‘No,’ he shook his head, ‘sometimes I see things. It’s a bit hard to explain. It’s like impressions, it doesn’t happen with everybody.’
‘So you knew things were tough for her and her husband?’
He nodded, a little embarrassed.
‘That was very generous,’ she murmured as she stretched up on her toes and impulsively pressed her lips to his.
Beau went nuts and started barking, running in circles around them and jumping up trying to get in on their embrace. Laughing again, Olivia handed Theo her Latte and bent down to untangle Beau’s leash from their legs. When she looked up Theo was taking a sneaky sip of her coffee.
‘What?’ he said innocently, ‘I just wanted to try a little.’
‘Hand it over,’ she shook her head, ‘or I won’t have any left.’
He laughed and dropped his arm around her shoulders as they headed back to her car. Draining the rest of his Macchiato, he dropped the cup in the trash and scooped up Beau.
Olivia moved round the car back to the driver’s side, but as she went to open it she frowned. The door was unlocked. She could’ve sworn she saw Theo lock it. She shrugged to herself, maybe he just didn’t do it properly.
Opening the door, she went to climb in, but noticed a book on her seat. Reaching in with trembling hands she turned it over to look at it. It had been her favorite as a child, her father used to read it to her almost every night.
The feeling of being watched once again prickled between her shoulder blades, and she turned around.
Vaguely aware of the door clicking closed behind her, her eyes swept across the road to the opposite sidewalk and to where a familiar man stood watching her calmly.
Her heart gave a solid thump in her chest and her eyes suddenly filled with tears. A maelstrom of emotions crashed through her, from hate and anger, through confusion, to longing and love.
Her father watched her with unreadable eyes. She didn’t know what she’d expected; she’d spent the last two decades hating him for what he’d done. In her mind he was cold and cruel and twisted, but standing there in the middle of the street the years fell away and he was the man she had loved.
She didn’t realize that tears rolled slowly down her face, her attention was locked on him alone. She took a step toward him and flinched at a sudden horn blaring, followed by a loud screech of tires.
Theo grabbed her and yanked her back as the car skidded to a halt in front of them. The driver jumped out and headed toward them.
‘Christ, I’m sorry man. I didn’t see her, is she okay?’
But Olivia wasn’t listening, her gaze scanned the sidewalk, but her father was gone. Her heart pounded wildly, while Theo checked her for injuries.
‘Olivia?’ he shook her to get her attention, ‘are you hurt?’
‘No,’ she answered numbly, ‘I’m okay.’
‘Christ Olivia, what were you thinking?’ he breathed heavily.
‘I saw my father,’ her eyes were raw and filled with pain.
‘Where?’
Her gaze tracked mutely back to the opposite side of the road.
Theo scanned the surrounding area, but the truth was he didn’t actually know what Charles Connell looked like.
‘Is he still there?’
She shook her head silently.
After satisfying himself that she was okay, the driver of the other car left. Theo managed to get her back to the car, but she was still pretty shaken up. She sat in the driver’s seat just staring out the windscreen.
‘Do you want me to drive?’ Theo asked.
She turned to look at him blankly.
‘How hard can it be?’ his lips twitched with the ghost of a smile.
She laughed weakly and scrubbed her hands over her face.
‘Are you alright?’
‘Yes,’ she sighed, ‘no…I don’t know. It just took me by surprise. I guess I expected him to look different, but apart from the grey hair he just looked like my dad.’
‘Do you want me to call Jake?’
‘No,’ she shook her head, ‘we’ll call him later. Let’s just go home.’
Taking a deep breath she started the car and reversed out carefully. Beau was burrowed into Theo’s lap and watched her quietly with big brown eyes, as if he sensed something was wrong. She didn’t even bother to check to see if she was still being tailed by the police, she just knew she was tired and emotionally wrung out, and all she wanted was to go home.
She turned into her drive in relief, but it was short lived. As she pulled up to the front of the house she could see something was wrong. Switching off the engine, she climbed out slowly and a hot ball of misery filled her throat, and tears filled her eyes.
Her porch was covered in shots of what could only be egg and scrawled across her front door, in giant grotesque red letters was the word ‘MURDERER.’
20.
Jake’s jaw clenched angrily as he took in the dripping red letters on Olivia’s door. Knocking loudly, he stepped back and surveyed the damage to the porch. Pieces of egg shells crunched under his boots and smears of yolk and egg whites streaked the walls and windows. The door opened abruptly and Theo appeared, his expression almost perfectly mirroring Jake’s.
‘I suppose I should be grateful you’re actually dressed this time,’ Jake said dryly.
The corner of Theo’s mouth twitched.
‘You’d better come in.’
He stood back allowing Jake to pass him.
Hanging his jacket up in the hallway Jake wiped his boots on the mat and made his way into the library, where he was met by a very enthusiastic ball of golden colored fur.
‘Hey buddy,’ Jake knelt down and stroked the puppy, his gaze scanning the room and as it fell on Olivia his expression was indecipherable. ‘He looks just like Truman.’
‘Yes he does,’ she replied.
‘I have something I need to show you,’ Jake got up and took a seat next to her on the sofa, ‘then we can talk about that mess on your porch.’
He opened the folder he held in his hands.
‘I traced the package containing Grady’s case files that was sent to you, back to Salem. I checked some of the hotels, motels and B&B’s and pulled this from the security footage.’
He handed her a photo of her father leaving the lobby with the pale haired man.
‘Where was this taken?’
‘The Hawthorne,’ he told her, ‘but they checked out yesterday evening. They could be anywhere by now.’
‘They’re in Mercy,’ she replied quietly.
‘What?’
She glanced up as Theo entered the room.
‘You’d better tell him all of it.’
‘What’s going on?’ Jake asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.
Restless, Olivia rose from the couch, needing some space between her and Jake while she tried to work out where to start.
‘My father has been leaving me little gifts, mementos of my childhood, for a while now,’ she began.
‘You’ve been in contact with him?’ Jake’s expression darkened.
‘No,’ she shook her head, ‘I haven’t. The first time was a couple of weeks ago. He left a doll on my porch during the night.’
‘What sort of doll?’
‘My doll specifically, the one I was holding the night of the fire.’ She moved towards the desk and opened the drawer, retrieving the doll and handing it to Jake.
‘Jesus Olive,’ he examined it closely, ‘is this blood?’
She nodded slowly.
‘I would imagine if you had it tested it would be my mother’s blood.’
‘You said gifts?’ Jake’s eyes narrowed, ‘what else?’
He watched as her eyes fell on the little golden puppy chewing on the corner of the rug.
‘We found Beau in a box on the porch last night. He was wearing a collar with the name Truman on it.’
Hearing his
name, the puppy leapt up and scrambled over to Olivia and tried to climb her leg.
‘Beau?’
‘I changed his name,’ she picked him up and stroked his head as he nuzzled into her, licking her face. ‘I’m sure you can appreciate why.’
‘How is he doing it? I thought you said he couldn’t cross the protection line.’
‘I don’t know,’ she shrugged. ‘He shouldn’t be able to. I’ve gone over and over it in my head and the only two answers I can come up with is, either he doesn’t intend me harm, or he is getting someone else to cross the line and leave things.’
‘Is there anything else other than the doll and the puppy?’
‘Not at the house.’
‘Explain.’
‘Theo and I went into town this morning,’ she elaborated. ‘We needed some supplies for Beau. We went to the Bailey’s store and then to the coffee shop. When I got back to my car it was unlocked and on my seat was my favorite childhood book, the one my dad used to read to me almost every night. I looked up and there he was across the street, just standing there looking at me, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He wasn’t even trying to hide.’
‘For God’s sake Olive,’ Jake stood abruptly, ‘why the hell didn’t you report it? He’s a convicted felon, who’s on the run and he’s dangerous.’
‘There was no point,’ she put Beau back down on the floor, watching absently as he ambled over to Theo and began to play tug of war with the hem of his jeans.
‘No point?’ Jake shouted angrily, ‘that wasn’t your call to make. You should have reported it immediately.’
‘And just who the fuck was I supposed to report it to Jake?’ she shouted back as her temper flared. ‘The Chief of Police who thinks I am in league with my father? Or maybe I should have told Deputy Walker, who thinks I murdered his brother? Or perhaps I should have tried Deputy Helga, who has been my own personal stalker for weeks now. I could have invited her over, we could’ve painted each other’s toenails and I could’ve told her all about my daddy sending me sick little presents designed to remind me of the worst night of my life?’
‘You could have told me,’ he replied quietly.
‘I just did,’ she answered crossly, ‘but you have no idea what this feels like. To know that the people who are supposed to protect you, think you’re a cold blooded killer. To know that the whole town is whispering behind my back, wondering if I am the same as my father, to come home shaken up after seeing my father for the first time in twenty years to find my home violated and that shit smeared all over my door? And you think I should go to the police? Well I’m sorry Jake, but I don’t trust the police.’
‘You can trust me,’ his eyes were dark and hurt.
‘I do trust you,’ she sighed shaking her head, ‘but you already said yourself, the Chief pretty much has you on a tight leash, you’re operating on limited resources. I do need you to help me figure all this out, but we can’t involve the police department.’
‘Fine,’ Jake conceded, ‘as long as you promise to call me straight away when something happens, not fill me in hours later because I happened to drop by.’
‘Fair enough,’ Olivia nodded, ‘and in the interest of full disclosure, I should probably tell you that there’s a demon trapped in the woods.’
‘What?’ Jake looked up sharply, ‘seriously?’
‘Okay here’s the short version, try and keep up,’ Olivia sucked in a deep breath. ‘The serpent seal branded into all the murder victims is actually a demon seal. The two serpents represent demon brothers, one named Seth and the other Nathaniel, as in Nathaniel Boothe, the man Theo knew back in 1695. It turns out he wasn’t a cleric at all, but a demon disguising himself as a priest. You gotta love the irony; anyway, he followed Hester to Mercy and she lured him into a devil’s trap in the woods and sealed it with her own blood. The place where he was trapped was named after him, hence the name Boothe’s Hollow.’
‘Wow,’ Jake dropped back down to the couch, trying to assimilate the information. ‘There’s really a demon in the woods?’
‘Yes.’
‘A real live, actual demon?’
‘Yes,’ Olivia confirmed, ‘that’s the presence I have been feeling.’
‘But you didn’t feel it back when we were kids?’ Jake frowned, ‘we played in the woods all the time.’
‘No, I didn’t feel it back then, it must have been dormant.’
‘So what has changed recently?’
‘The murders,’ Olivia answered.
‘You think the murders are directly linked to this demon Nathaniel?’
‘They would almost have to be wouldn’t they?’ Olivia replied. ‘Each of the bodies was branded with the seal and dumped in the woods with body parts missing. Maybe they are sacrifices of some sort, some part of a raising ritual?’
‘It does make sense doesn’t it?’ Jake mused scratching the stubble at his jaw. ‘So the murders back in ‘94 would mean someone was trying to raise the demon even back then.’
‘That’s what I thought,’ Olivia nodded, ‘but whoever it was must have been interrupted before they could complete the raising.’
‘But why wait twenty years to try again?’ Jake asked. ‘I hate to say it Olive, but it’s not looking good for your dad.’
‘I’m well aware of that,’ she murmured quietly, ‘that’s why we have to figure out the truth before the ritual is complete and a demon is let loose on Mercy. Last time Nathaniel managed to manipulate everyone into a witch hunt. Could you imagine the kind of damage he could do now, with access to social media and the Internet, not to mention modern technology.’
‘Jesus,’ Jake breathed, ‘he’d probably make Charles Manson look like a Sunday picnic.’
‘Exactly.’
‘Who’s Charles Manson?’ Theo interrupted.
‘I’ll tell you later,’ Olivia brushed the question aside.
‘So where do we go from here,’ Jake frowned. ‘I don’t exactly have any experience with demons and raising rituals.’
‘None of us do,’ Olivia shook her head, ‘we’re just kind of winging it here. But I suppose the logical place to start would be to find out how Hester locked Nathaniel in the trap and how it could be broken. If we could find out how the murderer intends to open the trap, maybe we can figure out a way to stop him.’
‘So how do we figure out what spell Hester used?’ Jake asked. ‘Not to be funny, but the woman’s been dead three hundred years.’
‘I’m re-reading all her journals to see if there is even a slight mention of it. To be honest, what we need is her Grimoire, but I have no idea where it could be, if it even still exists.’
‘I need a beer,’ Jake grumbled.
‘I’ll get you one,’ Theo moved towards the door. ‘Olivia?’
‘No thanks.’
As Theo disappeared into the kitchen the doorbell rang, the strident sound startling them out of their musing. Following after Beau, who scrambled frantically on the wooden floor and skidded out into the hallway barking, Olivia scooped him up into her arms and opened the door.
‘Mags?’ her mouth fell open in shock as she took in her dearest friend.
‘Pick your jaw up Olivia before someone trips over it,’ she smoothed her cashmere coat absently and removed her leather driving gloves, tucking them inside her handbag.
‘You didn’t have to come all the way out here,’ Olivia said, uncomfortably aware of the word ‘murderer’ scrawled untidily across the door right next to her.
‘I wouldn’t have had to if you’d answered your phone.’
Olivia let out a silent curse. She’d meant to phone Mags the day before, but got sidetracked when they’d discovered the seal and then she’d completely forgotten.
Beau scrambled and wriggled in her grasp at the thought of a new person to play with.
Mags gaze passed over the enthusiastic dog to rest on the glaringly obvious letters on the door.
‘I can explain,’ Olivia started as she tried to juggle the wriggling puppy.
‘There’s no need,’ Mags answered seriously, ‘I know about the murders. We need to talk.’
‘Oh,’ she replied, taken aback, ‘well come in.’
She stepped back and allowed Mags to pass by and hang her coat on the rack by the door. Leading her into the library where Theo was handing Jake a beer she passed the dog over to him, so he wouldn’t start chewing on Mags the second he hit the floor.
‘Theo, Jake, this is Mags,’ she introduced them. ‘Mags, Theo and Jake.’
Jake swallowed his mouthful of beer and his gaze landed on Mags, his eyes narrowing as he took in her impeccable and expensive suit and low practical heels.
‘You’re Margaret Hale aren’t you?’
‘You’re good with names,’ her mouth tightened into a thin line.
‘I’m good with faces too,’ he replied. ‘You were at Evelyn’s funeral.’
‘What is he talking about Mags?’ Olivia asked in confusion. ‘Why would he think you were at Aunt Evie’s funeral? You never knew her.’
‘That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about,’ Mags answered quietly. ‘The truth is I knew your Aunt very well. We were together for over forty years.’
‘What?’ she replied in confusion, ‘what do you mean together?’
‘I mean we were a couple,’ she sighed. ‘We loved each other, but very few people actually knew about us, which was the way we wanted it.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘I have so much to tell you.’
Olivia’s expression hardened.
‘So start talking.’
Mags glanced across at Theo and Jake.
‘Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of them.’
‘Very well, you have always believed that Evie didn’t want you, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The night your mother and grandmother died, Evie was also attacked.’
‘What?’
‘Your Aunt was the first victim. She was stabbed and left for dead in this very house. Her injuries occurred before the attack on your mother and grandmother. She was discovered when the police came to inform her of what had happened. It’s a miracle she survived, given how much blood she’d lost. She was in hospital for months. When she was finally able to return home, she was asked if she would take custody of you.’
The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum Page 35
