by Marcus Brown
“But, Ma’am,” red head said, approaching Tabitha.
“But nothing. Unless you’ve both had a bump to the head, you know who I am, so regardless of what order Jack has given, I’m countermanding it as his superior. Got it?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” they replied in unison again.
“Good,” she replied, with an air of finality. She turned around and looked at her sisters. “Well, are you two gonna move your lazy arses, or do I have to go on my own?”
Without a word, they rushed to her side and the two officers followed dutifully a couple of paces behind.
Her strength was failing her, but there was no way she was going to look weak in front of her own officers and mustered every ounce of strength she had within.
She reached the morgue and pushed the doors open as a shocked mortuary assistant spun around in his chair and looked up at her, mouth agape.
Chapter Nine
“My name is Chief Inspector Tabitha Worthy and I’m here to see the body of Trey Dembélé.” She looked unsteady on her feet.
The assistant looked taken aback and rushed to his feet. He must have wondered why this bedraggled woman in a hospital dressing gown was demanding to see the murdered forensic pathologist.
Tabitha looked him up and down. His lab coat was in dire need of a boil wash, but she didn’t have time right there and then to lecture the awkward looking young man on her own impossible to meet standards.
“I’m sorry. I-I can’t allow that,” he spluttered.
“And why not?” Tabitha asked, impatiently.
“Because I’ve had strict instructions from the pathologist not to allow anyone to see the body until the autopsy has been carried out. Plus, and I say this with the greatest respect – you don’t look like a chief inspector, more like a patient who’s escaped from one of the psych wards.”
“I’ll give you a black eye if you say one more word,” Tabitha threatened.
“I’m calling security,” he added.
“There’s no need to, twat face,” Talia added, rudely. “There are two police officers outside the door right now.” She folded her arms and gave him a take that, smart arse kind of look.
“Tally, don’t get involved,” Tamara ordered. “You’ll just make everything worse.”
“I am involved. Just because you’ve wedged your arse firmly on the fence, doesn’t mean I have to…”
“Look,” the assistant spluttered, interrupting Talia. “If you don’t get out of here now, all of you, that is, I don’t care who’s outside the door, I’ll call for security and have you forcibly removed.”
“I want to see Trey Dembélé, now” Tabitha insisted.
“Nobody is seeing him – I already told you why and no matter how much you try to intimidate me, it won’t be happening.”
“Bullshit,” Tabitha added. “Where is he?”
“Miss, I’m sorry, but I can’t allow it.”
“Tell me where he is, or you’re the one who’ll be sorry.”
“Tabi,” Tamara said, obviously trying to diffuse the situation. “Don’t do this. The poor guy is only doing his job,” Tamara reasoned. “We can come back once the autopsy is finished.”
“I don’t want to see him after they’ve taken parts away and stuffed him with sandbags. I want to see the Trey I love…” Infuriated, she paused, unable to stop the tears from falling.
Talia put her arm around Tabitha and guided her from the room. The two officers looked on – they must have been wondering what had transpired, but said nothing.
“I’m so sorry about that,” Tamara said to the assistant. “She isn’t usually like that – bump to the head, you see.” She tapped the side of her head, then rushed out, following her sisters and the officers along the corridor and back to Tabitha’s room.
Chapter Ten
A week later.
Tabitha had drained the litre bottle of brandy ten minutes earlier, but was still sober.
She’d been awake for seventy-two hours straight, but sleep wouldn’t come.
Lying on her queen-sized bed, staring up at the high ceiling, she wished for sleep, but eventually, at three am, gave up and blinked down into the kitchen.
“A bit of fresh air will do the trick,” she said to herself, pushing the French doors open and stepping into the night.
The air felt good, but rather than induce tiredness, she found herself re-invigorated.
Crossing the lawns and heading for the woods surrounding Moonlight Manor, she allowed her mind to wander across the centuries, remembering the times when her life used to be carefree and good.
Now, it had turned to shit.
Jeremiah was still at large.
Abigail and Numen were also free to wreak more havoc.
Her sisters were mad at her wilful refusal to discuss their loss of immortality. It was the last thing she cared about. If she were to die tomorrow, it couldn’t come soon enough.
And to top it all, she’d lost the love of her life. But, in a cruel twist of fate, she’d realised far too late how much Trey had meant to her.
Tabitha allowed her mind to wander as she continued her walk, deeper into the woods, but her senses, sharp as ever alerted her to a nearby presence. She knew it couldn’t have been her mother, Numen or Jeremiah. There was no way of them breaking through the wards, and the Lodge was closed off, so the main house couldn’t be accessed through it.
Looking around, trying to find the source of her unease, she spotted a tennis ball sized blue orb hovering in the distance. It seemed to be moving away from her, and as it moved, it cast an eerie glow against the trees and bushes. Pushing her way through overgrown branches, she chased the orb to a clearing at the centre of the woods.
She didn’t know why, but she was certain the orb was aware of her presence, and as she stepped closer and reached out, it rose into the air, out of reach.
Tabitha looked up, wondering what it wanted. She’d never seen anything like it before. “What are you?” she cried, her voice echoing in the darkness.
The orb pulsated, the faint vibrations echoing around the clearing.
Tabitha stepped cautiously back, surprised by the speed in which the orb grew.
Within minutes, it was larger than she was, and in a rush to move away, she tumbled backward, but before hitting the ground, she manipulated the gravity around her and hovered in mid-air, before stepping back onto an even ground. It was the first time she’d used magic since Jeremiah had nearly killed her.
“Very impressive,” a voice said from within the orb. “It’s pleasing to see you haven’t lost your touch, Tabitha Crockworthy.”
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Guess,” the voice replied.
“I don’t like games,” Tabitha said, sounding faintly annoyed.
“Don’t you recognise my voice?” Bridget Bishop asked, stepping from the light. “It hasn’t been that long, surely?”
“Bridget,” Tabitha exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”
“You’ve lost a great deal, child, and I’m here to return something precious to you.”
“Please don’t talk in riddles – I can’t stand it,” Tabitha pleaded. “Just give me a straight answer.”
“Very well,” Bridget replied.
Bridget stepped aside, and Tabitha watched curiously as a figure appeared from within the light.
She couldn’t tell who it was and squinted into the blinding light, but moments later, she gasped, then pressed her hand tight across her mouth.
“Hello, Tabitha,” he said. “Surprise.”
She’d missed the deep timbers of his voice and wanted to cry. She tried to maintain her composure. “You,” she said once the initial shock had passed, tears falling down her face. “But how?”
“A gift from the Goddess,” Bridget answered as Trey stepped out of the blue light. “One you should be eternally thankful for.”
He smiled at Tabitha.
“But you died,” she said. “I saw your body.�
�
Trey approached and pulled her into a tight embrace. He kissed the top of her head. “Why are you so surprised? I always thought there was more to you and now I know the truth.”
Tabitha pulled away and looked down at the floor, suddenly ashamed of what she was. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”
“You’ve nothing to be sorry for. I understand why you didn’t tell me, but I don’t care what you are – you’re still the most amazing woman I ever met.”
He held his arms open and she melted into them. “I missed you, Trey.”
“I was only gone a minute,” he replied.
“A minute too long,” she said, her voice cracking.
“It pleases me to see you smile again, Tabitha,” Bridget said, “but before I take my leave, I offer this one warning.”
Tabitha and Trey let go of one another and twisted to face Bridget.
“Is this where you give me the bad news?” Tabitha asked.
“Trey was returned to you as a gift, but with conditions.”
Chapter Eleven
Tabitha was worried where the conversation was headed. “Stop talking in riddles again, Bridget, and give it to me straight.”
“The Goddess wanted to reward you, and returning the man you loved was the only way. His true identity must never be revealed. To the rest of the world, he is dead. Nothing will change and the face you and your sisters see will not be presented to the rest of the world. Only you and your sisters will know who he truly is.”
“Is that it?” Tabitha asked, hoping it was. If that was all Bridget had to say, Tabitha felt she’d gotten off pretty lightly.
“No,” Bridget replied. “There is one more thing I need to say.”
“Tell me,” she huffed, feeling stupid for thinking the Goddess wouldn’t want something more from her.
“As grateful as the Goddess is, she demands a small payment in return,” Bridget stated.
“What does she want?”
“You, and you alone will take the life of your mother.”
Tabitha gasped. “Tell me this is some sort of sick joke?”
Bridget looked sad and Tabitha could see it wasn’t news she wanted to deliver. “I wish it were, child, but no, this is what you must do. If Trey is to stay with you, stop Abigail once and for all. You have three full moons then the deal is off.”
“You’re giving me three months to murder my own mother – I won’t do it.”
“Then say your goodbyes,” Bridget said, with an air of finality. “If you refuse, there will be no prejudice, but Trey will be taken away. Do what the Goddess asks, and you can live out your lives together, immortal or otherwise.”
“Bridget, I…”
“I beg you,” Bridget interrupted. “Think before you make the choice -- this is a one-time offer and you won’t be allowed to change your decision either way.”
Tabitha looked at Trey. His beautiful eyes looked back lovingly at her.
“How am I supposed to choose? Tell me, Bridget. Do I give up the love of my life, or my own soul by taking the life of my mother?”
“Your soul is not in danger, child,” she replied. “Abigail should have died a long time ago, but you and your sisters altered her destiny. And yes, before you try and justify it -- you did what any child would do in trying to save a parent.”
“Then why must she die at my hands?”
“Abigail will expose our kind to the human world. Is that what you really want?”
“No, but…” Bridget held her hand up, stopping Tabitha mid-sentence.
“The Goddess sees all and this will come to pass if you don’t stop her. You’re the only one strong enough to do it – your sisters will never do it, but the ruthlessness required lies deep within you. Now, what do you choose?”
Tabitha looked at Trey once more, her eyes moist with tears. “I choose Trey,” she said, choking back her sobs.
Trey wrapped his arms around Tabitha, allowing her to cry.
Bridget stepped back inside the orb and was carried out of the woods and up into the night sky.
Chapter Twelve
The first full moon approached, and thoughts of Abigail plagued Tabitha’s mind. How would she find the strength to take her own mother’s life? She wasn’t sure she could, but accepted the offer regardless, and would use what time she had left trying to find another solution.
Trey had settled into life in the manor, but he was eager to return to some normality of his own.
Tabitha couldn’t give him his own life back, but she could give him the next best thing – after all, the sisters had lived many lifetimes, and with a bit of hocus pocus, the man once known as Trey Dembélé was reborn as Kade Sincadu.
To the outside world, he was still of African origin, devastatingly handsome and supremely intelligent, but to her, he would always be Trey. She just had to remember that in public.
Tabitha and her sisters did what was required and once all his certificates, qualifications, and references were magically in check, that was that.
It was easy for him to secure an interview and a few days later, he was settled back into his old job.
*
Three weeks later, normality had returned to Moonlight Manor.
It was Tabitha’s first day back at work, and she was filled with a mixture of excitement and dread.
She didn’t know what to expect, and knew little of what had transpired in her absence, apart from the fact Jack Davies had been placed in charge.
Whilst she had a truckload of respect for him, he wasn’t a natural leader and she hoped him stepping down wouldn’t cause any friction between the two of them. They’d always enjoyed a cordial working relationship, and she didn’t want anything to change.
*
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the doors open and cringed. A huge cheer went up around the room as she stepped inside the open office, but as touched as she was, she could feel the flush to her cheeks.
Colourful Welcome Back banners were pinned around the large office, and she spied a buffet table near to the windows.
Oh no, she said to herself, wanting the ground to swallow her whole. This is my idea of hell.
“Three cheers for the boss,” Jack bellowed, and at that moment, she wanted to throttle him. “Hip hip hooray,” he continued to shout at stadium level volume and the rest of the team cheerfully joined in.
“Oh, there’s no need for all that,” Tabitha protested, smiling when all she wanted to do was run and hide. “It’s just good to be back.”
Her team rushed forward and after more back slaps and handshakes, she finally made it to her old desk. Jack had been using it in her absence, she surmised, but there wasn’t a possession of his left behind.
“Sorry about all that, Boss,” Jack said, as he stepped toward her. “I knew you’d hate it but, but they insisted.”
“It’s okay, Jack. I’m really quite touched, but you know me. I hate to be the centre of attention.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re back, but it’s not gonna be the best start to your day I’m afraid.”
“Oh?” she said.
“The chief wants to see you in his office as soon as you’re settled.”
“Welcome back, Tabitha,” she said, out loud, grinning. First day back at work and summoned to a meeting by her own boss wasn’t her idea of fun.
“Before you go, let me get you a couple of sausage rolls and a sandwich or two.”
He darted off before she had chance to respectfully decline.
Chapter Thirteen
“Well, that was pleasant,” Tabitha said, returning to her desk after the meeting with her own boss.
“Say what?” Jack said.
“The meeting – it always makes me more nervous when he’s nice to me. The calm before the storm, if you will.”
“I know what you mean, and that’s why I’m pleased I don’t have to have any one to one’s with him now you’re back.”
“Well, between us, he’s retiring and will leave or
intends to leave at the end of the month.”
“He kept that quiet, the sneaky bastard,” Jack replied, sounding peeved to have been kept out of the loop.
“I’m not worried about him leaving – more about who’ll replace him.”
“I didn’t think of that – shit,” Jack replied.
Tabitha was vaguely aware of the phones ringing in the background, but most of her team stood gossiping at the buffet table. “Grace,” she called across the room. “You’re closest – pick that up, will you?” It wasn’t a request.
“Got it, Boss,” Grace called.
“So, tell me? Any news on our killer?”
“Nothing. It’s like he’s vanished off the face of the earth. We increased our resources exponentially after the attack and losing Trey…” He stopped, his face flushing red. “Sorry, boss.”
“You can mention his name, you know. I’m not going to fall apart.”
“I know you two were good friends, so it must be hard.”
“He didn’t suffer, and that’s the most important thing to me, so no more pussy footing around, or I’ll make you work every weekend from now until Christmas.” She winked at him, realising how much she did actually like him.
Grace approached, and Tabitha only had to look at her face to know something was wrong.
“We’ve got a problem,” Grace announced.
“Don’t tell me – a body has turned up somewhere.”
“Worse than that, Boss. A family of six have been found murdered just outside Christelton.”
Tabitha and Jack looked at one another.
“Fuck,” Jack said.
“He’s waited for me to come back to work,” Tabitha added.
“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence,” Grace replied.
“Yeah,” Jack said. “Just bad timing.”
“Guys, I appreciate you trying to wrap me in cotton wool, but this sick fuck knows what he’s doing. He’s watched and waited – there’s no such thing as coincidence where this madman is concerned.” She stood up and raised her voice so the whole room could hear her. “Guys, enough partying for now. We’ve got work to do. Jack, Grace, you’re with me.”
