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Children of The Moon
Children of The Moon
Ronnie Carleton.
© 2010
CHAPTER ONE.
The time had come. She knew that as well as she knew it was
almost the time of the rains in the year 2010. She also knew fear, that
sort of fear that crawls into your brain and tissues. knew where that fear
came from but not why. Now the time had come. Dry grass and weeds
brushed against her bare feet and then the shape of the rubbish tip
came into view. She could smell the rotten food and long dead animals,
aware of the flock of Black kites sitting in a dead tree waiting. This is
where it would happen. He said that and God told him. This is where she
would have her baby and she would be paid. First the pain then the birth
then the money the good doctor promised. Not married it was a much
better deal than she deserved or even hoped for because she was a
street child first then a teenager and soon to be a mother.
She lay down and removed her under-ware and the she could feel the
hot dawn sun on her flesh, she lay panting and then after an hour, numb
with with sorrow and pain she screamed and felt the child slip out, warm
fluid across and under her thighs. Then the shadow and shape moved
forward and she looked up from the dirt, the baby in her arms. The
doctor bent down with a loaded syringe and whispered, “ This will help
with the pain. Just a slight prick. There. All done.”
He took from a bag at his side a clean large towel, pink in colour and
wrapped the child in it, stood up and with his right hand, dropped a few
bank notes beside the girls face. Through glazed eyes she looked at the
small amount of money and with a slight smile nodded because she
could not speak, she never once spoke in her seventeen years.
She heard him go away, the swish of dead grass and his footsteps
fading as her body started to go cold. Something moved within her
blurred sight then another and she watched as the kites hopped forward
towards her then stopped. They sat there waiting until her last heartbeat
before they fed on her.
The doctor went down the hill and to where he had parked his car. He
placed the child in a basket and covered it up then looked back in the
direction of the rubbish dump at the bottom of the scrubby hill. Now
there were more kites, the sky seemed black with them and he smiled.
in a disturbed sleep, her dreams and hidden demons still there. She lay
on her stomach now still in sleep but not restful sleep. She started to
dream of a man she once knew, a man she loved and he her and the
Dawn was a salmon pink that forced its way through frosted glass into
the bedroom and the bed glowed in its light. Jenny Snow’s eyes
flickered and she opened them then quickly closed them and rolled over
onto her back. She lay there, hair tangled and then sighed. Her left hand
reached out and felt the bed beside her then withdrew it. Empty.
Her eyes shot open and she rolled back towards the window her mind
herself and her husband and daughter. Tears welled up and then
overflowed and a single tear dropped on to her breast, slowly snaked its
way down to the tip of the nipple and hung there, a pink damp ruby.
Almost a year now she thought. Both dead, killed in a car crash coming
to pick her up from the airport. Gone. Except the memory. Except for the
pain of it all, still sharp and still real. She sat up and wiped her face with
the cover sheet, picked up the photograph and kissed it twice then set it
She got up and walked into the bathroom and began her day, a new day
and time for a break. Let it go, she thought as she switched on the
shower.
Downstairs she has just bitten into her toast when her mobile rang
She looked at it and could see it was her mother. Annoyed she picked it
“Mum?”
She listened and the rolled her eyes and sighed deeply.
“Yes. I’m fine. Yes I know you’re off to Egypt with whatever you call him.
5
Bob. Yes..Bob. Of course. Yes..I will let you know my new address when
I get one. It’s only Wales you know. Will do. Bye.”
She switched off the phone. Off completely because the last thing she
needed were her so called friends ringing her up and wishing her luck,
her past boss of one week offering her the job back in the legal firm.
Today, she was Jenny Snow, alive, sober and looking for a new life far
away from the madness of London and all the pretence of it all. Most of
all she did not want three calls from her mother before Bob and her went
on the long haul. She shuddered at the thought of her mother and Bob
She supped her coffee deep in thought. A maze of pictures and voices
came to her, good and bad. And last night’s dream or was it just in the
“ It does not matter Jenny dear”, she muttered to herself and crunching
more toast between her teeth thinking of the dream still lodged in her
mind and not fading as dreams do once you rewind them and mind play
them again. This one was HD and in colour but parts missing.
She jumped spilt coffee down her front and her eyes were wild.
“Shit!”
She brushed off the coffee, a brown stain left on the jumper that still had
the label on it. She looked around the kitchen, every corner scanned,
the shadows in the sunlight, picked up her phone and checked to see it
was still switched off. It was. Frowning she set it back on the table.
6
Jenny refused to answer. To take part in this mind game she created.
No! She got up and looked at the packed boxes lined up, then walked to
the front window. The ‘For Sale’, sign stuck on a white post and leaning
slightly to one side, mocked her and the red strip even more so. ‘SOLD’
It was almost mid day when she placed the last suitcase in
the car, checked her new laptop was snug and wedged on the back seat
and sorted out the house keys with the Estate Agent.
She closed the car doors and stood for a moment looking at the house
of broken dreams then got in and drove off towards the M5 and headed
The sun was on the left of her face and it felt pleasant by the time she
reached the views of the Black Mountain. Here she pulled in and bought
A few glanced at her but there were no snide remarks, no stripping her
with their eyes as she walked to a bench and table and sat down.
A robin landed on the table and tilted its head and looked at her then
seeing there was no crumbs, dropped to the ground and looked for
Jenny smiled and started to feel content within herself for the first time
in weeks. Things had to get better from here on she thought watching
“Us! Who the hell is ‘Us’?”, she muttered then alarmed looked around if
any of the men had heard her. None of them looked in her direction.
7
Hearing voices, she thought, was a medical condition and a mental one
at that. Stress had caught up with her again, she thought looking at the
A blur of red crossed her vision just for a moment, out of the corner of
her eye and she looked to her right. Walking away from her was a young
girl in a red coat and hat. The girl walked into the group of men, stopped
and looked back at Jenny then smiled. Jenny was about to wave but the
Must be one of the trucker’s daughters because she could not see any
private cars except her own sitting under an old holly tree.
Dad and daughter out for a day. All natural, she thought. All normal
Her normal world of one husband and one daughter was wrecked, dead
and buried her job in a top legal firm in London also gone but this time
by choice.
She pondered on that and knew that she had been good at what she did
best, being in Court for the defence or on hand when it was a Police
case and she was asked to advise if needed. Then there was the perks of
being a top lawyer and a criminal one at that and if it was a case for the
defence and she did not believe the defendant she would not touch it. It
She thought on that as she sat in her car. You don’t make many friends,
real friends in the Criminal Justice System but you did make contacts
that might be useful in the future. Police officers, Court Clerks, Forensic
doctors, ‘expert' witnesses were all part of the game play and most of
Jenny sighed thinking the many times she had been at their parties and
really wanted to be at home with her family, how many times a Judge
really wanted was sex. She always declined the offers but logged in her
mind-scape which people, men, made such moves on her and would use
it against them in the future if she had to. She smiled to herself and
started up the car thinking that the words, ‘Would you like to come for
coffee?’ could well be taken out of context if the offer was taken up.
A young widow was fair game for those men that knew how to press the
right buttons, but Jenny Snow was not stupid and still very angry, a
burning anger.
There was a few people she could trust but not many in her small circle
of people she worked with but not enough to keep her in London.
London was now a past life of faceless people, shadows of what life was
about, drowning in paper work, for the good of Justice. Jenny knew now
that the word 'Justice' did not always fit the crime, the victims of crimes
She watched helpless as MPs were found to be fiddling the system and
getting away with it, everyone covering one another's back, Political
headlines only to find next week or the week after that they themselves
were under the microscope. A few people of course were thrown to the
wolves to take the pressure off but everyone knew that this was a ploy.
9
TWO.
Jenny Snow pulled in at a remote cross roads and studied her map
frowning. Her finger traced the roads and she shook her head. Lost!
She smiled at the thought then muttered to herself, “How can I be lost
She jumped when the driver’s side window was knocked sharply and
looking out alarmed she could see an old face of a man looking in at her.
She pressed the window button and let it drop down a little.
“Lost are we?” asked the old man, the spade he had in his hand now
She thought fast. He looked harmless but you never really know who
was a danger there days. “Just a little. Where is the next village or
town?”
The old face cracked a smile, showing teeth missing. “Depends. You got
a name place?”
“Not really. Just need to stop and get some lunch. Maybe a B+B for the
night?”
“Not much like that around here. No. Not much need for it here you see?
Now you could drive on down the valley and stop of at a place called
Presteigne which is a market town. As for the rest I don’t think they do B
+B or that sort of thing. No need you see because we are a bit off the
Jenny sighed. She looked out over the countryside There were no
houses or cottages in sight that she could see and a lane on her right
with high thorn hedges and a sign that was marked boldly in black ,
The old man smiled, wiped a drip of his nose and nodded. “Well that
depends if you are in a hurry or not. Right now you are in the town land
towards Dscoed, pass over two cross roads and head for Stapleton,
look for the sign to the town, follow that and then you’re in it. Part of it is
in England and Part of it in Wales. The bridge you see over the River
Lugg? Divides the whole lot in two. Like the people. Blow ins and locals.
his voice, not Welsh and not all together English. “So from here. Which
way?”
She slowly closes the window and waves. The old man does not wave
back but leaned on his spade and watched her drive off. Jenny looked at
him in the mirror then ahead then when she looked again in the mirror
Nothing but the road behind her and hedges and she put her car into
No sign of him or the spade. Jenny sat for a moment wondering where
Annoyed she got out of the car and looked around. Except for a few
sheep with early lambs there is no other sign of life. She scanned the
fields on both sides of the road but there is no sign of the old man.
Jenny shook her head and got back in the car and sat for a moment
She drove off in the direction given and headed for the town, her
thoughts racing. He’s not from around here, she thought but he might
live here. Might even have been born close by went away then came
When Jenny parked the car in the main street and got out she was
surprised to see that the town still had many of its old features and the
She was hungry so went off in search of food and found an Inn called
the White Pheasant. Inside was clean and no smoking but except for
which she took to be locals it was almost empty. There was however the
smell of hot food in the air and she went up to the bar maid who was
A pair of very bright blue eyes looked at her over the newspaper and the
The young woman was around twenty six, real blond hair that seemed a
little frizzy at the end and almost smiled once she had looked Jenny up
and down.
“Hi. We don’t do vegan but we do have loads of meat pies with chips.”
Jenny looked blank for a moment. “Oh! Right. Meat pie and chips would
The young women looked surprised. People like her, dressed like her
would sniff once, run a finger over the counter and look at it checking
for dust.
“Just being the year 2010 and you look like the modern woman,
educated and showing no fat I thought you might not eat meat?”
Jenny almost smiled. “Do you always get this personal with customers
“Hmm. Most of the time and the way they speak. Drink?”
The girl stood up brushed some hair out of her face and looked hard at
Jenny could feel herself getting angry but pushed it down fast. She
The remark was not lost on the young woman and she smiled.
“OK. Take a seat. I’ll bring the drink over and then the food. Microwave
job.”
She found a chair at a table that looked out and down the main street
and sat in a well worn chair that creaked. For some strange reason the
film tune of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly came into her head and she
smiled. She rubbed a finger over the table top and looked at it. There
Before she knew it the barmaid was at her elbow, iced coke on a tray
and set it in front of her as well as a knife and fork wrapped in a purple
napkin.
13
Jenny looked up at the keen young face and smiled. “Sort off. Bit of a
“Midlands. Left one dump to come to another. Walk down the street.
Jenny Snow had noticed that the barmaid was not reading any of the
well known papers or a local freebie but a real newspaper as her mother
“ I’m Molly by the way. Molly Drew”, holding out her hand and smiling.
Jenny shook her hand that felt cold and yet damp. “Jenny Snow.”
I don’t suppose you know of a good B+B or somewhere I can rent for a
The bright blue eyes widened and Molly the barmaid almost laughed out
Jenny Snow was not amused. “It is not that bad is it?”
Molly shook her head. “No but it’s not summer time and the tourists
don’t come out of winter hibernation until at least May. For all that it’s
not bad at all if you like a market town where everyone, the locals,
knows your business within two days of being here but bad if you want
“But you can rent?” asked Jenny with an edge to her voice and getting
into office mode. Her legal and office mind tended to kick in a lot again
these days.
“Yes And there are B+B in a few places and of course there are the
hotels. The hotels are OK to good but can drain your funds if you are
14
thinking about a long stay. This being the low season you might strike it
lucky”, muttered Molly brushing hair out of her face. “Let me think on it
When she left Jenny pondered on what she had been told and started
She jumped in alarm and looked over her shoulder. Empty chairs and
tables and to her right, the bar area and Molly working away. In front of
her at the other end of the bar four men talking loudly and laughing, the
Jenny forced herself to stay calm. She dug her finger-nails into the left
hand inflicting pain. The voice she heard was the same voice in her
dream with the same demands. She felt ill and her head started to spin.
“Hi…You OK?”
She jumped and looked up alarmed, heart thumping and Molly standing
“Sorry”, looking at the food on the plate and shaking her head. “I don’t
Molly sighed deeply and set the plate in front of her. “Eat!”
“Just eat. You will feel better and besides you look like death warmed
up!”
Before Jenny could answer Molly walked off to clear the bar top the four
men had been sitting at off glasses. Jenny watched as the last left and
then looked down at the plate of food. Maybe she’s right. If I eat then
15
things might just get better, she thought, splitting the pie with her knife
and the warm smell of meat gravy and onions engulfed her.
She chewed on the warm food slowly looking out the window into the
street. Faces and figures walked by but no one looking in at her, no one
Except the very young girl in the red coat and hat across the street who
was looking at her, waved once and walked on and out of sight.
That was the girl in the trucker’s car park, she thought. How strange.
Her daughters face came into view but Jenny pushed it away and
cleared her mind. That car park was only a few miles away so what is so
strange? She shrugged and looked back out into the street. The young
Jenny finished her food and drink then pushed the plate away
from her. She looked around the empty bar. Pictures and prints of old on
the walls, a few hunting scenes, one print of an old house or castle, a
shears hanging beside an oil lamp that now housed dead flies.
There was no sign of Molly. No noise from behind the bar or beyond.
Jenny got up and picked up the small rucksack and slung it on her
shoulder and shrugged. She was almost at the door when someone
She turned and looked directly at the old man she had met on the road,
hers.
16
“Yes. Thank you.”, replied Jenny fast, alarmed at how close he was to
her. More to the point how did he get here?, she pondered.
Molly came out looked at the old man and then Jenny. “Take care and
good luck.”
“Thanks. I will. I don’t suppose you give that other matter any thought?”
Molly looked at Sam and nodded to the bottom of the bar. “Go on Sam.
I’ll bring it to you and don’t fart. It does not impress me.”
“What would I want to impress you for dear when I am seeking a woman
The old man made a face and walked off down the bar then sat down at
a round table and lit his pipe. A no smoking zone, though Jenny.
Molly smiled at Jenny. “We get all sorts in here but he is OK as long as
no one rubs him the wrong way. As for finding out about renting I
suggest that you call at the post office. It’s on the corner looking across
at the Rainbow Charity Shop. Maria knows what is what about here and
Molly looked at the old man then at Jenny. “Sam? You’re lucky. He must
have been sober then. Drunk, he would have sent you the long way to
the Bar Mouth or the back arse end of the Black Mountain. He’s not
stupid as many think and well read. You look after yourself. If you stay
Jenny shook her hand. “True. We might meet again if I decide to stay.
Thanks.”
17
Outside, she joined the throngs of people in the streets and looked here
and there in shops and windows. She found the Post Office, come
grocery shop and with pictures of houses for sale. Jenny pushed open
the door, a bell above her head tinkling loudly. Jenny smiled to herself
and thought, another fairy has got its wings. Two women by the counter
stopped talking and for a moment looked directly at Jenny who knew
what was happening and decided to wait and look at the magazines on
sale till the woman with the narrow face left. She was also aware that the
Jenny went to the large window and looked at some of the house prices
that were there with photographs of the properties. Most of them were
far too high and her legal side kicked in as she done mental maths.
Asking price, real value, offers, legal fees, improvement fees. No way,
houses would sell by the end of the year. Sellers lose out now, Jenny
muttered.
They live in cuckoo land in the present climate. Lived there in the last
one, she thought. House prices will slide down fast, she thought.
looked back at her all underlined with drama headlines. There were a few
good magazines that caught her interest and in the upper side of the
media market.
The voices at the counter intruded into her thoughts and Jenny could
not help but pick up on the conversation going on. She smiled to
She edged around the magazine rack so that she could hear better and
stood holding the magazine she was going to buy, looking at the inside
Soap stars going through all sorts of hassle on stage and TV as well as
in the own personal life. She snorted. Wonder how many of them had
She glanced quickly towards the two women at the counter and noted
that the thin one looked outdated, sharp faced and lips like the slit belly
of a herring. Jenny also knew that every street in the UK or Ireland had
one and you did not need a newspaper to find out what was going on in
your area.
It was natural when you moved into a new area, more so a rural area, to
Jenny however never lived in the country and was unaware of the
hidden need for such people to listen and talk because anyone who was
not born here would always remain a black stranger, even if they stayed
She also knew that all the residents,no matter what village you were in,
knew for the most, everyone else’s history and business. Right now the
older sharp faced woman was doing what was natural to her even
She heard the Post Mistress sigh deeply because no doubt she has
THREE.
“No matter what you say Maria, this town is losing its ID and what with
will go to the wall”, muttered the woman with the narrow face, the bird
Maria the Post Mistresses grunted, the moon face, kind looking and
“There you are. Thirty pounds and four stamps. You could be right Miss
Deacon but since the war things have went up…and things have went
down and still we go on. It’s what keeps us Welsh. I’m sick, sore and
tired of hearing about the credit crunch and the bloody recessions!
Mines are gone, businesses with the mines and here we are today, in
recession. It’s all you hear. TV, radio, people telling one another.
Recession this and that. Bloody well fed up hearing about it.”
Miss Deacon pushed the money and stamps into a black worn handbag
and puffed out her thin body frame as much as she could.
“ There is no need to curse I understand. Worse than the war years I tell
you, Maria. Even the blow ins who work in London and live here are
starting to panic, seven of those new houses back on the market in the
last week and at a reduced price. What does that tell you?”
Maria laughed and raised her right eyebrow. “That people live above
their means. That’s what. Your brother Sam seems to be the only one
who gets through no matter what the weather or the money worries.
Miss Deacon almost raised her voice but what came out was a rasping
hiss. “He is my half brother and adopted at that. If there ever was a
useless man in this world it’s him. I saw him waddle at an angle into that
pub like a demented duck and it not even late afternoon so he has been
on the sauce early. The Rev Ewan, rest his soul, said that he would come
to a bad end and it looks like he is well on the road to the devil! What’s
more is that he never calls, and I don’t call him and I guess he’s living
still in that old house out in the sticks but thankfully not around here
since that Dolly Little died. He should never have come back. They
“They?”
“Sam and that Amos Shaw. A doctor of some sort. Wales is not ready for
this gay thing though I have no doubt it goes on behind closed doors.
Its unnatural and not in the works of God! Then that Dolly Little!”
Maria was taken aback by the outburst. She knew Sam and her did not
talk and ever since Sam returned to the area after being away
somewhere for years, even more so. Maria for some reason rose to the
“You know Miss Deacon it is unwise to speak ill of the dead, more so
when she is still waiting to be buried. Dolly was not a bad person even
though she was odd. She cared about Sam as did Dr. Shaw before he
too died.”
Miss Deacon, half way to the door turned and Jenny could see that the
The bell rattled loudly and the door slammed shut behind her and Jenny
Maria looked across at Jenny. “Sorry about that and she adds local
colour to the place when tourists come in. Our local witch hunter. Can I
help you?”
Jenny carried the magazine to the counter and set it down forced her
best court room smile. “It’s OK Guess I came in at a bad time. How much
please?”
“One fifty please. Anything else?” taking the money and looking at
Jenny noting the way she was dressed, the white mark on her finger
where there was once a ring and how well this woman looked after her
“I don’t know. I was looking for somewhere to stay. Maybe even rent for
rest up. I have been ill and so I needed time to sort things out.”
Jenny realised that she had just broken one of her own rules and said
“Rent? Not too fancy?” then added, “ Head job was it? This illness?”
Alert now, Jenny was careful how she replied. “Yes. People around here
always seem so quick to get in your face! Yes. To all of your questions.
My husband and daughter were killed in a car crash a year ago.”, then
Maria’s smile was kind. “Sorry. It happens. Did the police get the
driver?”
There was a long silence. Maria waited. A widow woman and young with
“A place to rent?”, asked Jenny fighting back the tears and looking at
the floor for a moment then lifted her head and stared at
“Oh! Right. There are the new houses but what they are looking for here
is too high. The landlords rob people around here without wearing
masks. Anyway. I know of two that might suit you…Well one really.”
Maria coughed. “Holly Cottage. Across the Lugg Bridge 20 yards into
The old woman who rented it just died in the cottage. Old age. Post
woman discovered her in the chair. A stroke they said and sad really and
her with neither chick nor child. Seems she had a white cat. It was
sitting on her lap when she was discovered but in all the time I have
known her I never knew she had a cat. Anyway it ran away and out into
the countryside and I guess living wild now on rabbits and anything else
it can get. Jones might rent the cottage later but I know he won’t be
afterwards.”
Jenny felt her hopes rising. A cottage? Not beside the sea but she could
make it her own space if she liked it. She was more than a little excited
at the possibility.
“Two questions? One. Who is the landlord and two. Can I go and look at
Maria laughed just as the bell over the door rang and a man with a dog
The short fat man glared at Maria. “If you would go to the chapel more
Maria Thomas you would understand the devil much better. I have no
doubt that you and the devil will become good buddies when you die.
Now. I want a stamp. A first class one and no idle chat from the likes
Maria laughed and pushed a stamp over to him and he in turn pushed
the right amount to the penny back to her. “ I kick with another foot
Garth Jones, as well you know. Now this lady? She would like to talk to
smile. “Renting is it you want? Well you might be in luck. I, with some
help and a skip, have cleared out most of the rubbish. All sorts of
bottles, containers and rubbish she had that woman. Anyway, she’s
gone now and the rubbish followed. I can never understand why my
father ever rented to her in the first place all those years ago.
She was in that place for a long time and the agreement was between
her and my father. He died way back but the Will said she was to have
the cottage rent free until she died. She did. Close to forty years she
lived there in fact. Well she is dead now, the cottage is clean and the cat
is gone. By the way you know that Holly Cottage is not in Wales?”
Jones startled,looked at her. “Really? Later, once I have her planted and
going there in an hour for the burial so I can meet you afterwards. She
did well out of my father you know? Rent free cottage and money set
aside for her funeral. A puzzle that. There is talk of course but my father
Maria give Jenny a mocking smile. “Things like what? Go on Garth. Tell
us. Dolly may have been old but I dare say she knew her way around a
Garth looked at Jenny embarrassed then with anger “She had some hold
over the old man. But there was no hanky panky there. I’m thinking she
bewitched him somehow. It is not unheard off from here to the Black
Jenny laughed straight out. “Oh come on Mr. Jones! Surely not!
Jones went red and both women could see that he was fighting down
his rising anger. “You’re an outsider woman! We still have God and the
Devil down here! As for the cottage I’ll let you view it at three, not before.
I think when you see it you might not want it. Three o’clock and no later!
He walked off dragging the small dog behind him and went out the door,
Maria sighed. “Don’t worry he will still rent it to you. No one else would
want to go into it from around here unless it’s sold off and demolished
and the site rebuilt on. Garth Jones had thought of that but it’s a listed
building you see? Used to be an old Toll House for the drovers and
25
anyone else who came and went to England across the bridge and back
again.”
“That could be messy if you bought it. Legal problems there are like a
Maria looked back at Jenny stone faced. “Don’t they all? Just a cottage
that an old woman lived in. Silly talk of course like many places but
Dolly was a good person and Holly Cottage was her home. You know the
law then?”
She nodded. “Sorry. My name is Jenny Snow and yes I know the law. I
“I would shake you by the hand but the barrier is in the way. Maria
Kincaid. I hope you settle here and a bit of advice. Don’t let the locals
Jenny smiled and nodded. “Thank you. They seem to know a lot anyway.
“Next door to the Church..down the hill, cross the narrow bridge and
stop. It’s close to the river bridge. On your left and you can’t miss it. Yew
Tree in the back of it and a Rowan in the front garden and set back a
little off the road. Your future landlord wanted to rip it down and build a
killing house but was turned down by the English you see. Instead he
had to build one at the back of Wolf Hill where he also has a large pig
farm. Holly Cottage is safe for now from the likes of him because it is
listed.
“I don’t like him at all if the truth be known. Not many people who live
here do. He came here years ago, went away for a while and then came
26
markets for a while before the slump. Has some connection to a Charity
in India and raises funding for it. That and that only is the only good
works he does for the human race around here”,said Maria and then
smiled again. “Take your time and take a good look around.”
Jenny nodded and went out the door and another fairy got its wings.
She drove down the hill slowly taking in landmarks and the view until
she came to the church, passed it slowly crossing the narrow grey
bridge and found the pull in off the road next Holly Cottage. It was as
she looked it from the car, hidden away, something that Thomas Hardy
“Quaint”, her mother would have said. Thinking of her mother, she
Jenny got out and stood looking at the river and across the bridge to the
Church. There were no cars and no humans around, except for very
young girl at the far end of the bridge in a bright red coat and hat who
was watching her. Jenny stiffened. It’s the same girl, she thought. The
child lifted her arm and waved once then she walked to the bend of the
Jenny shrugged. She must live here somewhere so stop letting your
There were a few other cottages nearby but not close enough so that
She liked the old white washed walls, the small upstairs windows and
the way it sat. Jenny caught a movement on the right and for a moment
27
was alarmed. A pure white can was sitting on the window sill inside
looking down at her with bright yellow eyes. It stood up and stretched,
which to Jenny looked like a yoga movement then jumped down and
was lost from sight. First you see it then you don’t, thought Jenny.
“Well…You don’t look hungry”,, muttered Jenny pushing the gate open
and walking to the first downstairs window she came to and shaded her
The sunshine flooded the kitchen area and she could see that it was at
least clean with only the sink a bit of a mess. A number of wooden
chairs were pushed at angles around an old wooden table that had seen
better days. On the table was a single candle stick with a stub of candle
in it.
She moved to the window to her right and again scanned inside but
jumped back in alarm as the white cat launched itself at the glass with
its ears flattened and snarling at her. Jenny backed off alarmed.
The cat flattened its ears more, yellow eyes bright light and burning
staring at her.
Jenny took a deep breath and slowly reached towards the glass where
the cats face was. She touched the glass and waited. The cat just glared
at her then backed off the window ledge and was gone.
She stood and looked at the nearby houses and cottages across the
road and for a moment thought she seen a curtain move, twitch as if it
It was then that she knew that she was being watched but by who and
She took a breath and made her way around the back of Holly Cottage
and into the back garden. The yew tree near the back door was large
enough for Jenny to work out that it was old, at least 100 to 200 years.
Above the back door was attached a branch of some tree or other.
She walked across the uneven grass of what was once a lawn to a small
shed with no door. Inside, logs were piled neatly and there was old
sawdust on the floor. Small black fungi was growing and erect from the
sawdust and in the corner Jenny noted last year’s bird nest tucked
away.
She turned and looked at the back of Holly Cottage. The yew tree did
Maybe this was the place she needed to be right now, time for her and
space, she thought. She needed a future and a new start otherwise she
Yet there was something about the cottage that was also unsettling and
Jenny knew that feeling of unease all too well. It happened well before if
she would win or lose a case in Court and she knew days before what a
She was about to turn away from the view when just for a moment, a
slight movement caught her eye in one of the windows, just a movement
but not a shape. She looked up thinking it may have been the shadow or
reflection of a flying bird but there was nothing. Jenny smiled to herself
29
and went back to the car thinking that the time had come to face her
fears.
Jenny walked back to the car and was still upset by the cat. If she
took this cottage she would have to ring the RSPCA and have it removed
or take on board she would have to feed it but outside of the cottage.
The last thing I need is a wild and angry cat as part of the deal; she
thought and glanced at her watch. She was still too early for Jones the
She looked up the road at the church gate entrance and decided that she
would stretch her legs. At least that would give her time to think about
In the church yard she wandered around lichen covered grave stones,
feeling she was being watched from the windows of the red bricked
house that overlooked the dead. Jenny came across two headstones
together that puzzled her. One very small and one the normal size. The
‘normal size’ one was much newer than the small one. A mother and
child she thought. Both were for one Mary Morgan who died in 1805.
She read what it said and was puzzled because there was the dead
stems and flower heads of a bunch of flowers that had been laid on the
grave and also a small pot of snowdrops that were now flowering.
Jenny lifted her head, let the sun hit her face and listened.
On the light wind she could hear the whisper of prayers blowing towards
Jenny shrugged and for a moment, bitter thoughts entered her head.
When it came, the whispered voice was not on the wind, but close to her
She looked around but there was nothing to be seen except a wren
dashing between the head stones. Jenny shook her head and read out
“Mary Morgan and child. 1805. Both children. One murdered the bastard
Puzzled she placed her hand on the stone, feeling its coldness then a
sound behind her made her swing around. The sun was behind the
human shape and she shaded her eyes. It was the old man, Sam she met
in the pub, Sam Deacon. He puffed on his pipe and nodded at her.
“We meet again woman. Sorry if I startled you. I just came by to say
goodbye to Dolly on my own once the jackals had gone. Sam Deacon?
Jenny was angry but more out of fear than anything else.
Sam sucked on his pipe studying her then; “ I did not sneak up on you.
I walked here, normal like. You were too busy talking to yourself to
notice. My dear women don’t you know that they lock people up who
speak to themselves?”
Her mind raced. Jenny took offence at the remark. “Don’t you know that
answer myself though I’m not worried. As for being ‘aged’ I’m not as old
For a moment she was stunned by the question but decided to give her
He looked hurt then smiled. “Take ten years of that and you’re close.”
She grunted feeling the anger drain away. “You don’t ware well then.”
“You also get around Sam Deacon. First the cross roads, then the pub,
now here? You shook me up. I was not expecting anyone to be that
Sam shook his head and sucked more on his pipe. ‘Not me. I don’t think
for the moment we would have anything in common that would make me
Jenny flushed. “Sorry but someone did”, wishing she had not just said
that to a stranger. More so to a stranger she did not like right now.
Sam nodded and sucked on his pipe watching her closely. “Could be.
Not me though. I heard you were in the post office looking for
somewhere to rent and that ferret, Garth Jones offered you Holly
Cottage?”
Jenny was taken back. “Word around here moves fast. So what?”
“Take it. The cottage that is. Dolly loved it there. It is well protected.”
“I intend to. Thank you for the advice,” she muttered then added,
“Your sister was in bad mouthing you. Just thought you should know?”
32
Sam ‘s laughter was a cackle. “Why? No surprise there then. She’s not
my sister. Half sister in fact and even that is too good for her. God made
her mean and she always will remain that way till the day she dies,
which I hope will be soon. Now Maria Kincaid, the Post Mistress? She is
a dream. Good heart and always open to people. She and I always had a
good relationship. Even asked her to marry me once away back when I
was young. She said no, so I left it there. Met someone else. Never
married in case you’re wondering? What you call ‘my sister’ never
married either and a good job too. She’s so odd that the only man who
She shook her head. “That’s more than a bit mean. You hate her that
“I don’t hate her. Just don’t like the woman. That’s all.”
Jenny raised an eyebrow at him then looked at the funeral party making
their way along the path back towards the gate. She turned back to the
old man.
“I need to go. I don’t really have time for this. Mr. Jones said he would
Sam made a face. “Jones could have waited a few days and let Dolly
She loved that cottage you know and for the most kept herself to herself.
The locals were wary of her and the blow-ins never spoke to her at all.
She had strange ways but she and I were always close. Liked a bit of a
drink now and then but would not go into pubs so I would bring her the
odd can or two. Liked to smoke a pipe too. Good woman. Will miss her.”
33
Jenny melted for she thought she observed the hint of tears in the old
man’s eyes. He blinked back at her, stuck the pipe in his mouth and
without another word walked off at an angle down through the grave
He turned and glared at her. “Fuck the cat!”he muttered and then was
Jenny sighed and walked back to the gate and out onto the road and
down the hill. She could see Jones leaning against her car waiting for
her his belly hanging over his belt, the dark suit he wore rumpled.
“You’re on time. I like that.” muttered Jones running his eyes over her
and took keys out of his pocket and laid the way to the front cottage
door.
Inside smelt musty and dust particles danced in the sunlight coming in
the back kitchen window. Jenny noticed the window ledges needed
washing and in the kitchen sink a long dead spider lay curled.
She turned and looked at Jones setting out papers on the table the he
held out a pen and nodded at the table. “If you just sign here and give
me the deposit, cash mind you, I don’t take plastic. Not ever. More so
Jenny went over and picked up the two pages of typed A4 and scanned
each page carefully. She looked at him and smiled. “I can give you cash
right now but I am not signing this. It’s not legal in fact between tenant
His eyes went wide and he snapped the documents from her.
34
She pointed to the clauses that he had inserted and stood back. His
Jenny thought fast. If he was greedy then he would bite but if not she
would not get the cottage. “I would advise you from a legal point of view
to use your local solicitor for things like this. Sorry. Maybe I’ll just look
somewhere else?”
The hook was baited but she added, “ Could be I might in time take it
more long term if I like it and the legal conditions were right.”
She was now in full flow playing the legal game and adding to his
When she had finished he looked battered and scratched his head.
“That will cost me more money if I go to a legal firm in the town. Bloody
“ I can draw the draft legal documents up this evening,put them on disc
and you print them off on a computer. Once you have them printed out
we could sign them in the morning. Two hundred pounds cash for the
deposit I believe is what you said which I can give you now.
Rent to be paid at the last day of every month. Clause 2 will sort out for
us both.”
“Clause two.?”
“I pay half, do all the painting that is needed and get someone in to
He shook his head from side to side slowly then looked at her. “What if
For a long moment she stared at her then nodded and held out his hand.
Jenny shook him by the hand took the keys from him and guided him
towards the door. “I won’t charge you for my services and you won’t
charge me for the roof maintained which I noticed has a leak in the
noted then added,“There is also the question about that white cat?”
Jones grunted and nodded at her. “ Cat? Oh! That? I’ll be back at nine in
“No other way. It gets in and out of the cottage somehow though never
snapped Jones and glared at her. “Unless you want to take it on?”
“You could always call the RSPCA or The Cats Protection Society”
Jones stopped at looked at her. “Have done so. Five times. No one could
“OK! Leave the cat. I’ll feed it. You don’t have to shoot it!”
Jones The Butcher nodded, then smiled at her. It was not a nice smile.
She waited till he went out the gate and he looked back and she waved
at him. He was still smiling, then she closed the door and groaned
She stood and looked at the bedroom. Low roof space and small
window but facing due east to south east. At least it would get the sun
she thought as she looked down at the mattress pleased it had no stains
on it. Jenny sat on the bed and it creaked a little. She went downstairs
noting the trapdoor above her head on the landing. Quickly she
discovered the fuse boxes and was alarmed at the state of it. She made
a mental note to have it checked. The under stairs space also housed a
Jenny burst out laughing, took the broom out and straddled it.
It was then she noticed the small door next the back wall. Leaving the
broom against the stair case she walked to brown coloured door and
pulled muttering to herself, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe!”
She was surprised at seeing nothing but a tiny room and empty.
all, no light, natural or otherwise. A dark room that said nothing to her or
Jenny closed the door. I suppose I could use it as a store room if needed
Three hours later she had done and sat in the chair with a coffee and
looked out the window into the back garden and her eyes drifted to the
woodshed, the roof with a slight hollow in it. Two years from now, she
thought, that will fall in. A blackbird landed on the wood stack carrying
She did not know how long she had been sitting there but she knew she
had been switched off for a time and noted that the sun had now shifted.
37
Food. I need food she thought and got up and found the slab of cheese
she had in her bag and cut a chunk of it and chewed on it without even
bothering to use bread or a roll that she also had in the bag.
She made a mental list of shopping that she would need to do when she
got time to go to the shop the next day and that list was long. She also
needed to find a bank and maybe check out who the best doctor was or
medical centre located in or near the town. I also need books, real books
and added ‘bookshop’ to her list though she knew there was a library in
the town. She made a list of possible books she needed to buy, History
of the area, birds and mammals, wild flowers, and a map. The map she
underlined.
What will I do with this place?, she thought as she looked at the walls
and wall paper. Dolly had good taste for Dolly but not me. She went to
the woodshed outside and seen the well stacked logs and pleased that a
swallows for company and a white cat that could eat them all if it gets
the chance.
She walked around the outside of the cottage, looking in the water barrel
that had overflowed, tripped over an old milk crate that had been
covered in grass and weeds and when she rounded the corner a flash of
bright orange caught her eye. The latch was lifted on the gate and the
“Hallo. Tracy Davis your post woman. All I have for Dolly is junk mail.
“Bin it I guess. I'm Jenny Snow. Rented the cottage. You knew Dolly
well?”
38
“Never did. It just turned up one day a few years back, she fed it and it
The post woman smiled. “ I doubt very much if the cat would let you do
Jenny waited till the van drove off and went into the cottage. Maybe I’m
rushing things here, she thought. Maybe I’m not ready to be a country
woman, raise chickens and grow herbs. She started to feel depressed as
she looked around the cottage, trying to get excited of how she would
like it. Jenny pondered on this for a while in a chair. She had got through
University with the law degree and somehow in the years that followed
found herself called to the Bar and from then on had to fight tooth and
nail to get where she wanted to be. Great brain and legal mind but bad
attitude when it came to self care, she told herself. Now I have all the
time in the world to make changes within me and find a new road to take
in life. She fought back the tears thinking of her daughter and husband
and before she knew what she was doing lifted a mug and threw it hard
against the wall, smashing it in fragments. She sat there head in hands
the blackness trying to suck her down but she took deep breaths and
Getting the dust pan and small brush she lifted the mug fragments and
threw them in the bin under the sink then sorted out her bedding in the
FOUR.
Jenny Snow had a bad night’s sleep. She would call it a stop and start
sleep and all on the floor of the living room in her sleeping bag and a
blanket. She opened her eyes and looked up at the window. Sunlight
was flooding in and the old clock told her it was after nine. She sat up
fast. Half the day was gone, she thought as she went into the kitchen,
now scrubbed clean, but still looking shabby. She ran the cold tap for a
while and it spluttered and coughed until the air lock cleared. Filling the
kettle she switched it on. A glass of water cleared the dust from last
night’s dusty tidy up and as she set the glass on the kitchen unit, a
shadow passed the back window. The old man Sam crosses the back
lawn, looked up and seen her then slowly walks to the back door and
knocks.
Jenny swore under her breath and grabbed a coat from the back of a
chair and struggled into it. Jesus! He’s haunting me! Or a stalker?
Sam stood waiting and when the door opened he spoke first, almost a
whisper. “Sorry about the churchyard. What I said and maybe the way I
said it.?”
For a moment Jenny was puzzled then smiled. “Nice to see you again.
Sam looked her up and down quickly. “Don’t know Mrs Snow?”
She looked at her finger where the wedding ring had been then at Sam.
“Not ‘Mrs’ any more Sam. It’s Jenny Snow now. I won’t bite. Come in.
Please. I think I got off on the wrong foot with you.” She was as much
He nodded and she stood to one side and let him pass into the kitchen
then closed the door. He stood by the table and waited and he looked
Jenny smiled at him. “Water? Sorry Sam. This is a dry house. I don’t
drink.”
Without being asked Sam pulled a chair out from the table and slumped
into it then sighed. Jenny poured hot water into a cup and then milk and
Sam could smell the rich aroma of coffee as she passed him and sat
down.
“So? What can I do for you Sam? I need the garden done if its work
you’re after?”
He looked up and shook his head. “Nothing and I don’t do gardens. Just
checking you are Ok. You left some of the lights on all night and they
disturbed her about Sam. She wanted to be kind but not stupid so she
said gently, “That was nice of you Sam and thank you. I worked till late
Jenny was getting flustered and needed to get this right or he could take
“You were a good mile or two from the town. Work out there?”
41
Sam still scowled at her, licked his lips and said, “No. I was burying a
body! Cut to the chase woman! What do you want to know? Not that it is
Jenny was taken back a little. “Sorry. I did not mean to offend you Sam.
Just curious seeing you so far out of the town with a spade and not a
The old man sighed deeply. “My house was up the lane, old but suits me
and I like it there. I was planting a tree for Dolly. A Rowan tree. I plant
trees for the dead that I care about. Sometimes I walk the hills in autumn
come there will be new trees but not organised. Just because you don’t
see a house from the road does not mean there is none. Like I said the
house is up a lane, well off the road and in a hollow. It is also private and
I don't need visitors. I live there when I am there. I was planting a tree for
He nodded and then looked hard at her. “Rowan and yew to keep away
evil, oak and ash for the animals and children, blackthorn for butterflies
She supped on the hot coffee forming her next question but not wanting
to come across as if she was cross examining him in a court of law. She
made a mental note to try and unlearn that process in the future.
‘Yes, at least till late summer. A few months at least until I get sorted.
He shook his head. “No thanks. Not here. I just wander and sleep where
I want or if asked to do so. Not that I’m often asked. I have three friends
now and had four if you count Dolly.” Here it comes, though Jenny. The
old man, homeless bit and poor me maybe even a real mental case but
She drank and waited but he was studying her and it un-nerved any
Jenny answered softly. He’s fishing ,she thought. “Not really. Tossed
and turned and was cold, I mean cold in the night. I should have put on
Sam laughed. “Fire would have been OK and plenty of dry logs out in
the shed as well as twigs for starters. Try and not disturb the blackbird
in the shed, she is nesting in there. There is no heating. Never was. You
heat your water up for a bath or shower by throwing the switch under
the stairs. If you leave it on too long your bill is going to be large when
Jenny stopped drinking her coffee. “No heating? Jones did not tell me
that.”
Sam laughed. “No. He’s good at that. Forgetting to mention things are
important to him. Because Dolly was rent free he had a great resentment
against her and he never came here. Most people would check on an old
person in winter. Just check if they were OK like? Not Jones. The only
person that did anything like that was the Post Woman and she did it
only when needed. The rest, the locals nodded at her if she was in the
garden but never came through the gate or door. Of course Dolly was
43
not one for inviting people in and more than likely was abrupt with many
Sam shrugged. “She new too much and is said she talked to the dead.
Jones brought it up once in the pub and I overheard him say that she
“But you came. Checked her out. You cared about her?”
“Yes but then I was her friend and she mine. We trusted one another.”
She was beginning to relax and was also trusting Sam a little more but
she was still alert to the real possibility that Sam would put the squeeze
The question threw her. “That’s twice you have asked me that Sam. I
told you. No. I was cold. Lets cut to the chase Sam like you said.”
She laughed. “Just the birds under the eaves. Should I have been
“Eh! No…Sometimes townies like yourself , beg your pardon like, think
She smiled at Sam. “Like Dolly Little, Sam? Ghosts don’t bother me and
the dead will do me no harm, just the living if you let them. I know from
Sam made a face then smiled which took years of him. “Good. People,
the old timers, are a close bunch around here. They think and whisper
and think a lot Jenny. Curtain twitchers I call them but not the
think. The windows have eyes Jenny though most of them are harmless
but there are a good few who have acid tongues in their heads. Poison
She stood up and walked to the sink, washed the cup then turned to
Sam and asked. “These poison spreaders? Are they talking about me
“Too early to tell yet. A few, those close to Jones no doubt are ringing
their friends. Don’t worry about it. Unless you go up the town and buy a
Jenny laughed loudly. “I found one under the stairs. Maybe I should do
Sam’s face went stone like. “I would not even go there Jenny. Not
around this area because it has a very dark past and witchcraft was one
of the things people, some people got involved in and paid the price as
did…”
“What?”
“Oh! They could be that bad then like ‘curse on your house’ and all that
stuff.” She almost laughed out loud but thought better of it.
He met her eyes. “You might be surprised how bad and more so the
ones that have a secret to hide, a secret that is genetic and as a good
few in the old days married through one another, they passed on the
genetic code.”
“Yes…Bad blood. I won’t go into it now but take it from me things here
at not all as they seem on the surface. Dolly and I were always classed
as odd as was Maria. We were named the ‘Odd Bunch’ from childhood
days because we were always together, loved nature, talked to birds and
animals and put mountain ash branches over our doors to ward off evil.
Still do in fact. This town and surrounding countryside has had its share
of evil and evil acts Jenny. Misdeeds and of course great injustice in the
She wanted to end this now but yet she wanted to know more. Like an
old black and white film script ‘Don’t go out on the moors tonight’, that
frightened her when she was a teenager at University. In those days she
loved that exciting ripple of fear watching such a film because it was all
make believe.
“ Years ago. A child, maybe children. They never got the killer.”
Jenny thought on this but the look on Sam's face told her to back off
and fast.
“Well Sam. I’m staying for the duration and I don’t care what people
think or say about me. I have already been to hell and back in the past.
As for you, you are always welcome here. As a friend or a quick visitor.
What ever.”
“The cat? Dolly departed but the cat stayed on it seems. And you did not
Sam scratched his beard and looked at her, his head tilted slightly to
one side. “What cat?” he asked looking towards the kitchen window and
the bright sunshine. “As I said in passing things do not always seem
what they really are and this area has a history and not all good. That is
all I am saying.”
She turned and went to the sink. “It was a white cat. I saw it before I
moved in. Upstairs window then it were downstairs and seemed wild.
Did Dolly own a cat?”, she asked thinking she could trap him into lying
She turned but Sam was already gone. The back door slightly ajar. She
“Of course you are free to come and go as you please Sam. Seems you
do that anyway!”
Outside in the tree a song thrust began to sing loudly. Jenny stood and
listened to the sweet song and then made up her mind to find all she
could about Sam Deacon because there was much more to the old man
She knew now that Dolly and he were friends as was the Post Mistress,
Maria. Molly the bar maid liked him in a protective way and could handle
him when and if needed but Jenny knew deep down that Sam had a very
hidden past.
Then we all have a past don’t we, that hidden past that very few people
see, if at all in their lifetime. And why should they, she thought, it is their
past and not yours. Besides I’m not the best one to tell anything to
because I store it away and whatever you say may be used in evidence
FIVE
That rest of the day was not wasted and she was pleased that
the washing machine worked and she got some clothes out on the line
in the back garden. Spring was all around her, the garden being reborn.
By the time the sun formed a golden and copper ball in the west and
dipping, she had one bedroom cleaned and ready to move into. Jenny
looked at her watch and frowned. It would be dark when she got back
She had to drive into town and do the shopping; mainly food and it give
her a lift. Parking by the Police Station and Bus Stop she walked down
the narrow streets passed book shops that held all types of books.
Jenny smiled when she came across the Honesty Book-Shop. You pick
a book and then walk down the street and pay for it in the corner shop.
The main book shop was called ‘The Unicorn.’ And it looked bright and
full of new books. When she went inside she was surprised that most of
the books were of an of an education and history nature, any fiction was
by local writers. There were maps of the area and of other parts of
Wales. She was looking at the books when there was a voice behind her
and she turned to see a young woman dressed in black, pale face and
“Sorry if I startled you but I heard a noise and came out. Can I help
you?”
“Yes please, I need a map of the local area that is well marked, and some
maps are at the desk which I will sort for you. You’re the woman that
Jenny smiled and nodded. “My, word does get around. I’m Jenny Snow.
The young woman held out her hand. “Rebecca Shaw and I own the
shop and I can order all education or history books, some medical and
the world you want to study, and a few writers of good fiction. And yes,
Jenny shook her hand making a mental note that she was not English or
Welsh but with a name like ‘Shaw’ she must be married or changed her
name. Rebecca’s dark hair was long and her eyes were dark brown but
Rebecca Shaw’s smile stayed fixed but the eyes took on an alert
brightness. “I don’t live here in the town and moved into a house which
was always close to an airport rather than going all the way to London
to fly out.”
“Home being where?” asked Jenny pleased that she had read Rebecca
right.
Jenny nodded and smiled. “Well at least you’re not half Irish and half
Scots like I am but if you don’t mind me asking ‘Shaw’ is not a Jewish
name as such?”
49
Rebecca laughed and it was a nice laugh Jenny thought. “No I changed
my name from ‘Hofi’ to Shaw when I first came here because of the
“What do you know about an old man called Sam Deacon who lives
somewhere around here. It’s just that we have met and he seems a bit
“Sorry?”
Jenny looked oddly at Rebecca. “Right and I will take that as Ok in the
She nodded then added, “And the heart. Sam Deacon has a good heart.”
Jenny bought her books ordered two more and also got a map of the
area and when she left the shop dusk was closing in.
Shopping was fast but she got what she needed including some fresh
flowers and bread. When she arrived at her car she noticed under the
light from the lamp, a young woman standing. Jenny knew from London
that being alert kept you safe and be it male or female near your car at
night you approached ready to fight or flight. This was not London of
course and maybe she was letting fear take over. She boldly walked up
She was surprised to see that it was Molly Drew the barmaid.
The girl spoke first and smiled. “Been waiting for you.”
Jenny set down her shopping and opened the car door more relaxed.
“Why?”
50
“Sam said you might need a hand? At the cottage? I have the evening
off?”
Alarm bells started to go off in Jenny’s head. Oh, no! Why would a
“That’s very nice of you Molly but I really want to make something to eat,
have a bath and an early night. But thanks for the offer.”
Molly struggled with this for a moment shrugged then said “Ok. Fine.
See you around. If you need me or need to talk you know where to find
me.” She smiled at Jenny as she passed by her and for a moment she
was going to give in and ask Molly back for at least a cup of tea. No.
Stick to what you said and there will be no confusion later on.
She watched Molly turn right and out of sight then got in the car and
drove home, a slight wave of her hand at Molly as she passed her. Molly
did not respond. In fact Molly just looked straight ahead as if Jenny was
not there.
By the time she had unloaded the car and went into the cottage she felt
upset. Maybe I should have let her come and help, she thought locking
the door behind her and putting on the chain. Why am I such a hard
ass?
She cooked something quickly and realised that she was in fact hungry.
As she ate she took stock of what to do next and why did she in fact
stay here?
Overhead there was a noise. Just a muffled sound and at first she
thought the cat had somehow got up there. Then she heard it again this
time very clear and she knew what ever it was it was moving.
51
Jenny with the last bit of food on a fork stopped it half-way to her
mouth, her eyes wide. She set the fork down slowly and stood up, head
tilted and listened. Again a soft passing noise but this time somewhere
Going to the fire place she found the poker and then went to the bottom
of the stairs and flicked on the light. Sitting at the top and looking
directly at her was the large white cat with yellow eyes.
Jenny was alarmed. Then fear crept in because she could not work out
how it got into the house. She was very aware that this cat was large
and it also tried to attack her not so long ago through the glass of the
down stairs window. She thought, Attack may be a bit over the top.
“Nice pussy. Hi. I’m Jenny. Saved your life. Jones was coming this
I’m really flaky! My head is a mess and here I am talking to a white cat as
The cat blinked twice then slowly walked down the stairs towards her.
She raised the poker higher and when the cat got to her legs, it rubbed
Jenny discovered that she was shaking. She looked at the cat by the
“Ok. You want out? Guess you are related to Sam in another life.”
The cat made a single mewing sound and looked at the door. Jenny
walked over turned the key and opned the door. The white cat went out
slowly, stopped and looked back then carried on down into the darkness
of the garden. Jenny shut the door locked it and set the poker down.
52
She slumped in the kitchen chair, hands on her knees and tried to stop
She whispered to herself, “Get a grip! It was only a cat! A moggie and ok
a big moggie, but harmless! Yes. But how did it get back in?”
Somewhere in the right hand corner of the kitchen and in shade she
heard a whisper. Just a single word and she knew she was not dreaming
it and she knew she was not cracking up. The word whispered was low
but she understood what the word was though not what it meant.
‘BASTET’
Jenny was rattled but she stood up and looked hard into the corner and
asked loudly, “What do you want from me? Why can’t you leave me
alone?”
Except for the ticking of the clock and a dripping tap there was no other
sound. She went to the small radio and switched it on turning up the
sound and then went and ran a bath but not before she checked all
doors and windows down stairs was locked. She went to the kitchen
table, found a pad and pen and wrote the word in it.
bed when the first sound brought her to the edge of awakening but the
landing made her sit up fast. She pulled the cord on the light over her
head flooding the room with its glow then carefully set her feet on the
Her heart raced as she heard the chuckle of laughter again and it came
from the landing at the top of the stairs. Without doubt it was a child’s
laughter. Jenny reached for the poker at the bedside then shocked at
53
what she done she set it down again. Children won’t harm you, she told
herself as she stepped out onto the landing and flicking on the lights as
It read 03.00.
Her heart rate slowed and she listened. She was surprised at how many
small noises someone could hear when they were intently listening.
Normal noises in a small old house. A creak here and there, the sigh of
the wind under a closed door, a slow dripping tap. That was normal she
told herself reaching the top of the stairs. She flicked the switch and
looked down. A small girl stood, not solid but solid enough and dressed
in red. Jenny watched frozen to the spot and the child lifted her right
hand and give a small wave then walked towards the kitchen, fading
Jenny found her voice. “Who are you and what do you want?’
There was no reply just a small tinkle of laughter coming from the
kitchen.
She swallowed hard. Nipped her wrist with her fingers and felt pain.
Oh, great. Now all the films I never wanted to see before I died are
‘Don’t go out on the moors at night, It’s the moon you see, the full moon,
They can’t stand sunlight and must be back in their coffins before dawn,
Her voice echoed around the rooms and down the stairs then silence.
“Right! I’m calling the police now so you had better leave!”
And what do I tell the police if and when they arrive? I have a ghost of a
girl in red and she has been haunting me for days, she thought.
Her second step just started when all the lights went out and she was
A dense black void of nothing. No light of any sort. The loud drumming
was her heart, the hiss was her breath and now she stood rooted to the
spot.
How long she stood she could not remember. Then in the darkness a
very loud hammering on the front door that vibrated through the cottage
and she screamed. Screamed again when there was more banging and
then she heard the front door smashing open and some light poured in
It was then that the lights flickered twice then came back on full and
standing there looking up at her was Sam, breathing hard and in his
Jenny screamed at him. “Do I look alright? Do I seem alright to you and
She burst out crying and slumped on the tops stairs, Sam looking
stupid and not knowing what to say or do. He waits till she looks up her
eyes flooded with tears. When she spoke it was with the voice of a small
child.
and I seen the lights come on then go off and you screaming. I thought
55
you were being attacked Jenny and when I could not get you to answer.
Jenny wiped her face then looked at old Sam unable to find words,
Sam spoke softly. “I’ll put the kettle on. You go and change Jenny and
by the time you do I’ll have the lock fixed till I do a better job in the
morning.”
“Aye and very nice too but I still think you need to change. Go on now.”
She watched him walk into the kitchen and waited for him to shout out
on seeing the girl but all she heard was him filling the kettle and then the
switch being thrown. The kettle slowly began to tune up and sing.
Jenny looked down at the puddle at her bare feet and shuddered when
she seen the yellow stain down the front of her night dress. Quickly she
got to her feet and went into the bedroom, grabbed some clothes and
The shower was just warm and she stood under it crying softly, feeling
the water on her head, running down her neck and over her body.
Sam could hear her upstairs and nodded to himself then took a
small knife and went to the front door and started to fix the Yale lock the
best he could. By the time he had finished she was coming down the
stairs fully dressed, her face shinning and hair damp. She looked at him
Seeing he had set out two cups, one with coffee and one with tea, she
reheated the kettle and then when it was boiled again in a few seconds
farm and get real help she thought as Sam walked into the brightness of
the kitchen.
She looked at this small man, aware that anywhere else but here, he
She watched him move, not on old man legs but good legs and no
You know nothing about him really. Maybe in the past he was a killer,
graves of his victims all over the country, shallow graves in woods and
It was blunt and to the point and Sam was taken aback by the force of it.
He’s lost the plot, she thought looking hard at him and Jenny was
“She comes when she wants too. A child dressed in…”, Sam stopped
and looked at his hands. She could see he was struggling for the right
words.
“Red? You are going to say red coat and hat?”, whispered Jenny and
watching him closely then added, “But there is no such thing as ghosts
57
Sam. Is there? It’s all in the head and what a person drums up in their
own mind.
Sam was silent and as she watched him for a moment he seemed to
close down, almost as if he was not here in the room with her and go
Jenny took a breath and let it out slowly. “I said there is no such thing as
‘ghosts’. Is there?”
He shook his head and sadness was now in his voice. “Not ghosts of
fiction, books and films like but there is something. A negative of the
past life, a true picture but not always visible unless you are in the right
place at the wrong time. People claim they see things, dead family
members, friends that they loved, images, good and bad of people they
did not know. Then there are other people who attract such things to
them for one reason or another and those also who seek out spirits and
ghosts not really knowing what they are doing or why they are doing it.
In time, they start to believe that they have powers, or claim to have
when in fact they are powerless because it is not them that contact the
She was taken back by this outburst and really started to ponder if he
Jenny thought on this for a moment then asked straight out watching
him closely. “And you Sam? Do you believe that they contact you?”
She did not know how to run with this because she could not say that he
was ill because she was ill also then and what she was hearing and had
seen put her in the same folder as him, marked ‘Cuckoo Farm Material’
Jenny knew what she had heard, the voices were real and what she had
seen was real and the girl in the red coat and hat, a child was real.
Her mind raced now, fast like a tape recorder and then she put it on
‘pause’. How likely was it that two people, even more, seen this child
dressed in red and at least her and Sam were complete strangers would
“Your not mad Jenny and neither am I if that is what you’re thinking right
now?”
She made a face and to Sam, just for a moment, it made her look ugly.
“I don’t know about you but I need to, no, have questioned by mental
state well before I ever came here and now that I am living here, even
more so.”
There was a long silence and it was Jenny who broke it.
“ Rebecca Shaw said you had a good heart and you were ok Sam.”
Sam snorted, “”Rebecca is a lair and a witch I think. She also has major
designs on my body.”
“Fancy’s me and who indeed could blame her”, Sam said with a twinkle
She could do nothing but laugh and it took her time to get herself under
control again.
Sam shook his head and smiled. “You know nothing woman because
Rebecca and I have a very special relationship that goes back many
years. She is young, bright, sometimes very bright, and I would trust her
with my life.”
Sam smiled. “Very and now am I getting coffee and can we drop
“Ok I will get you coffee but I’m puzzled why all your friends are woman
and no men?”
“That is because true friends are rare and true friends who are women
and non sexual even better because I trust them. You are wrong in
saying I have no male friends. I have a very few, less so than women
friends granted but a few and one was special and is now dead.”
Jenny worked that one out quickly enough and did not push it. It fitted
into Sam’s profile and she had no problem with it and knowing this now
“Too early Sam and besides there is no one right now I care to be with.”
“Don’t leave it till it is too late and in time you will have to move on. We
person and bitter with it. My half sister in the town is a great example of
that.”
60
They sat in silence for a time both lost in their own thought of what had
been said and what was not said. Sam was giving little away and he did
not trust men so there may well be a dark hidden agenda of his
He knows! How does he know. “The girl, the girl in red Sam?”
SIX
She handed Sam his coffee avoiding eye contact and then took
They both sat in silence for a while then Jenny spoke but not looking at
the old man. “We both saw her Sam. Heard her. It was the same child
unless you believe in auto suggestion or ESP and I don’t buy that!
“Hush woman. I have had worse in my day”, muttered Sam and looked
across at her. “The door lock is fixed and it will hold tonight anyway.
on the door, heard you scream again I just went through it and found
you at the top of the stairs. The child in red will not harm you or in time,
the others”
“The others? That really sets my mind at ease Sam and I don’t really
want to stay here anymore because if there are ‘others’ as you say then
I have rented a full house. Doing so might well mean that I would also
Sam could see she was close to tears again and smiled sadly.
She set the cup on the table adding another wet ring to the three already
there, not caring about possible stains. Her hands were still shaking.
“I think I am ill again Sam and I really don’t know what to do! Is this real
Sam nodded, sucked on a dry unlit pipe wishing he could light up.
She looked at him her eyes filled with tears. “Crazy ill Sam. Wanting to
end it all ill. Finish! I thought I was getting better. Coming here trying to
sort out my head and feelings but all I get are reminders of what was
Sam took the pipe out of his mouth looked at it and looked at Jenny
hopefully. She caught his eye, the hang-dog look and right now she
needed him.
Sam’s smile was like Christmas. It was infectious and she almost smiled
back at him. She watched him fill his pipe from an old tin, poke the
tobacco into place, stick it in the side of his mouth and then light up.
Bellows of blue smoke hung over his head and he looked more
Her student days flashed into her head. Parties, drinks, laughter and
dope.
Her eyes went wide and she burst out laughing. “Sam! How could you?
He smiled back. “Sam’s Special Mixture my dear and keeps the pain in
She shook her head the laughter fading fast. “I wish I could blame what
is happening to me on that. This is a real bad trip Sam and it is not drug
induced.”
Sam nodded then poked the air with the pipe. “Jenny. I think you need to
start at the very beginning but a few weeks before you set off for here.
Tell me as much as you want to and what you tell me stays with me. Ok?
Tell me all.”
Can I trust him, really trust him, she thought watching him closely.
She nodded and for a moment, he thought she was going to cry again
but she started her story, leaving nothing out and Sam was on his third
pipe when she finished and outside the dawn singing of birds just
started.
Sam told her to go lie on the bed and get a few hours sleep. He would
kip on the sofa and then they would talk, if she could throw in breakfast.
It was useless to protest so she went up the stairs and lay on the bed
Sam had already washed at the kitchen sink and made coffee
in the pot for Jenny when she decided to come downstairs. He had
heard her in the shower and wondered why people took so many
table. Hungry they were so he found the bread bin and took a slice of
bread. Outside, he crumbled the bread up and placed it on the bird table.
Sam was locked into Jenny and her problems but he knew deep down
that she was linked to the past and also the future. From what she told
63
him it was possible that she was the key but he was aware that she was
also fragile and the last thing he wanted was push her over the edge.
He jumped and looked over his shoulder then nodded to Jenny standing
at the back door. She was pale, scrubbed clean smiling so that was a
bloody others!”
He laughed and walked to her. They stood for a moment then Jenny
As Sam followed her in to the kitchen he worked out, fast, how much he
would tell her. She had trusted him and told all, holding nothing back
himself. The other stuff he would be up front with but would watch her
reaction to this and if it started to get too hairy for her he would change
the subject.
“Why don’t you go upstairs and tidy up Sam? Bacon eggs and toast
Ok?”
Breakfast finished, they sat across from one another and it was
Sam who started the conservation. He started with what she had told
“Jenny. From what you said last night and I know at times it was painful
to do, I think I need to tell you that maybe this was all meant to happen.
Too many things are running side by side and all at the one time.”
64
Jenny shrugged. “I know. But since I have talked to you about it, you a
stranger, well almost, I feel a great weight has been lifted off me Sam.
All the pills, the therapy, booze did little to help. I am far from
understanding what is going on and why but I am willing to run with it.
Sam laughed. “We all are. The two faces of Eve the two sides of our
brains, good and evil. Oh yes! We are not always an open book Jenny
Jenny frowned then looked at Sam who was sucking a dry pipe again.
God! She does not waste time getting to the point he thought and
Sam struggled with this question and looked uneasy for a moment then
he smiled at her. “I my dear, am The Man From The Grey Wind, I come
and go, I learn and I teach, I protect and need protection, I am a social
She pondered on his stage craft answer but knew that he was not just
an old man, untidy and of little education. Sam Deacon had been around
“I amuse you Jenny? Good. Now I will start, explain all about you and try
“First I want to know about you Sam and I don’t have time to mess
around. I was straight with you and told the truth so please, no lies, no
Jenny got up and knew that Sam’s eyes were following her. She took
from a large brown brief case a small tape recorder, snapped it open and
“I need to get all this down Sam because unless I do none of it will
She nodded and switched the recorder on and sat down waiting.
“I left the UK and went to Aussie Land a long time ago, studied there,
and forensics, wrote a few papers and had a lover later on in life.
He was the best friend a man could ever have not counting my
namesake, Sam Cree, who was straight and also worked in forensics.
The Human Brain Jenny is a muddle of information and it starts from the
day we are born. Imprints of information from all places and things, all
thousands of years and parts of it brought into the here and the now.
Forget all the TV jazz about the Paranormal, most books if not all about
UFO’s and Alien abduction, a good few on haunting, and underline the
present day witches as want to be witches that you see advertised and
want to sell goods to the unwary. For money. The ‘ghost hunters’ I have
just mentioned are just full of bull shit. Most of the people who banished
this information around have their own agenda’s for doing so and a
good few of them are psychotic and live in the land of delusion. In fact
they are mental patients still on the loose because the sane people are
locked away, the ones that have been and are still in the void. They are
66
locked away in their minds because most of them never discovered the
key yet all have the ability to regress if they need or want to.
of them true once you dig deeper, psychology, tribal ritual, and past
No. We don’t and more than likely never will. We, as humans today, have
through to our birth and as time progressed, we lost most of our natural
skills of communication not just with nature but with what I term as the
Organised religion played and still does play an important part in this
and myth as well as ritual and all play a part. God you see, no matter
what God you or I believe in, never had a religion. It was the human
mind that created such and once people got religion, they got an excuse
and a weapon to use against others who did not believe as they did or
do. Even today Jenny the evidence of religion ritual and conflict
worldwide is there. Mix that with race and you have a time bomb.
When it comes to someone like yourself who gets a hard knock of the
emotional type, a death of a loved one, the death of a child, sudden and
not expected tends to rattle the brain and mind cage, pushes aside
much of the implanted junk in there and lets flow, a trickle at first then a
Many people tend to think that their mental state has gone west, the pain
is too much, their strength is gone and they are weak so they seek help
and to grieve they get that help. All well and good as long as we don’t
use drugs to kill the natural mental pain because that is like putting a
bandage on an infected wound and it gets worse. Left to bleed out and
clean the infection out with good honest support is much better and of
course safer.” He paused and frowned looking down at his feet then at
her.
“Jenny. Your child died in a tragic accident as did your husband Ray
that may have been avoided, Dolly’s child died early from disease, the
the young woman in your dreams is the past and needs help. All are
linked and all to you now. Even your daughter is there or at least her
spirit or soul and they all are seeking your help Jenny. It is possible that
they, meaning what has been in contact you already, may well be joined
Sam sat back in the chair and observed Jenny noting that she had
gone very pale, a film of sweat on her forehead and her hands shaking.
She was in shock and Sam understood that. He reached over and
Sam smiled kindly and touched her hand. It fluttered like a heartbeat
She stood, weak, and then straightened up, nodded and waddled to the
kettle. Sam waited then relaxed as she threw on the kettle switch.
68
“Why anyone? A child dies before the parents and the parents feel angry
and guilty. Most of them don’t deal with that anger or guilt and they wear
pain like another coat. That kills other feelings and they won’t let go.
As you know there is the Law and then there is Justice and sometimes
the two are so far apart that Justice is never done. By that until it is done
then the matter is never closed or should be closed no matter how long
“When you said that you started off in medical forensics away back your
job was to look for evidence either from a victim of violence or a crime
scene?”
“Right. And I have worked on the graves of war crime victims in Europe
murder victims as far back as BC and AD1. Where are you going with
this Jenny?”
She bit her lip then, “Did you ever ‘find’ evidence so that justice could
be done? Know that someone was guilty but it would never get to
court?”
“Never, though I may well have suggested things from time to time but
never with the evidence I found and if that meant that the defendant got
off because I could not produce good hard facts then so be it. I let a
supplied.”
69
Jenny looked at him stone faced. “What if you knew in your heart the
got off?”
Sam coughed softly and said in a low voice that was almost a whisper,
They both sat for a moment in a long silence, deep thoughts like eddies
in a river flowing.
Jenny was excited and also more than a little frightened at what Sam
had explained to her. She tried to push him on to telling her more and
she had at least fifty questions for him. He had held up a hand and
looked at her.
“It’s enough for the moment Jenny. Later. I have things to do and places
“No. Go for a walk and get grounded again. You’re as high as a kite”, he
demanded, stood up and headed for the door. She spoke to him and he
turned.
He looked grave but spoke clear. “In ghosts and souls yes but not in the
werewolves there is no such thing and never was. As for the condition
of lycanthropy and lycanthrope’s it has been with us for a very long time
and that my dear is the Genetic condition I was talking about. In part
Bad Blood, bad Genes and around here and elsewhere and like I said
before, across to the Black Mountain seven murder over the years. This
I should point out goes on in every country of the world and it is not the
70
devil, call it what you will that is Evil but Men and Women who want to
be Evil. They want the power over other people including children and
the one’s that want such power are the worst of all because there is the
He left Jenny opened mouthed and was gone closing the door behind
him, the only thing left of his stay was dust motes, the small of tobacco
The tape recorder, silver in sunlight, mocked her. She picked it up and
There was no noise except a static hiss. She shook it and put it in fast
forward mode and then pressed play and again the hiss of static.
“Damn!”
She would it back checking that the volume control was set at high then
pressed 'Play'.
Jenny dropped the small tape recorder as if it had given off hot heat and
burned her.
Slowly she reached down and picked it up then pressed rewind and
once it clicked home, she took a deep breath and pressed 'play' but also
she got was a high static hiss. She let the tape run to the end listening
71
to nothing but static, a white noise that seemed to enter through the
SEVEN
Jenny walked over the bridge and into Wales. She went up
through the gate way of the church yard and towards the grave stones.
Bright sunlight helped her and made her feel better within herself as she
stopped at the grave of Mary Morgan. She re-read what it said on both
head stones. Puzzled she turned and looked at the church and then was
“Good morning. Interesting headstones are they not?” the middle aged
man said to her and held back the playful dog. He looked hard at Jenny
Jenny was now alert. “Some of it. Can’t workout why there are two
His smile faded and he sighed. “Guilt I suppose. The larger one was
her death. The small one is suspect and a number of people at that time
may well have been involved in placing it there. All a very sad affair it
seems and so far back in time no one outside of here really had the
answers.”
Jenny studied the vicar. She was always good at cross examination of a
witness and for all accounts he was now a witness though he was not
72
aware of it because he, like most clergymen she knew were rapped up in
“They say she killed her new born child? That was sad.”
He shook his head and hesitated for a moment. “Maybe she did and the
Law at the time took its course, with a good deal of help from the gentry
of the area here. Everyone in power covering one another’s back as they
do. She may well have killed the child but I suspect she was not alone in
the deed if at all and my view is that the law took its course but Justice
was a non-runner. People have tried to get to the bottom of it all and
“No I’m just interested in the story”, Jenny lied then added, “I have just
moved into Holly Cottage across the bridge, well rented it for a time.”
His eyes narrowed and the dog whined. “Dolly Little’s Cottage?”
“Yes. She died a while ago I heard and buried here a few days later.”
The Minister scratched his beak of a nose and nodded his face now
grim. “That caused me grief with some of the locals. Conducting her
service it seems because Dolly was not what you call a church goer and
there were some major objections to here being buried here in the
church grounds. I’m leaving anyway at the weekend so I guess the way
they reacted put the lid on it all. Dolly was not what you could term as a
‘an easy’ person. In fact in the four years I have been here I never once
seen her inside the church. That is why she had such a small send off
on the day and few people turned up. It was a man called Sam Deacon
who arranged it and paid for it all. There was money alright for the coffin
and funeral but he paid me and for the new headstone that will arrive
sometime.”
73
She took it easy fishing slowly for any information. “Yes I have met him
The vicar laughed. Then holding out his hand introduced himself as the
Rev;Rodger Butts.
The Rev; Butts looked grey and tired. “Not many like him around here.
He now and then would tend the graves, when he was sober. A good
Christian no doubt but like Dolly, not a chapel one. He has a family
member in the town but they don’t get on. A half sister who shows little
compassion of any sort for him. A Sunday Christian I suspect. All sorts
of reasons and stories there. Sam does not help much there because he
comes and goes and when here gets drunk and at times can be
abusive.”
She shrugged. “Drink does that to some people but I can see Sam being
a violent man.”
Rodger Butts laughed. “Not really. He has been known to give the odd
being hassled by yobs but he’s pushing on now and young men, even
Jenny said goodbye and headed for the church doorway aware that she
Inside was larger than she suspected and was empty. She walked slowly
worship before the Norman Conquest but the present building showed
signs of Old Saxon and Norman building. Jenny and history did not mix
the names displayed, thought Jenny as she entered the Lady Chapel.
She sat on a bench and ran all the events through her head again, with
she felt she needed to pray or at least say a prayer for her daughter.
Jenny had not prayed in many years and was aware to do so now, just
She smiled at the though of her daughter playing in the past, things she
had done like cutting her hair when she was three and left with an
angled fringe. Jenny wiped her eyes, the tears stinging and stood up
and caught movement at the back of the church. She stared and shook
her head to clear it. When she looked up the image of the child in red
stood by the font and as she watched child smiled and give a little wave.
Before Jenny knew what she was doing, she raised her hand and waved
“You’re losing the plot Jenny Snow”, she muttered then added, “Talking
to ghosts now.”
Her whisper echoed around the church walls and back to her, but also
We? She sat down and waited thinking of what she just heard, of Sam
and all he had so far told her, of renting the cottage which now made her
75
uneasy and of Mary Morgan in the 1800’s, a child mother who was
hanged on a tree less than a stone throw away from the church gate.
to see moving shadows but there was none and the only movement was
a small orange coloured butterfly that fluttered against the stained glass
Justice for Mary Morgan was impossible now because of the time
factor, she thought and she knew from what Sam had said that others
had failed in the past. Truth first is not failure she thought.
up, ‘don’t be sad mummy I am ok and I also have friends here but some
“Stop it!”, putting her hands over her ears and rushing for the
door of the church tears running down her face. She stumbled and fell
She lifted her head and blinked away the tears and sitting on the grey
slate slab was the butterfly slowly moving its wings up and down.
Gently she reached out a finger and the insect crawled onto it and then
with difficulty she staggered to her feet and walked to the door and
sunlight.
Outside she held her hand out and waited then with a light flutter the
butterfly left her hand and vanished into the wild flowers.
76
EIGHT.
Jenny left by the gate of the church-yard and into The Scallions
Road, turned right and up into the main part of the town. As she walked
she passed the Old Goal and shuddered because she knew now that is
where Mary Morgan would have been kept till her trail.
At the corner she paused and looked in a book shop then moved on and
bumped into Miss Deacon, Sam’s sister, the older woman dropping her
flowers. Both bent down to pick them up and Jenny muttered, “Sorry.”
“No matter and no harm done. Yet.” muttered Miss Deacon and staring
directly at Jenny, the blue washed out eyes almost ice. Jenny did not
like the ‘Yet’ bit. It was like a hidden threat, something that sent bells
What was it with her? Jenny took in the shape and for a moment she
looked like the village busy body in the soap ‘Summerdale’, the one like
a rake and always wore a hat. Miss Deacon had lips like the slit belly of
She said straight out to Miss Deacon in her form of defence. “You’re
related to Sam?”
The belly lips tightened. “Very distant and sadly not distant enough!”
Jenny was not surprised by the remark. It fitted her profile and what she
already knew. “Sam and I are friends I guess. He’s kind and has
Jenny waited for the response and Miss Deacon spat it out almost
Your one he has then! Oh! And that hussy in the pub. The blond woman
and I see him in the bookshop with that Jewess sniffing around her.
Seems he picks up strays wherever he goes and all the wrong sort!”
sadness and pushing what happened in the church to the back of her
mind.
The old woman glared at Jenny. “Meaning that he is a user and abuser
of women! That’s what. He’s sick and tending all those graves, all
female, should tell you something. I thought we,I,was rid of him when he
left all those years ago but then he came back to tell stories and lies,
starring up things that were best left alone. He is a trouble maker and a
drunk. No doubt that man he was seen with in Shrewsbury is his like!
Good day!”
Jenny was about to protest but Miss Deacon moved off, the thin legs
tapping out a Marine drummers beat on the pavement her back stiff.
A grey woman for a grey town, thought Jenny, and went into the Post
Maria Kincaid was by the magazine rack and looked up, seen Jenny and
Jenny laughed, “I think so, you know so, but Sam’s sister is still living in
winter. I just met her on the corner and she was to say the least,
unpleasant”
“Yes I seen. Sadly she is a bitter women with neither chick not child. I
‘”Acid and hates Sam like I never seen anyone hate someone.”
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The smile faded from Maria’s lips. “Oh! She won’t change now and the
only man who will ever touch her will be the undertaker and he is no
Jenny shrugged.
“Ok. I guess but cold at night. Like cold and much colder upstairs for
Maria placed a new magazine in the stand and smiled. “ Good. What can
I do you for?”
“Extract money from you if I can.” laughed Maria and pointing at the
door. “That bell has rung four times since I opened up this morning and
it’s almost lunch hour. I’m bored out of my mind right now.”
Jenny nodded. “Ok. I bought a new computer, laptop, and need to know
where I can get programs for it around here. I need the Office
programs?”
Maria shook her head. “Not around here. Best bet is PC World or
somewhere like that. No! Wait. I may well have a solution. Sort off.”
“Yes but it is not Microsoft but a free program called Open Office. I have
the full program…sort of copied CD and legal. I can let you have that if it
“I’ll get it for you. I thought all these new computers have it built into
them?”
Jenny made a face. “So did I but I can’t find it. But then I don’t know
Jenny waited as Maria went around behind the desk, closed the door
behind her and vanish into a hidden back room. She then studied the
walls and public notices of up coming events in the town and past one’s
case and pushed it at Jenny. She took it and slipped it into her bag then
Maria smiled. “About how you are an Ok person and he liked you. I
guess if he had been thirty years young he might have made a pass at
you if he danced with the other foot,and looking at you I can understand
why”
Jenny flushed then relaxed. “Being gay is not against the law
Maria smiled and looked at Jenny. “You will feed it? Not that she needs
much feeding because she hunts rabbits, mice, voles and rats.
“Yes and a very strange name. For a long time I thought it was ‘bastard’
but later discovered she called it ‘BASTET’. Don’t ask me what its means
because I have not a clue. Sam thinks it might be Egyptian and I still see
that cat the odd time about the town, more so in the grounds of St.
Alarm bells went off in Jenny’s head. That was the name she heard
whispered in the cottage and why did Sam not tell her about the name.
He even tried to say there was no cat? She shuddered and Maria
noticed.
“Where about was the cat in the church grounds?”, asked Jenny.
Maria looked hard at Jenny now concerned. “On the grave of Mary
“Fine I think.”, but she was not feeling fine, far from it.
Maria tried to keep a straight face and said, “When I ask people how they
are and they tell me ‘FINE’ I break it down into letters. F.I.N.E.”
Jenny’s mouth dropped open and she mouthed the word silently burst
Both women laughed loudly until their eyes filled with tears. The bell
over the door rang and Maria looked at Jenny in alarm, tried fast to pull
herself together and walked back to her counter. Jenny looked through
the magazine rack and could see that the Rev. Rodger Butts standing, a
“ Fine.”
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Jenny put her handover her mouth and headed for the door, waved at
Maria who kept a straight face and was gone. The Rev. Rodger Butts
turned as the bell tinkled and seen the back of Jenny as she left.
He turned back to Maria ‘That’s the new person who is renting Holly
Cottage. She seems nice enough. I need to send this airmail Maria. First
class please.”
Maria took the package and put it on the scales and said; “Two pounds
fifty please.” The Rev. Butts brought sunshine in to Maria’s day and
Morgan and the history of the case. Nice enough woman mind you but I
hope she is not one of those people we get here seeking truth and
justice Maria?”
Maria frowned at the minister for a moment. “If she is then she will not
be the last I guess and what is wrong with a bit of healthy interest in the
history?”
“ Nothing at all but you and I both know that some people around here
don’t want it raked up again because of their own family ties to the area
and there are a very few who make it an unhealthy past time for Ms
Snow .”
Maria nodded and smiled. “I think that one can look after herself very
The Rev Rodger Butts was troubled and churning up inside because
there was something about that woman Snow that unsettled him. She
was the law not the police but why did she come here to this town?
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His mind raced and he thought of Garth Jones and his own personal
connection with him over the time he was here, something no one knew
His face was now set in stone as he walked from the post office and he
felt that all the local people's eyes were on him, they knew what he was
and what he had done or did they. This is not India, he thought so I must
pull myself together. Except for that one single discretion with James
Watts, aged six at the Scout clean up day when he brushed his hand
against him when raking weeds there was nothing. The mother of the
boy for a moment looked oddly at him from across the gravestones then
smiled as he had moved away. He was bold enough to talk to her later
and to thank her for bring all the scouts down to help in the clean up
equipment.
She beamed at him and thanked him publicly then later with a letter but
It was her look, that look directly at him that had unsettled him and even
going on he was sure of it and his wife had also went cold in the last few
months. Time to move on, he thought and went into the rectory but not
“Why do I not trust that man?”, she whispered to herself as she watched
NINE
Rain snaked down the window glass and lashed the cottage as dusk
fell and darkness overtook it. Jenny looked at the new laptop pleased
that for once she was able to put a program onto it…and it worked.
She had put in the code as requested which was written on the CD case
though a little disappointed she only had 60 days free trail. Still it was
better than nothing and she still had to get connected up to the www.
Jenny had noted that there was a phone connection plug and also a line
running into the cottage and had rang BT on her mobile who said that
someone would be round late afternoon tomorrow to check and test the
line and install a phone. She had been puzzled why there had been no
phone in the cottage, even if Dolly did not like phones; it would have
been useful in case of an emergency. Still, for the moment, she had her
She walked to the window in the sitting room and looked out over the
Jenny was pleased that all windows were closed, doors locked, and now
a log fire burning in the gate. The fire took a half packet of fire lighters to
get going but she knew that was because she forgot to use twigs
instead of logs. Now warm she opened ‘OFFICE’ and went into Word, on
Then she began her notes and was lost in them and all the events of the
past.
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Jenny had just stopped after an hour and was at the sink filling
the kettle when Sam knocked the window and made her jump. She
“Sorry if I frightened you Jenny. It’s wet out there and I did try the door.”
Jenny folded her arms across her chest. “Sam. Your dripping all over
Sam struggled out of the yellow coat and set it across the back of a
chair and Jenny sighed and took it then hung it on the door. The puddle
under the chair she mopped up with an old cloth. Sam stood and
“Tea would be nice. When you have finished being house proud?”
“House proud woman. This is the country not the city. We tend to get
muddy feet and rain water now and then in our kitchens down here, a
few flies, big hairy moths in Summer and even the odd badger wanders
She stood and dropped the cloth into the sink and went to the kettle
and made tea without answering aware that Sam was more than a little
crusty. She turned and handed him a mug. Sam took it and sat down at
“We have a problem Jenny?”, licking his lips and blowing again on the
tea.
“We?”
“You and I. Seems there is talk in the town. There is crazy pub talk.
She raised an eyebrow. “That did not take long. List of suspects then.
Let me see. Your sister, who I should point out does not like you, the
very Rev. Butts, The Liberty staff, maybe even Maria at the Post Office?
So what are the saying Sam? That I’m the new witch on the patch?”
Sam made a face and looked at the tea in his mug then directly at Jenny.
“No it’s much worse than that. This town has always been split with
reference to the Mary Morgan issue. Always has and always will be. The
people who have support for the Mary Morgan cause are less and less
now and keep their heads down and the people who resent it being
They think you’re here to open an old wound like others did in the
past,and that I am helping you. Some are saying that your are here in a
legal capacity and want to dig up old cases. Pry into people's lives and
so on.”
Jenny took a deep breath. Slowly she let it out. Sam watched carefully.
“Did you hear what I said Jenny?What the hell are you doing woman?”
She nodded. “Hi ho Sam!! Yoga breathing Sam. Gets the stress levels
Sam shook his head, supped tea then, “Well in that case you better start
Sam took a deep breath and let it out fast then “The good people of this
town and who want the Mary Morgan thing to go away, as well as the
child murder, are a gathering storm and have decided to call a meeting,
reality is going to be about you and others like you who come here to
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upset the apple cart. Jones and the Rev. Rodger Butts will be in
attendance also.”
He shook his head and his voice was sad when he answered. “ Its is not
just the Mary Morgan thing Jenny. They think you’re dangerous and a
threat to them and maybe even their children. Whispers of course for the
moment but from what I can gather, getting louder and like Swine flu
Alarm bells were going off and loud in her head. “What else has been
said Sam? Tell me and how come Butts is involved with the meeting!”
Sam shook his head. “ I have said more than enough already.”
“That you’re a crazy woman and were treated for mental illness in
London. They somehow know that you spent time in a hospital for it.
London a month before your husband and child were killed in that car
crash and he got off thanks to a well known barrister, that being you.”
Jenny stood up fast, the chair falling backwards and hitting the floor.
“ Sam the man was not guilty! The jury made the decision on that and
found him not guilty. He was tried by the media well before he got to
wolves. Maybe she is, thought Sam, getting up and walking to her.
He opened his arms like a great bear and she moved into them and
began to sob. Maybe the least said was the easiest mended he thought.
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When she had settled down and sitting across from him at the table he
Jenny red eyed and upset but no longer sobbing. She shrugged. “How
She looked at him, this old man who was full of wisdom and now a
friend but with a nettle in his hand. “If you were me, what would you do
Sam?”
“ Fight back and face them head on when the time is right because if
you pack up and run then they will think that your are guilty of
something. That is the way they are. Not them all but a good few. They
don’t need you here to remind them Jenny of the child in red and that
“She has no peace and still around Jenny as well as others. Some were
found but many were lost, missing, gone. The child in red was murdered
in 1977 and found in a wood not far from here. It was the 17 th of March,
St. Patrick’s Night it was and in the evening and a wet evening at that.
Her mother lived in a caravan park and both had been out at the Church
Hall, sort of youth club then. Afterwards there was tea and cakes in the
old Church Hall a few miles from here but in another parish not the
town.
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There were other children and parents there as well as and as it was
dark and the children were having a good time no one noticed she had
gone missing until her mother went to look for her. There was no sign
and the alarm was raised. A search went on through the night and into
the next day. She was found in the wood, torn apart. There was a sexual
assault, her clothing had been removed and she had been dressed in a
red coat and hat it seems and a murder hunt was on. I read about it
when I was away but the pressed dubbed the murder as the Little Red
“After the funeral she went to the wood where the body was found…the
spot where the child died looking for the child's heart. The killer had
removed it Jenny. The public were kept in the dark about that part. I
guess her not finding it really finished her off and she hung herself from
a tree.”
There was a long silence. Jenny’s mind was a back wind of memories of
the airport, her mother ringing her, the madness within her out of control
race to the A+E department, her case forgotten at the airport causing
panic, the look on the faces of the nurses and doctor who would not
meet her eyes and just shook their heads, mumbling words “Sorry. We
It was as she knew, the learnt lines of sorrow, well rehearsed and no
doubt came with the course book for medical staff, the only response
the staff could give because to give any more they would cease to
function when the next case arrived. She had looked at the two bodies,
89
kissed them both before they were taken away and asked about the
A red faced Irish nurse looked grim. “He did not make it.”
After the post mortems and the funerals, the police informed her that the
dead man had been drinking, which she suspected, but what she did not
know that he had been the father of one of the girls who had been
murdered and Jenny defended the killer, which she had done, and he
was found guilty and sent to prison for life. From the witnesses reports,
It was only later that she found out that he had got away from the court,
went on the run and somehow managed to get drunk and steal a car.
Normal criminals would get away as far as possible but he was out to
get her by any means. The police said that they had tried to contact her
but she could not be contacted. If only she had left her car at the airport
and not with Ray her husband and daughter would still be alive.
“Jenny?” The voice distant and blinked and Sam came into focus again.
“Sorry…Miles away. How did you find out about this? The talk?”
“Molly is a friend of mine as you know and. It seems that people were in
last night as well as the local free lance hack, Angie Edwards who
chasing fire engines and ambulances as well as the local small time
crime in the area. She is, what she terms a Journalist, though could
never get a full time job in any of the newspapers because she is an
artist rather than a reporter. Anyhow, Molly was serving the small group
of people she was with, some of them local and it seems the ‘wasp’
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brought up your name. The ‘I have a big story bit’ and your name came
up.
Molly of course was all ears but what she heard, she passed onto me
later. Somehow, and I don’t know how, she had already made inquires
about you because it seems your were in the local library looking for
books on Mary Morgan and the history of the town. She also I guess, got
a good bit of information from Garth Jones who told her you were a
lawyer from London. As he was there and half cut, him mouthing off like
he does when the drink is talking. Being what she is and I know for a
fact that she has a brother in the Met, she made a few phone calls, and
Sam noticed Jenny's face changing and it was full of black anger.
“Shit on a stick!. She has been busy! Does she live in the town?”
She glared at him. “You said ‘fight back’ Sam and I guess I will start with
her! Maybe I should just go there and punch her lights out!”
“Jenny! Stop! Listen!” Sam shouted at her his face going red.
She folded her arms and glared at him. Anger now replaced sadness
and it was white hot anger that she had no control over.
“What do I do Sam!” she snapped at him. “Let her run free and cause
trouble for me! No way! I’m better than that Sam. Much better and I have
Sam shrugged. “Molly would not answer any of her pointed questions.
This confused Jenny who had been too blunt with her in the car park.
“Maybe not but she refused point blank to talk about you except to say,
which caused her a problem with her boss, that you were Ok and not a
“Sam. Where does this half baked hack live in the town?”
Sam sighed “Pistols at dawn is it? I’ll show you. Take the car and drop
Sam got to his feet and took the wet yellow coat off the back of the door
and struggled into it then looked at Jenny. “My dear woman one has to
Angie Edwards was rake like and to Jenny standing at her front door
in the rain, she looked breast less, short dark hair with some streaks of
grey through it and a rainbow coloured jumper on that did not match the
“We need to talk!”Jenny snapped and pushed by her into the hall.
“Hi! You can not come in here! Who are you anyway?”
Jenny pulled back her hood, face damp and glared at the much older
woman. “I can be your worse nightmare in legal terms if you want it and
believe me, you don’t want it! I’m Jenny Snow and it seems you were
making inquires about me! Not just here and at the Met in London, all
She watched Angie Edwards lick her lips; her eyes alarmed and knew
then that she was on the right footing and Edwards was not.
“How about that I get onto the national newspapers as well as the
National Union of Journalists, have your Press card pulled if you have
one, not to mention BBC Wales, and ask them all to come here and talk
She watched the older woman’s face go a shade whiter, the lips licked
twice and her fingers fiddling with the cuffs of the rainbow jumper.
“How did you get my name?” muttered Edwards closing over the door
and trying to work out in her mind what to do next. Right now she had a
very angry woman standing in her house and who is not going to be
fobbed off with some lame excuse. Not only that, she was a real legal
Jenny was starting to enjoy this now and in her own cruel way knew she
She followed the reporter into a cluttered room with a table and chairs,
large computer on the table and the place littered with papers and
books. Around the wall were newspaper cuttings that had by-lines of
Angie Edwards on all sorts of topics. Jenny sat down without being
asked and scanned the small coffee table top fast making mental notes.
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Angie went to the other side of the table reached over and switched off
local story about you and coming here and for the moment it is…was
just an idea.”
Jenny made a face. “A bad idea and don’t give me bollocks! Garth Jones
started it off and you went digging for dirt well before that even to the
point of contacting you brother in London. Do you know what the law is
know that I worked and practice law for a long time as a barrister until I
came here. You will also know that I will meet you head on if you print
one thing about my private life and you won’t ever work again for any
newspaper here or in Wales. I will also sue you! Failing that, to protect
my dead child, I may even kill you! After all I have had a major break-
There was fear in Angie Edward's eyes but she tried to fight back.
“You know enough about the law to know that last bit is a threat and I
could go to the police. In fact once you leave and I would like that to be
Jenny laughed harshly. “The police? Your brother? Something you don’t
know blue eyes. No one saw me coming in here and no one will see me
leave! If you push me too far and don’t back off then anything could
happen.”
She let that hang in the air watching the other woman’s face.
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It shook the older woman and more lip licking and this time she really
looked frightened. She did not know to do with her hands, Jenny
noticed.
Angie Edwards looked for a way to escape but Jenny was between her
and the door that led out into the hallway and the front door.
She spluttered, “You’re a mental case! I found that out and I’m not
frightened of you. You are also recorded on camera and I can play that
Jenny’s smile was not nice, her eyes sparks of hot light. “I know. And
very dangerous with it. I think you should be aware of that and believe
me, you should be frightened, very frightened because if I hear any more
about you shit stirring, I’ll be back and standing at the bottom of your
is for outside.”
Jenny stood, pulled the hood up and stormed out of the house into the
street. There was no one to be seen. She cut back into the centre of the
town, found a coffee shop and sat down, shaking and seething inside.
By the time the coffee was set before her she had stopped shaking and
her anger was now under control. Jenny knew that she had gone too far
but there was nothing she could do about it now. She also knew that she
had to get from here and back to the car that she had parked in a dark
side street, hopefully without being seen. Welsh rain and dark nights
kept people off the streets walking but not people in cars and it was
She jumped and looked up at the spotty young man standing to the left
of the table. He could be no more than 18 years old and Jenny could see
She looked at her own and could see it was well past ten o’clock so
“No problem. A bad night out there. Have you far to go?”
She shook her head and nodded towards the wet street. “No I was
supposed to meet someone here but I guess she is not coming. I’ll pick
He held the door open for her and she passed him by then walked down
the street and headed back towards the church but not the car park.
Jenny was grateful that she met no one else or a car coming towards her
then took a sharp right into a badly lit street where she had left the car
and got in. She sat for a moment checking if anyone had followed her
but except for a dog there was nothing else there. The dog came up to
the car and lifted its leg and emptied its bladder and Jenny smiled.
Five minutes later she pulled into the cottage and got out and
Inside looked normal and she sat down with a cup of tea trying to settle
herself. Her mind replayed her confrontation with Edward's and she tried
to shut it out.
There would be little doubt that Jones and the reporter would get
together and in time she knew that as far as her staying in Holly Cottage
96
If I do move move where? She cocked her head and listened and
expected a whispering but except for the noise of the rain there was
nothing.
“You all gone deaf and don't want to talk. Well that is Ok with me and I
She almost smiled and thought if anyone had heard her she was
heading for a nice ward with bars on the windows and a load of drugs
Then she started to laugh and for some reason the Actor Jack Nicholson
'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' and then the actor with yellow eyes
in 'Wolf.'
There was more than just a friendly connection between Edwards and
Jones, she thought. Somehow one or the other had something they
could used against the other. She pondered on this as she showered
and got ready for bed. If I am right and know people like I claim I do,
then Edwards will be in contact with Garth Jones by now filling him in
on her visit. No doubt she will also come across as the poor victim in all
this and so much so that Jones will have to take some sort of action
tomorrow.
She lay in the bed, the light still on and pondered her future. She knew
she needed to get back into the saddle again and practice law and if that
was the case she needed to go anywhere but London. For a time she
97
came and went, flashing images of torn bodies, bruises, stab wounds,
and children all dull white and very dead. Her own child came into view
Someone moved in the Church yard, next the yew tree and the Rev
Butts stiffened in fear. He waited where he said he would wait and then
Garth Jones came into view and passed by him into the doorway of the
“Sorry about the late hour but I feel its urgent. I had a call from Angie
Edwards and it seems she had a visitor, one Jenny Snow. To say she
was upset is an understatement Rodger and she was all over the place.
Edwards also has been digging up the dirt on you, me and a few others
and she came across that she knows all about your past history.”
“Blackmail!”
“ A great sum of money which she said she would buy a house
somewhere else and move away. She also somehow got photographs of
Rodger Butts held his head in his hands muttering to himself then he
looked at Jones. “ We have to stop her and before she has time to act!”
“We? Rodger you don’t understand. She has more on you than me but if
you go down you may take me with you. Should I take that risk with
you?”
98
TEN.
Dawn came in grey and wet as Jenny sat at the table and thought
of last night. For some reason she did sleep well once she got over,with
no dreams and no ‘visitors’. Her clash with Angie Edwards was still very
fresh in her mind and on thinking about it she started to churn up as she
re-ran the events through her head. As for Sam she had no idea where
he was or where he spent the night but knowing the little about Sam
Deacon as she did he would not be sleeping rough. Jenny went to the
sink and was washing up when the front door was banged hard. She
went and opened it expecting to see Sam standing there wet and still
drunk but instead it was Molly with a rucksack and two carrier bags her
“Molly what are you doing here and why the baggage?”
Molly was stone face and shivered. “Jones sacked me last night and his
friends helped me pack this morning and put me out on the street. Can I
come in?”
Jenny nodded and took one of the bags and pointed to the kitchen
puzzled of what went off at the pub. “Go in there and I’ll get you a towel
and coffee.”
Molly set her bag and rucksack on the ground and sat in the chair
slipping off the wet yellow waterproof coat and dropped it at her feet.
“I’m sorry for calling so early and if your light had not been on I would
Jenny frowned. “Where would you have gone if the light in the cottage
Molly shrugged. “Get to the bus station in the next village and take the
first bus out of here and just go anywhere. Jones sent two hard cases
this morning around five and they had keys to get into the pub and burst
“Big time. I was in bed dead to the world and there they were standing
over me shouting abuse. They were not locals and I had never seen
them in the pup before and believe me when I tell you I was frightened
because I have handled aggressive drunks in the past but nothing like
Molly shook her head fighting back the tears. “No. I don’t want the
police involved because Jones will come up with some cock and bull
story about missing cash from the till or some other lie. One of the
coppers is in his pocket I think but not Sergeant Davis because he came
Jenny put the coffee in front of Molly surprised how young she looked
without her make up and frightened. “I went and seen that woman
Edwards last night and clashed with her, putting her straight on the
facts. Thank you for what you said and did that night in the pub.
I take it this is why Jones sacked you and put you out?”
Molly laughed harshly. “That and because I would not sleep with him I
guess. He has been trying for months to get inside my knickers and in
the end I told him straight that I wanted nothing like that from him.
He was drunk at the time and made a move on me so I slapped him hard.
100
It was not just shock on his face but his eyes showed pure hate and I
backed off and he left. That was a week ago so I guess he has been
brooding over it and then what happened in the pub put the lid on it.
Molly paused then, “Guess he will be coming here next because he did
a lot of talking about you at the meeting along with Edwards and a few
others. Some of the people there, a very few wanted you to attend the
meeting and hear your side of the story but were voted down.”
Jenny nodded and looked around the kitchen. “Good job I did not get
the painters in then. What time do you think Jones and his gang will
arrive?”
Molly finished drying her hair and looked at her wide eyed. “From nine
onwards I guess because Jones has a pig farm and may have livestock
up there to check. He lives up at the back of the hill next the church but
the house is on its own, though now hidden. He feeds the pigs and other
livestock and hits town to open his shop around nine. Also Sam is
missing.”
“Missing? But I thought he went to the pub because I dropped him off
Molly shook her head. “That is what I meant when I said Sam was
missing. He came in and sat with Rebecca Shaw and that was odd
because he calls in most nights for at least a few drinks. Last night was
busy after the meeting, Edwards left early and went home and Sam left
got fed there so he missed his food as well and he is a diabetic so that is
101
not good news because if he does not eat he goes strange, blood
sugars drop like a stone Rebecca offered to drop him home but they
went to an INN out the road, had a few drinks and he said he would walk
back while she headed for her own home across the border. He could be
Jenny looked worried and all sorts of images came and went of Sam
lying dead somewhere or injured. Quickly she dismissed them from her
mind-scape.
“You go and have a quick shower while I pack a few things and then we
will go and look for him. In case Jones does come I want at least to have
Molly almost sneered. “Jones has no respect for the law. I have a quick
you and why I did not want the police involved. Angie Edwards was a bit
pissed and full of herself and left her notebook behind her. I put it in my
rucksack. It’s red and full of stuff about everyone including you.
“The password is “DRUID”, upper case. She has a lot of folders in there
as well as what is on the memory stick. I did not go into them but I can
tell you she has been busy over the years. Her photo album is not for
family viewing.”
Before Jenny could respond Molly had walked out of the room and
Jenny reached for the rucksack and opened it and found the small red
note book and set it on the table in front of her and opened it and
switched on. She could see that the battery was fully charged so she
had no need to plug her computer lead into it. Almost at once it
enter.
The desktop screen showed a number of folders all named and she
picked the documents one and pressed enter again and it opened to
show well over one hundred named folders including ‘My picture Album’
Jenny’s mouth fell open with shock. More folders, all named and a few
of sexual abuse’, ‘child murders UK’, Ireland and Europe , India child
welfare’.
Jenny opened the folder missing children and over fifty faces looked
back at her, most of them female children and some went back twenty
years or more.
She closed the folder and looked at the rest. All were Surnames of
families but Jenny’s was not there. She went back to the desktop and
again nothing until she opened the folder, ‘work in progress’ and there
she was. Name, past addresses, photographs of Ray and her daughter,
two photographs of her, where she had worked and what she did, cases
She came out of the computer and closed it down and sat shaking with
anger because Angie Edwards was not just a hack but a very intrusive
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one at that. She sat looking at the red notebook and worked out that for
Somehow later she would find a way to return the note book but before
that she was going to make copies of every folder and file on it and then
when she got time would troll through each with a fine tooth comb,
She was now beyond guilt of prying into someone else’s computer and
if she found anything in there from a legal point of view that she could
She almost smiled because she a good part of the old Jenny had
surfaced and that was fighting fit and crafty with it. Angie Edwards
without knowing it had helped her get kick started into recovery and she
was not going back into that dark hole she had been in.
Right now she had to weight up her options and one was to be here
when Jones got here, then find Sam, dead or alive, find somewhere to
stay and that of course would mean Molly as well if she wanted to but
not in the town because the town had too many secrets to hide and
Molly was educated and not just a bar maid so maybe she had talents
and skills she could use because now there were two people in this
The thought that something had happened to Sam made her go ice cold
and she turned to Molly as she came back from the bathroom.
“Sam’s house? Could he have gone there and do you know how to get
there Molly?”
Molly shook her went head and shrugged. “Never been there. Sorry.”
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ELEVEN.
Jenny swore to herself and was still sitting there when Molly came
back in dressed and with her face shinning she looked hard at the
notebook.
“Bad is it?”, asked Molly then added, “You can say what you like but
from the little I seen she is well organised even though she writes shite
in the end. And those family surnames? A good few live in the area and
as far east as Knighton and beyond. Then there is the list of missing
children and child murders across the UK and Ireland. Intense research
“Very ,and she is not too fussy how she goes about getting it.”
Jenny looked at Molly and shrugged. “For the moment I want to hang
pack just in case Jones and Co arrive and want me out of here. You can
“I’m staying and ok, I was rattled when they came but now I’m angry and
will stay with you. As for Sam I don’t know where he is.”
There was the sound of a car pulling up outside and door cars slamming
and voices then the door knocked. Both women looked at one another.
“Here we go. Stuff that notebook back in your rucksack Molly and
quickly.”
When Jenny opened the door she was looking at the grim face of a
“Jenny Snow?”
Jenny sighed and stood back allowing the police officer past then
In the kitchen Molly looked up and she looked from the police officer to
The Sergeant smiled at Molly and introduced himself. “My name is Sgt.
Davis, you already know that Molly, and I am here to ask Mrs Snow some
She watched closely as he took out his note book and pen then flipped it
Molly went pale but did not speak. She looked at Jenny and waited.
“Yes Sam and I are friends of sorts or should I say now, seeing you are
“Sam is ok but a bit knocked about with shock. It seems he was on the
road late last night above Wolf Hill and had just come to the bad bend
Jenny slowly let out her breath. “What has this got to do with Angie
Edwards?”
“She is dead and Sam is a witness to it. She was coming from the town
here, and around eleven fifteenth and eleven thirty about three miles out
she was travelling at high speed when a white cat came out of the
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hedge, sat in the middle of the road. It may have been blinded by the
headlights but did not move and Sam says Ms Edwards seemed to brake
but hit a tree,then the car rolling over and went on fire. She did not get
out and it is doubtful if she could have even if the fire had not started.
Sam tried and had his arms slightly burned and hands but he also
sucked in smoke which at his age was not good”. He looked hard at
Jenny did not dodge the truth. “Around ten last night in her home.”
“She was spreading news around about me and was also going to write
an article about me and I did not take kindly to that so I went to see her.
We had words of course but I left her around 10.20 pm and went to have
a coffee before going home. The shop, the Maze was just closing and
the young man told me that so I left, picked up the car and came home”
Sgt; Davis made notes then looked up this time at Molly. “I believe she
was in the pub last night and mingling with Garth Jones crowd. Did she
“She had a few, all vodkas straight, was a bit pissed but not over the top
and left everyone at around 9.30 to walk the short distance to her
house.”
“Not in the pub but I don’t know what she had when she got home”, said
He looked back at Jenny. “While you were with her did you see her
“No. I can say that she did not look or act drunk while I was with her.”
Sgt Davis sighed and looked from Molly to Jenny. “Well sometime
between eleven and midnight she got tanked up on red wine and I mean
a lot. We also found a bottle half empty in the car which may suggest
“The bottle mouth slammed into her lips and teeth when she braked
hard and when she lost control she dropped the bottle and it fell on the
floor, jamming itself under the brake peddle. The half empty bottle still
had the cork in and was found in the back seating area so in all it seems
she had a half bottle of wine corked and one opened one in her lap that
Molly tried to stay calm. “Open and shut case then”, hoping it was.
so”, said Davis then added. “I don’t suppose either of you woman knew
Molly shook her head and Jenny said “No. Is Sam staying in Hospital?”
The police officer smiled and shook his head, “ He is having breakfast in
the hotel and I know when I dropped him off there he was sober. It’s out
the road between the two towns and called Fly Fisher Inn. He spent
some time last night with young Rebecca Shaw who owns the bookshop
then she offered to drop him off but he said he would walk home.
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Thanks for your help. We will need a formal ID of the body and Sam
suggested Garth Jones for that. It seems they were good friends though
I am not sure 'friends' is the right word to use.I’m off to see him now.”
“Oh yes. Very good friends but you do know she had a brother in
London who is also a police officer? Then being dead and in her case,
very dead it matter's little who takes a look at her.”, snapped Molly then
shook her head. “Sorry. Guess I should not speak ill of the dead.”
Davis nodded and smiled at Molly. “It’s ok. I already know you and her
never got on and doubt very much if she was liked much anyway. She
was never well liked in many places and that I do know as fact. Oh, one
last question? That white cat I take it you have not seen it this morning
no one owns it, no one every would want to own it. Off the record I
would suggest for a time you put someone on the door of Ms Edward's
house. Jones also owns that and he will be in there like a ferret after a
“Meaning what?”
“I don't know but she may well have had some information on him and
Jenny swallowed hard. She said too much and the police officer looked
at her confused.
Sgt Davis eyebrow went up. “Off the record also I don’t like the man or
those he hangs out with and you seem to know a lot more about him
than I do in the short time you have been here Ms Snow. How do you
Jenny frowned and looked the Sgt in the eye. “When I was in the house
there was a purple rent book and a letter open on her desk, both with his
name on them.”
“Maybe check her computer and though this is not a murder inquiry
there may well be something in there that points at Jones and his
now. He already has sacked Molly from the pub and put her out in the
Molly looked glum and Sgt Davis ask her in a kind voice, “Sorry about
that Molly and I did not know. You ran a tight ship I hear and now you’re
jobless and homeless with it. Seems our Mr. Garth Jones is not a very
Molly shrugged and almost smiled. “Right now I don’t know but I’ll not
be sleeping rough if that is what you’re worried about. Have some cash
Sgt Davis smiled and waved making his way to the police car and both
women stood till he drove off across the bridge and up the hill into the
town.
“Load up the car with my stuff and yours and then you drive to the
Fisher Inn or what ever you call it and pick up Sam and bring him home
Molly nodded. “ Ok. It's the Fly fisher Inn out the road a little. You going
Jenny grunted, her lips tight. “Oh yes. I’m staying and I have some
“Jenny be careful. He had two rough looking men drinking with him as I
should know, the same two who came into my bedroom. Maybe you
“No. Go get Sam and then come back and pick me up. I'm not running
With a wave Molly took off at speed and across the bridge just missing
a duck and five young ducklings crossing the road and Jenny muttered
She ran through her head twice of how she would handle things once
Jones arrived. The main thing is not to show fear and be calm, she
thought. Treat him as if he is in court and nothing less than a scum bag.
I must not get angry. If I do I will lose the advantage and once her knows
that Edwards is dead and the police have been here he might just run
scared.
A bell went off in her head. What if he already knows Angie Edwards is
She felt the start of a panic attack and fought it, took deep breaths and
wished she could be anywhere else right now but here. Granted there
were two cottages close by but would they hear here is she shouted and
TWELVE.
Sam Deacon looked glum as he held his drink, the second of the day
in a bandaged hand and running the events of last night though his
head again trying to make sense of it. He was walking back from
Knighton and was almost at the bad bend when he heard the sound of a
car coming down the road at high speed. Knowing there were no lights
he stood well in on the grass verge and waited. The headlights came
around the bend and at that moment the white cat strode out of the
hedge and walked slowly into the road and sat down, facing the
brightness. Sam had shouted at the cat but it did not even look at him
but straight ahead. The car brake lights came on red and then hit the
tree and turned over and burst into flames. Sam ran across the road
seeing the woman inside who was screaming and tried to force the door.
It was jammed tight so he found a rock and smashed the glass and
again tried to drag her out but the flames by now were licking around
her face and head and his hand were burning. Smoke poured out of the
and fiddled for his phone and dialled 999 then waited on the side of the
road. In the light of the flames the cat looked one at him then went back
into the hedge and was lost from sight. Sam found a puddle and dipped
his worse hand into it and kept it there till the pain eased.
Within ten minutes the police, fire service and ambulance were all there.
Sam was taken by ambulance to the local hospital while the fire service
put out the fire and the police waited on their forensic team to arrive.
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Three hours later Sgt Davis arrived along with a young police woman
and he answered all the questions that were put to him. He had been
treated and was sitting in a chair. They left and said they would be back
for him in the morning because it seemed that his blood sugar had also
dropped and the sister in charge wanted him to stay till it stabilised
At first he refused but when the nurse showed him the blood results at
3.6 he thought better off it. Besides he would have to get a taxi and as
Sgt. Davis and the beautiful 'Miss Moneypenny' was coming back they
would no doubt give him a lift back home. PC Alice Moneypenny had
given him a smile that would light up a dark room but he knew it was
He thought of when Jenny had dropped him off and he had walked
through the doors of the pub making note that Garth Jones was
standing at the corner bar holding court with all those who had been at
the meeting along with two men he did not know. As always Jones was
loud mouth and had his bullying tone on. He looked up at Sam, winked
and then turned his back on him and the people around him laughed.
Sam could see the bar was busy but felt better when he spotted Rebecca
Shaw the young woman who owned the book shop and as Sam was a
good customer and a secret friend he went over and sat down. She
looked up, the dark eyes taking Sam in and smiled. “No I don’t mind you
sitting down beside me Sam. In fact I’m glad I caught you. By the way
that book you ordered, ‘The Forensic Archaeology of Rome' came in this
Sam grunted and looked across at Molly to catch her eye. She seen him
and nodded and within a few minutes came over with his pint and
whatever Rebecca had been drinking setting them down beside him then
whispered, “Drink it fast Sam and make tracks. Jones is looking for
careful.”
Rebecca’s blood red lips tightened and she looked at Molly. “What has
he against Sam?”
because he is just a bully and mean”, said Molly and headed back to the
bar.
Sam looked into his drink and grunted. “If I was a younger man I would
“Oh yes. I don’t like him and he does not like me.”
Her dark eyes looked concerned and she glanced at the group when one
of the men, a stranger left the group and came over and sat down hard
beside Sam.
“What is a nice girl like you sitting with an old man for when you could
Before Sam could say anything Rebecca licked her bright red lipstick
and looked hard at the man across from her, took a sip of her drink and
then set the glass down slowly. “I’m sitting here with Sam, the old man
as you call him because he is well read, interesting and a friend of mine.
Sam came in fast, his old anger starting to come up. “ Do you know this
Sam turned to the man beside him. “What’s your name then?”
Sam sighed and looked hard at the man. “Well unless you are related to
Sam turned back to Rebecca and smiled one of his evil smiles and said,
“Now where were we. Yes you were asking about strokes and heart
attacks or little TIA’s and the effect on the human brain. Well what I can
tell you it is very unlikely that your father had such from birth as it would
have been picked up well before now. As for our new found friend here
Sam felt rather than seen the man get up and leave and he nodded at
She picked up the glass of fruit juice and smiled. “Easy and I can still
drive which I will do now in a few moment and you are coming with me
Sam and I want no hassle from you about that. I can take you home or
somewhere else but here. I could always stay behind and wait in the
Sam looked at the dark eyes in the pale face and the blood red lips and
thought any man could fall in love with her then have his heart broken
later. He took a long drink from the glass, almost drained it but not quite
and said. “ You and I know what you used to do and did it well but a
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dead body in the car park would point a finger at you and me. Your place
or mine Rebecca?”
“In your dreams Sam. Lets try the Fly Fisher Inn and at least it will be
quite there.”
He nodded, stood up and headed for the door followed by Rebecca who
looked hard at Jones who was watching them leave and then smiled her
blood red smile at him and left. Sam waved at Molly and also smiled.
Garth Jones did not like that look from Rebecca nor the way she had
sent back Blacki Dawson with his tail between his legs. There was
something about her that sent bells ringing in his head and almost fear
because no one knew who she was really or where she came from. All
he knew that every few months to the day she would change her car and
bookshop even though it did well in the spring and through the summer.
She had to have other income and a lot of it coming from another
source. At first he thought she was ‘police’ and working on a case in the
area and that alone had made him nervous but she dressed too sharp
and drove a car that did not say police car out of the pool. He even put
Angie Edwards onto the case to find out all he could about her but she
drew a blank even when she tried to follow her a few times when she left
the shop and headed by car for home. Somehow Rebecca lost her up
some side road and once led her to the lakeside at the Élan valley at two
in the morning and did nothing but sit in her car alone.
Jones himself also tried to get some background on her from a few bent
coppers he knew in Swansea but all he got back was she had a full
abroad and always returned two weeks later. No male friend as such and
He worked out that she was the hunter not the hunted and that worried
him even more because she would be the first women he had ever met
“Want me to go after them, sort out the old man and the woman Garth?”
Jones looked at the man beside him grimly. “She might just kill you if
you tried.”
“Trust me. There is more to her than meets the eye boyo and why is the
likes of her sitting with that old has-been and is in her shop every week,
sometimes twice a week? Leave it because when I am ready our time will
come.”
Molly did her best to listen in as she served drinks to other customers
but she only picked up a few words here and there. She agreed with
Jones on one point and that was what friendship did Rebecca and Sam
really have because when together they were as tight as fleas on a dog.
She cast a quick glance at where Jones and his gang were and could
see that his smile and laughter was gone and he looked more explosive
than normal.
“Hi you! Dreaming again are you. Another drink and the same for my
friends!”
“What!”
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“You heard me. Everyone in the bar hears me and I am sure that they
would also like to know that your a tit grabbing son of a bitch, a bully
She watched Garth Jones face go from red to purple and then he
shouted. “ You're fired! Pack up and go. Leave the bar and go!”
She turned on her heels and went across the room and vanished
Jones looked at the two men beside him while local people started to
drift out of the bar, some leaving their drinks unfinished on the tables.
“I want her packed and out of here before dawn. Make sure she leaves.”
His mobile warned him of an incoming text message. He took out the
“Great! Just want I need. Another bitch trying to screw me for money!
Well she is in for a surprise later. Leave him here and come with me. I
THIRTEEN.
Rebecca opened the door and let Sam out of the car and then took his
arm and marched to the doors of the Fly Fisher Inn. She laughed with
him and once inside and seated she asked him what he wanted.
She laughed, “Sorry old man you got the last one and besides you have
forgotten what day this is, what special day it marks eight years ago
when you saved my life in the Holy Land at Qumran, cave 3 to be exact.”
She walked away with a slight wiggle and some of the fishermen who
were there for the opening of the trout season stopped talking about
He thought of that day ten years ago and how they first met. Then she
was called Rebecca Hofi daughter of Yitzhak Hofi who was then Head of
the Israeli Secret Service and she was there on site looking over an old
German who was in charge of the archaeology team and very suspect of
being a past Nazi war criminal. She now knew he was more than a
suspect his name being Alois Brunmer and had killed 340 children at
Auschwitz in 1944. But Brunmer was not alone and it was one of his
out many human bones that had been dug up from a BC burial place
dune. He left the lamp and picked up a hand shovel and ran around the
dune only to find Rebecca on the ground with a man he knew called
Kroger and with the German party. There was no doubting what his
Sam had moved fast and swung the shovel at the man’s head and it cut
deep into the neck dropping him like a stone, blood spurting in an ark.
Rebecca rolled over and grabbed the pistol and pointing it directly as
Sam’s chest.
“ Down on the ground!”, she hissed then, “Hands behind your head and
Sam tried to protest but now was aware that the pistol had been cocked
again and he looked at the face behind it and lay down fast and with his
“Who are you?” asked the woman pushing the muzzle into his neck
hard.
that the UK. Right now I can be anyone you want me to be.”
She pulled the pistol muzzle away from his neck. “You killed him.
Thanks. Help me bury him deep, cover up the blood and we both go out
Sam looked hard at her, shrugged and did what he was told.
When they both had finished he stood there sweating and panting while
“ I don’t suppose you are going to tell me your name seeing you know
He licked his lips and slowed down his heart rate. “If you don’t mind I
missed?”
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She looked pure evil in the half light, vampire features, red lipstick and
pale skin. “Maybe at first but for long. His too friends will be joining him
before dawn. Go away. Fast and by dawn. I suggest you claim to be ill
He turned and took a few steps back towards the lights of the camp,
Where she had been standing was now empty and the only sound was a
Sam had said his good byes on the site and boarded the rusting
bus that would take him to Tel Aviv Airport and glad to get away even
though inside was hot with the mixed smell of sweat, goats and dead
farts. The two armed guards on the bus were alert and kept running their
eyes over all the passengers as well as the road outside. Sam was
uneasy because right now a dead man, maybe more were buried in an
old burial wadi that had been there 400 years BC, and that he had in fact
killed one of the men. His mind raced, What if she was not all she said
she was and he had killed someone…No..his victim was going to shoot
At the Airport he grabbed his bags and made his way into the
building and as there was plenty of time to book in he headed for the
Bar Torus and ordered two pints of Lager, the first he drained in thirty
seconds and was just about to start on the second when three shadows
fell across him. He looked up and there were two men in dark suits and
him intently.
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“ That’s me.”
“Passport please.”
Sam handed him the passport and waited noting that the woman’s
jacket had slightly opened and she had a pistol in a holster on a belt.
Sam asked, feeling more than a little nervous now, “Eh! What’s up doc?”
The woman walked in front of him, Sam could see that besides having a
gun she also had a pair if fine nipples trying to burst through white silk.
He could also see his own reflection in the blue glass of the sunglasses
“Please. You come with us and do not protest. You will not be getting
your flight today and will now be a guest of the State of Israel. You have
been summoned.”
He looked at her, at the nipples and then back at the stone face with blue
She leaned in very close to Sam’s face and whispered; “God.”, her
“I really must protest!”, muttered Sam has he was almost frog marched
out of the airport and into bright sunlight. He was sweating but not from
His mind raced and he thought about the young woman last night and a
dead man in a shallow grave, one who she and him had put there and he
had killed. What if she was Arab, even a member of some Middle East
terrorist group and the little she had told him were lies?
The taller of the men snatched the phone from him dropped it on the
ground and then stamped on it hard twice. He then bent down, picked
up the broken phone and handed it back to Sam who was standing there
open mouthed.
“It would seem sir that you can't get a signal here. A dead area.”
FOURTEEN.
Sam was then taken and bundled into the back of a large black car, the
woman with the garlic breath sitting beside him looking straight ahead
while the two men climbed in the front. They turned right and took the
carriageway into the city and Sam had to ask straight out.
She did not look at him her face stone. “You are not being arrested and
we are going to our headquarters after you have been booked into one
of our hotels and you have a shower and a change of clothes. We will
That was not a happy thought being a nice clean dead corpse, he
thought as the buildings and palm trees slid pass the windows.
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“Yes. Please do”, she said in a husky voice a hint of a smile showing.
“Who the hell are you people and what right have you to remove me
book me into some hotel then order me to shower then have a meeting
She turned her head slowly to the left and looked at him through the
blue glasses. Then she took out her badge and dropped it in his lap.
flesh. He folded it over and thrust it back at her and she put it back
inside her pocket showing off the large pistol even more.
“You have every right to be angry and upset but we only go on orders
and those orders were to take you, by force if need be and bring you to
see our boss. He wants a chat as you would say in the UK. Your
well we will pay for the flight so that you can return home. Your phone
will be replaced with a new updated one with the old card inserted”
Her laugh was horse like and she said in a soft voice. “Two things are
possible but one you can be sure of. You will be taken out by boat to
sea, far out, dropped over the side and left to swim home or you will go
to prison for a very long time and there will be no trail, lost in a system
of unknown faces and if you should die in there, no one will ever know
Sam shivered though it was warm. “Glad you told me all that and I see I
have a choice. Can I get a drink at the hotel after this is all over and
something to eat?”
He smiled at her but she did not turn her head even when he said,
“Pork.”
The room was large, the bed was large and above the bed was a
large mirror. He took a shower and when he came out she was standing
with a clean white shirt and blue pants in both hands. New underwear
was laid out on the bed that had been taken from the Hotel shop.
The man leaning against the door was smiling at him and he then shook
his head.
Half an hour later he stood outside the lift in a massive office block
and he could not fail but see armed guards almost everywhere. One of
them pressed the button and the hum of the lift filled his ears then
stopped and the doors slid open. She whispered in his ear, “ Good luck
She give him a gentle push and the door of the lift closed behind him
with a swish and the lift took off at high speed then stopped and the
doors open. He stepped out into a large area and at the end was a single
followed him and for some reason Sam could smell oranges.
He rapped on the door and heard a voice telling him to enter and when
he did he was faced by a large desk, two chairs one which was holding
the bulky weight of a middle aged man behind the desk. There were no
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The man stood up and walked around the desk holding out his hand,
“Sam will do and I did not have a choice”,shaking the Directors hand.
Sam sat looking at the other man and waited. “ You have already met my
daughter Rebecca and she wants to thank you for saving her life as I do
of course. All I want from you, then you can be on your way again is to
look at some photographs in these four files and see if there is anyone
Sam nodded and opened the four folders and looked at a number of
photographs all set neatly in place, some in colour some grainy black
and white.
Sam jabbed his finger twice on file one and four. “ These two here. One ,
this one was at the other site and old man and much older than he is
here. Then this one but it was many years ago and he was very much
younger. He is German and worked in the forestry after the war, a POW I
Wales. If I remember right his first name was Carl Wess and his wife’s
name I don’t know for sure but it may well have been Webb. The rest I
have never seen. Who are they and why do you have files on them?”
The man laughed harshly and jabbed the first photograph in folder one.
126
“Alois Brunmer killed 340 Jewish children in Auschwitz and moved into
Syria after the war, with the help of some US officials on orders from
border to the archaeology site because he put the money up for the
research. The man you killed was a Syrian and was on loan to Brunmer,
citizen and classical art dealer. He did speak Greek better than the
Greeks.”
Director Hofi shrugged his face grim. “He died this morning with another
body guard before dawn and was buried with the man you killed. Case
closed.”
“Agent Hofi and known to you as Rebecca Shaw is a first class operative
in the field and does her job well. Now this other matter of a war criminal
living in the UK, this person who calls himself Carl Wess is in fact not
number of gypsy’s and mentally retarded people of all ages. This Carl
Wess as you know or knew him took great delight in shooting female
children, 104 in all and then laughed claiming they were no longer
virgins. Some were not even dead when he ordered the bulldozers in to
bury them and then used other prisoners to plant a new forest over the
Sam sat shocked seeing the pictures hearing the screams and the shots,
“Mr. Deacon?”
Sam wiped his eyes and coughed. “Well I am sorry I could not be of
more help but you seem to have resolved the problems. The men are
dead.”
There was a long silence then the director took out of a right hand
drawer two cheques and pushed them across to Sam who looked at
them and gasped. “But these are made out to me? Two million pounds?”
yourself and all the equipment you need and go to that forest and bring
the dead back home. In all we think six months would do it all and your
are paid in advance. Half the money is from my own personal bank
account and I want my parents bones back here where they belong.”
Sam found he was shaking not because of the amount of cash being
offered but of the challenge of getting all the bones, the paper that
would be written. The money that would be left over would go towards
Sam Deacon stood and placed the cheques in his pocket and nodded
then; “I will need two months to prepare and get the team together and
also get permission from the government involved there at the moment.”
“Permission has already been granted Sam. I’ll arrange for a car to take
you back and thank you, as a father and a Jew for what you are about to
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“Yes, but only those people who work in Codex Red no one else not
He nodded shook the Director by the hand and headed for the lift that
smelt of oranges.
Sam forced a smile and closed down ten years ago in his mind then took
his drink and looked at it. “I’m getting old my dear and not only old but
tired with it. Legs ache and I’m thinking of getting a shuffle.”
She sat down and reached down and touched his hand and smiled.
“I call it getting well matured Sam and you are a long way from dragging
your feet like some people I have seen not even close to your age.”
“Always and I will always care about you. Now drink up and we must go.
Are you sure you won’t let me drop you off at home?”
“Very sure. I need the air and some exercise and besides when I get
down the hill and the bend I talk the bridle path across the field and I am
She smiled with her lips but not her eyes. “Very. On standby always”
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Rebecca waved at him and turned left leaving Sam on the side of the
road and he lit his pipe and started walking down the hill, aware that
night was moonless. Now and then an owl would hoot and somewhere
of in the woods of Wolf Hill the rooks were restless in the darkness, their
In the distance he could see the lights of a car coming around bends
place to stand in off the road. Across from him close to a ditch lay a
His eyes drifted from the dead badger to the headlights and then to the
large white cat that came out of the pine wood and sat in the middle of
train.
Time it seems stood still for Sam and he watched as the car braked with
a scream of its tyres, the scream of the woman inside the car and his
How long he stood there he still did not know. There was the smell of
pine trees, burning rubber and flesh and then everything speeded up to
finding those mass graves and the bones of dead Jewish children and
Her screams inside the burning car brought him back from an old black
and white film of the past to a colourful horror film in the here and the
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now and he ran towards the burning car knowing that it was already too
open the hot car doors watching flesh melt away from her face and neck
The cat ambled through the pine woods, along fire break paths and
across fields as as it went it stopped once to look at the faint glow in the
darkness. Then it leapt up onto a dry stone wall and looked across at the
deserted farm house and sheds in the distance. It sat there for a moment
and as the rain eased dropped down into the field and padded across it
till it came to a spot that was close to the run down barns. Listening to
the night sounds first and checking that there was no foxes close it
started to dig, stopping now and then to sniff at the new soil then went
on digging. Red soil in a small heap was beside her and her fur was
stained with it then she stopped and sniffed at the small rib bone.
The cat did not chew it but licked it clean and sat looking at it and then
In the clouds, thunder rumbled across the hills and now and then a flash
of pink lightening lit up the sky. Soon the rain came and mixed with hail
the leaves on the nearby trees rattled like a million drums and nature
that night took its own course and washed the land.
bandanged hands and had another shot of pain killer. He sat looking
into space and was brought back when a young nurse came into the the
area he was.
FIFTEEN.
Molly has just vanished over the hill in Jenny’s car when Jones pulled
up at the gate followed by another car which Jenny could see had two
men in it. All three men got out and Jones walked up to Jenny while the
Garth Jones waved a sheet of paper in front of Jenny’s face, his own
“I want you out of here and today and I am not signing the contract!”
Jenny snatched the paper from his hand and looked at it then pushed it
back at him.
“ I paid you up front so I owe you nothing Jones so call it rent if you like
but I am sure you know as well as I do about the law on renting and I am
sure you will take great delight in telling me why you want me out.!”
Jones smirked and turned his head slightly to the left and shouted,
“Danny! Get your arse over here now and tell this woman what is going
The large red faced man who was in need of shave waddled over and
stood close to Jenny. “ Mr. Jones here and of Presteigne sold me this
cottage and any land with it for cash this morning and I want to move in
today if that is ok with you. If not my friend and I will help you get
packed now?”
She held the man’s gaze and without looking at Jones said in a
controlled voice. “It seems that you are within your legal rights if push
came to shove but if you had been a man with any breeding or honour
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you would have given me at least a few days to find somewhere else. I
have already packed because I thought you might be coming here next
and after what you did to Molly. Sgt Davis is also aware that I am leaving
and he also thought that you might be calling. Surprised that you were
not man enough to come on your own without bringing a bull to back
you up.”
The man called Danny pushed his face close to Jenny’s so close that
she could smell his stale breath. “ Now listen lady I don’t…”
“ You listen because if you don’t get out of my face right now your going
to end up with a very second belly button!”, and jabbed him with the
small knife that she now had pressed against him. He looked down and
then up at her alarm and fear in his face. “Your fucking mad!”
Danny took three steps backwards and Jones said in a low voice laced
with hate, “Don’t be here by sundown because we will be back then and
Jenny laughed harshly, “Been watching too many westerns Jones and if
you want the sheriff you just missed him by five minutes. He was
looking for you I think.Put what rent money is left towards flowers for
the funeral of that woman that was killed last night. She won’t need
cremating!”
Garth Jones mouth fell open and he struggled to find words then when
he did he shouted, “Back in the cars boys. As for you if you are still here
Jenny stood and smiled, “They are already and I don’t like threats. You
started the war and I’ll finished it because I may well be leaving the
cottage but I am not leaving the area. I’m going to set up my practice
and I am going back to law and no doubt at sometime out paths will
cross. Just for the record and to get me going, I have clocked the
Jones turned and walked away followed by the two men and got in the
Jenny looked at the small penknife that used to be her father’s before he
died many years ago and smiled, though shaking. “Well dad, that went
well.”
She walked back into the house and gathered up the last bag, closed the
door over and sat on the step waiting for Molly and Sam to get back. No
doubt Molly would fill Sam in on the events but she and Molly would
have to go to the next town and find a hotel until they could rent
somewhere.
She was not keen on sharing with Molly not because she did not like her
but because she wanted her own space but she knew that it was no idle
threat she had made to Jones. She was going to practice law again and
for that she needed a town not a village setting. Maybe Molly could type
and run the office. She pondered on this when she looked up and seen
her own car pull in and stood stiffly then walked to it.
He looked out at her and shrugged. “Sore and pissed off. Edwards is
“I know that Sam. The police were here and told me what happened.
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She looked at Molly and Molly rolled her eyes, “Don’t ask.”
“Why?”
Sam almost barked at her. “ Just get in the car Jenny and let's get out of
here. As you two you have nowhere to go I'll put you up.
Sam sighed deeply. “ You have any other plans Jenny? Maybe you have
a tent packed away or you can fly out to somewhere sunny away from all
this?”
She shrugged and put her bags in the boot and slammed it shut and got
“Are you sure you have enough room Sam?”, asked Jenny. “Molly and I
Sam glared at her. “There is enough room so stop worrying and it's not
Jenny nodded trying to find something to say to Sam that would not end
“Need money, need a job and need a place to kip in that order”,she
muttered. “Why?”
“Well the job part I may well be able to help with because I am thinking
Sam grunted loudly and looked back out over the wet countryside.
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SIXTEEN.
Twenty minutes later Molly pulled into a rain soaked lane and
Jenny worked out that it was around here that she had first met Sam on
“This is where you live Sam?”, asked Jenny as Molly swung into the
lane and wondered how many scratches she would get on her car before
“Yes and not many people know that. Take a sharp right here Molly and
up the forest track and slow down otherwise you will be scraping
bottom on rocks and roots. When you get to the large iron gate stop and
Molly looked at Jenny in the mirror and caught her eye then smiled.
“You don’t like company Sam do you living this far in off the open
road?”
“The reason I live here and no doubt will die here. Besides I can work
here again.”
Molly nodded watching the sides of the car on the bushes when she
could and muttered to Sam; “Not surprised you don’t come out here
when you have a drink Sam because at night it would be pitch dark and
real creepy.. As for work well?.Rebecca ever been out here Sam?”
Sam snorted, “Yes and has even slept over at times, in her own room
and bed. As for getting here in the dark by moon light it’s Ok though and
the post woman leaves my mail in the box at the bottom of the track, the
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Electricity Board don’t come up and send me an estimated bill. Now cut
“Yes Master. How far is it now?” swinging around a sharp bend and
Sam glared at her as she braked hard and skidded to a stop. “In fact we
are here.”
Sam got out took a key fob out of his pocket and pointed it at the gate
then pressed it and the gate swung open. He climbed back into the car
Jenny shrugged and Molly shook her head and they both said at the
Molly drove through the gates and was about to stop when Sam pointed
ahead. “They close on their own once we go ten yards and lock. Before
you ask if I ever lose the key fob I have one planked on each side of the
“That’s pretty cool Sam and well thought out”, whispered Molly seeing
now that the track was getting wider and the cover less and less. She
drove into a large square of gravel and the large house loomed out in
front of them. Jenny was amazed at the size of the house and worked
out that at one time it had been a Manor House and at least a few
Molly stopped and got out of the car and stood with hands on hips her
Sam came beside her and Jenny followed. “All mine, and the ghosts,
paid for and safe. You can choose a room when you get inside. For the
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moment this is your new home. Welcome to Maesllwych House the past
Jenny and Molly looked at one another shrugged and then smiled with
He just glared at her and led the way to the front door which swung
open at the press of the fob key twice. Sam switched on lights as he
walked and behind them the door slammed shut, the bolts swishing into
place and he stopped and looked up at a red light that was not blinking.
He turned to Jenny and Molly. “You ever come in here and that is
blinking it means you have an intruder of the human sort but what is
more to the point they are locked in a room somewhere. Inside there will
be room numbers and all with a red light. The one that is blinking is
where the human is trapped. They can’t harm you and they can’t get out.
He sighed deeply and shook his head. “Turn it off once you are in and
Molly came in fast,“Sam if we are staying here and you are away
Sam smiled and pointed to a small glass screen then pointed at his
eyes. “I’ll get you coded today and before nightfall and the only way you
can get from room to room if I am not here or lying face down in the
knows her stuff but glazed eyes don't register on the system.”
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Jenny nodded and looked around her. Sam was not the old down and
out she thought he was and if this system had been in place for many
years then installing it would have cost and arm and a leg. What the hell
did Rebecca know about Hi-tec alarm systems but most of all, why?
She also noted a film of dust on the wooden floor and guessed Sam
did not do much housework. She dreaded to even think what the kitchen
was like and bathroom. She had to ask with a twinkle in her eyes,
He looked hard at her and half smiled, “Both and maybe more to add
from the ghost point of view. You remember Mary Morgan and the
Jenny gasped, “She worked here and also got pregnant here!”
“Right and she was also to kill her new born child here or someone did
but she got blamed for it. First off the best thing to do is give you a tour,
you choose your rooms, then move in your clobber and get settled.
Then I will answer questions over dinner which we will sit down at
around seven.”
“Dinner Sam? Who’s cooking dinner?” asked Molly her face blank.
“Now why did I ask a stupid question? Anything you wish for Master you
Sam held up his bandaged hands and put on a hang dog look, “Sorry I
can’t do much but I have no doubt at all you will both come up with
He marched off and Jenny whispered in Molly’s ear, “Is this for real?”
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Molly laughed, “Oh yes dear maid, the King is mad but it is real.”
Sam threw open two large doors and switched on the lights to show a
very large room bare except for a single dust covered armchair and the
walls lined with paintings and portraits by and off the Wilkins family and
some friends. Sam walked slowly by and pointed to the first painting,
“Walter Wilkins the head of the family, next is his son, Walter the second
and possible father of Mary Morgan's child, next are the two main
women, Walter the first’s wife and Walter the sons wife. The man next to
that is one of the villains in the story of Mary Morgan, Judge Hardings
who hung her and also a possible father of the dead child.
wife of the son and they were married one year after Mary Morgan and
her dead child were placed in the grave at the church or so we thought”
Sam waved a hand around the great room. “ It was here that they held
the Hunt Balls and other dances and functions and it is here that Mary
Molly looked around her glumly. “I heard the story but never thought I
Sam laughed harshly. “Yes, this is where it all happened and those
people up there are the witnesses to the crime of murder against a child
of seventeen by a Judge and jury so rigged against her that she never
Molly nodded. “Ok Sam, lets see the kitchen and lock the door behind
you.”
He looked sadly from the paintings to Jenny and nodded, “ Getting there
She followed Sam out of the large room and closed over the door
wondering how Sam was able to live here and maintain the building.
“Where to now?”, she asked following Molly and Sam upstairs to a long
Jenny took the first one next the stairs and Molly next door. Both rooms
of choice were large and airy and the beds had yet to be made up.
“Molly you Ok with this?”, asked Jenny waving towards the bedrooms.
office, bathroom and toilet, small bedroom and of course, the coffin.”
Sam started to chuckle and then laughed. “ You should see your face.”
“Sam I don’t think that is funny”,said Molly and added, “I mean you have
lived here a good long time and the only time I ever seen you, sober or
drunk was once the sun went down. Now that I am here its not too bad
Jenny laughed a child’s laugh. “She has a point Sam. I mean we would
not want to get it wrong when we made dinner for us all and you ate
garlic.”
141
SEVENTEEN.
Molly and Jenny set out a dinner made up of what was in the freezer
and set a plate in front of Sam who did not look like Sam any more for
he was dressed in a white shirt and clean pants that clashed with the
purple socks. His silver hair was still damp from the shower.
Molly scowled at him and sat down. “Better than good Sam. Healthy
also.”
Jenny sat across from Molly and wondered where Sam was going with
all this. Her legal mind was sharp so she picked up almost right away
that Sam had some plot going on. He was putting on a show for them.
Jenny poured some wine for Molly and Sam. Then they ate and said little
Sam set his knife and fork down and reached for the wine bottle and
Jenny raised and eyebrow and he got a look from her that stopped him.
“You were going to tell Molly and I something Sam, like what we are
doing here and what this place is because it is more than just a large
home?”
“Yes..I was. Hmm. Ok. What I am about to tell you stays in this room.
Agreed?”
Molly and Jenny nodded and looked at him. Sam then smiled and sat
“Let me tell you a story, a true story and all to do with a child called Mary
Morgan. The same Mary Morgan who's grave has two gravestones and
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a great mystery surrounding her and the people of this area to the
present day. Why don't you and Molly share the one and only chair?
Jenny sat in the great chair and Molly sat at her feet leaning back
' It all began here, mainly in this house but before that I will fill you in
with the background of the case and please don't interrupt me or I will
lose my thread.
Mary Morgan was born in the village of Llowes to Elizabeth and Reece
Morgan around the 30 th of March 1788, that not being very far from
where you now sit. The child Mary grew up into her early teens and
when she was sixteen went into service, as was so often the case
around here. At one time this place was called Maesllwych Castle and in
the town land of those dark days of Glasbury-on- Wye. This is where the
Mary Morgan we all now know came to work for the Wilkins Family as
under-cook and later, when she had proved herself,was well thought off
by other staff and members of the family.Without doubt she was pretty
but also without doubt, someone took advantage of her and she
discovered she was pregnant. A servant girl in such a condition had two
choices, have the baby and lose her job and respect, never to return
home to her family, or find someone who knew their herbs and try and
have an abortion before she really started to show. For some reason
unknown to us, she decided to have the baby and wore loose clothing
so that no one would notice. The father of the child may have been a
male member of staff but I am of the opinion that it was the son of
Wilkins, also called Walter. She did turn to the male member of staff, a
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young man and told him and he in turn stated that he could get some
herbs from an old woman that would force an abortion. She refused this
option and as her time drew near. I found this evidence strange because
she did not want to harm the unborn child yet later she was accused of
killing it. She did in fact appeal later to the son Walter for help and his
response was more than strange because he put it to her that he would
maintain the child if she told everyone he was the father. As he was
Earl of Hereford this would have caused more than ill feelings in the
gentry around here and even as far as London because he was also a
MP and a JP.
Mary wanted to keep the child and only sixteen years of age then on the
16 th of September 1804 she give birth to the baby in her room but before
that told the other servants and the housekeeper she was feeling unwell.
She was before the birth visited by one Mrs Simpson who brought to her
room some warm wine to help her with her sickness.For some reason
this Mrs Simpson did not notice that Mary was in the first stages of
childbirth and her being the Housekeeper at this time failed to offer any
other help. It was a Sunday and by evening then the cook arrived with
tea for her in the bedroom at 6.30pm. She too missed the now advanced
labour. It is said that around this time after the cook had left the
bedroom, Mary got out of bed and blocked the door with a small single
bed. This bed belonged to Mary Meredith the dairy maid because she
shared the room with Mary Morgan and when she tried to get in could
Once the child was born it was stated as evidence that she then took a
small two bladed penknife and cut the throat so deep she almost cut off
the head. She was then said to hide the body under her mattress as well
as the small knife. Help was called to force the door and Mary Meredith,
Elizabeth Evelyn and Margaret Havard burst in. Seeing some blood on
the floor and bed clothes they demanded to know if she had given birth
to a child and if so where it was.Mary was said to curse and shout telling
them there was 'no baby' and never was. They pulled off the bedclothes
and seen for themselves the signs of a birth but no baby. Somehow they
knew there was a baby and so they sent someone to fetch the local
coroner for the County of Radnor and also the landlord of the
now had to examine the crime scene, summon a Grand Jury to see the
Morgan. All this I assure you would have taken up to three hours before
a weak and very frightened child was removed by the father, Walter
One has to ask why if she wanted to kill the child she did not use a
kitchen knife and as it turned out the said penknife in fact belonged to
You have to remember in those days all the gentry stuck together be it
right or wrong and did so until Mary Morgan took the drop at the
gallows.
Before that she was kept in a cell for six months and on the 11 th day of
April 1805 she was taken before Mr. Justice George Hardinge, a friend of
the Wilkins family. The jury was made up of local gentlemen from
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around here and also friends of the family, more so the father Walter
Wilkins. The witnesses were called, evidence given and she was found
guilty. They say that she was taken by horse and cart, her hands tied
and her rapped in a winding sheet of white. It was raining that morning,
a rain that came straight down and no wind and by midday Mary Morgan
was hanging from a great tree that was her gallows. In the church the
bell rang three times but from the distant hills started the barking and
howling of dogs until the air was filled with the noise, then silence. No
It was the norm for such people who were hung to be taken to the local
medical school so that medical students could refine their skills but for
some reason Judge Hardinge said no. Mary Morgan was to be buried
side my side with her child and this is what was done.'
“So where is she Sam?”, asked Jenny so upset she was tearful.
“Here! How?”
“I don't know but she was never buried and was brought here and
placed in the bedroom behind the wall. That is where I found her many
years ago, mummified because of the dryness as was the child, also a
girl.”
Jenny stood and shivered and she helped Molly to her feet. “Ok. Great
“Tomorrow I will show you outside and now I will try and explain as
here you can leave first thing in the morning. Rebecca, my friend will of
course see you back to the main road and you will follow in your car.
If you do go and the gate closes behind you, don't come back here.”
Jenny studied Sam's face and she read in it that what he said he meant.
She asked him directly. “And friendship Sam? What about that?”
He nodded. “That will always be there for you both no matter what
happens.”
Sam smiled. “Fine. Some of the stuff I may have mentioned in passing
before to both of you may well be repeated. Before I begin, and this
“Me,How?”, feeling alarmed that she had been picked out almost at
once.
Sam lost his smile. “I have been asked to go back to work, official work
and re-open the bunker, staff it and run it with a free hand without any
to have on board a legal beaver who knows their way around criminal
look hard at the evidence gathered and say yes or no to it. Your it, if you
want it.”
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Jenny's mouth fell open and she fought hard to find words but when she
Molly was about to speak but Sam held up his hand almost in her face.
“No wind up and no story. Codex Red is being re-activated and I want
you at the head of the legal side of it. I should have pointed out well
before now to both of you before my brain went soft with the booze and
and Africa. This is on going with help from some countries from the UK
and Ireland and their police forces including the FBI and Interpol.
Codex Red is very much a 'Black Project' and always will be. Someone
He looked from Jenny to Molly, his stare hard. “You investigate along
with Rebecca and you both will have total clearance from a police and
intelligence point of view. You will have your ID direct from Codex Red
and you will be linked to Interpol in Paris, not in the UK. Interpol is
processing everyone now and when it is done Molly will make up the ID
cards for each and everyone of us. We have blanks and the data will be
sent direct from Paris, then put on the cards with your photographs and
Molly.
“For Mossad and good but not as an agent of Interpol and better”,
muttered Sam. The Interpol will open more doors world wide.”
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Jenny spoke softly but directly. “Before I commit myself to anything one
way or the other I need to have and see proof of this Codex Red. You will
agree Sam it all a bit of of a shock what you just said and a little hard for
Jenny had to almost run to keep up with Molly as they followed Sam
down a hall and then a sharp right turn to be stopped by a large red iron
door. Sam turned. “Through here is the entrance to the Codex Project
and in the bunker. The bunker I should point out was built during the
Cold War and never used so when I bought this place I also bought the
46 acres of countryside,woods and all. Again you can only get in with
Iris registration and you need to stand in the middle and face the door
like this.”
The two women heard a slight click then a low buzzing sound and the
door swung out and upwards and all three went through into a long well
lit narrow corridor and as they walked forwards the door closed behind
them with a loud click. The echo from the click bounced of the stone
walls.
Molly expected the air to be stale but it was fresh and warm and she
could walk upright. Jenny was shaking inside but she let Sam walk on
and followed him then he turned a sharp left and came to another door
This time as Sam stood in front of it instead of going upwards the door
slid sidewards with a hiss and they walked into a large well lit building
Where they stood they were looking down into a computer room with
screens lining the walls , all large and all in sleep mode. In all Jenny
counted ten screens but she could also see six well laid out office pens
Sam turned and held out his arms. “Welcome to Codex Red.”
“It's clean, airy and looks very advanced. How do we get down
there?”,asked Molly her eyes wide like a child seeing her first Christmas
tree.
He pressed a green button on the top of the safety bar and there was a
“Of course if the outside power goes down we have two fully charged
generators always live and a massive food stock pile as well as fresh
“Pretty impressive Sam even for you”,said Jenny and smiled at Molly.
“Maybe we have time for the guided tour and Sam can tell us the rest.”
“Can do. Let us sit in the computer control room”, said Sam and led the
way to the red chair in the middle of the half circle of black soft chairs
where he flopped into it. Jenny and Molly sat on each side of him.
Sam pressed a number of buttons on the right hand armrest of his chair
and all the screens started to charge up but there was no hum from any
of the computers and even the slow turning fans above them made no
noise.
Sam spoke softly and clearly, “As you said Jenny you wanted proof well
here it is. Keep in mind that I can only play with computers and only
know the basics but Molly will sort the whole system out and more to
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the point keeping the system running and healthy.The far left handed
screen is missing children from 1960 to now in the UK, Ireland and the
Isle Of Man. You will note from the blinking red dots the numbers still
missing, never found. The black static dots on the maps are of those
children found dead and had been murdered but no killer or killers ever
brought to justice and they start with the death of Mary Morgan's child in
the early 1800's and of her own murder by hanging at the age of
seventeen in the market town we all know so well. You can also observe
Forces all over the UK, Ireland, Isle Of Man and Interpol. We will only use
the US data when and if we need it because unknown to them they have
more hackers in their systems than fleas on a rabbit. They have NASA
and the FBI and we have Codex Red, a more advanced system for the
type of work we do. If of course they need help with a child murder
suspect we will go all out to assist. Molly will make sure that our
brothers and sisters across the pond get requested data but not in any
way allowed to long on to Codex Red Data banks. They have tried but
Windows system.”
Sam paused to let them take it all in.Molly almost whispered, “Don't we
Molly was pushing it and Jenny groaned inside. Sam was not in the sort
“Screen two is suspects, fingerprints, DNA data all of which are again
updated on a daily basis. From here we can match DNA and Genetic
Molly gasped her eyes wide like a child seeing a Christmas Tree.
who work on child killers, missing children and young adults, John and
human organs and tissue world wide, and forensic archaeology data.
This is a direct line for all communications to the above and passport
Screen 4 is right up your street Molly. Forensics and all the data that
goes with it but whoever operates this one is also expected to operate
Screen 5 and 6 is your links to maps, which I should say are very
detailed as well as your spy in the sky, paid for by NASA and the UK
Space Agency but will only be used here for our cold cases not in any
not in our remit and we stay clear of all politics no matter what.”
“So you will be the director of Codex Red, you may have Molly. Rebecca
also and who is in charge of security because believe me with all that is
The voice that came from behind them was straight to the point.
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“I am.”
They turned and could see Rebecca almost in shadow and when she
“She is very good I can assure you of that”, muttered Sam. “ Tends to
Rebecca smiled and looked at Jenny. “ We meet again. Hi Molly and glad
to see you because all this computer stuff does my head in. As your the
Molly laughed. “ It's 'Whiz' not Tizz Becky. Well! You're a dark horse!
Sam smiled. “So far we have a gang of four for the new Codex Red if
“I have concerns Sam”, said Jenny looking at them all then directly at
Sam.
Jenny took a breath and then, “Your drinking Sam. You drink too much
project.”
duty.”
have known him for many years and yes he does drink too much
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a professional way. Also I have never but never seen him fall down on a
job.”
“If Sam is the Director of Codex Red he needs to be on top of it. Sorry
Sam it is the way I feel and from my legal standing that is my advise.”
Rebecca started to laugh then more and Sam joined in till he took a fit of
“You are Jenny. I'm not the Director of Codex Red. You are!”
Sam nodded. “ No better person for the job. Good legal mind, crazy, fit,
“Not only that”, said Rebecca. “You head the outfit, say yes and no and
Jenny looked around her then at them and threw her arms up in the air
and walked towards the lift. “Your all bloody mad but I will do it!”
Sam tried to stop coughing until Molly slapped him hard on the back
and that set him off again. Rebecca rolled her eyes and walked past
Outside Jenny stopped and stood with Rebecca who was smoking and
“Is this for real Rebecca?”, asked Jenny finding it all unreal.
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“Call be Becky or Beck. Yes. Its is real. We set it up many years ago,
used it well and then put it into hibernation for a while. Now Codex Red
is coming out of that hibernation and this time we are working on cold
Jenny frowned and nodded back at the house. “So what do local people
Jenny found it hard to take it all in and she could see that to do this right
she needed time to adjust to what had been dropped in her lap. She also
knew that so far all that had been shown her was the Complex but
“Rebecca we can't run this project with just four people. It's too big and
though we all have skills we are going to need more skills than we have
Rebecca dropped her butt into the stones and smiled. “ I don't do
typing.”
Jenny's mouth fell open then snap shut. “In time we are going to need
Rebecca turned, head tilted to one side. “In time, when you have found
your feet, proved yourself we will need a lot of things including an office
and staff.”
Rebecca smiled. Her eyes dark and bright did not smile. “I know you
only as a friend of Sam's and that for a short time only. I don't know you
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and I will be protecting Sam and the Codex Project. Sam has a good
heart, sometimes soft in the head but he is no fool and when he says
your the director that means he trusts you and I respect him for that. Till
I really get to know you I will do my job under your directions and do it
well. I will, I should add, have an opinion and will voice it even if
“I don't know you Jenny. Yet. But I will and then I will tell you.”
EIGHTEEN.
“We need more help”, muttered Molly as she sorted out her
computers but enjoying the work and turned to Rebecca who was going
“For the moment it seems more help we cannot have. Not because there
because Sam says we, that is you and I and Jenny need to prove
Molly laughed as she downloaded another data file and stored it in one
“Oh yes! Well pissed off! I should be out there killing rats but because
we now have to work within the law and under the eagle eye of our
Director, Jenny we have to wait till we have a suspect that the law
cannot touch. Then if and when I get a nod and a wink, 'bang'.”
Molly gulped and shot a glance at Rebecca. “ Run that past me again.
156
Rebecca shrugged and made a face. “ A few. Here and there but it was
all political and above board but now Sam says and Jenny says I must
Jenny came into the room and glanced at the two women huddled
Molly and Rebecca looked at her stone faced then Molly shrugged.
Rebecca nodded. “Little furry things with long tails. There are none
around inside or outside the building. Don't you think that is odd?”
“ Not in the least. Sam more than likely has put down poison. Anyway I
am here to state that your director is taking you both out for a meal
tonight. A week now and I need to go out and see the world. You up for
it?”
Jenny smiled and pointed to the map of the UK. “Lets try Oxford, leave
this evening find a hotel, book in go and have a meal and come home on
Sunday.”
Jenny smiled again and laughed. “ Sam is in Paris for the weekend.
kill and in a taxi that will take him to the airport for the seven pm flight.
protested Rebecca.
157
“Wrong Becky. Sam is up, ready and a grown man again. He does not
so let him have some fun, some freedom from us and we will do the
same. Ok?”
Rebecca nodded but still looked glum when Jenny left the room.
noted that Molly was deep in thought. “You're very quite back there
Molly?”
computer. Child was murdered in Scotland and found with its heart
removed. The killer was never caught but he was a right sicko because
he dressed the dead girl in a red coat and hat before he buried her in a
shallow grave. Seems he took her clothes along with her heart.”
Jenny took the roundabout fast and headed back onto the motorway at
“ What the hell Jenny! You almost lost it there”, snapped Rebecca and
“Back!”
Jenny threw a glance and then , “Back to Codex Red. Molly was onto
“We had one much closer to home than that. In fact very close and
almost in the same way. Clothes removed , heart removed and then the
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killer buried her but he must have dressed her in red. There has to be a
“You think! Don't you know”, snapped Jenny putting her foot down and
It was well after midnight when they got back and Jenny ushered
them, bags of chips in hands down through the passageways and into
the Codex Red complex. She threw the main switch and everything
“Can we eat there first?”, protested Molly and looking to Rebecca for
support.
She took her own bag of chips and sat deeply in the red chair looking at
the screens but touching nothing because the whole process of this
Jenny shot a glance at the other two woman gulping down chips and
almost smiled. She looked at her pager and thought that maybe she
should ring Sam or at least page him in Paris. And say what?
“We ready yet folks?”, she demanded wiping her hands on her jumper.
Jenny took a deep breath. She looked at both women, shrugged and
smiled “ Ok. This is what I want. All details of the girl in red and both
cases brought up and that will include the forensics of the case. I also
want Ariel photographs of the crime scenes, any list of suspects, time,
dates and post mortem reports. When you have done that then later I
159
want you to look worldwide if need be of similar cases but lets cover the
“Coffee I could use”, snapped back Rebecca and punched in letters and
Molly laughed. “Coffee would be great. Why don't I run the systems on
our two main computers but using all the screens for information
saved?”
“Sure. We import all the data we need to work with,place it in a new Girl
in Red Folder and at the end display on the six screens when needed for
“Do it!”
Jenny walked to the small kitchen area and plugged in the kettle and
Rebecca looked at Molly intent in sorting out the data on all the
“That's me kiddo. My world I guess but I can always help if you get
stuck. The keyboard is the flat thing with numbers and letters on it.”
“Thanks I'll manage”, muttered Rebecca and hit Enter and the details of
the second girl in red came up from police and medical files.
Molly shot her a glance then at her large screen on the wall.
“Victim One also up and running. We have data one and two now on
Rebecca sighed deeply and then laughed. “ Where do you get all that
By two thirty am all there were sitting looking at the six screens and
Jenny was in command. “Ok. Now we have data let's put it together.
“Up and ready boss”, snapped back Molly. You want data up on victim
one.”
SHALLOW GRAVE. NUDE EXCEPT FOR RED COAT AND RED WOOL
HAT.
IN THE ARMY)
161
MOTHER ANN DAVIS FOUND DEAD IN THE WOOD AT THE SITE OF THE
Molly stopped the rolling script and gasped out loud. “Jesus! Where do
Feeling nervous now Jenny nodded. “Can you find anything on him?”
“Need at least a date of birth Jenny. No have. Could go in the back door
“Yes. We are official but we don't exist as far as the public are
concerned. Rebecca run the fingerprints and any DNA data on Robert
Jenny watched as both women worked their key boards and Rebecca's
screen started to do a roll search at speed. Molly got a hit within five
seconds.
photographs.
bravery. Saved a woman from a fire and another from the River.
Jenny began to speak but Molly held up her hand. “Oh,oh! Seems he
was a naughty boy because in 2009 was suspended from the force and
later fired.”
“Nope.”
serving police officer but that annoyed her more, Angie Edwards was
Rebecca said loudly. “I am going to leave this running for a trace and by
“Rebecca restart screen two, Codex Red data on the girl in red. Continue
The remains were that of a healthy seven year old female and there was
little on no bruising on the body except for the neck and throat area.
It has been noted that the hyoid bone in the neck was fractured due to
There was also fracturing of the laryngeal cartilages and severe bruising
of the thyroid. The killer therefore strangled the victim from the front
and she was lying down as some bruising on the back of the head
163
clotting which was very little. The heart removal was not in any way a
surgical one and suggests a heavy bladed knife was used as ribs were
cut straight through and the organ torn from the chest and in a ripping
The last meal was partly digested and contained tomato, meat and
chips. Fluid were taken and sent off for testing with negative results and
As the body of the child was in a state of rigour I can put the time of
the heels or legs which suggests that death occurred somewhere else
rather than where the body was discovered. This means that the victim
Material found on the body included leaf mould from native species, in
the hair some types of small white cubes were found, three in all and
were sent to the lab. The results that came back was that 90% of fish
The fingernails did not show any damage or skin or blood from the killer.
CLOTHING. Small child's red winter coat made in China and also small
red hat also made in China. Both could have been bought in any retail
shop in the UK or Ireland between 1975 and 1977 or from a Charity shop.
Rebecca hit her keys and almost at once the full profile came up.
5.15PM AT BOTTOM OF HER FARM LANE BRING BACK HER PET LAMB.
MOTHER COULD SEE DOWN THE LANE FROM KITCHEN WINDOW AND
THOUGHT ALL WAS WELL. THE LAMB WAS FOUND IN THE DITCH AND
TESTS DID SHOW THAT IT HAD A BROKEN NECK, ALARM WAS RAISED
DISCOVERED LATER.
“It would seem that this is not good and suggests what Jenny?”
Jenny bit her lip because she needed the pain to hold control and she
“The same killer. A sexual predator and very mobile.Very possible that
“Or a copy cat killing? They look the same they could be the same but
Jenny looked hard at the two women. “Trust me. It's him and not only
that there may well be more victims out there never to be found. We
Molly nodded. “My data is still on run. Want to leave it for the night
Jenny?”
She nodded. “ Lets all look at it again in the morning but don't close
everything run. We start again at noon and it's already morning. 5.15am
Before they could say anything she turned and walked away fast and
they looked at one another then Rebecca shrugged and they both
The computer screens scrolled down fast, flashing lights of red and
yellow blinked away in the turned down overhead lighting and the
clocks above the screens give the world-wide times. The screens looked
TWENTY.
Sam Deacon blinked his eyes open and shook his head as he listened to
the his mobile ringing. He looked at his watch then at the phone screen,
“And?” What?”
“The girl in red Sam. There are now two of them. Both victims and both
who had been dressed in red after the killer removed their hearts.”
There was a long silence from Sam and for a moment Jenny thought she
“Oh yes Jenny, I'm still here. Could be a ritual killer and sexual with it.”
Sam muttered and sat up in the large bed and rubbed his face with his
free hand. “What are your dates on the second victim and her name?”
Sam grunted into the phone then; “Six years between the victims, both
called Mary and both killed on St. Patrick's Day. Jenny I am getting a bad
feeling on this because the way I read it there is likely to be more victims
but don't assume that because we have not found them that they were
all called 'Mary' and met their end on St. Patrick's Day. Do not however
rule out an Irish connection but I guess you are on that. How is your
She almost said 'FINE.' then said.'Working well together Sam, just gone
“Not yet. Rebecca and Molly get on together and half the time I don't
know what the hell they are talking about when it comes to computers
“And Jenny? How are you getting on with your new post?”
Sam laughed. “ Oh yes. Very legal. In fact you will be having two guests
in the morning 10.00am sharp at the gate. Make sure they can get in and
the escort van will have four people in it, not in uniform. Your two guests
are from Whitehall, the team of four are from Poole. Once they are in
bring them up to the house. Oh! Get Molly to make tea or whatever.
“Who are the guests Sam? I'm getting very nervous and how much do
Sam made a face at the phone he was holding then laughed, “Let's just
say 'important' Jenny. And they know everything. They pay the bills and
as you are the director you had also tell the others to have their bank
details on hand otherwise you won't get paid. All official red tape of
course but that is Whitehall for you. Now I am back to sleep. Bye”
There was a click and then the hum and Jenny shouted into her phone.
Outside her bedroom window the dawn chorus of birds was in full
swing.
Molly stared at Jenny over the top of her third cup of coffee, dark
smudges under her eyes. She blinked again. “I'm hearing you right? It's
168
just gone seven am and we have been in bed for less than two hours
and your telling us that two bods are coming here at 10.00am for tea and
coffee?”
“Correct. Rebecca you need to be at the gate and let them in. Two cars
and a large van with four people in it more than likely armed and on our
side. We have no control over the protection crew and Sam says that we
Rebecca was not smiling. To Jenny she looked like a large cat that was
bra-less?”
Jenny was shocked and confused. “Tooled up? Bra-less? What the hell
Molly said in a tied voice. “What she means does she flash her guns or
If someone had slapped her she would not have been more shocked of
what Molly just said. She frowned at Rebecca. “ Tell me it's not true
Rebecca nodded and walked to the sink, rinsed her cup then turned to
Jenny, her face like stone. “Two tits, four firearms loaded and ammo as
spare. Sam, I take it forgot to mention this. That is just like him,again.”
“Just what did you do in a previous life Becky? Work for the Mafia!”,
said Jenny looking to Molly for some kind of support but could see there
Rebecca smiled but her eyes were like ice. “I worked for Israeli
Intelligence and in my past life I eliminated people when the need arose
as it did.”
169
“ Mossad! You killed people?”, said Jenny with a dry mouth and her
coffee did nothing to help. She licked her lips and waited for an answer.
“Very. That was my job and I am on long term loan to Sam and you of
course. I will kill again if ordered too Jenny and you give the order."
Jenny took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “ Ok. You go meet the
guests Becky and be there before ten, open the gates and let them in
Rebecca set the cup down slowly and walked to the door, stopped and
Before Jenny could speak Rebecca was gone. She turned to Molly who
Rebecca stood at the gate and could hear the small convoy of
cars coming up the lane from the main road. She was still angry with
Jenny but understood that she was now under a lot of pressure and if
Sam had been here she could have advised him to get her sorted.
Dressed in black, her long dark hair in a pony-tail she stood with the
gates still closed. She was aware of the auto pistol tucked down the
back of her tight fitting pants and knew that if she had to get to it, which
was unlikely anyhow, she could. The first car had two men in it and
slowed then stopped. She could tell that these two were not from
Whitehall. The driver slid down the window and spoke to her.
For a moment the driver was surprised then reached down and picked
up his ID and handed it to her. She flicked it open and looked at it.
She handed it back and smiled. “Must be important to have the SBS as
watchdogs?”
Green nodded but did not smile. “You going to open the gate?”
“All the way up the drive to the house. You will be met there.”
Green nodded and moved forward and was followed by two more cars,
the large black one in the middle of the convoy had four people in it, one
a middle aged woman who looked hard at her then faced front as the car
passed Rebecca. She stopped the last one and found herself looking
into the face of a very large and good looking black man. Beside him sat
a much smaller one and would have been the more dangerous of the
two.
She opened the back door and got in then sat back.
The smaller one spoke first. “I'm Bob, this is Noel and you are?”
“Rebecca.”
“Hi Rebecca. I take it you know we are baby sitting the bods from
Whitehall?”
“Of course. The woman in the second car? Why is she here?”
Noel said softly. “She's admin. Does the paperwork for our party and no
doubt for yours in time. What is your job and what is the place slap bang
She did not take the bait. “ Me? I'm just a go-for. We work in a lab here
on vaccines for the MOD and US Army. Our main lab for production is in
There were no more questions and they pulled in behind the VIP car and
stopped.
Jenny was coming out of the house with Molly, dressed well as was
Molly. The two VIPs and the woman got out of their car while the four
SBS team walked away, two back down the lane and two in the bushes
“Molly does all the computer work, Rebecca here is also part of the team
and looks after all our interests and I am Jenny Snow, Director of Codex
Red.” For a moment Jenny felt embarrassed but put it out of her mind.
It was the woman who spoke. “Helen Shaw, Administrative Officer for
Whitehall. Let me introduce you to James Mackie, From the Home Office
She was blunt and to the point and she talked as she followed Jenny
and Molly. “ We have had breakfast and we have a lot to get through so
we will skip refreshments if you don't mind. Our escort will unload the
car while we have the meeting. Some equipment for you and two large
“That was nice of him”, muttered Jenny as she closed the door over.
Jenny took them to the L shaped study that had been set out by Molly
before their arrival. Jenny took her seat at the top end of the table, the
two men on the left of her and Molly, Rebecca and Helen Shaw on her
right.
172
It was James Mackie who spoke first and he looked directly at Jenny.
“As you are Director of Codex Red then I will outline what the purpose
of it but this involves your team only and not in any way Whitehall or the
try and find those responsible and if you gather enough evidence that
can be used in a court of law you hand all the documentation over to the
Court of Law. For a Court it will need to be water tight, no mistakes and
guarantee that he or she will stay in prison for the rest of their natural
lives. Some may be released back into society within ten to twenty five
If you do find someone who you know from the evidence gathered is
guilty but it has no hope of a conviction Codex Red then takes direct
action against that person. That final clause will be yours Director Snow.
It will be a straight 'yes' or 'No'. You are of course well known for your
legal mind and the law but now you make the law work or take action so
You will have all the resources you need, and more.
No one that is in this room will ever contact you again and you will not
contact them for any reason. Miss Shaw will give you a password for all
government computers and to all high ranking police officers in the UK,
Ireland and any country within the European Union. Outside of the
Union if you have to, you will make your own arrangements, own
All of you will also sign the Official Secrets Act today and Miss Shaw will
also provide the paper work for that. I should point out that your
Mr. Tell knows it. Mr Tell will know it once he gets back to London but no
'need to know' basis. As far as the world is concerned Codex Red never
existed. As for funding this will not come out of the Public Purse or
Justice done. Families of victims will know they will get closure on the
Jenny went pale, her heart racing. Molly looked at her hands and tried to
stop them from shaking too much and Rebecca sat stone faced, no
“Have you any questions Director Snow?”, asked Mackie then added,
Jenny licked her lips. “We need to stay legal, gather evidence and if we
have enough, hand our case of to local police if I am sure they can get a
conviction?”
“Correct.”
“And if we find them guilty but I know it will never get a conviction?”
Mackie shrugged his blue eyes like ice. “Then you decide one way or the
other and Miss Hofi that being Rebecca Shaw of course, will take the
of sources that she is very good at what she does and does well.”
Her mind raced. Am I really up to this, she thought. Could I when the
“Director Snow?”
It was Jerome Tell from New Scotland Yard. “Have you any idea how
“One thousand three hundred and six Director Snow. Some have been
missing for years, one third of those will be found dead or alive, some
have vanished into the crowd but 50% of them are victims Director Snow
and have been sexually abused, murdered and disposed off in many
ways. Outside the UK but still being brought here are fresh human
organs, young organs that are sold direct to private organisations with
major Health links here and all because of money, not medicine.
Many of those children are also disposed off after the organ has been
removed and if they die they are not missed. Children of the Moon
Director, as Sam Deacon would say and in a silent scream even after
death.”
Jenny was grim and she looked at Mackie and nodded. For a high
Mackie stood up and shook her hand. “Thank you. Mr. Tell and I will wait
in the car while Helen Shaw sorts out the paper work with you.
Once the door closed over Helen Shaw shuffled forms and placed them
“Just sign the bottom line and date it. One is the OSA, One is for your
Bank Details, and the last one, the yellow one is for your new ID.
175
The Cards have been printed and attached to the yellow sheet and you
I do suggest you get some sort of an office in a town of some sort, open
your company bank account as soon as you can and move the money
from your own account into the new one, staff it as you would a normal
office and look busy in the legal field. You can even advertise. Pay your
taxes on time like us all and we can top your account up.Then you do
I have left the space for you to insert your own photographs. In future if
you do employ new staff at your legal office you will now be able to print
they ever come here unless they have clearance at the highest level. You
One last thing and I am going to say this once. Your pass-word from
today is 'SHADOWLANDS'. It will open and close doors for your team
Director as needed. Right. Please sign and I must get going. There has
been a number of crates left for you in the main hall way as we have
been chatting in here. Three in all. One is for you Miss Shaw, my name
sake, and the other two are old cold case files.
hours. Rebecca you will find also a blanket Home Office firearms
certificate. Sign it. Covers the UK, Ireland and parts of Europe only.”
When they had finished she gathered up the documents and the three
pens, slipped them into a black case and left the room shutting the door
Rebecca laughed but it was not a nice laugh. “ You do know that the
names they give us are all Mickey Mouse and the number plates on the
cars won't be traced if we ever decided to. The little men with the big
guns, they were real Ok and Navy Special Forces but names, no way.”
Molly frowned as the door opened and the woman, Helen Shaw came
back, her face red and angry. “I don't suppose one of you could open
“Oh! Sorry. I'll do it right now”, said Rebecca, throwing Helen Shaw a
Molly waited till she heard the front door slam shut and then turned to
Jenny walked to the window and looked down the drive way as the cars
vanished into the distance and was not surprised when she seen the
small girl in red walk across the track from left to right, stop for a
“Oh no! That is what Becky says every time she gets stuck on the
“What is it.?”
Jenny rolled her eyes and then laughed. “You really go all out don't
you?”
Molly laughed. “I hate to say this Jenny but we need to make a shopping
list for food and stock up. Normal shopping like women do because Sam
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gets what Sam likes and from what I could see, not good. We need real
food Jenny!”
“That bad, unless you like salmon for each and every meal and
watercress from the stream. No tinned food and no bread except for one
“A rabbit?”
“Been dead a long time judging by the date on it. 'Road Kill' it says so I
guess he picked it up one night from the road and brought it home.”
Jenny made a face. “ Don't fancy rabbit. Ok later we will or get someone
Rebecca enjoyed the walk back from the gate and did not rush it
because she needed to mull over all that she now knew and what was
she thought but may hold off from giving the order if it was needed and
that would be a mistake if she waited too long. Molly was mouthy but
great with computers and she had guts. Sam would have his useful
contacts all around the world if needed. She stopped and looked at the
The song of the lark faded slowly as it fell to earth to where it had its
nest.
178
TWENTY TWO
In the control room of Codex Red, Molly and Jenny sat down facing
the screens and quickly Molly brought them from slumber and all six
“Bingo! We have a list of suspects on all two girls!” said Molly then
added, “ With photographs and dabs as well. Let's take two and have a
look.”
She hit 'enter' and three suspects came up in full. Photograph of each
“Four in all. Males. One dead in 2004. Died in prison. Sexual offences
but no link to girl two. John Francis Drew aged 50. No link to girl two
Suspect two. Malcolm Scott aged 40 now. String of sexual offences from
way back including rape. On the day of the murder he was in Blackpool
and this has been confirmed. White van man and he was on a run for his
company. Was in the area well before the girl went missing but went
direct to Blackpool then onto Liverpool. Was back home next day and
girl.
Suspect four. “Andrew John Hill. Aged 51 years now. Was in area buying
farm livestock. The two farms he had been at were checked out and
record and no link to the girl though he was within five miles of where
mainly India, France and Spain, one trip to Portugal, three to Ireland. The
trips to Europe were no more than two weeks, the trips to India were
Jenny let out her breath slowly. “ No joy there then. Bring up girl one
suspects.”
“What?”
Jenny's mouth fell open. “But that's Garth Jones? Why did we not pick
“Oh yes! But not then. He had a beard and wore glasses. Now he is
Andrew Hill,aged 51 years, Male, Livestock dealer but without the beard
or glasses!Was in the area moving sheep and also his van was clocked
by local in a lay-by close by. Less than two miles from where the victim
was found. Interviewed but no link found to the victim. No DNA trace and
“Sorry?. Jones has also made trips to India and Europe, his visas
“All we have so far, and it is good, but not enough, is that this Andrew
Hill was in the area where the two victims were found. He has no known
Molly looked dejected. She pointed at the screen and said in a low but
angry voice. “It's Jones! Look I'll link the Hill photograph with the
“That's it! That is all you are going to say?”, she protested loudly.
“No. I need an address for this Hill, full date of birth and also bring up
Garth Jones date of birth and profile, business interests, bank accounts
and if possible, his home phone details for as long as possible and his
mobile phone today. I also want his email addresses and I want to know
where he has been on the internet in the last five years if possible both
Molly nodded. “Yes. But he does not live there. He bought it years ago
just to keep his livestock on and do his butchering. A run down sort of a
place, sheds, old house in need of repair and a graveyard of rusting farm
tools lying around and five old cars and a dead van in the fields.”
Director Snow was getting excited and she looked hard at Molly.
Molly went red and laughed. “One night. Went up with this student
doctor on my night off. His car, my body. A quick shag then he was gone
but not before we took a look around the place in the moonlight. Real
Jenny shook her head and smiled. “When you have finished getting the
data print it out,file it and find out who he bought the farm from and
when.”
“You're pretty smart Jenny. I like that. Good to have you as boss.”
As she walked away from Molly she waved and said. “Don't get me on a
Molly made a mental note on what Jenny said and smiled to herself.
old woman died in, get evicted and now the director of a massive project
that I have to handle. She mulled over what she knew so far. Jones come
Hill was in the frame but as it stood there was little evidence that would
get a conviction in a court of law. She knew how the DPP worked and
they always went to court only if they were sure they could get a
conviction.
She shuddered at the thought of the end ball game because she now
Jenny sighed. So far she had not reached that stage and hoped that they
'What if he gets off Jenny. He could do the same again and again?”
She sat waiting, trying to guess who it will be this time, Molly or
Rebecca?
182
TWENTY THREE.
Rebecca walked into the kitchen thinking that Molly and Jenny were in
the Codex Red Complex but was surprised to see Jenny sitting drinking
coffee.
“No. Just reflecting on what we found. I'll fill you in later but Garth Jones
is involved only at the time of the two deaths and burial in a shallow
grave he was calling himself Andrew Hill. Molly is working on him now.”
against him?”
“Worse than poor. That is why we now focus on Jones big time and I
want you to pay his farm a visit later this evening. Everything checked
“He does not live there. Its empty as far as we know but you need to be
careful because one or both of his two goons might be. If I had anyone
else to send I would but Molly is not a field officer like yourself.”
I'll go at dusk once Molly gets me a location. Do I tool up for this little
adventure?”
Jenny frowned and thought about it. Then she nodded thinking of the
two men that were with Jones. “Yes but only to be used as a last resort.
“Yes. Have you been in touch with Sam or him with you?
183
“How?”, she demanded , put out that Rebecca had been in touch with
Sam.
“How what?”
as he always does and rattles on about sex and my body. That is Sam all
“ Already did years ago and last year. He is as clean as a new born baby,
except for a few drunken arrests which was never pushed by the police
here in the UK or anywhere else. As for the far east and south west Asia
there is nothing known. Unless you take the killing of that cow in India.”
“Cow?”
“Yes. He hit it with a car and was pissed doing it. It walked out in front of
him and then bang! The cops were all over him because a cow is looked
on as 'holy' and it had been a man then things would not have been so
bad. They threw him in the slammer for a night and a day till he paid for
Jenny smiled then nodded. “ He is one of these men who has lived three
else?”
“Yes. I want a tour of Codex Red because right now all I have seen is
Rebecca nodded then shrugged. “ Ok. Seeing your the Director and all.”
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They went back into Codex Red and nodded at Molly who was on the
panel and a blue light flashed then the door slid open and they walked
into a large lab all fitted out with stainless steel tanks and two large
tables with overhead lighting. Behind them the door hissed shut making
Jenny jump.
“Sam and his partner, his live in lover, Amos,set this up many years ago,
then retrained with Sam's funding into Medical Forensics. That was five
years ago.”
Jenny could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise and she looked at
Rebecca walked over to one of the tall stainless steal tanks and tapped
on it. “In there. Frozen but not ice frozen. Cryogenics Jenny and Zelda
Wess the departed was placed in here. She is wired up but I don't see
the point to it because when she was taken out of the river she had been
in the water too long and no oxygen did a good job on her brain.
Sam seems to think that someday someone will come up with a way to
Lost for words, Jenny walked around the holding tank then reached out
“The vibrations are real but caused by the tubing and small fluid
It was the way Rebecca said the word 'dead' made Jenny know that she
was out of her depth here. She went over and sat down in a large chair
and started to shake. Rebecca went over to her. “Bit of a shock? Right?”
“More than a shock Becky. I don't think I can do this because my head
won't take it. It is worse than any horror film because it is real. I'm not
“So you want out?” It was a statement more than a question and
Jenny was still shaking.“I don't want it to be real and I don't want to be
Rebecca nodded then shrugged. “Ok I can understand that. It was you
that said you wanted the tour and that is what your getting. I can assure
you that this area, the Cryogenics Project, need not be part of your
You don't ever have to come in here again but we do need this up and
running as a forensics facility with staff. You go and the whole project
goes tits up with you and the killers of children will feel safe.”
Rebecca looked away from Jenny and muttered. “She was my partner of
long standing and I loved her like I never loved anyone else before.”
“I thought you just said you did not want to know!”, snapped Rebecca
Jenny nodded then said softly, “I do now. I would like to know Rebecca.”
“We came to the UK together and though both of were still on the active
Mossad list we just wanted somewhere to set up home, like a real home.
hospital while I opened up a bookshop. Things went well for a time and
then Zelda got involved in a case that required her to examine a possible
crime scene. The body was caught up in branches because of the flood
so she waded out to it and somehow lost her footing and was washed
away in the river. They found her an hour later pinned under a narrow
sheep bridge.”
Jenny looked hard at Rebecca. “Pretty bad that. What about the other
Rebecca almost whispered, “An old woman from a nearby nursing home
“I’m sorry Becky. Knowing she is in there and you were both close.”
She looked at Jenny with sad eyes. “We still are and what is in there is
Rebecca walked over to Jenny and looked her straight in the eyes. “We
do need you because not only are you good at what you do, you handle
people well, myself included. At first I thought you were another hard
nosed bitch trying to make a name for herself and have been wrong.
187
TWENTY FOUR.
Molly jumped when she heard the voice behind her and swung
around to see Sam standing there with a young Japanese woman bright
“Nice to see everyone is up and working”, smiled Sam then turned to the
woman beside him. “Molly this is Suzy La. She is coming to work with
us on long term loan from Interpol. She is into forensics in a big way but
does not know her way around our computer set up.”
Molly stood up, give Sam a hug then shook hands with Suzy.
“Thank you. Sam has filled me in on the Codex Red set-up and I am
Sam laughed. “Don't jump the gun too fast Suzy it is going to be hard
“Last I seen of them they were heading east down into the forbidden
Sam nodded at Suzy and said in a gruff voice. “ Lets go meet the
Director. That way you can see your work place. We have one in the
cooler, your taking her place and I won't go into details about that right
now. Anything you need ask for it. Molly you had better have a look too.
When you get time Molly sort Suzy out with her new ID, Iris scan ID, and
She saved her work on the computer and put it into sleep mode.
188
“Let's go and see what is behind that door Suzy and I have no doubt
Sam led the way and placed his eye against the glass panel and the door
slid open.
Molly muttered under her breath, “Good job I'm not a dwarf!”
They walked into the complex and Jenny and Rebecca looked up
surprised.
“Your back! You should have let us know and I could have picked you
up Sam. Must say you look very dapper in the new clothes.”
“Thanks Jenny. This is Suzy La and she is working in here. Interpol has
released her to us for as long as we need her. Suzy meet director Snow
Jenny quickly scanned Suzy and made mental notes, brown eyes, thin,
bright red lipstick and moved with grace. The bright purple streaks in
the dark hair told Jenny that she was a confident person.
Jenny and Rebecca shook hands with Suzy and both were very aware
that Suzy's handshake was real and her gaze was penetrating.
The request threw Jenny for a moment because Suzy did not ask Sam
“No. Now please!”, she demanded and headed for the door.
Sam shrugged followed her back out of the forensics laboratory and
“Why do I get the feeling that I am not going to like this Jenny?”
The old man looked sideways at her and his voice like ice.
That stung Jenny and she flared up. “You have no idea have you? I have
lost my husband and child, and I end up in a place where we are dealing
with child murders or missing children, death all around me and to cap it
off you have a fucking body in there behind that door on ice!”
Sam came back at her fast. His face red with anger. “Death woman is our
business and dealing with the deaths is our job. You need to put your
own grief behind you ,though not forget it, and start thinking of other
people besides yourself and your sorrow. Every child lost or murdered
leaves the pain and scars with the family and you better than most
should know that! I need your legal mind and I also need your friendship
“Yes. You're a free spirit and must be here by choice. I want Codex Red
to work and I want justice done and I want dead children found and the
They stood in silence glaring at one another for a moment then Jenny
said, “And when we are on the subject when did you get the power to
190
hire and fire like taking on Suzy what's her name without even a word to
Sam grunted. “ You don't want her then we send her back to France and
you hire your own pathologist but you will go a long way before you find
Sam smiled at her. “Says you Director and you can make it work if you
He walked back towards the door and did the scan, the door slid open
He nodded and the door slid closed and she was left standing looking at
She left the complex and went down through a dell of young trees and
heard the stream first before she seen it. A large log was in place and
she sat on it looking at the water. She knew that she could walk away, go
back to London and start working again in law. Start a new life with her
“And of course all work and the loneness that came with it”, she
muttered to herself. She also thought on the power she had gained as
Director of Codex Red and it frightened her but she could turn that fear
into something positive now that she had a full team on board.
There was a slight rustle behind her and she turned and Suzy La was
standing there.
“Sorry if I startled you Director. I just needed time to take it all in and
make a decision.”
191
“No. It's Ok. I was day dreaming. Please call me Jenny at least when we
are alone.”
“When I met you earlier you seemed troubled? I also felt that I was not
She looked into Suzy's eyes. “ You don't miss much do you?”
“Sometimes I do but when I see you and the way you looked it reminds
Jenny almost smiled. “Why do you do what you do, dead bodies and
all?”
Suzy sat down beside Jenny and looked at the stream and slowly shook
her head. “I lost my whole family in Japan when they dropped the bomb
and I lost my mother from cancer seven years ago because of that
bomb. It would be easy to become bitter and fill my heart with hate but
for what purpose? Now I am alone and I do my job well and in many
ways I ease the pain of others by finding out how and why a child died.
Every child that dies needs a place of rest and if that takes years then
Jenny nodded. “ Yes I understand that but how do you deal with it all,
the images, broken bones, the process of death? That is what I need to
Suzy smiled, the bright red lips and purple streaked hair making her
loud music and dance with myself but not before I eat a bowl of ice
cream.”
“Ice cream?”, spluttered Jenny then started to laugh and lay back on the
Sam stood on the wooded hill and nodded when he heard the laughter
Molly was feeling concerned about Rebecca's night visit to the farm that
belonged to Garth Jones because she knew that the single lane if not
used would be overgrown with brambles. She also knew that not so long
ago her one night stand was more than a little put out that he had to
reverse all the way back to the main road, a few scratches left on the car
paintwork. Her 'doctor' never rang her back but she was not surprised at
that because Molly picked up very quickly that all he could talk about
was himself. She shook her head in dismay. “How do I end up with men
keyboard.
Rebecca opened the case and looked at the 9mm and the two
magazines, She checked the magazines were loaded and full, slipped
one into her back pocket and loaded the other one into the walnut butt
of the pistol with a loud click. She took from the back of the case a small
silencer and screwed it slowly into the muzzle. Then from a small bag
recovered a worn holster and clipped it onto her belt and tied it off.
Slowly she lowered the pistol into it and stood in front of the mirror
putting on her black zip up coat, stuffing black cotton gloves into a
TWENTY FIVE.
Molly brought up her 'spy in the sky' map of the farm and Rebecca
stood beside her looking closely at it. She was concerned at the lack of
cover because except for the sycamore trees around the farm buildings
the rest was open fields. The only way in and out seemed to be a long
“Can you get in any closer on the lane?”, asked Rebecca looking
concerned.
“How close?”
Molly hit a zoom key then tilted the images. Both could observe
“Well at least we know Jones has not been in there for a while or anyone
else”, muttered Rebecca then added, “I'll have to leave my car and walk.
house then stopped. She zoomed in closer. “How about that? Track in
and through the wood known as Wern Dover and stops at the field
shaped like a triangle north of it. You can get on the track from the main
road but I can tell you now there is nowhere to turn around if you need
to in a hurry.”
Molly snorted and made a face. “ Great in daylight Becky but in half light
or dark you could end up in a ditch. I would suggest you take someone
suggestion, knew that she would have to stay here and keep track of the
car and go live so that anything moving in the target area would be
seen.
ground and not to wide. Suzy could use a mobile scanner there and
check what lies under it. We have two. Relay back what is under there.”
“Like what?”
“Bones, clothing, long dead cow. You would be surprised what is there.”
because my car won't take the pressure. Can you pick up on the tracer
“Testing. Car live and your too close for a reading. Move back a little,
Rebecca was impressed. “How do you know all this stuff Molly?
“Field archaeology. I got into the technical side of things and love it.
passages ways on a Roman site and it worked. The tracers will not work
“Thanks. I will. Better find Wonder Woman. Kick off in half an hour.”
By the time the two women had loaded up the car and waited for dusk
the first bats were coming out of their roosts to feed. Jenny stood close
by with Sam and Molly was in the Codex complex watching her screens.
195
“ Suggest you take the back roads, slow but no one on them at this time
“Three hours and no more”,said Jenny. “ That puts you both back here
Rebecca nodded and then walked to the car and Suzy followed.
Sam looked at her and smiled. “ Who knows? But it will be a good trail
run for them both and we can wait up for them. Molly has the traces
running on them and all we can do is wait. They might even bond.”
“ If Jones is not who he says he is then that old farm may turn up
something but I would rather have done this in daylight. What is the
local woman. Nine children born up there, three died from natural
causes, Mother died early and the husband a while later. He kept
himself to himself and if they came into town they did so as a family.
Local people thought they were a bit odd but they could say what they
“Gone to the scattering. Still fighting over the money the old man left
when he sold the farm. Trouble is there is no will. Jones will have the
Jenny thought on this. “Why did it not fetch a good price Sam?”
Jenny though on this remembering the girl in red then nodded at Sam.
“None. Jones did all his butchering up there for a long time until last
year when the Department of Health stepped in and stopped him from
She walked to the door and stood looking off into the distance and Sam
lit his pipe. “Rebecca says we need a four by four. A Discovery would be
a good bet and we could fit it out here with Rebecca's gadgets.”
“Get one then. Order it direct from Shrewsbury and when it is ready we
can go an collect it. We also need a logo on it. How about it?”
looking for office space well away from here. A small real legal firm and
our cover.”
“Have an idea on that Jenny. West end of the house is empty, two
downstairs rooms and a small box room. Keeps the public should they
visit at one end of the house. There is also a small carpark weeded over
Jenny looked at Sam. “ What about the gates when people come and
go?”
“Leave them unlocked between office hours then primed after that.”
“Ok it is a good idea but we need to staff it like a real office and they
“Your staying then?”, not looking at her and sucking on his pipe.
Sam nodded and turned back to his pipe and heard the house door click
He looked out over the quickly gathering dusk in the far direction where
Jones farm lay and knew that the two women should be on target in ten
minutes.
Inside the Complex Molly was already tuned into them, her map of the
area showing the car moving through the back roads and then as it
approached the wood and lane she spoke into the microphone around
“Rodger that”, replied Rebecca and started to reverse her car up the
lane with the headlights switched off and the going was slow until she
no longer could see the main road or seen from it by anyone passing.
their backs. Rebecca shifted the pistol around her body within easy
Suzy grunted under her load and whispered, “Maybe would should have
Rebecca did not answer and when they reached the first barbed wire
fence she sat down and scanned the farm in the distance with her night
glasses. The only life seen was a fox crossing the fields with a rabbit in
its mouth.
Rebecca waited then, “From the map the two areas of disturbed ground
is slightly to your right from where you are now. Get Suzy to scan those
first and use the high mode for sending back tome. The Bartington Grad
198
move across the ground in lines and everything it covers will come
directly back to me. Tell her to walk slow speed because if she walks
Suzy replied in a low whisper. “I'm also linked up to you direct and
earphones on.”
“Ok. Seventy meters to your right and facing where the farmhouse
Rebecca replied. “ Starting now. You got any sign of life on the ultra
green screen?”
Molly chuckled. “ One fox and its dinner heading east away from you
Rebecca snorted. “Ok. Suzy is on her way and I am behind her. We work
from here in silent mode unless you see something on your screen.”
Suzy moved forwards and took the first edge of the disturbed ground,
“Stop! You have contact. Back up slowly. Stop. Ok. Cattle bones and an
old chain. Three feet down. Negative. Not human. Move on.”
Half an hour later Suzy had covered both areas and nothing to show for
Molly muttered. “At least we know it works. Move directly to sheds, four
Suzy jumped because something was moving through a tall weed patch
and coming in their direction. Rebecca heard it too and pulled her pistol
pointing in the direction of the noise. “We have living contact Molly.
“Badger. Black and white face and furry. Heading away from you at
speed.”
Rebecca hissed into her mike. “What the fuck is a badger Molly?”
Molly was fighting back her laughter, gained some control then,
“Too much chit chat folks. Head for the sheds please.”
“Rodger that”, muttered Rebecca and pushed ahead of Suzy who was
They reached the row of sheds, one of them large and with the roof at an
angle, the other three full of rusting farm equipment that went back
“Yes. Your in the shed area. Be careful there. You won't be able to use
and the place is cluttered. Suggest you leave the sheds and come back
in day light.
Rebecca felt frustrated about what Molly said. “Then suggest a new
She waited then Molly came on air. “Have picked out another building
close by the house. Looks like a sheep or pig pen with a shelter.
North-east from where you are now and only 20 M but hidden by
It took less than three minutes to reach the pens and shed and they
pushed through the undergrowth till the got to the shed. The door was
half open and once inside Suzy switched on the blue light.
Rebecca stood and looked around. The shed was empty but there was
very dry mature on the floor and a few fungal growths in one corner.
Rebecca kept the blue light from the torch just in front of Suzy's feet as
“Stop”, demanded Molly. “Back a step. There. Long bone, small size
and fractured. Lower jawbone and part of human skull also small and
from here suggest the bones of small child or adult. Move forward
slowly. Tape running and looking good on screen. Stop. Slightly to your
right. There and hold that. Pelvic girdle and vertebra, no, cluster .
Vertebra all small. Move at an angle from where you are now to left hand
They both heard the intake of Molly's breath and Rebecca asked,
“What?”
“Three broken skulls lumped together and rib bones. All human.”
Suzy. “Keep recording this while we move into the pen area. Rebecca
Rebecca and Suzy moved from the hut into the pen area and here the
ground was thick with manure. Suzy bent down and place her finger into
it and found it hard. She sniffed at it twice then nodded. “Pigs. Pigs were
kept here.”
Rebecca was doubtful. “ I meant sheep poo and pig poo could smell the
same?”
them.
shattered bone and looked at the ragged end of the shaft. “And well
chewed. Teeth undamaged. He cut up the body or someone did and fed
the chunks to the pigs. That tells me that not only were they large pigs
Suzy replaced the bone fragment where she found it then said to Molly,
“Clear as a bell but I hate to say this but we will need photographs and
“Molly we are going into the house. Keep an eye out for live ones”, said
Rebecca.
The door of the farmhouse was locked but Rebecca drew her pistol and
then with a heavy kick hit the door and it burst open. She went in first in
a crouch, moving her pistol side to side, Suzy with the torch beside her.
202
Quickly checking all the rooms and found no one there, they then
started a minute search of each room but except for old dusty chairs
“You being the new forensics bod Suzy what would your next move be
now?”
“ Get the Director to make it official and call in the cops, have it sealed
“Molly better get Jenny and Sam out of bed because it is going to be a
very long night and day”, said Rebecca casting around looking for
“Like fast!” said Rebecca and headed for the door almost at a run
followed by Suzy. For once Rebecca had a feeling that they were being
watched.
They both reached the car breathless, got in and took off down the track
and swung onto the main road, the headlights picking out a young girl
There was nothing to be seen and she shouted at Suzy, “ Your torch!
Quick!”
Suzy stumbled out of the car and switched on the blue light and pointed
“Didn't you see her?”, she demanded, her voice now high.
She glared at Suzy then blurted out, “ A girl in a red coat and hat. A
child!”
203
Suzy moved the torch around. There was nothing there. She shrugged
and said softly. “ Sorry. I seen nothing. I was thinking what we had found
“I seen her!”, shouted Rebecca. ” A child no more than tend years old!”
“Ok. Ok! But lets get out of here and come back officially tomorrow.”
Rebecca nodded and got back in the car and Suzy hung on inside.
Suzy looked grim. “Those teeth are not old. By that I mean in years and
“How do you know that Suzy? We were only there for a short time.”
“I know. Building area is older than the teeth and bones not buried deep
in soil. Add to the soil one quarter metre of pig slurry on top and you
don't even have a metre in depth where the bone remains are.”
Rebecca give this some thought then, “Ok. Lets say that they are human
remains and teeth we have no evidence that Jones put them there. It
could well be that the owner before Jones did murder and when Jones
Suzy grunted. “ I won't know anything until I have all that on my table
and go over it bit by bit, run tests and check out dates for the farm and
the past owner. Jenny is not going to be pleased with that but I must be
fail.”
“You're right. Our director is going to be pissed off. You really like your
Suzy nodded. “I like solving the puzzles even if one piece is missing.”
“One skull. Maybe it will turn up but right now, its not there.”
204
TWENTY SIX.
Jenny waited along with Molly by the screen showing the tracer on
Rebecca's car then let out her breath as they arrived at the gate on the
“Suzy was sure the bones were human, Jenny and she should know?”
“She does know but what she does not know are they old bones from
the Roman or Saxon past or something within the last twenty years.?
They only way we will know is get in there officially and dig.”
Molly checked her screen and nodded at Jenny. “They are back.”
Molly put a call through to Sam at the house. It was picked up almost at
once. “What!”
“Rebecca and Suzy hit gold Sam and we need you here for a meeting.”
“On my way.”
“Guess you woke him up. Anyway when have you known him not to
be?”
Jenny went to the long table and placed pads and pencils by each chair
space then turned to Molly. “ You got the basics in your head?”
“Sure. We don't need my print outs right now but I can do a pretty good
Sam walked in sleep still in his eyes followed by Rebecca and Suzy and
went to Jenny.
“Are you sure what you picked up were human remains Suzy?”
205
She nodded. “No doubt there. How old I don't know but they were bones
Jenny felt better. She was getting a buzz that she had not had in a very
long time. “ Lets sit and talk what are next move will be and I want input
from everyone here because Jones or Hill are one in the same and we
She waited till everyone sat down then; “From the legal point of view
I can tell you now that even if we can get the police involved and Jones
practitioner will have him out on fixed bail within thirty-six hours.
Unless we can link Jones to the remains and the other killings for the
Molly came in fast. “So we need hard evidence linking both the suspect
“Yes and that is where Suzy and you come in because you will have to
work together and get that evidence and then work on it. Rebecca you
have a book shop to run in town but his shop is only four doors away
from where you run your business. For the moment keep an eye on him
as much as you can but don't follow him. We need to know that he is in
Molly frowned and said. “There is a way to get on the land but it is a
long shot.”
“Meaning?”, asked Jenny alert now and added, “Within the law?”
206
“We seed the fields with a few archaeology items, get some students
and a tutor to discover them and then under the law get it passed as a
'protected' site and start digging, removing earth on the areas we have
want from all sources. If on the other hand they were led to the right
area and found human bones or human remains then by law the police
get involved.”
Suzy spoke up from the corner end of the table. “ The archaeologists are
not informed what is under there in the target areas and besides
discovering 'normal' artefacts they also come across humans bones and
the police notified, then it becomes official. That is where I come in and
'expert'.”
“I'm not sure about the legal side of that Suzy”, said Jenny then added,
forensics licence from Interpol which covers a very large world wide
area where she can and has carried out her craft.”
Jenny glared at Sam. “How then does she explain that to the local
anyway and who went off radar and had entered the country illegally as
207
well as children who went missing from Europe and Asia. That Jenny is
soft voice. “There is more to you than meets the eye Suzy. Keep me
“Day after tomorrow”,muttered Sam. “ Molly can send the emails and
also seed the area tomorrow night but I feel that it would be better if they
found things on their own. That is pointed in the right direction like the
pig pen areas and the front and back gardens of the house. Another one
of their team could be 'led' to the disturbed land area in the hope they
would find more than just animal bones. The archaeology group work
independent of us until the shit hits the fan. Then the police and Suzy
take over, The Coroner, will want details of course which he will get but
“ Sam could be right. Lets do it without seeding the area because there
“Lampeter. That is where I went and I know the head of the department”,
Sam looked at her. “You know how to rattle his cage, rattle it. Molly will
put a trace on all his mobile calls in and out and get the past details over
the last few years as well as details on this Andrew Hill's phone details,
home and mobile if any. He must not know that your involved but once
the area becomes a crime scene we need him to run or contact others.
In the meantime, someone has to break into into his house when he is
in the shop, get all his computer details, the tower or laptops taken out
Jenny thought on this. “We don't have a warrant for this move.”
“We have George.” ,said Sam smiling at Molly who then laughed.
“George? Who is 'George' Sam?” Jenny was confused and more than a
“George my dear is an old type break in merchant and non violent even
if he got nicked, which he has sometimes, served his time and went onto
better things.”
“Like computers and removing the hard drives then selling them on”,
continued Molly then added. “ It seems he does the break-in, finds the
computer or laptop and removes the drives. Then he goes back to his
little shop and re-programs the hard drives and sells the hard drive back
to who ever needs one. Only this time we need George to sell us any
and all hard drives direct. From there I can sort the wheat from the chaff.
Jenny frowned. “How will you make sure he is not in the house so that
Sam was thinking deeply then, “ He knows my voice, knows Molly and
There was a long silence and almost as one they turned and looked at
Suzy.
“Your English is great. Slight lilt to it but not bad”, said Sam.
“ We will write down everything you have to say, word for bloody word
and all you have to do is use a public phone or one of our Mickey Mouse
“Late tomorrow night would be a good time. I'll have George in place
and ready to go at 04.00. You can drive me there, Rebecca and Molly will
track us. We pick George up as arranged, he goes in, comes out while
Jones is at his shop, hands over the hard-drives and we drop him back
at the station in time for him to catch his early morning train to
Shrewsbury.”
Jenny almost hissed with anger. “I hate to bring it up Sam but I'm
Everyone looked at Jenny and Sam slapped his forehead. “ Sorry Jenny.
Got carried away a bit. Of course you are and it's your operation. What
Jenny took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked at Rebecca.
210
“You go to your book shop tomorrow and find out where Jones parks
his car or van then somehow I want one of your toys planted on it
Rebecca shrugged. “I know where he parks his van. In the Hotel car park
across the road behind his shop. Same van and same place most days
that he is in town. He always goes into his shop by the back door.”
“Sure. Place the beacon on the car. He is not what I would call a 'hard
target so it will be no sweat. I go into the hotel for my break, have the
coffee, go out the back into the car park, have a smoke and do the
plant.”
“Good. Do it.”
Jenny looked hard at Sam who lifted his hands in surrender and smiled.
She turned to Suzy. “You make the call from the public phone box in the
station at three fifty am. You will need coins which will be on hand. Once
you make that call and set the phone down walk away and stand on the
corner next the bridge. There is a small bus shelter there and I and I only
will pick you up once I have dropped off this George at the station. Sam
you stay here because I need you with Molly on station. Suzy and I will
Jenny looked hard at Rebecca. “ I want you at the bottom of the drive
with the gates open when we leave Jones house area and closed after
we pass through them. Then I want you to wait there and check if we are
“That leaves me a bit worried Jenny.” said Sam and looking at Molly for
“Worried Sam?”
“Well Yes. The distance from the target house to here is four miles and
five if you take the back roads which I should point out you don't really
know.”
Rebecca laughed. “ Don't worry Sam. 'Tom Tom, does and this is a very
Molly walked to the door. “I'm going to make coffee. Anyone want one?”
Sam shook his head, Jenny said no and Rebecca nodded yes. Suzy put
“Can I go to bed?”
It was said in her little girl's voice and took everyone by surprise and
then laughter broke out and Suzy stood there looking confused hands
“What?”
“ You want a Teddy with you Suzy?”, said Jenny trying not to laugh but
when Sam said in a matter of fact way, “I have a big, big bed Suzy!”
Rebecca glared at them all. “Leave her alone. Can't you see she is totally
out of it and becoming brain dead? We need her sharp tomorrow and
Molly, Jenny and Sam looked sheepish and Suzy asked softly,
Sam stood by the fallen tree log when Rebecca came up behind him
and coughed making him jump. He turned around. “ What do you have
to do that Becca!”
She laughed. “If you had been wearing your hearing aid you would have
in too long and also I have to listen to you all babbling on.”
“ A little disorganised but we are doing well considering that we just got
started and our first major case. We do need to set up that office and
soon.”
done so that Jenny makes the appointment and not me but whoever she
gets needs to be on top of things because you and I and the team are
going to be very busy. I think also she has someone in the pipe line.”
Sam laughed. “Can’t see you stuck in an office all day, not with all you
have done in the past. Even your bookshop gets you down sometimes I
“True but I also get away from it when I need to . In an office I would be
caged.
“That won’t happen. I promise you that”, said Sam. “Jenny I must see.”
“Try the home kitchen. She looked whacked and may be there.”
213
TWENTY SEVEN.
Jenny was sitting at the kitchen table when Sam came in,
looking tired and slumped down in the chair beside her. “Time for bed
Jenny.”
She nodded and looked at him. “ You look tired Sam and tomorrow is
another day.”
He rubbed his hand over his face and smiled. “Yes. I am. Where are the
rest of them?”
“Sleeping I hope. Rebecca has set the alarms in the Codex complex,
Jones and his double by dawn. How is the not drinking going Sam?”
He made a face. “Tough if you really want to know but I am getting there.
This would not be a good time to fall off the wagon now would it?”
She laughed. “ No. Not a good time Sam because right now I need your
support.”
For some reason she leaned over and kissed his forehead and walked
out of the kitchen, closing the door softly behind and Sam whispered to
Dawn came in wet and windy and there was a knock at Jenny's
door and she blinked her eyes open far from alert. “Come in.”
In walked Suzy with a tray on which breakfast was laid out with a large
“What is this!”, she demanded looking from the tray to Suzy's face.
214
“In Japan we call it breakfast. The first meal of a new day and it gets you
“You're not here as a maid Suzy”, said Jenny with a slight edge to her
voice.
Jenny sighed then looked at her watch. “Oh,God! It's gone eight!”
“And four minutes and thirty one seconds. We will await you in the
Jenny was speechless as the door closed over. She took a long drag of
the coffee and munched a slice of over cooked toast then almost ran to
the shower.
Ten minutes later she walked into the complex and dressed in a red
jumper and black pants, her hair in a pony tail. She spoke sharply taking
control right away. “ Good morning all. Right. What do we have new
Molly.”
“All Jones mobile numbers in the last three months, and they are in
green. The red numbers are the ones for his old mobile phone in the last
two years. There are no phone numbers listed for any 'Andrew Hill'.
Jones does have a home phone with only seven local calls listed in two
months. Before that nothing and he has that home phone for two years
now. Some of the red phone numbers are for numbers abroad, mainly
215
India, that is Goa, Bangalore, and south India. A good few are numbers
in the UK, mainly hospitals the rest to other mobile phone numbers.”
Jenny walked in close to the screen and looked hard at it then turned.
“Why India?”, she asked. “ Not always sun, sea, and sand."
of times in the last fourteen years Jenny, both as Garth Jones and as
Andrew Hill. Visa's for both up to date.There are two passports, two
photographs that show the face of Jones on each, a birth cert for Jones
and a birth cert for Andrew Hill who you should know was born in Bristol
“And?”
“Andrew Hill of 3 Heron Walk Bristol died four days after he was born,
the mother was single and she later vanished. Missing person.”
Jenny took a deep breath. “Did you find out where Jones was born?”
Molly hit a button on the keyboard and up came a copy of the birth
certificate.
Molly looked towards Sam and Sam took the floor. “ Parents unknown it
left.”
Jenny looked from Sam back at the screen. “ It says here that his
parents are...”
“They are not real. Its a Mickey Mouse job Jenny. This is the sticks and
this is what happens to many children back then born out of wedlock.
More than likely he was given the name of 'Garth Jones' by the nursing
“You want me to try the other numbers as well see what I can come up
with?”
“Yes but for the moment stick with the India numbers because I need to
and he will be staying at a small B+B near the station. All he knows is
added, “But we all are as a team. George is just a tool to get what we
want and paid for it. Once he has completed his part of the deal he is
Sam shook his head. “No. But he will when he goes back to Shrewsbury.
I have put his airline ticket in with the cash. Flies out at the weekend.”
“Sam tell me that George is not going to end up dead?” Jenny stood
Sam and Rebecca laughed. Molly smiled and said, “ George is flying out
to Spain Jenny for a real holiday with a few of his old reformed criminal
Jenny relaxed. “One more thing Molly. If possible I want locations for all
the property's Hill and Jones rented or owned in the last 20 years and I
also want to know with your spy in the sky, if they have back gardens.”
217
Suzy nodded. “Good point. He might just have buried others there at
past.”
Suzy stood in the wet darkness near the phone box but in the
her up. She brushed a string of wet hair from her eyes and looked again
at her watch. “Almost four”, she whispered as a wet fox crossed the
road in front of her and vanished into a hedge. She looked again from
her hiding spot for other signs of life then seeing none walked to the
phone box and closed the door behind her. She lifted the receiver and
inserted the coins then dialled Garth Jones home number at three fifty
nine and waited. When it was lifted a gruff voice spoke into the phone.
“Police here Mr. Jones. Just to inform you that we have had a report of
smoke at the back of your building and have notified the Fire Service
“ A Fire! No. Don't worry I'm on my way. Thanks”, and slammed the
phone down.
Suzy left the box after wiping the phone clean and made her way back to
where she would be picked up. It did not took her long and she found
cover and stood in out of the rain then sent a pre-paired text directly to
George Kirk sat huddled in the back of the car keeping his head
low as Jones came out of his driveway at speed and turned right and
away from them. Jenny sat up and looked at the thin ferret faced
George.
218
“Go now!”
“ So is the Queen on the bank notes you will be paid. How long will it
take?”
“If there are no dogs or a wife I'll be in and out ten minutes flat.”
Jenny nodded and he got out and ran across at an angle towards the
driveway and being the only house close by in the lane he knew he
would not be seen. Jenny watched George vanish into the shadows.
George Kirk was no fool and he knew that whatever was on those
hard-drives was needed by Sam and this woman he brought him here to
break into a house. He stood in the shadows and viewed the house with
a night scope seeing a few brightly lit greenish bats chasing greenish
insects. Quickly he scanned the lawn then the windows of the house.
Then he picked up the night light which so far had not come on.
Moving from cover he went around the side of the house, his face now
covered and gloves on and went to the back door. Overhead the night
light stayed off. George smiled to himself. Whoever this was the bastard
was too lazy or stupid to replace a dud bulb or else had them switched
off. Sam had informed him there was no wife, no partner or kids, As for
a dog he did not know but two loud taps on the glass breaking it on the
Within a few seconds he was inside, the back door key had been left in
Switching on the torch he took the stairs and went into each room. In all
quickly scatterings the contents all around him. Then into the bathroom
219
new computer and set to work removing the hard drive using his small
wallet of pocket tools. Three minutes later he had it out and in his
pocket then set the computer tower back in place as he found it. The
laptop was easy to find it was in the lower right hand bottom drawer of
a worn desk and an older model. He removed the hard drive but it took
more time and work to get at it. Replacing the laptop back in the drawer
he then trashed the rooms down stairs taking with him some CDs, a
camera and some loose change in a bowl by the front door. He left by
the front door and across the lawn surprised that the night lights had
Jenny was looking at her watch and noted seven minutes from the time
George left her then looking up seen him walking fast across the road
towards the car which she started up once he opened the door.
Jenny waited till George caught his breath then looked at the camera in
his hand.
and not nicking something to make it look good. I also trashed the place
to make it look like it was well done over. As for the camera you can
She waited as she almost took a bend too fast then frustrated she asked,
throwing in with the two hard drives. I am not going to ask what Sam
and you are into and don't want to know but when do I get my dough?”
Jenny smiled. “When I drop you at the station and I get the hard drives.”
She nodded as she put her foot down on a straight stretch of road and
Coming the back roads she pulled in close to the station and got out.
“Ok. Good luck George and thanks. There is more at home for you.”
He took the brown envelope and stuck in inside his pocket handing her
the hard-drives, his gloves and the mask. “ First train to Shrewsbury
leaves in twenty minutes. Tell Sam I'll see him around and whistle if he
She nodded and climbed back into the car then drove into a wet dawn.
Suzy grunted wiping rain from her face and looked across at Jenny
“I don't.”
Suzy looked ahead. “ You do and I have noticed over the last few days
you are frowning more. You could at least go for a check up.”
Jenny could not help but laugh. “ You're sounding like my mother Suzy.
221
Well at least we can say we pulled it off thanks to you getting Jones out
of the house and George getting the hard-drives. Let's hope there is
“Your phones over here are a bit more complicated than those in
Europe. Over there we use a phone card and it saves much time looking
for the right coins. Even if there is a coin box we use a Euro and that is
simple.”
Jenny smiled then deep in thought she pulled up at the lane and the
gates swung open ahead of her. “Rebecca is on deck I see and looks
soaked.”
She drove past the open gates and then stopped waiting for Rebecca
who climbed in the back smelling of rain and soil. She looked fed up to
Jenny.
“Yes. George was in and out within the ten minutes we allowed. No
“Standing in the rain for almost an hour and getting wet is a problem for
me”, Rebecca grumbled then added, “All we have to do now is see how
are target will react. I will sort my end out this morning when I go to
“Can I ask you a direct question Suzy?”,said Jenny looking at her for a
moment.
“Sure. What?”
“You and Sam? You go back a long way then. Have a history like?”
222
Suzy laughed loudly. “ I never met Sam till he came into Interpol HQ in
Paris and though I knew a lot of his past work I expected a much
younger man. Once we had been introduced and he had spoken with my
“Yes. I get a buzz when I solve problems, help crack a case from the
“Meaning that the guilty get away from a legal point of view, move to
another country, or have their case thrown out of court because there is
not enough evidence. Some of the guilty people even buy their way to
freedom but never from me because I always make the punishment fit
Jenny went cold and switched off the engine then turned to Rebecca
“Ooops!”, said Suzy and got out of the car and waited for Jenny and
Rebecca said,” Me? I'm going to bed for some kip. I have a job to go to
and I need to be on the ball and all delightful in my shop when people
“I think she has a bee in her bum”, said Suzy and shrugged and Jenny
has to laugh.
“Yes do that. I think I will too and later I will get Molly to run these hard
drives.”
She waited till Suzy went inside them muttered to herself. “And we
well.”
She sat on her bed and ran through her mind all the events so far that
brought her this far and to Jenny it was becoming to be a large canvas
of a case against Garth Jones. To make sure that he was arrested and
right sort. Then she thought of her team. Molly was good on the
had a good focused brain when working. Sam was Sam but had a wealth
a reformed drunk and not for very long at that. What he did also have
was the house and Codex Red complex and good strong and useful
because Rebecca was like a snake and when she would strike it would
be fast and deadly. Jenny thought she was also easy to get angry and
that may well get her into trouble. Without doubt Rebecca could well be
a racist if she took a dislike to someone though so far it had not come
TWENTY EIGHT.
Everyone slept late and by the time they were up, showered and in
CODEX RED, it was almost noon. The only one missing from the team
and then jenny remembered that she was going into the shop as well as
She set the two hard-drives beside Molly once she was seated and then
“May I suggest you check the laptop first and log and save everything
Molly looked glum but nodded. “ OK then the other two hard-drives?”
Jenny nodded. She turned to Suzy who had done her hair streaks now in
“ In Europe I have no problem here because you drive on the wrong side
“Ok. Take Sam with you. I want you to go to Shrewsbury hospital and
take a look at a woman called Angie Edwards post mortem report. You
need to find the pathology department and speak to whoever did the
PM.”
someone official and by the time you get there, 'Shadow-lands' will be
need it.”
225
Sam came in through the door slipping on his coat as he did so and ran
his fingers through his hair. “ Sorry I'm late. What are we doing?”
Jenny smiled at him. “ Suzy and you are going to Shrewsbury for the
day. Take my car and leave it in the station car-park, catch the two thirty
to Shrewsbury. Take a taxi from there and and go to Midland Motors and
pick up the new four by four. The taxi driver will know where it is. Once
you have the car head for the Hospital. Suzy will fill you in as you go.”
“No Sam you don't but you sure as hell know your way around
Shrewsbury and Suzy would be lost. Just treat it as a nice day out.”
Jenny found the keys in her back pocket and handed them over then
Jenny's phone rang three times before she answered and it was
“That book you ordered is now in and you can pick up at any time, day
or night. Bye.”
Jenny spoke softly. “Jones is now on target and can be traced. What do
Molly brought up the details. “Ok. Here we go. The three main numbers
are all registered to medical doctors and all surgeons names beings;
Dr. Khristna Subu Mysore, Dr. Taz Kerna Mumbi, and the last but not
one who is odd man out because he runs a large Charity out there that
is called Silver Light Foundation. Take a deep breath Jenny. His Charity
deals with street kids and homeless children in all the major cities in
India. He has also set up a number of Orphanages, five in all and runs an
Education program. To say the least he is well heeled and gets good
donations from all around the world. What is more to the point he is
“Jesus Molly! What is Garth Jones doing with the likes of him?”
Her heart missed a few beats. She fought panic back and then, “Jones
passports over the years. The real bad news is Jenny, he sits on the UK
Commette for this charity, Silver Light and has raised thousands of
“How long!” she snapped at Molly. ”How long has he been doing it!”
“Ten years. Six as a committee member the last four as Chairperson till
now.”
Molly stood up and took Jenny by the shoulders and gently eased her
into the red chair. “Time for a coffee break O great one. I'll make it.”
Jenny nodded and fought back the tears. “Ok. You do that.”
227
Rebecca was serving a customer and wondered when the girl she had
employed part time would turn up for the afternoon shift. The woman, a
tourist just bought five books on Welsh history. Pleased with her books
she was just going out the door when Garth Jones pushed by her and
went to a book case. For a split second she felt all her warning bells go
off in her head. She noted he was going through the Asia section of
travel books. He turned and asked her straight out, “ What do you have
on Bangalore in India?”
computer.”
“ No need. This will do. At least it will give me some idea what it is like.”
Rebecca nodded. “Well the city is pretty polluted and you might be
better outside it. Traffic is bad too. You planning a holiday there?”
For a moment he looked at her then nodded. “Bit of a getaway for a few
weeks. Need a break. This town is getting worse because last night
some yobs broke into my house, trashed it from top to bottom and
“That's the point. Someone rang me, said they were the cops and there
was smoke coming from the shop so what do I do? In the car and down
here and when I got back they have been in and out. That bitch that rang
Rebecca was noting this word for word. “Of course you rang the police
Jones face went a deeper red than normal. “ Waste if time here and
besides what could they do except come up, be nosey and hand me a
“Well lets hope when you get back from your trip things will get better.”
“Thanks. Don't bother with a bag”, and handed her the book and money.
She put the cash in the drawer and her eyes caught the new mirror that
had arrived and she looked in the corner and smiled at Jones.
“Oh! With what you just told me about your break-in I wonder could you
He looked at the mirror and then at the hook. “Ok. I need to hurry
though.”
She moved around the counter with a duster and wiped the mirror and
sides of it then held it up to him still holding the cloth and he took it and
Rebecca placed the duster back behind the till and smiled at her own
reflection and now she had Jones fingerprints without her demanding
them or the police. Of course there may be no record but she doubted
very much that someone with his background did not leave his dabs
somewhere in his previous life and he had that. She noted that he was in
was on those hard-drives had him in a panic. She picked out of her bag
India.”
229
“Very. No location target area.He is also upset about the break in at the
house. Came in looking for a book on Bangalore but he had to get the
one on India as I did not have it. Target rattled big time.”
“So he is running. Ok. I'll get Molly to activate Shadow-lands and find
“One hour.”
Rebecca put the phone back in her bag making sure it was locked down
“Wait till you hear before you agree to anything. I take it your mother
“Yes, she loves Thomas and now that she has free time on her hands
Rebecca picked her words carefully. “I want you to run the shop.
Ten to four, weekdays and Saturdays mornings. You do the banking and
ordering and you know what is wanted. More than that, I trust you.”
“Why not? You love books you are a young mother who needs a full
time job and I need to get on with another project. I'll call in now and
Alice nodded. “ Thank you. Really. Mum will be find with it and as I am
“Ok. I have to go now but will come in next week and help you sort out
all the paper work. You start Monday. By the way what about that rat of
a boyfriend you had, the one who left you and found someone else when
For a moment a great sadness came into Alice's eyes but she blinked
and then said. “ He's gone. I did not know what to do but I told him it
Rebecca laughed but it was not a nice laugh. “You should have killed
him. You still can if you write a short story and have him as the bad
guy.”
They both laughed and Rebecca waved and left the shop then walked to
her car thinking that today was already a good day. Inside the car she
Alice had just finished ringing her mother to give her the good news
when the Rev. Butts walked in looking frustrated and red in the face.
“Can you help me? I'm looking for a book on India, a travel guide will
do.”
By the time Rebecca had arrived back at Codex Red , Molly and Jenny
Angie Edwards laptop. She walked into the room and noted computer
six was down loading fast with names, addresses and phone numbers.
231
“What is this coming in?”, she asked Molly nodding at computer six.
back.”
Jenny looked at the rounded cloth that covered something that Rebecca
Rebecca smiled and set it down then slowly took the cover of the mirror
and stood back. “On this are the fingerprints of one Garth Jones and I
thought Suzy might be able to lift one or two and get a match later.”
“How on earth did you...?” Jenny stopped. “You got him to hold it?”
Rebecca nodded. “Yes.. and hang it in the shop for me. Like I said he
was rattled but he did it for me. You know that soon he is going to be
Jenny nodded. “ Well he won't be going. Not after what we found on his
will be moving onto the farm site first thing tomorrow but before that we
need police involvement and have him arrested and held. Molly will fill
chair.
Molly stood up and held a remote control. “Ok here is what we have but
I won't give you all the details yet. We have enough on him right now to
bang him up if we could get a conviction. After tomorrow and the bones
are 'discovered' that makes our case much better. His PC Drive..now
Drive A for records has a lot of stuff on it, mainly bank statements and
232
with the same index number which we don't understand yet. At least 156
photographs have the word 'MORT' beside them including some old
graves. Seventy five present show children from India, male and female.
His two bank accounts are what we call over the top 'healthy., one here
in the UK and one in India. He pays his taxes, his NI and all his bills on
time.
I was able to find out that he has made a good number of trips to India
over the years and his last visa expiries in two months time which he
can renew here in the UK or in India. I also found out that he does have
Much of the email traffic over a few years is to do with his charity the
The Silver Light Charity Foundation also has two bank accounts and as
grants into the UK Bank Account. A few grants also went in there in the
received in the last two years which he kept notes on do not match his
We may or may not be looking at long time fraud here but that will be up
not only has the same child photographs on it but new ones added.
233
“For the moment we have no evidence to suggest that and I agree with
Jenny on this that we don't go down that road. That does not mean that
he does not have links with paedophile groups across Europe but he is
much worse than that Rebecca. He arranges child murder and no doubt
has carried out such killings himself here in the UK and India but his
Molly looked at Jenny as she arrived with the three coffee's on a tray
and sat down with her own. “ Your show Molly. Tell her.”
“He is it seems to be the main man in getting organs for and from the
three doctors mentioned and he gets well paid for it. The doctors do the
and even here in the UK. What we did find out that the surgeons that
Jones works with are not fussy how many organs they take from one
child just as long as there is a market. Why take one kidney when you
Rebecca went very pale and her lips tight she looked at Molly and then
Jenny cleared her throat. “ Murder on a very large scale, illegal surgery
New Delhi well to do suburb where there are four doctors involved not
with a built in lab and surgery unit, five hospitals involved across eight
234
Indian States and the 'Baby Farm' where new born female children go
that are not wanted by the mother or father. That Rebecca, is based in
the Silver Light Charity Complex and getting rid of unwanted children in
India, more so very young ones, are a welcome source of human tissue
material. The Patron for that charity is the Rev; Rodger Butts."
looking at someone who used to kill people for a living could get really
upset by what Jenny and Molly has just told her surprised her.
“ I need a smoke”, snapped Rebecca and stormed out of the room and
Jenny stood up and stretched then, “ No. I think she is lighting the white
fires of anger again and I would not like to be her target when she goes
after them.”
Suzy and Sam pulled into the parking area of the house, both noting
smoking.
“She looks pissed off”, said Sam getting out of the new land-rover.
Suzy grunted and got out then went around and looked again at the logo
Services”. She looked across at Sam. “You think she will approve?”
“Who?”
“The boss.”
He nodded. “Too late now to object. You better go and give her the bad
She shrugged and walked passed Sam and into the house then down
into Codex Red. Jenny and Molly were sitting looking at the screens on
Suzy did not smile back. She patted a folder in her hands. “ Yes. I also
got the full PM Report on this Angie Edwards and it does not make good
reading.”
Suzy extracted the six sheets. “ Death was due to fractures of the ribs
and spine, frontal fracture of the skull and then the fire finished her off.
Even without the fire in her car she would have been dead within
minutes due to loss of blood. Broken ribs entered the lungs and heart,
the air bag pushed every broken bone deep into her body.”
“Caused by her brakes not working when needed. Someone had cut
through the brake fluid pipe and by the time she got where she died she
“Indeed. Whoever did it knew her car well enough to know where the
pipes were and the information I got was that it was a single snip on
each pipe. The good news is that the person who did it knew where she
Jenny swallowed hard. “She was Ok when I left her. Slightly drunk but
Ok.”
Suzy looked at Jenny. “You seen her, talked to her on the night she died.
“We had a row and I lost the plot. I left and went to a café and had a cup
of tea. Well no, I could not get served because it was closing. It was
raining and from there I picked up the car where I had left it. Went
straight home.”
Suzy rubbed her head then, “Let me see your hands and arms.”
“What?”
Jenny held out her hands and pulled up the sleeves of her jumper.
Suzy looked closely at Jenny's arms and hands then directly at Jenny.
Suzy smiled. “ Sure. You were picked up on Miss Edwards camera going
into her house but so was someone else. A male but not Jones and he
went around to the back of the house to where she kept her car.
You wearing your watch on your right wrist rules you out now because it
would have been hard for anyone who was left handed to do the fluid
pipes because of the angle. The other point is that you show no
knew that she would be leaving that house on the night and leaving it
fast.”
237
Jenny looked grim. “ She was set up and someone pushed the right
button for her to take off in a panic. Molly you got anything on the
There was a long silence and Suzy and Jenny turned to look at Molly
who was standing there with her sleeves pulled up and arms out
straight.
“Molly what the hell are you doing?”, asked Jenny her voice with an
edge on it.
“In case Suzy wants to take a look at my hands and arms!After all she is
the Pathology bod around here as well as working for Interpol. No I did
not like Edwards and in fact she is one of the few people I would like to
have slapped hard but I had nothing to do with her murder. So that we
all can get on with the business in hand maybe Suzy should just check
Suzy walked over close to Molly and stood looking at her directly in the
Jenny almost shouted. “Stop! What the hell is getting into everyone!”
Molly glared at Suzy then let her eyes drop away and looked at Jenny.
“Me too”, muttered Suzy and then pointing at the computer screens.
“We need to get back to work. Our Archaeology team that was arranged
by you Molly will be on site first thing tomorrow morning you said?”
“ Seems they arrived early and setting up shop, tents and the like so that
they can start right away. Before we continue I think it best that we have
a meeting Jenny, Sam, Rebecca, Suzy you and me. There is a lot of data
238
to go through that came in the last hour and I can tell you now its not
pleasant. Jones our main suspect is more than just a country butcher.”
“Oh! Right I'll get them”, said Jenny then, “ She look upset?”
“Like a wet cat and troubled”, muttered Suzy and sat down next Molly
Jenny shrugged and made her way out to the glass sliding door thinking
that maybe she needed to expand her 'people skills' because right now
the team was not jelling as they should. She was also still upset the way
Suzy had conducted herself in front of Molly with reference to her being
a suspect. Maybe that is why I am pissed off because she could even
think that I killed her or at least wanted to, she thought as she walked
Suzy was not playing games, though Jenny. She had me in the line up of
suspects but then that was her job and I can’t fault he for that. Who
else? Rebecca? Jenny dismissed that from her mind because it was a
man that was on camera. On a dark, wet night it may well have looked
She pondered on this and decided to leave it to the local police to sort
out rather than getting Codex Red involved and in time she had no
doubt that they would get him. She headed for the door and to check on
TWENTY NINE.
Sam stood up and tapped out his pipe as Jenny came into the gravel
area in front of the house. Rebecca dropped her cigarette but on the
side of her eye and noted that she had been crying.
“Can I help?”
Sam smiled sadly. “ No its sorted. You have a reason for being out
here?”
“ Yes. We are holding a full meeting and I need you both there. Seems
there has been a lot of developments.” She looked at the new land rover
“Yes. We also have a logo it seems. The fire-bird. What do you think of
“Best way to go. All above board on the surface and all you need is
office space somewhere. So if your seen or any of the team are seen
they are working for the company. Of course if you don't like the idea
then...?”
“ No. I like it. Come on lets go and see what we have new.”
Jenny's mind was racing fast as she walked back to the Codex Red
Complex. She liked the idea of staying legal and in an office but now she
would have to think who and what she needed to staff it. That could wait
Molly took the floor and with Jenny in the red chair, Suzy and Rebecca
on one side of her and Sam on the other. They waited till Molly had her
teacher.”
“Molly just get on with it”, muttered Sam looking at her then smiling.
“Ok. I have it all on computer one. The hard drives that came from
Jones computer does show and more so on the laptop that he has been
a very busy man. The laptop shows the images of children Ok but the
ones on his PC show images of children and not nice. They were in what
of those and at the moment looks like they came in from India, Europe,
a few from Ireland and a good few from the UK. In the history of his
emails and attachments many show child images coming in and going
There is also two snuff films both of children being murdered, the oldest
Molly paused watching their face then continued. “The UK emails with
attachments is seventy, the Europe ones fifty and two in Ireland and
seven in India. That is the out box and all sent by Jones from his PC.
In the in box and deleted there was ninety and all within the last two
months. The surprise in all this for the UK is that a number of clergymen
from mixed religions sent and received this material, one being the holy
Rev. Butts and two priests, one in Nottingham and one in Ireland.”
She waited till this had sunk in. “ Like I said before, his bank accounts
are healthy and what I would term a rich man. Some of the payments
were made to him by doctors and a good few by other people. Their
241
I will now inform you what was on Edwards hard-drive of her laptop. It
seems that somehow she was onto him over the last month and was
working on a story about him, his child images, the doctors and most of
all what he was being paid to try and get a human organ for a sick child
or young adult. From the organ point of view he was the middle man, he
got paid by someone who wanted an organ, he in turn paid to get the
organ and in the end he came out well on top. Then there was his other
'business'.”
Molly licked her lips. “ Again he got paid for it. Someone who wanted a
child and could not have one he would arrange for an 'adoption'
sometimes with papers, most times without. On this he could not have
worked alone. Most of the children came from the east of Europe and
Asia, a few from Spain and France. It is now very possible that he
Our Mister Jones was and is more than a paedophile he runs a child
farm, maybe more than one and he sells children, their organs and is
“ Some. She also had images of children that she obtained. Somehow
Molly looked very grim. “There was also a phone call between Edwards
and Jones on the night she died, a good hour after Jenny left and also a
242
sample email was sent to him five minutes after the phone call, showing
blackmail him.”
Jenny let out a long breath. “ Then if you have saved all this material, we
have him?”
“ Yes but I suggest you wipe the fingerprints of all the hard drives, seal
them in a box or package and somehow get them to the local police HQ
by dawn. The shit is about to hit the Fan and and what with the
time tomorrow the police are going to be involved. The Chief Constable
is going to have all the computer data, other forces notified as well as
Interpol and we get a good few of the others in the net. India may well be
There was a long silence then Rebecca started to clap and followed by
Sam coughed loudly to get attention. “ We are now legal and we have a
company and we even have our own logo but lets not get over excited
“The Fire Bird ,Phenox and written in Latin, “From ashes to life.”
Suzy kept a straight face, the dark eyes looking at them. “ I would
people at Interpol. They in turn will set the wheels in motion in every
243
country we have an agent or office in. This would be better done before
Jenny frowned. “ That makes sense of course but how do we get these
fingerprints on them.?”
“I need a night out and away from here for a while”, said Rebecca. “All I
need is directions to where Police HQ is. The hard-drives clean and well
“I can come with you if you want?”, offered Suzy hopefully. “ That is if it
“I agree Rebecca. Suzy as you are the only one that is more or less
'official' when it comes to the police and you will need to be on site
when they arrive along with their forensic bods. Work with them but take
charge from the start. They may well kick up a bit of a row and huff and
She turned to Rebecca. “ You are aware that you just can't walk in there
Authority, someone who has power and acts on it. I am sure that this
“Ready and waiting, dabs cleaned and print free package all waiting
Sam nodded and laughed. “Trust you Molly. The fridge? That's cool.”
Everyone laughed and then Jenny took Rebecca to one side while the
“Sure. Just need the directions and use the new wheels and off we go.
I have two plans Jenny. One get to her direct if I can or find someone
that I could trust who can. There is not much of a window to work with
She nodded. “ We have more than enough to convict him and any others
“What?”
Rebecca laughed. “ Sure. Even though you are crazy enough to take all
Rebecca walked away and Jenny took a deep breath. “Show time”. she
whispered to herself.
245
THIRTY.
Molly was juggling all her computer data and looking at each
screen in turn as data came up. Sam stood with his back to the sliding
door on his mobile to the archaeology team leader Dr. Alex Cooper.
“And you are sure that what you found in site one and two is human?”
“Very. Site one's remains also had an artefact lying in the bones. A small
gold cross, stamped on the back. Site two had one cotton child's sock,
left foot I think and a skull with teeth, two fillings in upper jaw. We have
called 'Suzy ' some forensics bod who it seems is overseeing the whole
Sam almost smiled. “ Good work Alex but this came as a bit of a
“That was the plan but two of my students decided to try out some of
University but known to me. Thanks for that and we will put the
scanners to good use. Anyway, they came up with black and white
images of bones a feet feet below the surface on both sites as well as
the bones of a cow. Right now the whole site is lit up with lights and
more coming no doubt. All we need is the police to arrive. Anything else
we can do?”
Sam thought fast. “To the east of where you are there is the old farm
garden at the house. That should keep your students busy for a while.”
“Oh! Find that Suzy what you call her and tell her. She's in charge.
Sam was brought back to reality and that good day feeling by Molly.
Sam rushed over to the screen with the map and the small red dot that
“Yep. Just passing over the bridge and heading for the Shrewsbury
Road.”
“He's moving Jenny. All within the last four minutes and heading for the
Shrewsbury road”, said Jenny then pressed another button and screen
“Seems he has booked his ticket, return to fly out of Birmingham to Goa
in India tomorrow morning six am, stop of for an hour in the Gulf for
refuelling. His return date is open. Paid by credit card, has visa and is
now running.” Molly did not look at Jenny or Sam. She waited watching
the red flashing spot on the map. “ Has now reached Shrewsbury Road
Jenny looked at her watch and swore. “Two am. Has Rebecca been in
Molly shrugged. “ No. But I have her on tracking on the new wheels. She
“Like where is she?”, snapped Jenny looking at all the screens in turn.
Molly typed in her code and another red flashing light came up.
“That's her.”
Sam looked at the map. “ Around twenty in fact. What the hell is
Jenny hissed. “ Her mobile, the Codex one. Page or ring her.”
Molly's hands were almost blurred as she worked. “She has switched
Hooton Village.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”, shouted Jenny. She turned on Sam. “Tell me she
“Meaning?”
Sam looked from Molly to Jenny. “Doing what she knows best.”
Rebecca slipped from the small wood and over a fence dropping
down onto a soft well kept lawn. She knew that a police car was sitting
out front, a single officer sitting in the drivers seat now and then
nodding on the brink of sleep and pulling away from it with a head jerk.
Quickly she reached the back door, knew by the locks there was no way
she would get in that way unheard or unseen. The small shoulder bag
with the hard-drives she stuffed inside her coat and zipped it up tight.
She found a drain pipe close to an open window of a bathroom and was
up and in within half a minute. She was standing in the empty bath, the
smell of warm soap surrounding her very away that it has been used
within the last hour or so. Softly she climbed out of the bath and out
onto the landing, stopping at each door to listen then she found one
248
where soft snoring was coming from behind. There was no trouble
getting into the bedroom because the door was not closed tight.
Inside on the bed were a man and a women, both nude and both
sleeping with arms around one another. Very quickly she removed the
hard-drives and set them by the head of the attractive blond woman then
back away and closed the door over the way she had found it.
By the time she had reached her land rover she was breathless and
sweaty and went back up through the wood and out onto the main road
where she stopped to switch on her codex mobile. It went off almost at
“Where are you?”, asked Jenny, her voice crisp and almost cold.
“From where?”
“Your coppers house. Very nice. Left the hard-drives with her and her
friend.”
“No. She was sleeping after being otherwise engaged. Love is fun
Jenny.”
Jenny almost laughed but got control of herself. “ Jones is heading for
“Ok.”
“I'll make sure he does not make the flight. Get Molly to transferee his
tracking location to the land rover and I will take it from there.”
Jenny thought for a moment. “Ok. Stop him but not dead stop.”
249
The camera slowly moved around the airport terminal and inside
another camera picked up the young woman with dark glasses and a red
beret, no luggage, not even a small bag. She went over to the flight
board and looked up at the flight screen to see the departures are
arrivals. She moved to her left and found the aircraft flight company she
was looking for and stood by the desk looking into the crowd.
A voice behind her made her turn slowly and look at the woman in blue
“Sorry were you wanting the flight to Tel-Aviv? If so you have missed it
by seventeen minutes.”
There was something about this young woman that upset the desk clerk
and she reached down slowly and pressed the button once. With a
racing heart she scanned the young woman's body for any signs of
Without turning back to the desk clerk she said out loud. “ No!”
The woman's mouth fell open and she backed away from the desk and
Rebecca stood and waited but there was no Garth Jones walking to the
She turned and looked at the two men in dark suits and knew almost at
once they were armed, the one standing behind the other with his had
Rebecca reached slowly into her zip pocket and took out her ID and
handed it to the taller of the two men. He looked at it, looked at her then
handed the card to the man behind him who looked twice at it.
She snatched the ID card back and put it in her pocket then removed her
They looked up as two UK armed airport police arrived and the tall man
shook his head and they moved away and continued on their airport
patrol.
The tall man nodded to his friend. “ I ask this in case there is something
Rebecca's mind raced. “Yes there is a Garth Jones and I need to stop
The two men looked at one another and the tall one smiled at Rebecca.
“It will be done but we can't arrest him only the UK police here can do
Rebecca took a gamble and told them what she knew about Jones and
lookout for others. Can you get him arrested by the UK police here and
251
held? Tell the officers that they must hold him and we will be in touch
Rebecca looked at the tall man and smiled. “Thanks. I owe you one and
Outside she stood in a grey dawn and rang Jenny on the Codex mobile
“Rebecca.”
“Package is in the bag but you need to contact the airport police here
“Thanks Rebecca. Everything going well this end too. Take care.”
She found somewhere to eat and rushed a quick breakfast. Rebecca was
just gulping down the last of the coffee when the tall man came over and
“Bad news. This Garth Jones was not on the flight list for India Miss Hofi
nor the one before or after that. He cancelled his flight here at the airport
Rebecca snatched the sheets from the man's hand and scanned quickly
Rebecca nodded. “ Thank you for your help. I am sorry I was so abrupt
with you.”
She reached out and shook his hand stood up and left for the airport
exit.
252
“The bird has flown but not as Jones but as Hill. He pulled a fast one on
us and gone.”
Jenny almost went into panic mode with Molly looking on. Rebecca
continued;
There was no stop over except in Saudi Arabia for half an hour. He
“The Rev Butts was on the same flight Jenny. Like together.”
“Doubt that Jenny. You don't know India and the way they work.”
Sam rubbed his beard deep in thought. He turned to Jenny and Molly.
“Ring Suzy. Tell her we need to visas in a hurry from the Paris Office,
one for you and one for Rebecca. Molly send direct to Interpol copies of
their ID, the Codex One. Use Shadow-lands to book flights from Paris to
South India and give details only of the passports of Jenny and
Rebecca.”
Sam shrugged. “I can't go, Molly is needed in here and Suzy is going to
be up to her armpits in forensics for a long time. I'm not telling you what
to do but we need someone out there looking for Hill/Jones and also to
take a hard look at this Charity as well. We also have those three doctors
to sort out and of course that man of God, the Rev. Butts.”
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She re-ran what Sam just said and knew he was right. She nodded. “Ok.
“I need you to contact Interpol now and arrange visas for Rebecca and
me for India as well as a flight from Paris as soon as possible. Use the
“Children's bones, skulls, teeth, hair and a sealed bag containing a pair
of blue surgical gloves with bloody fingerprints all over them. I will bet a
months wages that the prints on the gloves will match those of Jones.”
“Four at least. I am of the opinion that they are from two year old up to
Jenny alarmed said in a whisper, “You getting any heat from the police
forensics team.”
“No. But I had to pull rank and place a phone call. They in turn rang the
main investigation officer and was told that the forensics was all mine
and they had to assist. They are not happy but we are working together.”
“Well at last some good news. Thanks Suzy. Get back to me once you
She switched off. “Ok Molly. Find me flights from Cardiff to Paris as
“On it.”
“Yes and Suzy found in one grave a sealed bag with gloves in it and
“She is also running the whole forensics show it seems and everything
comes here, then a report sent to police forensics as well as all evidence
Sam grunted. “Things are moving fast Jenny. Now we do need Jones
Sam looked straight at her. “ That will be your call Jenny and only you
Jenny nodded. “If Suzy with Molly’a help can match the prints on the
gloves to the prints Suzy lifted of the mirror we have him dead to rights
Sam!”
“True. But right now you need to be heading for India. A little bit of
“Go on.”
“Drink bottled water only, get a mosie net when you get there, don’t eat
salad unless your sure it was well washed, try and get some anti malaria
tablets down your neck as soon as possible. You may be able to buy
He nodded. “Without the gin of course. The bugs don’t like it on your
THIRTY ONE.
Jenny and Rebecca came through with hand luggage only and
walked out to the main airport. At the barriers people were standing
The last time Jenny had been in Paris was on a school trip many years
ago and the airport was not a bright place. Now it was lit up and shops
were everwhere as well as places to eat. She was casing her eyes
around the people with cards when Rebecca grabbed her arm then
Jenny looked and could see the card, 'MISS J. SNOW'. She lifted her arm
and the man seen her and Rebecca and waved back.
“Worse than yours. I have a few words and that is all. Now what do we
do?”, as she eyed the man walking towards them a smile on his face and
hand outstretched.
Jenny was stunned and pleased at the same time. “ Yes. This is Rebecca
Holi.”
“Thank God for that. You speak English”, said Rebecca shaking his
De Mont pointed to a shop with a red sign. “ Just there. We will wait
here.”
256
They watched Rebecca walk away then De Mont handed Jenny a large
you when you get there but in the mean time the names of the two men
you are seeking are has been flagged up in India, that is Hill and Butts
and where they land. That information will be, I hope, be ready for you
“ The police in India, all ranks, are not always honest and many are as
bad as the crooks unless they get a kick back and they are not worried
obsession with paper work. Therefore if you plan to arrest these two
men or have them arrested please be prepared to fill out loads of forms
“ Thank you for all you have done at such short notice and I have taken
on board what you just told me. Lets say we can have them arrested
La Mont smiled again and produced a small blue card and handed it to
Jenny. “ My direct number at the office and my mobile, day or night. Now
you have less than half an hour before you board but you are in front of
everyone so I will take you there now. Ah! She returns. Come this way
please.”
The flight from Paris to India became boring for them both after they
left the middle East. Rebecca was glad to be in the air because she was
on high alert when they had stopped off to refuel. Jenny noticed her
tension as Arabs passed her and knew that she was somehow in a bad
and dangerous place. A Jew in an Arab state was like a chicken walking
into a lions den, Jenny thought and Rebecca had nothing to fight back
with, not even a penknife. Once they were in the air the tension left
“I know we can't talk about what we are going to do in India Jenny but
Jenny looked at her and smiled. “ No. Not one word but don't worry we
have someone meeting us from our parent company that does. She is a
native speaker.”
Rebecca nodded. “ That is good news. As for clothes all we have is hand
change of socks. Sam has no idea what women need on trips like this.
Not only that we have to change money at the airport and that could be
a hassle.”
Jenny laughed softly and patted her bag. “Fear not child out Mister De
Mont has everything taken care of. Sam may not know much about
women but De Mont does so he has also made arrangements in India for
Rebecca grunted. “ I hope that means some tools Jenny. I hate going to
“I don't think that would go down too well in India if we ran into trouble.”
258
Rebecca leaned over and hissed into Jenny's ear. “ Trust me Jenny. We
They sat in silence for a while, Jenny looking out the window at great
white clouds and Rebecca looking at the map in front of her showing the
aircraft's progress. She noted that they were flying at thirty five
thousand feet at 400 mph but the red tracer did not seem to be moving
very fast at all. With half an hour Rebecca's eyes had closed and her
The aircraft touched down, rose again into the air then with a bump
came back down and the engines roared when they were out into
reverse. When it stopped it sat on the runway in the heat and it was
Rebecca who noted it was a military airfield. She nudged Jenny and
Jenny looked out the aircraft window, simmering heat across the runway
and of the tin roof of a nearby hut. “Why do you think that is?
Jenny scanned. “ A few bunkers, some guys with guns, a flag and a few
Jeeps. Oh and a great yellow truck towing steps towards us now. Seems
The heat inside the aircraft was building up not just with body heat and
the air conditioning was on full blast. Then from overhead speakers,
the aircraft. Please make sure you take all your luggage with you as
once you leave this aircraft you will not be allowed to return. There will
stood up removing bags from the overhead lockers. Jenny and Rebecca
made their way to the front of the aircraft and then out to the steps
By the time they reached the airport terminal and stood in line to get
through the police check point both were sweating and it showed on
their clothes.
Jenny was first to face the woman police officer. She handed over her
pass port. The police officer looked at it looked at Jenny and muttered,
The officer stamped her pass port hard and smiled back. “Good. Next
please.”
Rebecca gulped air. She looked at the fat police officer and forced a
She held out the passport and the officer took it, looked at it then
“ Please. Let me see?”, the police woman demanded holding out her
hand.
Rebecca was fighting down the anger and took all her notes out plus
some small change. The woman officer counted it like she had counted
She watched closely as Rebecca put the money back in the wallet.
The police officer said something fast to two women behind her.
Rebecca looked to her right and a tall Indian woman was standing and
had thrust her ID into the police woman's face. “ Maybe you would like
to search me constable?”
The fat woman police officer shook her head and called out, “Next
please!”
Jenny and Rebecca were laid through the crowds and out into the open
air. They stopped and the tall woman held out her hand.
“Ira Ragene, ICPO Agent for India Miss Snow, Miss Holi. Interpol. The
cops here think they are Gods and have power but most of them cannot
read nor write and a good few use their uniform to rip off tourists if they
In the car they felt cooler and Ira said. Miss Snow got through the police
“Why?”
“In this part of India there are more Christians and I guess she took the
“You call me Ira then. I have booked you into a small hotel on the sea
front and will drop you off there. Try and get some sleep and shower
before hand. You need to drink plenty of fluids her. I will see you both at
Jenny looked at her watch. “ its night. I forgot the time change.”
Two rooms had been made ready for them and Jenny and Rebecca
were delighted seeing light clothing left neatly on the bed still in the
wrappers. There was also fresh underwear, bottled water, slip on shoes,
two large towels each, large packet of cigarettes and insect net.
After Ira had left Jenny tossed to Rebecca the packet of cigarettes and
looked at the sizes of the clothes and underwear . She laughed and held
up a pair of panties to Rebecca. “ Bit on the large size Becky for me but
“Me two. Right. I'm off to bed. See you later”, and left Jenny's room.
Outside darkness came in quick and the only sound was that of the surf
on the beach.
the sun was up and this was added to by the calling of roosters. Jenny
opened her eyes and looked up. A small lizard ran across the lampshade
and hid. She could hear the surf and smiled. It had been a long time
since she heard the song of the sea. She got up, feeling sweaty and
stripped off then went into a simple shower. The water was far from hot
but it was refreshing and she stood under it until she began to feel
chilled. She came out of the shower and was drying off when there was
262
a knock at the door. She rapped the towel tightly around her and opened
it.
“Good morning English lady. I brought you breakfast”, said a small aged
Indian woman with a large smile. Jenny took the tray. “Thank you. That
“You need anything else please ask for Mira. That be me please. I get for
you.”
Jenny stood with the tray of food until she was gone then flicked over
the door with her foot. She sat on the bed and looked down at the tray.
“ Four eggs, no egg cup or spoon, toast of sorts, pot of tea and a cup.
Welcome to India Jenny”, she said out loud and then laughed.
The eggs were hot but hard boiled and she peeled the shells off them
one by one and eat them with the toast. Outside she could see the red
glow of the sun coming up over the wooded hillsides and as she was
Rebecca came in dressed in the new clothes, the brightly loose top
seemed a bit large but it would help once the heat came. Jenny could
see that her hair was wet and she could smell the sea of her.
“Hi. You had breakfast I see”, Rebecca said flopping down on a seat.
She shook water out of her hair. “That was a good swim. You should try
it Jenny.”
“Bra and the new passion killers. No one there except for a one legged
Jenny looked at her watch that she had adjusted from the night before.
“No. Tossed and turned in the heat and the crickets were having a party
carried in a holster a very old .38. After he had gone I came back to my
“Two lizards, one cockroach, a few flies and a moth. The room has it's
own wildlife reserve it seems. I must have drifted off to sleep but then
Jenny stood up and took the tray to the door and opened it, then set it
on the ground to the right. When she turned around Rebecca was
“You have a good body Jenny. Not that I am interested because I know
Jenny felt her face get hot, forced a smile. “ Thank you. Don't you think
you should go and get showered and breakfast. Ira said she will be here
at seven?”
Rebecca laughed and stood up. “ You're the boss. See you soon. Oh!
One thing I noticed about Ira Jenny and that is she has blue grey eyes.”
When Rebecca had gone Jenny let out a long sigh then smiled.
THIRTY TWO.
When Ira Ragene arrived she was dressed in a light cotton shirt and
pants, had with her a laptop and small overnight bag. Jenny did note
that she did in fact have light blue grey eyes. Jenny also worked out that
Agent Ragene had too dark a skin to have been born of mixed
parentage. There was no sign of a wedding ring on her finger but she
Ira nodded. “That is Ok. I will tell you what I have then when you are
Jenny smiled. She liked the way this woman got down to the business in
hand and no hanging about. “Please. Take a seat. Can I offer you tea or
coffee?”
Ira waved her hand. “No thank you I have already had. I have however
some good data on this Jones or Hill and also the man Butts.” She
waited.
Jenny watched her hit keys and then Ira looked up at her.
“Are these the two men in the film taken by the cameras when they
Jenny looked at the screen and nodded. “ That is them. The one with the
“Good. At least now we know that we have the right people. Butts is a
charges were made against him. Jones on the other hand now seems to
have been much more active and more deadly because he matches very
closely to a man linked to one Auto Shankar who was executed in 1995
for the murder of nine teenage girls that we know of and one young
woman aged twenty known as 'Payal’. All were found in a mass grave,
that is 19 skulls and bones recovered which included the children I just
point out. Payal’s mobile was used after her death and was traced to
Koll’s house but her Sim Card she used was inactive.
Jones also had known links to Surender Koll who between 2005 and
2006 murdered seventeen children and one adult in Nithari, Nolda UP.
help of film found in Koll’s home which showed some of the. children
nude with Koll, Jones and Butts as well as other white foreigners.
I should point out that this film was made in 2006 and far from pleasant
viewing Jenny.
The one adult was also female, a young woman was also shown in
another film. Butts was not in this film but Jones and Koll were and they
were filmed murdering her. Jones had his face covered up but the small
swallow tattoo on his left hand shows up well. All the children had major
organs removed, just before death or just after which included kidneys,
heart and liver. A local doctor was a suspect for a long time as the
person who removed the organs. You already have him listed as
charity here but also registered in the UK. The local police however
266
cleared this Supplinder of any crimes and six months later four police
officers were suspended from duty then fired. I have found out that the
four ex police officers are all dead because they were thought to be
children so for a small fee were able to remove the officers, their bodies
vanished but their heads were placed on bamboo canes in the village
This Dr. Supplinder had since been in contact with Surgeons Subu from
Mysore and Kerna from Mumbi and we have just discovered that the
police were aware of this but did nothing. He has since moved house to
there, which he did for a while till a number of complaints were made
against him and the GMC struck him off. He returned to India this year
and is carrying on his charity work here. However the amount of funds
coming in has slowed down and even at that such funds would be more
than enough to feed and cloth children in the Homes. I only found out
last night that some of the Homes are badly run and at least two have
children who died were Hindu they were cremated on the same day
someone knows that a child died because of neglect they have little
hope of a post mortem. If a child was from a normal or rich family and
carried out and recorded. Street children vanish and are forgotten
about.”
267
Jenny was pale and sweating at what she had just been told. She licked
her lips then in a soft voice, “ That means that unless a child or adult is
police involvement?”
“Correct, most of the time. What you also need to keep in mind Jenny
some poor families out in small villages and hamlets have little or no
money and that is where organ harvesting takes place once the parents
the child sometimes is given pain relief, the parents given some money.
“And of course,if the child has no parents or close family then no one
cares what happens”, said Jenny. “How long do you think Jones, Butts
and the doctors have been involved in the harvesting of organs not to
The pale blue eyes clouded over and Jenny could see for a moment as
great sadness come over Ira. She shrugged, “Twenty years or more.”
first and I introduce you to some friends of mine. Real friends. I need
you to read the reports and I will do that for you. Has Rebecca any
Jenny almost sneered, “ Rebecca creates work for people like you and I
Ira.”
“Oh. Right. Well that might be good when we reach the end of the trail
“Oh yes. They are staying with Dr.Supplinder as his house guests at the
Silver Light Foundation outside Selem. Jones knows you and Rebecca
when working but there is a purpose built hostel for them run by Lisa
Walsh from Ireland and she looks after them. She’s clean and has in her
“Yes. She has made complaints to the police and to others including
Jones does not know her or Butts and Supplinder is now aware that
some of the volunteers have told her horror stories before they left for
The door opened and in rushed Rebecca breathless, “ Sorry about that.
Ira and Jenny stared at her and both said at the same time, “All of it!”
“Very”, said Jenny and added, “ May have work for you Rebecca
Ira nodded. “ I have in my car in a small case everything you may need
Rebecca. Not much in the way of tools but good enough when and if we
need them.”
269
THIRTY THREE.
The train to Hyderabag at nine that morning and Ira had already booked
first class though there was little need to do so as it was half empty
when it left Kerala. Jenny remarked on this to Ira and she laughed.
“This is not the UK Jenny but India and that is why the three of us are
first class with sleeping accommodation because we will not get there
till nine in the morning. By the time we get there we will be packed, even
with people on the roof of the carriages. Rich, poor all have to stand the
heat and the lunch and dinner for us will be borough here. Water is
bottled and plenty off it and all paid for by our 'company.’.
“Yes. But we can rest and catch up on sleep. A car will pick us up and
Rebecca smiled. “ You’re well organised I’ll say that Ira, Thanks.”
“ I have help when and if I need it. Good contacts and I trust them.”
Jenny waited then asked, “When did Interpol recruit you Ira.?”
Ira smiled. “ Your fishing Jenny. Five years ago when I was in Paris.
I studied psychology got my degree then did my masters. The Ph.D. was
the best part and I loved it all because I had plenty of research work to
over a card was thrust into my hand and I was taken to dinner by two
archaeologist who had worked in the Middle and Far East but had a
think, drank a little too much and worked with something called Cobra at
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times in London. The nice thing about him he was a gentleman through
“Oh yes Ira, we know him”, said Jenny with a laugh. “Well he gets
around that’s for sure. So what did he want from you because Sam
Iri went stone faced. “He wanted to know more about parapsychology
and the paranormal so much so that he excused the two Interpol agents
after dinner and we talked well into the night. Before I left I sent him two
of my books, and a week later was told that someone was coming out to
see me from Interpol. It was a woman and she brought with her a
“A letter from him and a letter from Interpol pleased that I had been
appointed the sole agent for India and I would work through the French
Embassy in Delhi as a child cult profiler and join the Missing Children
team. Sam’s letter was a personal one which I won’t discuss but he also
sent me a personal cheque and said,”to get you started on the road.”
Jenny and Rebecca looked at one another then at Ira. Jenny said,
“Sex?”
Ira laughed till the tears came and she had to brush them away. “ No, not
contact the dead. I told him that it is the dead that contacts the living
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and only people that are turned in and don’t know it. Then they get a
shock because not only do the see things, shapes but also hear things
“You mean if I said that not so long ago I seen a child dressed in red
standing at the side of the road and when I stopped the car, she was not
“Or I seen almost the same child in red waving once to me and hearing
Ira bit her bottom lip and looked at them both. “That is what Sam was
talking about all those years ago. A young girl dressed in a red coat and
some sort of hat. Somewhere close to where he lived but he also had
another vision that of a young woman with a dead child in her arms. If I
remember right, he called her 'Mary Morgan’ and wanted to know if there
the girl in red but not this Mary Morgan vision he had. At that time I
could not make any connection or advise on it because I did not know.”
“Well that’s it. Something has been proven to me today”, said Rebecca
and added, “We all seemed to have some link to the other side, ghosts
what have you but if that is true, why don’t they name the killer or
killers?”
THIRTY FOUR.
Their arrival at the station made Jenny think that it could only end
in disaster because it was like a nest of human ants of all colours and
shapes. People coming and going, a blind man sitting crossed legged
with a battered tin in front of him, a well dressed Indian woman with two
children being helped board the train before it had emptied, her three
Jenny could feel the dampness under her arms and Rebecca showed
They followed Ira through the crowd into the street and she walked
directly to a large white taxi. The driver hopped out and opened doors
for them to get on board and once they were inside Ira said something
to the driver that the other two women could not understand.
Jenny looked out as they travelled through the thongs of people, houses
and trees, the smell of India, real India coming in through the open
window. Now and then the driver would slow down as a funeral party
dressed in white rushed across the road in front of them, the body being
carried between four men. A cow walked slowly in front of them and they
had to stop while it voided urine onto the red soil and everywhere the
sound of car and van horns blaring. To Jenny there did not seem to be
Ira smiled at Jenny and nodded towards the bikes, “Mortuary meat.”
“At least twenty people a week died like that across India. It is
excepted."
Ali said in a sombre voice. “Yes but still they do it. We are almost here.”
Jenny and Rebecca noted the two armed guards at the gate house as
they left the road and as they stopped both men walked over. Ira spoke
to them and showed her ID and they waved her on. The taxi driver
Ira paid the taxi driver and he did a 'U’ turn and went back down the
“This is where it all happens. The best forensics facility in the whole of
India and also a teaching project for students. We even have a Body
Jenny gulped. “ Like real bodies and bits of bodies left in places,
Ira nodded. “Best way for students to learn of what nature does to a
“ Mainly homeless people, street people and those that were drowned
Inside the great white building the air was cool and they went to the
reception area and Ira spoke to the young woman there who in turn
It was a long walk down a bright corridor and then they entered a large
circled area, doors around the walls. Ira knocked on a door and then
opened it.
An aged think man with a grey beard and glasses on the end of his nose
stood up and walked to Ira. They shook hands and his English sounded
Snow, Director of Codex Red in the UK and Rebecca Holi her assistant."
They all shook hands and the doctor smiled, “ Please. be seated.
Welcome to my India.”
Jenny sat with Ali and Rebecca sat near Ali. Dr Singe sat on the corner
of his large desk and picked up a black control hand set and pressed a
few buttons. Behind him the wall slid sideways leaving a white screen.
“ I am aware that Ira has filled you both in on the Shankar and Koll serial
murders as well as very positive links this man Hill or Jones as well as a
man called Butts. However that is only the tip of the ice bergs because
charity home are being abused and used for organ harvesting. Not just
here but also in other parts of India. Please take a look at these slides
first.”
He pressed a button and when the first slide came up it showed a dead
child with a open scar wound that had been infected. The second slid
showed a child sitting with his back to the screen showing a healed scar
but still red. Jenny, Rebecca and Ira watched in silence till the slide
show ended.
The doctor looked over the top of his glasses at the women sitting in
front of him. “ Believe me when I tell you this is now common in India.”
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Jenny looked grim and pale when she asked the question. “ We know
that three doctors are involved as well as a back up team for them but
Supplinder is more than likely supplying children to the others for organ
harvesting, maybe even taking part himself. Besides the illegal organ
harvesting some of these people, two we know off, are involved in child
“Correct Jenny but not before they are checked out for health organs.
whispers and most of all in medical circles because some people think
that there is nothing wrong in taking organs and selling them on, using
the excuse that it is for the benefit for other sick children. Those people
Rebecca took a deep breath Dr. Singe raised his hand to stop her
adults that died from organ harvesting, bodies dropped in rivers, left on
the side of the road, thrown into the jungle, some burned, and a good
few nothing but a heap of bones in a shallow grave. Those I have have
They are called 'The Disappeared’ but each and every one of them have
a number and a file, then at some time, a resting place in our garden of
rest. You may well ask why this Supplinder has not been arrested and
Committee members on the local health board here who he has been
known to bribe.
One young police officer did try to investigate the rumours five years
ago of abuse in children’s care homes around this area and two weeks
later he vanished, leaving a wife and two children behind. He has never
Dr. Singe looked direct at Jenny, his face flushed, “If people are from the
UK,Europe or Ireland are involved then Codex Red should take action.
The names of others involved should be listed with Interpol and with
good strong evidence, a swoop made and the people arrested as soon
as possible, working with Codex Red even here in India and other parts
There was a long silence the only sound the ticking of a large clock on
the wall.
there and we know it is right but the courts are unable to do much then
they know they are now being hunted and when found eliminated.”
Jenny stood up and everyone looked at her. She waited for a moment
then said in a calm voice. “Jones, Butts first. Then Supplinder but not
Dr Singe nodded. “ I agree and so will other people but they will never
He almost smiled. “ I will not ask when or how. Just let me know were
It was Ira who had the last word. “We need the use of some car or van if
possible, not new but going well. Also I do not want you directly
“Everything will be ready for you in one hour. Thank you. Thank you all.”
They walked back down the road and into the town, found a small place
and went in to eat, but none of them were really hungry. Jenny was lost
in her own thoughts and for some reason she was not feeling upset or
guilty about what they were going to do. It was Rebecca that broke the
silence and her voice was cold. “ You said that you had friends that
might help?”
“Who do you have in the Selam area near the home and can you have
“Sure you do and this is it. We make sure that Jones and Butts are not
with Supplinder and somehow we have to know where they are. Once
we know then Ira’s friends pick them up, hog tie them and bring them to
a location out in the brush. I need to get Supplinder on his own and on
my own because the less involvement you have in this process the
better. Ira and you then will stand by and when I come out we drive to
the location where Jones and Butts are being held. We need two hand
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held tape recordings, one for you and one for me. That way if they want
to talk then let them. You want a reaction with local people then instead
of getting rid of Supplinder in the Body Farm, I arrange for him to give
his last great public statement. My part of the deal will take place at
hand, but don’t get involved directly. Tell them Dr. Supplinder has a very
important speech to make about his discovery about child sexual abuse
at the home by some members of local staff and most of all, he will
name them.”
Ali looked concerned. “How are you going to get him to do that
Rebecca?”
Jenny’s Codex phone buzzed in her pocket and she took it out her eyes
“Jenny? Suzy here. The prints on the gloves found in the grave area
match the prints on the mirror that Jones handled and an almost perfect
match of five fingers. If you need them over there I can send them direct.
Also the total count is sixteen and that is from three locations. Police all
over the place keeping the press at bay. it’s a positive result.”
“Yes. All children and not archaeology remains. How is your team
“Us? We are doing well. Just sorting out the contracts. Thanks.”
There was a silence for a moment. “Jenny I also have a bit of bad news.”
“Very. Sam’s in hospital. An hour ago and they seem to think its a
stroke. We had to check in with you first about that other matter.What do
She switched off and looked at Rebecca. “ Ok lets do it. The prints on
the gloves and mirror match. Ira how far is from here?”
“Sixty clicks and a slow journey because of the twists in the road.
“Can you pick up the car or van. I need to have a word here with
Rebecca.”
Ira looked for a moment puzzled and then as Jenny held her gaze she
worked out something else was wrong. “Sure. Won’t be long. I’ll place
She watched Ira vanish into the crowd and then turned directly to
She watched as blood drained out of Rebecca’s face. For someone who
“Dead?”
Rebecca licked her lips and blinked away the tears. “We still do it then
later I will cry. Right now is not the time or place. The son of a bitch
Jenny opened her arms and Rebecca went into them sobbing.
She just held her tight and did not care what people thought as they
passed by.
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THIRTY FIVE.
Ira arrived and picked up Rebecca and Jenny, seeing that Rebecca
was upset but did not ask. “Everything is ready at the other end. I have
people there who will help. They do not want to give their names so
don’t ask them. Two of them I picked are already on Jones and Butts and
from what I can gather they are down in the town at a market. They are
Ira thought for a moment. “ I will go and visit Lisa Walsh. When it is all
sorted text me and I will leave and pick you up where I dropped you off.
“You won’t because you might get in the way of what I have to do and I
need you out there. Ira can you do the press for the time arranged. They
“ Will do that. Have another phone that can’t be traced and then I will
over the hight fence quickly. Jenny standing in the trees lost her almost
at once.
Quickly Rebecca scanned the area, slip past lit up windows of the house
checking for any signs of life. Slipping around the back of the house she
reading some papers, a drink on a small table beside him. Low sounds
She listened to the night but no other noise. Slipping out the .22 pistol
with a silencer already in place she came up behind him and placed it
quickly against his neck. “ Don’t move and don’t call out!”
She felt him stiffen and slowly walked around to his front moving the
To Rebecca he looked like an overfed toad, puffy cheeks and black eyes.
“Who are you and what do you want”, he hissed, fear now on his face
“Your past,your now and no future. Sit tight, don’t move. I have
questions I want you to answer. But first you don’t mind if I record the
answer? Good.”
She set the tape recorder on the table beside his drink and pressed
record. “ We know all about you now, about Garth Jones, The Rev Butts,
Rodger first name, your deals with organ harvesting, child murders and
rapes, your past life in the UK and your bogus medical qualifications
and you being struck off by the GMC. Did I miss anything Supplinder?”
Rebecca tightened her lips and quickly she moved the pistol from his
head and placed it on his left knee and pulled the trigger.
please!”
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“Do you know Jones and Butts and did you arrange organ harvesting
She shot him on the right knee and this time he screamed once and
fainted. She picked up the glass and threw the drink in his face and he
involved but it was Jones who did the killings and Butts and him with
“Good. A . 22 with hollow tip bullets, the bullets rip flesh and bone and
leave a good sized exit hole. Good for close up work and not much
noise. Another question and a lot depends on your answer if you lose an
elbow joint not. Were some of the children in your care used for organ
harvesting?”
Supplinder was sweating badly now, the fresh smell of urine mixing with
the smell of warm blood. He licked his lips, faced twisted in pain.
“ How many at a rough guess say over the last ten years.”
He hesitated and Rebecca placed the muzzle quickly in the joint of his
This time he clutched the shoulder and whimpered again tears rolling
“Fifty what?”
“ Why?”
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“What?”
She moved the pistol to the centre of his forehead. “Three shots fired
leaves me twelve more. Unless I get a jam in the chamber which I would
“Organ removal, surgeon were brought in, a whole team. I tried it myself
“Thank you Dr. Supplinder. Have you any last words of wisdom?”
He tried to shake his head but because the pistol was pressed against it
he could not move. He looked into Rebecca’s eyes and started to cry
She left the room after she washed her hands in the fish tank, the water
turning pink and the small fish feeding on the heart. Back the way she
came she stopped at a side window where there was the blue flickering
of a TV screen. She approached the window and looked in. A nude blond
man was sitting in a soft chair looking at a child sex film unaware that
she was watching. Rebecca went to the open door, the audio sounds of
a child making her feel sick. She went on her toes up behind the man in
the chair and thought, why one when you can have two?
When she pulled the trigger he jerked once, the hollow point bullet
exiting the front of his skull and he was dead before he fell forward onto
the floor. Quickly she found the spent shell casing and put it in her
pocket then lifted the TV controls and pressed ‘repeat’ six times, then
wiped it clean with a shirt that was draped over the back of the chair.
At least the press and police would have some clue now why he was
killed.
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Jenny looked at her watch and was starting to panic when Rebecca
Rebecca sighed, controlled her breathing then said, “ No hurry any time
will do. I mean we can’t go anywhere till she gets here. Ar least we have
“Twelve thirty.”
“We are cutting it fine Jenny. If we leave it too late we meet the press on
their way here and no doubt the cops. Not a good idea when there are
“Don’t know his name but he was nude and sitting watching a child porn
Just as Jenny was about to ask what fish, Ira came around the bend at
speed and no headlights on. She stopped and Jenny and Rebecca
“Did you do it?”, asked Ira driving back the way she had come then
“ Yes. Two of them. Blond man was watching a child porn film so he
“Good. We must make up some miles. Jones and Butts are now being
Ira nodded. “ Press are sending people and the local TV people are also
on their way.”
There was silence now as each woman thought how far they really had
come and how far they had to go.Jenny was torn between justice and
the law, the whole idea of being responsible of taking a life, a human life
bothered her. Then vivid pictures of children came into her mind and
what she had seen and heard on the videos balanced it out. She might
even have pulled the trigger herself, she thought bitterly. Sam also came
into her thoughts and him in hospital because it was more than likely
Rebecca sat wrapped up in her own thoughts, also thinking of Sam and
thinking what still had to be done. She had no emotions running around
her head about killing these men because they needed killing but she
knew that Sam would not be there for her to dump on and debrief.
Ira was feeling good and had no problems with one man and the
pending deaths of two others. This was her first real case with Interpol
where the good guys were coming out on top and children who died
were being revenged but not just on a whim or anger. The evidence was
clear that they were guilty and as long as she did not have to pull the
Ira noticed headlights coming towards them from the other direction and
Rebecca and Jenny lay down in the back seat as the cars came by,
‘swish, swish, swish.’ In all seven cars had passed them including two
“Ok they are gone. We turn left here and I reverse. Rebecca the hut is up
the lane on the right. Watch where you put your feet because of vipers.
“Where are you people and the disposal van”?asked Rebecca slipping a
“Van is behind the hut and everything is ready. When you go in the men
will not talk to you but will go outside and wait. When you have finished
give them the tape recorder and the gun, make sure it is safe.”
They stopped and Ira switched of the engine and Rebecca got out into
the darkness, placing the pistol into a plastic bag and making it tight.
She then cocked the pistol and walked to the hut. There was just a clink
young Indian man. He nodded and stood to one side to let her in and
then left followed by a much older man who closed the door over.
Jones and the Rev Butts were tied up and sitting on the floor and both
were hooded. She took out the tape recorder and set it on the table and
pressed play then went over and pulled up the hoods on both men but
not off them. She could see that they had masking tape across their
mouths and even though the oil lamp did not give off much light, it give
off enough for her to see that they were both frightened.
Butts blinked in the light and Jones shook his head and tried to
struggle.
They looked up and seen her and what they seen they did not like.
She walked over and ripped of the masking tape of both of them then
“Shut up! I will ask some questions, the answers to most I already know.
We have the evidence of the children here and on the farm in Wales, we
have the videos of children and we also have other males in those
videos sexually abusing children. We have your hard drives Jones from
both you computers, the police are already going through yours Butts
and I’ll bet they will find more than Sunday sermons on them.
How many children did you in fact kill and dispose of in the UK Jones?”
He lifted his head and spat at her. She shot him once in the groin and he
Rodger Butts.
Butts shook his head crying. I don’t know. Maybe twenty over ten
years.”
“ You also knew that children were being taken here and organs
“I’m sure your God won’t but I’ll send you to him anyway”, and shot him
in the forehead then twice in her chest. Butts twitched for a few seconds
then lay still. She reached over and pulled Jones up who was trying to
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focus on her. She nipped his ear hard and his eyes cleared as the pain
hit him and he looked at Butts and his eyes widened in fear.
“One question Jones and much depends on your answer if I send you
direct to hell or not. How many children did you kill in the UK and I want
to know when and where and if you used Hill as a name also. You can
She watched him lick his lips and look at her and looked at the tape
recorder on the table. He was taking a long time so she shot him in both
remember, children’s names. It took less than five minutes and she
She smiled at him and shot him in the head followed by two in the chest.
“Nothing. I lied.”
She opened the door, made the pistol safe, handed the bag and pistol to
the younger man and looked at the old man who was smoking and
nodded.
When Jenny seen Rebecca get into the car she relaxed and Ira drove off
and turned east onto the main highway. There was no other traffic.
“ I will leave the tape recorder in the back for you Ira because it is all
Ira nodded. “ Thank you both. We will take care of the rest. In five
minutes we will be meeting another car, a white taxi. The man in it will
take you direct to the airport. Your tickets are in this small bag and you
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fly from direct from Delhi ten AM. He will drive a good part of the night
and will give you both a small bag of Indian souvenirs and a change of
Ira laughed. “ Yes he is my younger brother and he too has blue eyes
and also from Kashmir. We were born in Kargil. Our parents are dead but
A few hours later they said goodbye to Ira and Jenny said to her. “ I will
be in touch.”
She nodded and climbed back into the car and as she did both Jenny
and Rebecca noticed the silver scar tissue on her right lower back and
They slept through the night in the back of the taxi and when Jenny
opened her eyes they were pulling into the drop off zone at the Airport.
A blood red sun was coming up fast as they said goodbye to Ira’s
brother and he shook their hands and said, “Thank you for coming and
doing justice.”
As they sat in the waiting area set aside for VIP’s they had time to clean
up and feel human again. Each carried their hand luggage and inside
their bags were gifts from Ali. Not wanting to open them till they got
back to Codex and see sam at the hospital, if that was where he still
was.
Rebecca looked at her with sleep still in her eyes. “Honest answer?
“Sure.”
“ Like two different people Jenny. The one that loves books and life and
the dark half of me that deals in death. I don’t regret the killings but I do
people tell you about me. If you enjoy it like Jones did and the others
you are pretty sick in the head. I never enjoyed it but part of me, the
human part switches of for a few minutes. Once it is over I get on with
things put it behind me and and don’t have bad dreams about it.”
going to do it but in the end we had two choices. Walk away and let them
others to deal with, other cold cases and the team is ready. That is why
“Fine.”
Jenny started to cough then went into a fit of giggling then laughter.
Rebecca looked at her. “What did I say that brought this on?”
She was breathless and had to gulp air till she could answer,
Jenny started laughing again, the tension draining out of her and
“You’re nuts!”
“ I know”, Jenny gasped wiping tears from her eyes still laughing.
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When they landed at Birmingham airport Molly was there to meet them
“ How’s Sam?”
“He died last night. I did not text you because you were mid air but he
“Everything else is going well and just tidy up’s to do. Funeral to
arrange, inform his sister of course and then put our children of the
moon to bed. That Chief Constable, the woman, give a short statement
this morning on BBC News about Police Forces across the UK and in
arrests. Quote and unquote, “Thanks to the forces working together and
wide and were also able to close cases where children had died or
missing for many years. Our thanks also to Interpol for the work they
done in India and arrests will be made there also. Two UK citizens are
being sought in connection with the murders. It is thought that they are
in India.”
Rebecca sneered, “ To hear her you would think she did all the work!”
Molly raised an eyebrow. Suzy did a great job with the forensics.There
are whispers of course in the town, Jones and Butts missing at the same
Jenny smiled. “ Whispers. I like the name. Our next code word for our
next case.”