Chief Walcott stalked out of the main entrance and stormed down the steps to the sidewalk. Ignoring the rain he headed back toward Main St.
The nerve of that woman! How dare she tell him how to do his job! He could do it a hell of a lot better if she would stop interfering. Well to hell with her. If she wanted proof he’d get her God damn proof and then she’d know he was right all along. Olivia West and her father were both murderers.
He rounded the corner and stopped abruptly. Ducking back around the corner, he watched Olivia standing on the sidewalk in front of the Old Mercy Mutual Savings and Trust.
‘Are you sure?’ Theo asked looking down at her.
‘Yes,’ then she shook her head. ‘No.’
She turned to walk away from the bank, but Theo simply caught her by the arms and steered her gently back to the door.
‘You need to get this over with Olivia,’ he told her. ‘You can’t put all this behind you until you do, it will always be there at the back of your mind.’
‘I know,’ she blew out the breath she’d been holding. ‘You’re right, I know it.’
‘Come on,’ he took her hand in his and tugged her toward the door.
As she walked through the door into the light open space she pulled her hat off and stuffed it in her coat pocket.
‘Can I help?’ one of the tellers beckoned her forward.
‘Um, I’d like to speak with the Manager,’ Olivia answered nervously.
‘Certainly, Miss?’
‘West,’ she replied, watching with some amusement as the teller’s eyes widened a fraction.
‘I’ll just tell him,’ she disappeared momentarily and arrived back with a short man with very little hair and a really wide forehead.
‘Miss West,’ he greeted her courteously. ‘I’m George Banbury, the Manager.’
‘Please,’ he gestured toward a desk, with two plain, utilitarian gray padded chairs tucked neatly in front of it.
‘How can I help you today?’
‘I uh,’ she sat down in one of the seats with Theo next to her, ‘I have recently been informed that my Aunt held a safety deposit box here and I have the key to it. I just wondered how I would go about getting access to it?’
‘That’s not a problem. Evelyn West did indeed rent a box with us and your name is already listed. You are more than welcome to access its contents, all I require is a valid form of identification.’
‘I have my driver’s license.’
‘Perfect,’ he replied as she handed it to him.
Chief Walcott peered through the glass curiously and saw Olivia sitting talking to the bank manager. He watched her get up and disappear into the back with him, while Theo remained in the waiting area. He ducked back out of view quickly as Theo turned and gazed out of the glass front of the bank.
‘So can I remove the items if I choose?’ Olivia asked as she followed him into a back room, which was filled with row upon row of metal boxes.
‘That is your right,’ he nodded, ‘the box is paid up in full for several years. We can either refund the fee back to you if you wish to surrender the box, or you can keep it and store other items in it. Your key, if you don’t mind Miss West.’
She handed it to him and watched as he unlocked the box and pulled out an interior metal container, carrying it over to the table in the center of the room and setting it down.
‘I will give you some privacy then,’ he nodded and left the room, quietly clicking the door closed behind him.
In the stillness of the windowless room, she could feel her heart pounding in her ears as she reached out with trembling hands and lifted the hinged lid. The box contained a large, thick, rectangular item wrapped in heavy black velvet. She reached out slowly and grasped the object carefully. She could feel the heat tingling in her fingertips as she lifted it clear of the box and laid it on the table in front of her.
Breathing heavily she just stared at it. She knew what it was. She could feel it whispering to her, calling to her blood. Slowly, she peeled back the thick layer of cloth to reveal a heavy black, leather bound book, a triple moon etched into its face. She laid her hand reverently on the cover and for a second she could have sworn, she saw the surface ripple beneath her palm.
Excitement pounded through her veins and she opened it up and turned to the first page. For a second her vision blurred, the page seemed to swirl in front of her eyes, the words reordering themselves on the page until it settled into an elegant curly script.
Lifting the heavy book in her hands, she gasped as a thrill ran through her. She was actually holding Hester’s Grimoire, the book that had obviously been protected and treasured by her family for centuries. Suddenly feeling very exposed, she closed the book and wrapped it up in the velvet cover. She took the metal drawer, slotting it back into the wall and locking it, she slung the key around her neck. Picking the book up and holding it tightly wrapped in her arms, she hurried out of the room.
Theo glanced up as he saw Olivia hurrying back out into the main floor of the bank, her expression excited but wary.
‘What is it?’
‘Not here,’ she shook her head, ‘we need to go, now.’
‘Was everything to your satisfaction Miss West?’ Mr Banbury called to her.
‘Its fine, thanks for your help,’ she waved as she grabbed Theo’s hand and pulled him to the door.
Unbuttoning her coat, she clutched the book to her chest and folded her coat over it to protect it from the rain, which had now slowed from downpour to steady drizzle.
Chief Walcott watched as they exited the bank and hurried toward her car, which was parked nearby. His eyes narrowed as he zeroed in on the bulky item half concealed by Olivia’s coat. Torn between following her and entering the bank, he hesitated and missed his opportunity. Cursing he turned and pushed the door open, his hawk-like gaze surveying the main floor. Zeroing in on the manager he beckoned him over.
‘Chief Walcott,’ he greeted. ‘What can we do for you today?’
‘Banbury,’ he nodded, ‘can we speak in private?’
‘Certainly,’ his smile faded a little. ‘I hope nothing is wrong?’
Walcott’s expression darkened and Banbury found himself swallowing uncomfortably. He’d never seen the chief look so intense.
‘Why don’t we go to my office?’ he suggested hesitantly.
When Walcott didn’t reply Mr Banbury turned and led him into the back.
‘Well,’ he said nervously as he clicked the door shut and turned around, ‘what can I do for you chief?’
Walcott didn’t take the offered seat, in fact he didn’t move at all, but instead kept the manager trapped between him and the door.
‘Olivia West was just here, what did she want?’
‘Chief, I’m not really comfortable discussing a customer’s…’
‘What did she want?’ he cut off the nervous man’s protestations.
‘She wanted to access her Aunt’s safety deposit box,’ he stammered.
‘And you let her?’
‘She had the key, she is listed as a signatory and as Evelyn’s sole heir, it’s her right.’
‘She removed something, what was it?’
‘I...I don’t know.’
‘Don’t lie to me.’
‘I’m not I…’
With growl of frustration he grasped Mr Banbury by the throat and pinned him to the wall.
‘What did she take?’
‘I swear I don’t know,’ he croaked as the Chief applied pressure to his throat.
‘Tell me the truth,’ he slammed him against the wall again.
‘I am,’ his face was beginning to turn purple, ‘please…’
Chief Walcott's fist gripped tighter, his eyes glazing over as Mr Banbury scratched and clawed at his hand, trying to get him to release him.
Suddenly he let go. Banbury slumped to the floor coughing and trying desperately to drag air into his starving
lungs. Chief Walcott stared at his hands noticing the welts forming and the thin lines of blood. A buzzing began in his ears, getting louder and louder as his vision began to gray slightly at the edges and his heartbeat picked up. The tiny airless room felt like it was shrinking; he needed to get out.
He yanked the door so hard, one of the hinges splintered away from the frame. Rushing out into the corridor, he almost collided with someone. Not even bothering to apologize, or even look up, he staggered out into the main floor, shoving past people, his eyes fixed on the entrance. The noise was almost a roar in his ears now as he burst out into the soft cool drizzle. He rounded the corner and disappeared into the alley.
Pressing his forehead against the damp bricks while the slow steady rain filled the back of his collar, he sucked in great big lungfuls of air. Slowly, the spots in front of his eyes disappeared and his frantic heartbeat eased. His body was still racked with shudders, but he could once again hear the faint sounds of traffic and smell the rotting garbage of the nearby dumpster.
He couldn’t believe what he had almost done to the bank manager. It was like he’d stepped outside his body and watched someone else take over, someone he didn’t recognize. All he knew was in that one moment he’d wanted to hurt that man, he’d wanted to squeeze and squeeze until there was no life left in him.
What the hell was wrong with him?
Suddenly, he found himself pinned face first against the wall and he couldn’t move. Scraping his head a fraction to the right, he tried to look using his peripheral vision, but there was nothing there. He felt another sharp jerk and he was spun around and slammed back into the wall, once again immobilized, only now he could see the alley. His eyes widened in surprise as his gaze locked on familiar hazel colored eyes.
Charles Connell lowered his hand, but the chief remained trapped by an invisible force.
‘Hello Tommy,’ his voice was low, but carried over the rain.
‘Charlie,’ he ground out from between clenched teeth, ‘release me.’
‘I don’t think so,’ he smiled coolly, ‘not just yet.’
‘You think I’m impressed by your cheap parlor tricks?’ he scoffed. ‘You forget, I’ve known you a long time.’
‘You think you know me,’ Charles clarified, ‘but I can assure you, you never knew the half of what I was capable of.’
He raised his hand again and Walcott was pressed even more painfully into the wall. With agonizing slowness he felt his body begin to slide upward, the rough wall taking off layers of skin.
‘Did you really think my wife was the only one descended from a powerful witching family?’
‘Is that what all this is about?’ he spat contemptuously. ‘A pissing match between the Wests and the Connells? Is that why you killed her? Isabel didn’t deserve what you did to her and her mother.’
Charles’s mouth curved in amusement.
‘How very like you Tommy, as usual always two steps behind everyone else.’
‘Just tell me why? Why’d you do it? Why her? Why the others?’ his voice dropped to a broken whisper. ‘Why Jimmy?’
Charles’s expression flattened giving nothing away.
‘What do you want Charlie?’ Walcott gritted his teeth even tighter, against the helpless wave of rage at the sharp pain of seeing his former friend.
Charles tilted his head slightly as he made a small gesture with his hand and Walcott slid down the wall sharply.
‘I came for one reason and one reason only,’ he stepped closer so there was only a breath between them.
‘What’s that?’
‘Stay away from my daughter,’ he warned, his voice cold and menacing. ‘If you harm her....’
His voice dropped to a whisper and Walcott felt the pressure against his body tighten painfully.
‘You’re a dead man…’
Satisfied he’d made his point Charles turned to leave, but at the last moment he paused at the entrance to the alley and looked back at the man he had once called brother.
‘If it makes you feel any better,’ he spoke quietly, his voice almost an afterthought, ‘Jimmy didn’t suffer. He was dead before he hit the ground.’
Walcott howled like a caged animal, fighting against the invisible bonds until Charles was long gone. When the restraints finally dissolved, he dropped weakly to his knees on the sodden filthy ground and wept bitterly.
Olivia dropped down on the rug in front of the fire next to Theo and handed him a steaming mug of coffee.
‘Are you absolutely sure this is Hester’s Grimoire?’ he asked dubiously.
‘Yes,’ she nodded, ‘why?’
‘It’s complete nonsense,’ his brow creased as he leafed carefully through the pages crackling with age. ‘It doesn’t make any sense at all.’
‘I know that the language is a little archaic, which frankly shouldn’t bother you and she seems to like to rhyme an awful lot, but most of the spells and charms are pretty self-explanatory.’
‘How do you know? It’s not even written in English. In fact it doesn’t look like any language I’ve ever seen.’
‘What?’ Olivia laughed, ‘of course it’s written in English.’
‘No its not,’ Theo told her seriously handing the book back to her.
‘What?’
She set her cup of tea down and leafed through the pages. Although the letters once again swirled and moved, they settled down into English and she found she could read it easily.
‘This is an old housewives charm for shining the silverware and this one here is a draught for relieving the symptoms of ague.’
‘You can read it?’ Theo mused. ‘Interesting.’
‘Maybe it’s because I’m a West,’ Olivia replied thoughtfully. ‘I suppose Hester could have charmed it so only certain people could read it. It would be interesting to see if anyone other than me can read it.’
‘Have you come across any mention of Nathaniel yet?’
‘No, but then I haven’t finished looking through it yet.’
Leaning back against the couch, he stretched his legs out in front of the fire and sipped his coffee whilst he watched her. Olivia was reading avidly, a small smile tugging at her lips, while her tea sat cold and forgotten. It was always the same, he thought with amusement, the second she started reading she would forget everything else. He’d lost count of how many cups of cold tea he’d thrown away.
‘Have you called Margaret?’ he asked.
‘No,’ she murmured her gaze not leaving the book, ‘I’m not ready to talk to Mags yet.’
‘I do understand that, but now that the initial shock has worn off, maybe you should give her a chance to explain.’
She looked up from the pages, her lips fixed in a tight line.
‘I know you’re only trying to help,’ she answered, ‘but unless she knows the identity of the murderer or how to stop a demon from rising, I’m not really interested in anything she has to say.’
Choosing wisely to drop the subject for now, he continued to drink his coffee, while he watched her return to the book. He’d just give her some space and then sooner or later he’d give her another little nudge. She was an incredibly stubborn woman, but whether she liked it or not she needed to speak with her friend. Margaret was too important to her for her not to.
‘Hey,’ Olivia frowned suddenly, ‘I think I’ve found something.’
Theo sat forward in interest, but when he glanced at the page he just saw strange spidery symbols fanning out on the page like a web.
‘What is it?’
‘Hold on,’ she murmured, her gaze scanning the next several lines before she turned the page and read that too.
‘Well?’ he asked impatiently.
‘This is definitely the spell Hester used to open the devil’s trap and seal Nathaniel in there, it mentions him by name. It looks as if she wrote the spell herself and she used some pretty heavyweight binding magic, woven with blood magic.’
&
nbsp; She continued to read through a few more lines.
‘If I’m reading this right, this is incredibly powerful magic. The devil’s trap was built to last centuries, but it has lasted barely three.’
‘So?’ Theo shrugged.
‘So what happened?’ she replied absently, ‘what made the magic start to break down?’
‘The murders?’
‘No, it doesn’t mention them at all. I still don’t understand their importance or how they are supposed to raise the demon. I suppose it could…oh’
She suddenly stopped and read further.
‘Well that explains… a lot,’ her face paled and she sat back dropping the book back into her lap. ‘The prison remains intact as long as a West remains on this land.’
Her mind was working furiously now the pieces were starting to fall into place.
‘The night my mother died,’ she spoke her voice cracked, she cleared her throat and tried again. ‘The night Mom and Nana died, and Aunt Evie was attacked, it must have been part of the plan to raise the demon. The killer knew that as long as a West remained alive and living on this land the trap couldn’t be opened. But with all of them gone the trap was weakened, and I assume could be opened by whatever raising spell they are planning on using, a spell which requires the murder victims. So the killer took out Aunt Evie first, he must have assumed she was already dead, and then he came to my house and killed Nana and my Mom.’
‘But your father killed your mom?’
‘Yes he did,’ she breathed heavily, the pain a hot hard ball burning at the back of her throat. ‘You know, I never understood why he kept me alive, why he killed them and took me.’
‘Because he loved you?’ Theo answered quietly. ‘Because, no matter what he had done in a fit of madness, you were his child, his blood.’
‘No,’ she shook her head sadly, ‘not because I was his blood, but because I was hers.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘The last few lines of Hester’s spell,’ she quoted,
‘With my blood this trap here make, and by my blood this trap will break.’
The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum Page 37
