Beyond Evidence

by Emma L. Clapperton

  We cannot disclose any other personal information of Mr McLaughlin however there are no limits to which you can find out once you have met in our centre. Any information which you wish to disclose on the meeting is entirely at your own discretion. We have reserved an appointment for you both for October 25th 2010 in our centre in West Regent Street at 1pm. If we could have confirmation from you that this date is appropriate then you will be happy to hear that you will be meeting Patrick on this date.

  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call or pop in to the office.

  Yours sincerely

  M. Cairns (adoption contact director)

  Mark smiled as he finished reading and calmly folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. He got up and continued walking back toward Ross' flat.

  Thirty Two

  A relaxing journey

  Jodie waited in the living room the next morning. She had packed her case and repacked Patrick's, just for something to do while she waited for him to come back from the car hire office just at the other end of South Street. As she sat on the couch she looked out of the glass doors.

  The sky was a soft light blue and the sun shone so strongly that around it the sky almost looked white.

  A perfect start to the break, she thought to herself.

  She slid the door open and stepped out onto the balcony, feeling the heat from the early morning sun hit her face. It felt good on her skin. She closed her eyes and held onto the banister, allowing herself to relax a little more with each second she was blind to the view in front. The heat seemed to get stronger as she remembered the dream, the smoke and the overwhelming sensation of burning skin. She felt her throat tighten at the memory and opened her eyes instantly.

  "I'm not allowing this to happen this week," she said aloud, almost as if she were convincing herself.

  Jodie took a deep breath and was about to sit down on the chair behind her when she heard a car horn. She looked down to the entrance of the building and saw Patrick in the driver’s seat of a red Nissan Micra.

  "You ready yet?" he called up to her.

  "Yep, I'll be right down."

  Jodie went back inside and slid the door closed behind her. She turned the key in the door and closed the curtain half way and as she turned to leave the room she glanced in the mirror and saw Angela, Michelle and Rebecca all staring back at her, desperation in their faces. Jodie stopped to look back at them. She tried to stay calm and read any messages they were trying to get across, but they just stood there, staring at her. Pale faces, straggly hair and ragged clothes.

  "What is it you want from me?" she said, desperation now in her own voice.

  "Him," Michelle spoke now, her voice rough.

  "Who? I don't know who you mean!" Jodie was shouting now.

  But the girls were gone. All that stared back from the mirror now was her own reflection, her own tired eyes.

  She heard the key turn in the front door and Patrick stood in the hall. "I realised you would need help with the cases. You ok?"

  Jodie took a deep breath and tried her hardest to push everything to the back of her mind, just for now. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get out of here and have some fun."

  ***

  The car journey was peaceful. They drove with the windows down and the stereo on mute. Jodie drank in the scenery all the way to the cottage. They passed several farms, stand alone houses and passed through a few villages on the way to Lomond Park. There was not a single cloud in the sky and the breeze which filtered through the windows was warm.

  "Already I am feeling relaxed," she said.

  "Good, I am glad that you are looking forward to this. It is exactly what we both need," Patrick replied.

  They were cruising down the boulevard at a comfortable seventy miles per hour when Jodie closed her eyes and sunk into the seat. As she felt the breeze on her face and in her hair, she felt herself drift in and out of sleep. This was the first time in weeks that she had closed her eyes and not saw anything in her head which she had not put there. All she saw now was Patrick. She couldn't remember the last time that she and Patrick had been together in any way you can be, with someone you're in love with.

  When they first became intimate, it was the first time for her at all and she knew that it would only ever be him. Anytime that they were apart, it felt like the other had taken a part of them away, like a part of them was missing and when they were together again, the puzzle piece would click back in to its original place. In the last few weeks, Jodie had forgotten how happy she could be, how much he made her feel safe and how much she wanted to be wrapped up in him. She wished she could feel like this forever, but she knew that in a week, this feeling would be gone again and she would lose a part of herself once more.

  "All I want is for this to be over, to figure it out and just get back to us," she thought to herself as she drifted off.

  She had said this aloud as she fell asleep, not aware of it. Patrick felt his stomach flip, knowing now that she felt the way he did. He wanted it over as soon as it could be. He was sick of this guy being invisible to his mind. Why couldn't they just show him who killed them?

  What the hell is it that's stopping you from showing me his face? Patrick gritted his teeth at the thought of his own blindness.

  He went over it in his head a thousand times, the black silhouette, the injuries, the faces he saw every minute of the day and night, the messages that had supposed meaning but to him meant nothing. He decided not to wrack his brain any longer.

  This is where my minds rest begins, he thought to himself.

  "You really think that you can't put this out of your mind for one whole week?"

  Patrick looked over at Jodie, who was still sitting back, feeling hugged by the seat.

  "Hey you, my thoughts are supposed to be private you know," he smiled gently.

  "Sorry, I couldn't help it," she smiled back.

  It was one thing that they barely did, to listen to each others thoughts. It was a rarity for psychics but for them, it was almost like they were one person, which can most definitely hinder a relationship. They had agreed not to listen to each others thoughts, but for some reason they were both fine with it at the moment. They both knew that this gift would help them to reconnect. Patrick took his hand from the gear stick and placed it over hers, squeezing it gently.

  "I have a few things to tell you, a few things that I think may be the cause of my sleepless state," Jodie said.

  "Ok, but not now. Let's just relax and enjoy the rest of the journey. We rarely get out of the city, I want us both to enjoy the calmness and tranquillity of the country."

  That was fine by Jodie, for now it was just them, no deaths, no spirits and no worries, just the two of them. The way it had always been up until now. Nobody had ever fully understood their relationship or them as individuals. That was the way they liked it. That was the way that they had always wanted it to be. Their love for each other was one of a kind, unique and it felt like it had been slipping away. Jodie had felt like it was out with her control, but she wanted to get it back and so did Patrick.

  He lifted her hand and kissed it gently, all the while keeping his eyes on the road.

  "I won't let this break us Jodie, I promise. You will get better because I am going to figure this out. They've asked me to help and I will," he kept her hand firmly in his as he spoke. Jodie smiled, she loved his passion for the case, but she loved him more. She felt guilty that she wanted him to stop, but stopping wasn't an answer. If he stopped it wouldn't go away, it would just follow them everywhere, haunt them.

  "I know Patrick," she said. But she didn't know. She could only hope with all her heart.

  Thirty Three

  Intervention

  As they arrived at the cottage Jodie looked around her. There were cottages and lodges darted all around the place, but not too close to one another that people would be able to see inside but not too far away that they couldn't say hello to their neighbours that would be li
ving by them for the week. But that would be all Jodie would say in passing, she just wanted peace for her and Patrick this week.

  The cottage was beautiful and it looked onto the loch and over the hills. The scenery was stunning, the hills were emerald green and the loch mirrored the sky. There were now a few clouds darted across the sky, small but fluffy, almost like looking at cotton wool hovering above them. The grass around their feet had been cut to within an inch of its life, like a golf course patch of grass and its colour was like lime, not a blade out of place. The whole place looked like an artists painting.

  "You like?" Patrick asked as he unloaded the bags from the boot of the Micra.

  Jodie turned to him and smiled. "Who wouldn't? This place is amazing. Makes you really appreciate Scotland for what it is," Jodie replied as she gazed at her surroundings.

  "It sure does," he said as he placed the bags at the front door of the cottage.

  She walked over to the door to help Patrick inside with their belongings. The front door was blue, the same colour as the sky and there was a holly bush next to it. Again the leaves were brilliantly green and the berries were blood red. "Everything is so colourful here," she said as Patrick put the key into the lock.

  "I know it’s gorgeous," he replied as he opened the door.

  He went inside and Jodie peered into the cottage. It was all open plan, like something from a winter fairy tale. There was a large brick fireplace in the centre of the back wall, with a pile of wooded logs next to it. On top there was a long row of large scented candles and above them, a large painting of the scene that she had just been looking at outside.

  "Isn't that a painting of the view outside?" Jodie asked.

  "Yep, Auntie Beth painted it herself," he said proudly.

  "Seriously? It is absolutely stunning. I didn't know she was an artist."

  "Not an established one anyway, she just painted for pleasure. She could have made some real money out of it if she had wanted to but that's not what she was all about," Patrick said as he unzipped the bags.

  Jodie looked around once more and saw that in the far right of the cottage was a little living area with large cushiony sofas with fluffy blankets draped across the back and a stack of novels on a small side table, mostly murder mysteries and thrillers.

  "Think I will be tackling some of those this week," she motioned to the stack.

  "That's what they're there for, do you want to unpack then we can get some food?" Patrick asked.

  "Yeah, sounds good, I'm starving."

  Jodie took her bag into the small bedroom at the back of the cottage which was just off the kitchen. The room was white with dark wooden windows and little white netted curtains. The bed was almost as big as the room with drawers underneath to store belongings. For the cottage being so old fashioned, the bedroom was en-suite. The bathroom was quite big with a large white iron bath in the middle and a shower in the corner. The wall had a built in mirrored cabinet, twin sinks and a small plain glass window with another netted curtain over it.

  "I love this," Jodie said to herself.

  Patrick walked into the bathroom behind her. "It's cool isn't it?" he asked.

  "Aw Patrick I love it, I can totally see us living here," she suddenly yawned.

  "Do you want to go for a sleep?"

  "No, I'm fine. I just feel a little worn out from the journey. I'll just unpack quickly and we can go and get some food."

  Patrick kissed her on the forehead and returned to the bedroom. Jodie began putting her toiletries into the wall cabinet. She placed in her toothbrush, hairbrush, deodorant and toothpaste, soap and moisturiser. Then she placed in her bottle of sleeping tablets.

  That looks a little out of place, she thought to herself. She sighed at the thought of being reduced to taking tablets to help her reach sleep, but then accepted that without them she was a complete insomniac. She closed the mirrored cabinet and looked at her reflection, much expecting to see a face or feel the burning of her skin, or hear the screams of the women's spirits. She held her breath, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did.

  Good, I need to be normal, even if it is just for a week, her silent words meant for the spirits. Then a shadow quickly crossed the window of the bathroom. "Oh so you heard me then?" she said aloud.

  "No, what did you say?" Patrick popped his head in to the bathroom.

  "Oh, sorry, I was talking to myself," she smiled at him in the mirror.

  "You ok?"

  "Yeah I'm ok and I am ready to go. You ready?" she changed the subject.

  They left the cottage and made the short trip in the car to the local shop to pick up their weeks supply of food.

  ***

  The cottage door hadn't been locked and the lodges and cottages around were quiet, no one was around. The perfect opportunity was now and no other time would do. Ross quickly made his was into the cottage and headed straight for the bathroom, where he had watched Jodie unpack her things. He was aware that there wasn't a lot of time, so he made sure that he switched Jodie's pills as quickly as he could. He emptied the bottle and refilled it with a much stronger sleeping pill. Ross knew that by taking them, Jodie would be in such a deep sleep that she wouldn't have a clue what was going on around her. But then, he had another trick up his sleeve, just in case he needed it.

  Ross finished his intervention and left the cottage, feeling very proud of himself. As he made his way back to the caravan site about two miles down the road he smiled and thought about how his plan had taken the turn that it did.

  "If Patrick hadn't given me that leaflet for this place then this wouldn't have been possible. Thanks mate, I definitely owe you one," he said aloud through his callous grin.

  As he drove to the caravan site, he saw Patrick and Jodie pass him on the road in the car that he had followed to Lomond Park. They did not look at him as they passed, there was no reason to. They did not know who he was, for the transformation from Mark to Ross was outstandingly different.

  He kept his eyes on the road as he drove on, thinking of the outcome of his ways. Thinking of his mum, his dad and the way his life had taken the drastic turn. He thought about Patrick and Jodie and the way their lives would take a drastic turn, a deserving turn as he saw it.

  He reached the caravan park and went inside to the small caravan that he had rented out for the week. He had placed all of his collection on the walls of his surroundings so that he wouldn't lose his inspiration for what he was doing. All he had to do was look at Maria's photograph and he would feel the pain once more trying to burst out of his chest and his head would throb.

  He lit a cigarette from his pack and sat back on the chair in the small living area of the caravan. "Time to finish this once and for all," he said as he drew on the tip of the cigarette. As he blew the smoke out it entangled itself within the mist of the spirits who had been watching him. They tracked him as he followed Patrick and Jodie to Lomond Park, they needed every bit of information possible so that they could forewarn Patrick and Jodie of anything that was going to happen and try to make them see before it was too late.

  They encircled him as did the smoke, listened to his thoughts and his plans for the couple. As they listened, Michelle's spirit became so angry that she began using her energy to try to frighten him. As he smoked the last of his cigarette, he reached over and took the photographs of the three girls down from his wall and he stared blankly at them. He said nothing, but his thoughts told the story of what happened to each of them. This made Michelle's anger grow uncontrollably and she used her energy to move any object she could find.

  Ross heard a scraping sound, like a piece of cutlery being dragged across a kitchen worktop. He looked up and to his dismay saw exactly that, a fork being moved across the surface of the kitchen worktop.

  "What the fuck?" he exclaimed as he stood up to get a clearer look. As soon as the words were out of his mouth he had to duck to avoid the fork connecting with his face. He turned when he heard it bounce off the window of the ca
ravan and land on the floor.

  Ross stared at the fork on the floor and couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. In his own mind, he was beginning to think that everything that had happened in his life was sending him insane. I am losing it, I need to finish this before I really lose it, he thought to himself as he lay in the small camp bed in the caravan.

  He didn't sleep much for the rest of the night.

  Thirty Four

  Anna

  Preston was sat at his desk filling out the endless amount of paperwork he had been putting off and Lang was sat at his own desk opposite Preston doing the exact same when the phone rang.

  "Hello, D.S Preston speaking?"

  Lang watched Preston's face as he sat there listening to what the caller was telling him.

  "What is it?" he whispered.

  Preston held his hand up to quieten Lang for a moment. Lang obeyed as the look on Preston's face was not a happy one.

  "Damn! OK we'll be right there," he slammed the phone down.

  "What?" Lang could have predicted what was about to be said.

  "There's been another murder." Preston was already putting on his jacket.

  "Shit!" Lang felt his stomach turn. "What do we know?"

  "All I have been told is a young woman was found in the canal next to Kelvingrove Park about one hour ago!"

  As they continued the conversation they were running to the car in the car park behind the station. All Preston wanted was to click his fingers and be at the scene. Preston started the car and Lang did not have time to put on his belt before they roared out of the car park.

  "What are we going to do if it's the same guy?" Lang asked.

  "What makes you think it's not the same guy?"

  Lang took the point, so he was quiet for the remainder of the journey, which did not take long. They arrived at the side entrance to Kelvingrove Park and it had been blocked off by police tape. They showed their badges to the beat officers guarding the scene after fighting their way through the press and the flashing of cameras and bombardment of questions. A tent had been set up around the scene and Preston and Lang were able to gain access to the tent.