Carter.

  ‘I mean we’re all vulnerable…but some of us are better equipped to protect ourselves than others.’

  ‘I’m fine. I tripped. I fell and banged my head. And I’m sorry if I worried Jane earlier, but you’re both reading too much into it. I’m not leaving.’

  ‘I think that’s for Jane to decide.’ Carter walked across to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. ‘Kirby, we’re a team. We have to look out for each other. If you’ve seen something, experienced something, then you owe it to us all to say.’

  ‘Has Raj spoken to you?’

  ‘No, but I heard him talking to McKinley.’

  ‘Jesus! He’s probably laughing his bloody socks off by now.’

  ‘He wasn’t laughing. He seemed quite concerned. Listen, Kirby. This isn’t some high school science project we’re involved in here. People have disappeared and are probably dead. I understand if you don’t want to talk about what ever happened to you, and if you don’t want the others to know. I can identify with that. But when I found you lying on the floor, out cold, I feared the worst. So don’t bullshit me. I want to know what it is you think you saw. Because you sure as hell think you saw something, didn’t you?’

  Kirby chewed her bottom lip, her eyes darting from right to left. ‘Okay,’ she said softly. Robert Carter led her back to the bed and sat down next to her. ‘From the beginning,’ he said.