The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘So, he was alone long enough to have looked around Wallace’s room?’

  ‘Yes,’ Adele’s eyes widened as her hand went to her mouth in a gasp of distress. ‘You think he searched through Mr Wallace’s things.’

  ‘I think it’s probably a fair assumption,’ Jake sighed in frustration. ‘Do you remember his name?’

  ‘No,’ she shook her head. ‘I’m sorry I don’t, but I do remember what he looked like, because it was a little strange.’

  ‘Strange, how?’

  ‘Well, like I said, he was a young looking man, couldn’t have been more than late thirties. But his hair was pure white and he had very pale colored eyes.’

  Jake and Olivia exchanged a long look, before Jake finally tucked all the files back into the box.

  ‘Well thank you for your time,’ he told them tightly. ‘We really appreciate it.’

  They kept silent until they were both standing back on the sidewalk and the door had shut behind them.

  ‘Well, that little bastard does like to get around doesn’t he?’ Jake frowned.

  ‘What do we do now?’

  ‘I don’t know yet,’ Jake admitted quietly, ‘but I don’t like the fact that you’re out at the Stick House all by yourself. It’s too secluded. They’ve already found one body a stone’s throw from your house and with Brody missing…’

  ‘You don’t think they’ll find him alive, do you?’

  Jake shook his head slowly.

  ‘I hope to God I’m wrong, but I don’t want to take any chances with you. I’d like you to think about staying with either me, Erica or Louisa. All of our places are more central to town, with better security.’

  ‘I appreciate it Jake, I really do,’ she smiled softly as they began to walk back towards his car. ‘But the Stick House is my home now, I’m not leaving it.’

  ‘Don’t be stupid Olive,’ Jake frowned. ‘You’ve got a murderer dumping bodies around your house. He’s taking victims who are connected to you and then you have this unknown man, who may be connected to this whole mess, stealing files, breaking your father out of custody and stalking you.’

  ‘The murderer has obviously got a thing for guys, I’m not his type,’ she replied.

  ‘This is serious Olive, you could be in very real danger.’

  ‘Jake,’ she stopped and took his hand. ‘I love that you worry about me. Trust me, after being on my own for the past twenty years it means more than I can tell you, but I can take care of myself. My house may not have up to date security, but I have powerful protection wards around the property. What you saw me do the other night with the fire, it’s not even a fraction of what I’m capable of. So trust me when I say, nothing is getting over that line.’

  ‘You’re not going to budge on this are you?’ he sighed.

  ‘Not for the moment,’ she smiled, ‘but I’ll compromise and agree that if anything significantly changes I’ll think about it, okay?’

  He nodded in agreement but she could see the reluctance in his eyes.

  After dropping her home Jake headed back to the police station to see what he could find out, leaving Olivia once again on her own. She made herself a sandwich and sat down to get some work done on her latest project, but found she just couldn’t focus. Needing a distraction she pulled out the notes she’d made at the museum, about Theodore Beckett and his family.

  Feeling uneasy and restless she climbed up to the top of the shelf where she’d stored Hester’s trunk and pulled it down. She flicked through Theodore’s journal again and pulled out the sketches. This time she looked at them in a lot more detail and she found herself once again drawn back to the picture that looked alarmingly like her house. In fact, the more she looked at it the more she recognized little details.

  No, she shook her head, it just wasn’t possible. There had to be another explanation. There was no way the picture of her house, and the picture of her that the guy in the hospital had on him, was drawn over three hundred years ago.

  Taking a deep breath she stood and tucked all the pictures back into the journal, placing them carefully in the box and putting it back on the shelf. There was only one way to get answers, she was going to head straight back to the hospital and ask the guy himself. And if he didn’t give her the answer she was looking for, she was having the damn sketches carbon dated.

  Once her mind was made up it took a surprisingly short amount of time before she found herself standing in a hospital room, staring down at the guy who’d collapsed in front of her car.

  He was asleep. She’d worked up quite a head of steam on the drive from her house, but now that she was standing there in his room, looking down at his relaxed face, she found the anger and frustration draining out of her. She knew she should wake him up, demand answers from him, but she found herself just standing there, watching him.

  Her fingers twitched involuntarily, as if they wanted to reach out and trace the lines of his jaw. His hair was just long enough to curl slightly on the ends and was so dark, it was almost black. His skin, despite the slight bruising, was a pleasing golden color, suggesting he was used to working out in the sun. Quietly moving closer, she found herself wishing he would open his eyes so she could see what color they were.

  He was covered with a sheet and hospital blanket but she could see he wore a white tee shirt which moulded to his firm torso and upper arms. Jesus, either this guy was no stranger to a gym or he had an extremely, physically demanding job. His forearm was bandaged and he had an IV attached to the back of his hand but other than that he didn’t look too worse for wear.

  His lips parted slightly as he took deep even breaths and for a moment she envied him. He looked so peaceful. Even though she didn’t want to, she was starting to feel bad for the guy. No matter how pissed she was at the Chief for throwing that picture at her, she had no right to barge in here and accuse this guy of, well, whatever she was accusing him of. She wasn’t even sure she knew anymore.

  Feeling frustrated, she ran her fingers through her hair, causing more strands to loosen from the top knot and fall around her face. She didn’t know what the hell she was doing. It felt like from the minute she stepped back in town she had been confused and frustrated. Maybe she just needed to take a step back, get a good night’s sleep, and look at the situation with fresh eyes.

  She turned away from him and took a step back towards the door.

  ‘Wait,’ a soft, gravelly voice stopped her.

  The voice was low and sleepy and yet it coiled around her gut, causing delicious sensations deep in her belly. Turning back toward that appealing voice she found him propped on one arm, awake and staring at her.

  His eyes were dark brown, was all she could think. A deep dark brown that seemed endless.

  ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,’ she replied quietly.

  He watched her silently. She moved closer and sat down in the chair next to the bed, bringing her to his eye level. He didn’t feel threatening at all, despite the fact he didn’t speak but just continued to study her face.

  ‘I’m dreaming again,’ he sighed in disappointment.

  ‘Why do you say that?’ she asked curiously.

  ‘I see you in my dreams all the time,’ he murmured, reaching out his hand slowly towards her face. ‘But every time I touch you I wake and I’m alone.’

  It was like being woven into a web spun of gold and warmth and need. She didn’t consciously understand it, but found herself leaning into his touch. His voice was so foreign and yet familiar at the same time, as if something deep down inside her began to stir and wake, recognizing him.

  His fingertips grazed her cheek lightly and he jolted in surprise. He gasped, his palm gliding along her soft skin and cupping the side of her face.

  ‘You’re real?’ he breathed in wonder.

  She suddenly pulled back.

  ‘I um…’ she tried to organize her thoughts, ‘I’m sorry I hit you with my car, or not,’ she s
hook her head.

  ‘Did not hit you with my car,’ she clarified. ‘You were on the road outside my house and you just collapsed. You really shouldn’t be out in the middle of the road, in the middle of the night, without adequate lighting you really could’ve been killed. You were really lucky I managed to stop in time.’

  Vaguely aware she’d used the word ‘really’ three times in the space of about four seconds, she could hear herself rambling like a crazy person. But to her acute embarrassment she couldn’t seem to stop the flood of random words pouring out of her mouth. He didn’t seem to mind though. He just sat watching her, the corner of his mouth curving into an amused smile. He looked at her as if she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

  ‘Who are you?’ he asked suddenly.

  ‘I thought you said you knew me?’

  ‘I do know you,’ he replied softly. ‘I just don’t know your name.’

  ‘Olivia,’ she replied after a moment’s hesitation, ‘my name is Olivia.’

  ‘Olivia,’ he repeated, smiling.

  ‘Um, sorry,’ she shook her head. ‘How do you know me?’

  ‘I’ve seen you in my dreams my whole life.’

  ‘Okaay,’ her eyes narrowed, ‘slightly creepy response.’

  ‘I’m afraid I am probably not explaining myself very well.’

  ‘I hear that’s common after a head injury,’ she murmured. ‘When you were brought in you had a picture in your pocket, a picture that looked a lot like me. Where did you get it?’

  ‘I drew it,’ he explained.

  ‘You drew it,’ she repeated slowly. ‘What’s your name?’

  ‘Theodore Beckett.’

  She was shaking her head before he had even finished speaking.

  ‘No, it’s not possible.’

  ‘Olivia.’

  ‘No,’ she stood abruptly, ‘not possible.’

  ‘Olivia please,’ he reached out and grasped her hand as she turned to leave. ‘I know this is hard for you to accept, it was for me too at first, but I think I was brought here because of you.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘My name is Theodore Beckett, I was born in Salem Village of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the year of our Lord 1664. The last thing I remember before I was brought here, was being trapped in a burning barn. The ceiling was collapsing,’ he took a deep breath as he cast his mind back. ‘I was dying and then I was standing in the darkness. There was a man, he saved me. He told me I had to find you, that you needed me.’

  ‘No,’ Olivia shook her head. She couldn’t say why, but panic suddenly gripped her as she yanked her arm out of his grasp. ‘NO!’

  She wrenched herself free and backed towards the door.

  ‘Olivia, please just listen,’ he yanked the blankets off, knocking a sensor loose and setting off the alarm on the monitor next to his bed. Ignoring the shrill noise he swung his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet touching the cold floor. ‘Please just wait.’

  He tried to take a step towards her but a wave of dizziness washed over him and his legs crumpled beneath him.

  Two nurses rushed into the room and grasped him under the arms hauling him back onto the bed, as she ducked out of the room and ran, his voice still ringing in her ears.

  10.

  It had been almost a week since that night and things had been blessedly quiet. Brody Walker had still not been found but the Mercy police department seemed content to leave Olivia in peace, for now at least. She’d managed to eat properly and get some sleep, she’d even managed to get some work done on her latest project.

  The full moon had passed two days ago and so she’d been able to perform the ritual for drawing down the moon. It was a simple spell but one that cleansed the spirit and filled her with the energy and power of the goddess. Since then she’d felt good, well rested and centered once more.

  There was just one problem. Theodore Beckett.

  Her thoughts once again drifted back to the strange dark haired man. She blew out a breath and frowned; why did all the good looking ones have to be crazy? And he was good looking, in fact it was more than that, he was beautiful. Not in a pretty kind of way, more of a rugged manly sort of beautiful, with his dark hair and brooding eyes, framed by long sooty lashes that were shamefully wasted on a man. Damn it, there she went again. Why couldn’t she keep her mind off him for more than ten minutes at a time?

  He had to be crazy; people didn’t just go around claiming to be three hundred and forty seven year old witch-finders, unless they were mad as a hatter. The idea of time travel was ludicrous. There was no other explanation, the guy was nuts.

  So why then did she feel so bad? To be fair she’d had a really stressful day and him claiming that he’d been pulled through time to help her, had been the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Still, she shouldn’t have freaked out on him, poor guy.

  She shook her head, there really was no point in thinking about him. There wasn’t anything she could do. Okay, so maybe she’d called Louisa a couple of times to check how he was recovering and he was fine now, sort of. Physically he’d recovered from his injuries, but they couldn’t substantiate his real identity and he was not forthcoming with any other information which would help in finding any friends or relatives of his. A more senior doctor had over-ridden Louisa and declared him to be suffering with a form of amnesia. They’d had him transferred over to Riverside Psychiatric facility on the outskirts of town to recover and she was sure he was being really well cared for.

  Nope, damn it she still felt bad for him. Maybe she should go and visit him.

  To do what? she asked herself. What exactly was she going to do? Take him a muffin basket and spend a couple of hours discussing the finer points of seventeenth century history?

  ‘You know, you should consider he might be telling you the truth?’

  The strange unknown voice jolted her so violently out of her silent reverie that she spilled her coffee, burning her hand, as her head whipped in the direction the voice had come from.

  A tall, broad, extremely handsome man was sitting comfortably on the center island in her kitchen. He had jet black hair that fell almost to his collar and startling blue eyes.

  Olivia’s mouth fell open.

  ‘Who the hell are you and how did you get in my house?’

  ‘I’m the guy who pulled Theo through time,’ he grinned with a cocky little smile.

  Good lord the boy had dimples and her insides flipped as he threw that lethal smile at her. It took her almost sixty seconds of staring stupidly at him, for his words to make it to her brain.

  ‘I’m sorry, what?’

  ‘I’m the one who pulled Theodore Beckett three hundred years into the future.’

  Great she thought, another good looking lunatic.

  ‘Okaay,’ she edged slowly away from him, reaching for her phone. ‘I’m just going to call my friend Jake.’

  ‘Don’t bother,’ he shrugged casually, ‘I’ll be long gone before he gets here.’

  Her eyes widened as she watched him momentarily disappear from his seat perched on the island and then reappear standing right in front of her. Her phone fell from her slack fingers and clattered harmlessly to the floor.

  ‘It’s not possible,’ she murmured.

  ‘Really Olivia?’ he smiled, ‘with all the things you can do with your power, you think there aren’t things in this world that defy conventional logic? We walk apart from this world, you and I. There is so much more out there for you to discover. All I ask is that you listen to what I have to say with an open mind.’

  ‘Who are you?’

  ‘A friend,’ he replied softly.

  ‘I don’t know you,’ she frowned, ‘how am I supposed to trust you?’

  ‘I’m not asking for your trust, all I’m asking for is your attention. After that you can make your own decisions.’

  ‘Fine,’ she replied warily as she sank ont
o a nearby stool.

  ‘The first thing you should know is that Theo is telling you the truth. I pulled him out of time and brought him here.’

  ‘Why?’ she shook her head, trying to make sense of it all.

  ‘Because you are going to need him. These murders are just the beginning.’

  ‘You know about the murders?’ her face paled.

  ‘Yes, and like I said, they are just a small piece in a much larger puzzle. Something big is coming, something that will shake the foundations of this world, and you and your family are caught right in the middle of it.’

  ‘What?’ she tried to assimilate the information, ‘what is coming? And how is this guy supposed to help me?’

  ‘Olivia,’ he sighed, ‘I know it’s frustrating but I can’t give you all the answers. Some things you will have to figure out for yourself. I have limitations you know, I can’t risk polluting the time line any more than I already have. Haven’t you heard of the butterfly effect?’

  ‘But you’ve already polluted it by pulling him through time,’ she replied dryly. ‘I’d say that’s a pretty damn big butterfly.’

  He smiled at her in amusement.

  ‘Stop throwing those dimples at me’ she snapped irritably. ‘I’m having enough trouble concentrating as it is.’

  ‘Olivia,’ he told her softly, ‘I pulled Theo out of a burning barn at the exact moment the beams gave way and it collapsed. As far as history is concerned Theodore Beckett died in the fire. That time line is now closed. It’s not perfect but it’s as close as I could get it. You’ll just have to take my word for it, Theo is meant to be here and he is meant to help you. Do you remember when he told you that he has dreamed of you?’

  ‘Do you make a habit of listening in on other people’s conversations?’ she scowled.

  ‘Only when it’s important,’ he chuckled. ‘Theo has been having dreams about you since he was a child, but not just about you. He has been looking through a window into your world for thirty years. He just didn’t realize at the time how important those dreams were. He was taught that anything out of the ordinary was witchcraft.’