‘Was anyone ever arrested?’
‘Not that I know of. Chief Walcott was just a deputy at the time, so you’d have to ask him. He had more access to the case than I did. But from what I understand the killings stopped as abruptly as they started.’
‘When did they stop?’
‘August time, the only reason I remember is because it was around the time of all that unpleasantness with the Wests.’
‘You mean the fire and the deaths of Isabel and Alice West?’ Jake asked.
‘That’s right. I took Maryann to the funeral. Of course the little girl, Olivia, wasn’t there. Not sure what happened to her at that point, but I remember hearing at the time that Charlie had been arrested for the murder of his wife and mother in law. Such a sad business that. I knew Charlie and he loved Isabel, would never have thought he was capable of hurting her.’
‘Okay then, thanks for this Doc. We’ll be in contact if there are any further questions.’
‘You do that Deputy.’
Jake stepped out into the hallway and took a deep breath, allowing his head to fall back against the wall. God damn it, if the original murders had stopped right after Charles Connell had been arrested for the murder of his wife and mother in law, it didn’t take a genius to figure out why Chief Walcott hadn’t mentioned it to him.
Jake raked a hand through his hair in frustration. He needed to get his hands on the original case files from ‘94 and see if Charles was ever a suspect. He also needed to check and see if he was still incarcerated.
A sudden ringing startled him out of his thoughts, breaking the stillness of the corridor as he pushed away from the wall and pulled his phone out, recognizing the caller ID.
‘Hey Brody,’ he greeted. ‘Did you manage to get a good look at Olivia’s car? Was there any damage?’
‘Not that I could see, the front end seems fine. I don’t think she actually hit anything. I did tell the Chief that when I dropped the car off.’
‘What do you mean?’ he stopped walking. ‘Why would Chief Walcott be at Olivia’s when he knows she’s still here at the medical center?’
‘He wasn’t at the West place, he was at the station.’
‘Why didn’t you just drop her car straight home if it was clear it hadn’t actually been involved in an accident?’
‘Sorry Jake,’ Brody apologized. ‘My brother called and said the Chief wanted the car towed to the station, to be checked for forensics.’
‘Shit.’
‘Sorry man.’
‘It’s not your fault Brody, thanks anyway.’
‘Look, as soon as they’re done with it I’ll pick it up and drop it back to her, no charge.’
‘I appreciate that.’
‘No problem, call me as soon as it’s cleared to go.’
‘Will do’ Jake muttered as he hung up the phone.
He knew damn well why the Chief had Olivia’s car towed straight to the station. He was pretty much a hundred percent certain he wouldn’t find what he was looking for, but it still made him very uneasy. The Chief obviously had a real problem with Olivia and with his influence in the town he could make life pretty uncomfortable for her, if he chose to.
Chief Walcott stood silently with his arms crossed, his lips pursed pensively as the Tech looked over the worn out, pale blue Camaro parked in front of him.
‘Well, we’ll take samples to be sure if you want Chief but I have to say I think Brody is right. There is no damage or evidence to suggest any impact with the victim.’
‘Check the whole car.’
‘Sorry?’ the tech frowned.
‘Check the whole car inside and out,’ he repeated.
‘What exactly am I looking for?’ he frowned in confusion, ‘the report said it was a suspected front impact incident. Why would there be any evidence inside?’
‘I want you to look for any physical evidence that Adam Miller was in that car.’
‘Adam?’ He looked surprised.
‘Just do your job,’ the Chief glared at him coldly ‘and make sure you keep your mouth shut. You report directly to me.’
‘Yes Sir,’ he swallowed tightly, turning back to the car and opening his kit.
‘Chief,’ Jake’s voice echoed slightly across the underground garage.
Chief Walcott turned towards his deputy, noting the way Jake’s eyes darted towards Olivia’s car, his jaw tensing angrily.
‘A word if you don’t mind,’ Jake forced the words out between clenched teeth.
‘My office.’
Jake followed behind silently as he made his way back to his office and clicked the door shut behind them. Rounding his over piled desk he sat down unobtrusively and propped his elbows on the desk, lacing his fingers together and regarding Jake with serious eyes.
‘Is there a problem deputy?’
‘Yes there’s a problem; you have no right to keep Olivia’s car.’
‘I have every right,’ he replied calmly, ‘when that car was involved in an incident. I am simply being thorough.’
‘You’re not going to find what you’re looking for,’ Jake replied.
‘And what exactly is that?’
‘You’re looking for evidence that Adam was in that car.’
‘Am I?’
‘Olivia had nothing to do with the murder.’
‘You’re so sure of that are you?’ His eyes narrowed as he studied Jake. ‘I appreciate loyalty, no matter how misplaced. But by your own admission you haven’t seen or spoken to this woman in over twenty years. Do you really think you know her, know what she is capable of?’
‘Maybe, maybe not,’ Jake answered. ‘But the fact remains the only thing tying her to the murder is that fact she met Adam the night of his abduction and that she happened to live close to the body’s dump site. That’s not enough to make her a murderer.’
‘Maybe I’m just working a hunch?’
‘Maybe you’re punishing her for her father’s sins.’
‘I beg your pardon?’
Jake slung the manila envelope down on his desk.
‘The autopsy results. Adam’s bones were removed, just like the murders in the summer of ‘94.’
The Chief’s face closed up immediately, as his fingers curled around the envelope.
‘Was Olivia’s father a suspect in the original murders?’ Jake pressed, as he leaned forward on the edge of the desk.
‘That is none of your business,’ he replied carefully.
‘Excuse me?’ Jake frowned.
‘You are no longer working the Adam Miller case,’ he leaned back in his seat comfortably. ‘Your friendship with Miss West compromises your objectivity.’
‘And your obsession with her father compromises yours.’
‘Be very careful deputy, or I may just add a suspension for insubordination,’ he warned.
Jake straightened up, his jaw clenching as he glared back at the Chief.
‘If that is all Sir, my shift is over.’
He nodded, his cool assessing eyes following Jake to the door. Jake clicked it closed behind him, fighting the immature urge to slam it like a surly teenager who’d just been grounded.
Things were worse than he thought. The Chief seemed fixated on Olivia and this connection to an old case just seemed to make matters worse. He needed to get a look at the original case files somehow, but in the meantime he had a bad feeling about Olivia. He knew deep down in his gut the Chief was not going to let it go and he needed to make sure she was protected.
He glanced at his watch and pulled out his phone, scrolling through to the number he wanted. After several rings he was about to hang up when a sleep roughened voice answered.
‘Hey Erica,’ Jake spoke softly, ‘I’m sorry about calling so late but I need a favor…’
Olivia stood looking down at the unconscious face of the guy she hit with her car, resisting the urge to reach out and touch his face with her fingertips. He was extremely good lookin
g, in his early thirties if she had to guess. His dark brown hair was the color of bitter chocolate and a bit too long, so it would hit the collar of his shirt and curl slightly at the ends. Wondering what color his eyes were, she tilted her head unconsciously as she studied his profile.
‘He’s going to be okay you know.’
Olivia turned in the direction of the familiar voice.
‘Is he?’
Louisa nodded.
‘He’s stable and responding well to treatment, but there’s something you should know.’
‘What?’
‘You didn’t hit him with your car,’ Louisa told her gently.
‘What?’ Olivia repeated in confusion.
‘You stopped in time. He simply collapsed from injuries he’d already sustained.’
‘What sort of injuries?’
‘As far as I can make out he was caught in some sort of fire, as well as being in a fight. He had some bruising to his face and jaw and a stab wound to his forearm. He was also suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.’
‘Then how the hell did he end up in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a road, in the middle of the night?’ Olivia frowned thoughtfully.
‘Your guess is as good as mine,’ Louisa shrugged. ‘I did tell the Chief you weren’t responsible for his injuries.’
‘Chief Walcott was here?’ Olivia replied with a sigh, ‘that’s just great.’
‘It’ll be okay,’ Louisa placed her hand comfortingly on her friend’s shoulder as they both stared at the sleeping guy in front of them. ‘Jake will straighten it all out.’
‘Yes I will.’
They both turned as Jake stepped back into the room.
‘Come on Olive,’ he held out his hand. ‘I’ll get you home.’
Nodding she took his hand and allowed him to lead her out of the room. They walked in companionable silence through the maze of corridors to the front entrance.
‘Where’s my car Jake?’ she asked, as they stepped out into the cold night air.
She felt, rather than saw, his body tense beside her and she turned to look at him.
‘It’s at the station,’ he admitted.
‘Why?’
‘It had to be checked for evidence,’ he replied evasively.
‘But I thought Louisa told the Chief I didn’t actually hit the guy?’
‘She did.’
‘So what is he looking…’ she trailed off as the pieces fell into place. ‘He’s taking the opportunity to check my car over for evidence in Adam’s murder, isn’t he?’
‘Olive,’ Jake reached for her.
‘It’s okay,’ she turned away in frustration, ‘it's not your fault.’
‘I tried to convince him he wouldn’t find anything.’
‘I appreciate it,’ she frowned, ‘but it doesn’t make me feel any better. First he took my clothes and my coat, now he’s taken my damn car.’
‘I’m so sorry Olive.’
‘I don’t know what the hell he expects to find,’ she replied angrily. ‘I don’t suppose you know when I’m going to get it back do you?’
‘I’m working on it.’
Olivia turned her face up to the night sky and sucked in a deep cleansing breath, looking up to the stars as if they held some kind of answer.
‘I shouldn’t have come back to Mercy,’ she whispered.
‘Don’t say that,’ Jake tugged on her hand forcing her to once again meet his gaze. ‘Louisa and I are glad you’re back.’
‘Thanks,’ she answered sincerely.
‘Come on, let’s get you home.’
He led her away from the entrance towards the parking lot, as an ambulance pulled slowly in towards the emergency bay. She froze in her tracks and her gaze momentarily locked with the pale haired man from outside the pub the night Adam disappeared. The ambulance crossed her line of vision and once it had passed he was gone.
‘Olive, what is it?’ Jake asked in concern.
‘I thought I saw… its fine,’ she frowned, shaking her head. ‘I just want to go home.’
Jake nodded and they crossed toward his police cruiser.
She said nothing of the man she thought she saw, maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe she was just imagining it. She could be wrong and the guy had nothing to do with Adam’s disappearance, but it didn’t stop the prickle of unease which tickled her spine and raised the tiny hairs at the back of her neck. It was probably nothing, she reasoned, just a touch of paranoia brought on by stress.
7.
The Morley Ridge psychiatric facility was one of the few remaining Victorian era sanatoriums left. A dark, imposing sort of building, it was rumored to have had a very unsavoury past and an alarmingly high death toll.
It had been spared the fate of many of its contemporaries, most of them had simply been left as rotting abandoned buildings and the birthplaces of many an urban legend. Not Morley Ridge, it had been re-purposed, refitted and dragged, wailing mournfully, into the 21st century. Despite its modern face-lift it still retained an air of foreboding and was generally regarded as a chilling, unwelcoming sort of place.
Not that Davis paid much mind. He strolled through the security checks with the unconcerned air of a man with a singular purpose. He signed the visitors’ log with efficient practicality and waited patiently before the metal bars of the interior security door.
Brushing an imaginary piece of lint from his crisp grey suit, he waited as security checked through his briefcase. Seemingly satisfied the guard snapped the lid shut and handed it back to him. Davis nodded in acknowledgment as the door buzzed and another guard ushered him through into a sparse white corridor.
He set off down the familiar corridor at a brisk pace and was shown into a small visiting room. Stepping through the doorway his penetrating gaze missed nothing. The room was small and sparse, with plain white walls and a barred window which let in the pale early morning light. A metal table sat in the middle of the room, bolted to the floor, as were the two metal chairs placed either side. One was empty, the other was not.
Davis looked at Charles Connell with a neutral expression, noting the lurid orange jumpsuit, the neatly tied white canvas sneakers and white sports socks. His ankles were chained to the seat as were his wrists. His nails were clean and neatly trimmed, as was his deep brown hair which was greying at the temples.
Despite the fact he had been the unwilling guest of several mental institutions over the past twenty years, he had not aged as badly as expected. His face was freshly shaved and his skin a smooth and pleasing color, not the pallid sickly complexion of someone who barely saw the outside of his cage.
All in all, Charles Connell had endured his captivity well, with one minor inconvenience. Charles’s head drooped to one side, his mouth hanging open silently. His eyes rolled to the side and stared unseeingly at the wall.
‘You couldn’t have waited to medicate him until after I had spoken with him?’ Davis spoke directly to the guard, his face hard and his voice full of censure.
The guard smirked and shrugged his shoulders as he tugged at the belt tucked under his paunch.
‘It was the Doc’s call.’
‘I see,’ Davis’s eyes narrowed.
‘I’ll be outside the door when you’re done, I’m guessing it won’t take long.’ He smirked again and headed towards the door.
Placing his briefcase down on the table in front of him, he unbuttoned his jacket and sat at the table. He didn’t move, just sat watching patiently.
The guard snorted in amusement and slammed the door behind him.
For several moments they sat in silence, the stillness of the room broken only by the monotonous tick of the wall mounted clock.
Slowly Charles’s eyes rotated towards Davis, his gaze no longer blank but sharp and focused. He straightened in his chair and closed his mouth. His tongue moved inside his cheek, slightly distending it, before he blew out an elegant breath. A small white
capsule was expelled from his parted lips, landing on the table between them.
Davis looked down at the pill and then back up to Charles.
‘Good morning Charles,’ he spoke softly, his voice betraying no hint of surprise.
‘Davis,’ he greeted in return. His voice was low and cultured with a slight rasp to it, as if he hadn’t used it in some time.
‘They haven’t tried to medicate you in some time.’
‘Apparently they have been receiving some phone calls from the Chief of Police in Mercy,’ Charles replied in amusement.
Despite the air of culture and wealth that his sharply tailored suit implied, Davis had a hint of danger about him, one so subtle under the layers of his facade most would miss it. But it was still there, none the less. His face was handsome and untouched by age, a direct contrast to his white hair and pale colored eyes.
‘I assume they are trying to keep you from talking to the wrong people,’ Davis mused.
‘I would imagine so,’ Charles’ mouth curved, ‘however they aren’t very subtle about it.’
Davis nodded in understanding.
‘The first sacrifice has been made,’ he spoke so softly anyone else would have had trouble understanding.
‘It bears the brand of the serpent?’
Davis once again nodded in confirmation.
‘Is everything in place?’ Charles asked sharply.
‘Yes, all the arrangements have been made, everything is proceeding as planned.’
‘Good,’ Charles nodded. ‘My daughter?’
‘She’s returned to Mercy,’ he replied.
‘Does she suspect?’
‘No,’ he shook his head. ‘I have kept a close eye on her, for the moment she knows nothing.’
Suddenly the watch at Davis’ wrist beeped and he looked down. Pulling back his sleeve slightly, he noted the blinking number counting down from thirty. He stood and opened the briefcase, pulling out the false bottom and retrieving two gas masks.
‘It is time,’ he held out one of the masks towards him.
Charles stood, the restraints at his wrists and ankles simply clicked open and dropped back against the chair with a small metallic clang. He felt his power flex and unfurl inside him, held dormant for too long.
The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum Page 11
