Campbell shrugged his shoulders,
“We could give it a go, I suppose.”
Maria knelt down so her head was at Christopher’s level.
“Ben, can you hear me?”
Christopher stopped banging his head and lay still with his head to one side. After less than ten seconds he started again.
“I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom.”
Maria tried again.
“Ben, can you hear me? Speak to me if you can hear my voice.”
Again Christopher briefly paused, but was soon head banging and chanting.
“I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom.”
Maria stood up and looked at Campbell.
“Nothing’s happening, I can’t do it, why don’t you have a go?”
Campbell leaned over and whispered in his soft voice.
“Hello Ben, my name is Campbell. Can you hear me?”
Christopher didn’t stop head hanging or chanting.
“I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom - I need to speak to Tom.”
Campbell tried a few more times before giving up.
“We don’t have the knack, we need Tom Judd.”
Maria nodded.
“You’re right. Let’s pray that Judd doesn’t freak out like he did last time, I think he’s our only hope.”
Chapter eighty nine
TM.IT offices
9.15am
Monday 14th May
Campbell, Connor Judd, George Marshall and Toni Dufy were in the boardroom of TM.IT for the Monday morning conflab.
Terry Mason, TM.IT’s managing director, insisted on a half hour meeting which each team every Monday morning.
Terry was late and the four members of the web design team were waiting for him to arrive.
Connor leaned towards Campbell and whispered as the other two were talking about the team’s latest project.
“I heard you saw my brother over the weekend.”
Campbell nodded.
“Why, what did he tell you?”
“He told me nothing, client confidentiality and all that, he just told me that you made the appointment.”
“Yeah, we went to see him.”
“He sounded pretty shaken when I spoke to him on Saturday.”
“I expect he probably did.”
Terry Mason entered the boardroom and everyone stopped talking.
“Good morning everyone, sorry to keep you waiting.”
Mason dropped a folder and notepad onto the boardroom desk and went to the water dispenser. Campbell watched as he filled a plastic cup, drank the water and threw the cup in the recycling bin. Campbell looked at Mason’s tired face and the bags beneath his eyes.
Campbell didn’t know much about his boss, but he knew that his daughter was ill and had been in a coma for a long time. According to those who had worked for him over the years, he’d changed and was a different man.
A few years ago he was lighthearted and, even with the pressure of running one of the West Country’s most successful IT companies, he had been calm and relaxed and hardly ever raised his voice.
Since Campbell had worked for him, he saw him as a man with a short fuse. Their paths didn’t cross very often, but when they did Campbell felt like he was walking on eggshells and was nervous about saying the wrong thing.
Connor, who had worked for Terry Mason for over five years, told Campbell that Mason’s change in character could be pinpointed to the time his daughter became ill.
Those who worked closely with Terry were of the opinion that lately he ran the company as a diversion to take his mind away from his daughter and that his heart and soul were no longer in the business.
Although he was the Managing Director, most of the business decisions were instigated by the Sales Director, Carl Cooper. Carl had taken over the running of the company after Terry’s daughter had fallen into a coma. Over the following months Terry slowly returned full time, but it was now Carl who many of the staff turned to if they needed guidance or had to discuss important issues.
Terry was about to commence the meeting when his phone rang. He checked who was calling, made his excuses and left the room to take the call.
“He looks like shit this morning,” whispered Campbell to Connor.
“You’re right. I guess there’s trouble at home.”
Connor was right, there was trouble. Terry’s daughter had picked up an infection and had been running a temperature over the weekend. Terry’s wife Anne had called the doctor who prescribed a course of antibiotics. The medicine would take at least four days to clear the infection. Terry was jumpy and was having difficulty thinking about anything other than his daughter. He wanted to stay at home to be with her, but Anne insisted he went to the office. She was right, there was nothing he could do. The two carers looking after his daughter were able to keep a close eye on her condition and would be in contact with the doctor immediately, should things worsen.
Terry Mason came back to the boardroom and went to the water dispenser for another drink.
“Is everything OK?” asked Connor.
“Yeah Connor, things are fine, just a hiccup with the new account with the BBC that Cooper bagged last week. Some contractual bullshit needed sorting. Nothing to worry about.”
Mason sat at the table and opened his folder.
“Well, I trust you all had a good weekend and are all refreshed for a new week.”
Campbell and the rest of the team nodded enthusiastically.
“Good, let’s get going.”
Mason turned to Campbell.
“Mr. Broderick, you can start today’s meeting. Is there anything you wish to raise?”
Campbell was telling Mason about a coding glitch that had been causing an issue on a website when he became lightheaded and had to stop to take a breath. He rested his head in his hands.
“Are you OK?” asked Connor.
Campbell didn’t answer. The colour drained from his face. He could hear a buzzing in his ear which became so intense it blocked out the sound of his colleagues voices. He looked up to see Connor offering him a glass of water.
“Here, have a sip, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Campbell had just experienced a strange sensation. He felt a bonding between him and Terry Mason, and a very strong one. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but he was sure they had something in common. It was almost as if they were family, but not as brothers or father and son. It was a dark connection which made Campbell uneasy.
The feeling soon past, but it left him feeling unsettled.
“You look like you’re about to cry,” said Mason in a mocking tone.
Campbell couldn’t be there, he had to leave. He stood up, grabbed his papers, apologised, and left the room.
The others sat in a momentary silence.
“It looks like we’ve lost Mr. Broderick,” said Mason.
“Connor, would you like to carry on.”
Chapter ninety
Thomas Judd’s Hypnotherapy Practice
The Quiet Area
5.15 pm
Friday 18th May
Christopher happily sat in the chair where Tom Judd had hypnotised him the previous Saturday. Misty was wedged under his right arm as he struggled to turn the pages of a comic given to him by Judd. He could hear the grownups talking in the other room but paid no attention to what they were saying.
Maria introduced Esther Hall to Judd as the professional that he’d insisted on being present during the hypnosis.
Maria and Esther hadn’t spoken for a long time. She’d been aware th
at Peter Phelps and Maria had some kind of falling out, but didn’t know exactly what had gone wrong between them.
Maria had called Esther at the beginning of the week and told her what had happened when Judd had hypnotised Christopher. Esther wasn’t big on hypnotherapy, but was intrigued by what Maria had told her and agreed to be present as she was interested to see for herself and to be there in her professional capacity as Christopher’s Child Health Visitor.
The four adults walked into the quiet area where Christopher was happily thumbing through his comic. Misty had fallen onto the floor. Esther bent down and picked up the toy cat and handed it to the little boy.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” she asked as he took the grey cat from her.
Christopher nodded, then paused and with a big grin he shook his head.
“I didn’t think you would, you were tiny the last time I saw you and now look at you, you’re a big boy.”
“My mummy and daddy say that I don’t sleep very well and Tom is going to make me sleep well.”
Esther smiled as she ruffled his hair.
“Mummy is going to get me another toy if I’m a good boy today.”
Judd positioned his Olympus digital camera on a tripod and focused it on Christopher. He checked the battery level and selected the movie setting. He zoomed in on Christopher, but not too close, as he wanted to make sure the video included himself. He didn’t know how the session would go and wanted to make sure he was captured in the video along with the boy. He pressed the little multi-function switch and the camera began recording.
Judd asked Maria, Campbell and Esther to sit on the settee and not to speak during the session. He took the picture of the train from the cupboard and hung it on the wall. He crouched down to Christopher’s level and spoke in his quiet and calming voice.
“Christopher, do you remember last time you came here and I made you feel nice and sleepy?”
Christopher nodded.
“I’m going to do it again today.”
“And my mummy will get me another toy.”
“That’s good. Aren’t you a lucky boy?”
Christopher nodded again.
He told Christopher to look at the picture of the train and commenced the routine. Within a few minutes Christopher was gently rolling his head from side to side with his eyes closed.
“Christopher, let me know if you can hear me.”
Chapter ninety one
The Awareness
Ben immediately saw the strange misty light. It was the same one that accompanied the voice he’d heard before.
He was drawn to the light which swirled and spiraled like a whirlpool. It was hard to work out its colour. It mesmerised him. Ben was compelled to stare at its centre. He became overcome with a feeling of serenity and warmth as if he was enveloped by a hazy fog of love and kindness. He felt happy. And then he heard the voice.
“Christopher, let me know if you can hear me.”
Ben could almost see the voice emanating from the light. He focused his attention towards it and replied.
Chapter ninety two
The Quiet Area
Christopher relaxed comfortably in the oversized chair. His eyes were gently closed and his head was slowly rolling from side to side.
Christopher stopped rolling his head, opened his eyes and looked at Judd. His mouth opened as he began to speak.
Judd crouched in anticipation.
“Hello Tom, it’s Ben. Who’s Christopher?”
Judd had no rehearsed lines and had not planned what to say. He was just going to let the conversation unfold, but was mindful of Christopher’s safety and knew he had to bring him out of hypnosis should anything go wrong.
Maria squeezed Campbell’s hand as the stranger’s voice came from Christopher’s mouth. Esther watched in awe.
“Hello Ben, it’s Tom again. Let me introduce myself. My name is Thomas Steven Judd. What’s your name?”
“I’m Ben Walker, no middle name, just Ben Walker.”
Judd looked at Christopher. His eyes had closed again. He looked happy and relaxed and showed no sign of distress. Judd decided it was safe to continue.
“Hello Ben, I think we may have lots of questions for each other, but I don’t know whether we’ll find all the answers today. Let’s just treat this as an opening dialogue.”
“OK Tom, I’ll go along with that.”
Judd drew a breath and began.
“OK Ben, can I ask, where do you think you are?”
“I’ve no idea, absolutely no idea whatsoever.”
“Are you in a room, a garden, or a field?….. tell me what you can see.”
“I see nothing, nothing but my memories. Memories are all I have.”
“What sort of memories and how far do they go back?”
“It feels like I’ve been here forever, and the memories, they go back, way back.”
Judd looked towards the settee and saw Maria staring intently at Christopher. He gestured to her to make sure she was happy for him to continue. She snapped out of her stupor and Judd gestured again. She nodded. Judd turned back to Christopher.
“OK Ben, what kind of memories do you have?”
“I remember lots of things. My life, my family, my friends………..and………..I remember clearly………..I remember very clearly………..my death.”
Tom took a while to absorb what he’d just heard. Death? This person says he’s dead.
Judd was stumped. He had so many questions for Ben. He didn’t know what to ask first. He felt stupid. He should have been prepared for something like this. Then Ben spoke again.
“Tom, this is two way thing, isn’t it?”
He nodded, then remembered Ben couldn’t see him.
“Yes, it’s a two way thing.”
“Good, then I’ve some questions for you.”
The room was silent. A silence which underwrote the importance of the moment.
“Tom, tell me about you, and also I would like to know where you are and how you found me.”
“OK Ben, I’m just going to cut to the chase, things can’t get much stranger than they are, so here goes.”
Judd’s nerves were getting the better of him. His throat was dry and his hands were trembling. He reached for a glass of water, took a large gulp and cleared his throat.
Judd began to answer the questions one by one.
“I am a professional hypnotherapist and as we speak I am in my practice in Bristol.”
He briefly paused to consider whether to mention Christopher. After a little deliberation he decided to tell Ben everything.
“I have a little boy sitting in front of me and he’s under hypnosis. He’s been brought to me because he is restless at night. You see he talks in his sleep. His family wanted me to stop the sleep talking. But now I know it’s not the little boy who talks, it’s you Ben.”
“This little boy, I presume he’s Christopher.”
“Yes, he is. I need to say something very important, and I hope you understand. If things start to go wrong with Christopher whilst we are talking, I will need to bring him out of hypnosis, which means I will do what I did before with you. I will need to hypnotise you first.”
“Tom that must have been a first. You surely must be the first person to have hypnotised a dead person.”
Judd suddenly went cold all over.
“Could you do something for me Ben? I have Christopher’s parents nearby and they’re listening as you speak, so you’ve got everyone’s attention. His mother’s name is Maria and his father’s name is Campbell. Please could you stop pleading to be heard. You’ve been putting Maria and Campbell through a couple of years of hell.”
“Tell them I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“Tell us a bit more about you. When were you alive? Did you live to be an old man? And where did you live?”
Ben struggled to answer the first question. He had no concept of times and dates and couldn’t work out the year he’d died. Time was
something he couldn’t comprehend.
“Sorry Tom, I can’t work out dates and times, but I know I died young and that’s something of which I’m certain. Oh, and were did I live? I lived in Bristol. Bristolian born and bred”.
Maria stood up and walked over to Christopher. She looked at her son gently lying in the chair, eyes shut and looking relaxed.
“Tom, it’s time to finish now, I don’t want this to continue tonight. Give Christopher a rest, please.”
Judd nodded and raised his hand and gestured for her to wait a little longer.
“Ben, Christopher’s mother is getting concerned for her son, and I hope you can appreciate how she must feel, so I’m going to bring Christopher out of hypnosis very soon, but I have one more question before we finish today.”
Christopher lay still for a few seconds and then he began to speak.
“Sorry Tom, I’m beginning to feel tired, I don’t think you’ll need to hypnotise me, but I’ll try to answer. What’s your question?”
“You said you remember your death very clearly. How did you die?”
Christopher became restless and Judd was concerned that he was coming out of his hypnotic state.
Christopher opened his mouth and quietly mumbled something which was just about audible.
“I was murdered Tom, somebody killed me.”
Chapter ninety three
Truro
Cornwall
5.37pm
Friday 18th May
Boyd was nervously teetering on the eighth rung of the ladder. He’d hoped that his latest job as a window cleaner would have helped overcome his fear of heights, but the phobia was getting worse.
He daren’t look down or else he would experience a wave of nausea and dizziness. He had only been on the job for five weeks but already he’d had enough of it. He wasn’t lazy, these days he worked very hard to keep his head above water, it was the heights, and he hated them.
If anyone was lazy, it was his boss Tony Dawes. Boyd hated the man and this was the other reason why he wanted to move on.
It was a warm afternoon in May and Boyd had one building to finish before he was done for the day. He should have finished half an hour ago, but he was having a bad day with heights and was taking longer than usual to clean the windows.
The Hill - Carla’s Story (Book Two): A Paranormal Murder Mystery Thriller. (Book Two) Page 5
