Angels Bleed (Fallen Angels Book 1) (28 page)

11:56 pm

Jessica supported Saul out of the Drawing Room and into the corridor.  ‘John, why didn’t you tell him about the tattoo?’ she asked incredulously. 

‘It’s wrong Jess.  He is still playing games with me.  I know you were with me that night.  I know you cannot be Madame Evangeline.  He wanted me to choose.  I chose what I believe to be true.  I believe in you.’  Saul said as Jessica hurried them down the corridor.

‘John, what about Jacob.  You do know what could happen!’ she said, her voice rising with panic.

‘We have to find another way to help him, one that doesn’t involve sacrificing you to the whim of a madman.’ he answered, a spirited determination entering his tone.  ‘Let’s go and find out if they have managed to trace that call.’ 

They walked out into the antiseptic glare of the arc lights, vapour wraiths dancing from their lips as the cold air surrounded them.  Sarah was pacing nervously just outside the cordon tape.  Strange was running out of the MIU toward the tape, Garry following closely behind.  They all reached the tape at the same time.

‘He didn’t go for it Sir.  We didn’t have the evidence he wanted.  As far as he is concerned, the crate will explode any minute now.  Did you get a trace?’  Saul asked.

‘We did, the call came from a payphone on the Quayside in Newcastle.  Officers are on their way now.’  Strange answered.

‘Look guys.’ started Garry, ‘I know we have altered the trigger, but I would still suggest we back away from the building just for the moment, at least until after twelve.’

‘Why?’ asked a nervous Sarah in surprise.  ‘You have changed the trigger, there isn’t any risk, is there?’

Strange shot Garry a reproaching glare.  ‘It’s alright Sarah.’ he said, coming up beside her and wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder.  ‘It’s just a precaution.’ he finished, gently directing her away from the building, back towards the MIU.  Jessica led Saul in the same direction.  Garry stayed at the tape, a look of concern on his face.

As they approached the MIU, Reynolds came running out of the door, his features animated, arms waving as he shouted towards Strange.

‘Sir, Sir.  The white mobile, it’s ringing Sir!’ he puffed as he arrived in front of Strange, passing over the device.  Strange looked down at the words on the display of the phone.

The words said: Madame Evangeline.

Strange glanced between Saul, Jessica and Sarah in bemusement as he raised the phone to his ear and pressed the answer button.

‘Hello, this is DCI Strange.  Is this Madame Evangeline?’ he asked.

There was a click on the line and a recorded voice kicked in.  ‘The time now is 23:59:48 seconds precisely.’  It was the voice of the ‘Unknown Caller’, of Dr Hanlon, of Rob Adams.  ‘The crate will explode in ten seconds.’

Strange had just activated the bomb.

11:59:50 pm

‘It’s the trigger, it’s another fucking trigger!’  Strange screamed, panic on his face as he threw the phone to the ground, pushing Sarah, Saul, Jessica and Reynolds towards the MIU as he shouted to everyone else. ‘Get out of the way, get out of the way.  The crate is going to explode!’ waving his arms frantically to the various officers stationed around the perimeter tape.  They all started to run towards the MIU or towards the nearest vehicle.

11:59:52 pm

The words ‘crate’ and ‘explode’ hammered into Sarah’s head in the confusion of Strange’s panicked warnings.  She moved in the direction that he was pushing her for a second, until the two words made themselves heard and she screamed ‘Jacob!’ with every last ounce of breath in her lungs.  She turned instantly, ducking under Strange’s arm and started to sprint towards the Hall, her face contorted with anguish.

11:59:53 pm

Saul reached out to grab Sarah’s arm as he saw her turn, as his face reflected the enormity of what Strange had shouted.  She slipped through his fingers, his hand clasping thin air.  He tried to turn after her, but his feet gave way underneath him as he did and he crumpled to the floor, reaching out an arm toward her as he fell, screaming out after her.  ‘Sarah, don’t!’

11:59:54 pm

Garry was running from behind Sarah and saw her dart between Strange and Saul and head back toward him, toward the Hall at pace.  She was heading slightly to his right so he change direction to head her off.  He kept his eyes firmly fixed on her.  He could see in her darting, startled glare that she knew he was going to try and stop her.  It was going to come down to a choice.  Would she veer left?  Would she veer right?  He looked for the signs in her demeanour, looked for her pumping legs twitch in a particular way, looked for a drop in the shoulder, a tilt of the head.  He saw all of them, which suggested that she was going left.  She was upon him and he leapt left to grab her waist, catching nothing as he slammed into the ground, just as she pulled to the right and sprinted past him.

11:59:56 pm  

Jessica knelt down on the gravel, scraping her knees against the harsh stone as she bent over and started to lift Saul from where he was spread-eagled on the ground.  She pulled his torso up, managing to raise him into a sitting position. 

‘We have to stop her!  We have to save Jacob!’ he screamed at Jessica imploringly, ‘Help Me!’ 

‘No John, you don’t have the strength, I’ve got to get you to safety.’ she answered, kneeling up and thrusting her arms through Johns arms from behind, clasping them around his chest as she dragged him backward, towards the MIU.

11:59:57 pm

Strange stopped in mid stride, seeing Saul fall to the floor out of the corner of his eye.  He turned and rushed the few steps back to where he had fallen, stepping in front of Jessica, who had just hauled him back into a sitting position.  Strange grabbed his battered legs, Saul looking up at him in anguish.

‘Jerry, we can’t let her do this, we have to stop her!  We have to get Jacob!’ 

‘It’s too late John, we have to think of you now.’

11:56:58 pm

Sarah bounded up the steps to the front entrance, and sprinted down the corridor, learning from her earlier mistake and slowing down slightly as she turned into the drawing room.  She leapt for the crate, her hand scraping the side, the last little false finger nail flying off.  She knelt down beside the crate, hugging the wood as tightly as she could, looking up to the plasma TV on the wall, staring at it, eyes dilated with the darkness of despair, but glistening with a mother’s love as she took in Jacob’s serene face. 

‘I’m here Jacob.  Mummy is here.  Mummy will always be here.  I am so sorry my beautiful baby boy.’ she cried, into his worn and tattered taggie. 

11:56:59 pm

Garry was back on his feet again, shaking his head in frustration as he ran towards the lumbering trio in front of him, noticing Saul kicking furiously, trying to extricate himself from their grip, screaming, ‘I need to stop Sarah!  I need to save Jacob!’ at the top of his voice. 

He came up alongside Strange and grabbed one of Saul’s legs off him, taking the load from the older man.  ‘Look mate, it’s too late for her, do your mates, who are trying to save your life a favour and stop fucking struggling.’ he shouted at Saul as the three of them picked up some speed, getting closer to the MIU.

12:00:00 am

Jessica’s irises contracted, a sudden burst of brightness shining from her dilated pupils, sparkling into the emerald, reflecting the explosion happening in front of her.  The sound battered her eardrums, forcing her to fall to the floor, dropping Saul and raising her hands quickly to cover her ears, to block out the deafening roar.  Searing hot air smacked into her face, jittering the skin with its force, drying the moisture from her tear stained eyes, forcing her short hair backwards.  Debris followed, whistling particles of rubble biting into her flesh where they landed on her face, gouging lesions as they ricochet. 

She didn’t close her eyes, staring down the explosion defiantly, her lips rippling back from her teeth, exposing a rictus grin.  From below she heard mumbled words, releasing the hands from her ears to hear, looking downwards to Saul.  To his ripped, torn and filthy tuxedo.  To his beaten, stigmatised, bleeding, broken body.  To his shaking arms reaching abjectly out in front of him.  To his tormented, grief stained face. 

‘Jesus, what have I done, what have I done.’  Saul cried, over and over again, his litany of guilt seeping into her mind, enlivening her smile, rising with the spreading satisfaction that was painting itself onto her face.  She looked back up, smirking euphorically ahead.  Her emerald irises glowed, flecked ruby, pupils reflecting flames which danced in the devastation of betrayal that her final words bestowed:

‘Et tu, my darling, Et tu Brute.’                

12:01 am

The emptiness of forever shrank, then grew, the pupil changing size under volition.  The green iris surrounding it moved effortlessly in tandem, framing the imperceptible communication in a dazzling glow.  The white of the eye remained static, as did the lashes and lids, as did the young face the eye lived in.  The rest of his body was prone too, lying flat on a cot bed.

‘His name is Jacob.’  Dr Hanlon said, leaning over the cot and watching the young boy’s eyes intently.  ‘He has a condition called Pinocchio Paralysis.  At least, that is the non-clinical term his parents gave it.  He can’t move at all.  Apart from his pupils.  He has only just learned how to do that in the last few days.’

‘Can you hear what I am saying Jacob?’  Dr Hanlon asked, clearly and concisely.  Rebecca leaned in closer too, focusing on his left eye.  She saw the iris contract once, then slowly expand to normal dilation.

‘That is amazing Doc, absolutely amazing.’  Rebecca said, her own pupils wide with awe as she observed the silent interaction. 

‘It is remarkable.  Jacob is a very special little boy.’ Dr Hanlon said.  ‘Rest your eyes now Jacob, we will talk more later.’ 

He motioned for Rebecca to leave the room and followed her, picking up a holdall from the top of a chest of drawers.  He pulled the door closed then walked back to the sofa with Rebecca, both of them sitting down.

‘So Doc, as much as it was lovely to see little Jacob, I’m not quite sure how that relates to having another choice?’ she asked, perplexed.

‘Jacob needs someone to look after him.  Someone who is good with children, someone who has spent a lot of time with them.’  Dr Hanlon said.

‘You just mentioned his parents Doc, why can’t they look after him?’  Rebecca queried.

‘It’s complicated.  Let’s just say his parents have let him down and he needs someone who can give him their undivided attention.’

‘And you think that someone is me.  Rebecca the Psycho.  Rebecca the murderer.  Rebecca the escaped mental patient.  You think that puts me in a better position than his parents to look after him?’ she asked, incredulously.

‘Yes.’ he answered simply, his expression unwaveringly sincere and serious.

Rebecca breathed out heavily, shaking her head, smiling at the ludicrousness of the suggestion.  ‘How is that ever going to work?  The second I step out of that door, you know and I know it’s only a matter of time before they catch up with me.’

‘Not necessarily.’  Dr Hanlon started, reaching into the holdall and pulling out a plastic wallet.  He opened the wallet and took out two passports, some flight tickets and a credit card and handed them over to Rebecca.

She took them off him and inquisitively opened the first passport, her countenance expressing an even higher level of surprise.  ‘The picture is mine, but the name isn’t?’ she said, looking inside the second passport.  ‘The same with Jacob.’  She opened the flight tickets, ‘Italy?’ she questioned.

‘An opportunity for a new start.  A new life for you, a new life for Jacob.  That is the other choice Rebecca.  It is entirely down to you if you take it, but think about, seriously.  You have all the skills, all the understanding and all the empathy.’  He paused, reaching over to hold her hand tightly.  ‘You have all the love that little boy needs.  You will find his love unequivocal too.’

‘It’s ludicrous Doc, absolutely ludicrous.’ she said, shaking her head.

‘All I ask, is that you spend the rest of the night thinking about it.’  He leant over to the holdall and took out a mobile phone, placing it on the table.  ‘If, after that, you still think it is ludicrous, then give yourself up.  Or let the authorities know where Jacob is and kill yourself.’ he finished, a wry grin in amongst his serious demeanour.

She started at him quizzically, trying hard to read something, anything in his eyes, in his steadfast expression.  ‘Why?’ she asked, simply.

He didn’t answer for a moment, just returned her gaze, weighing up what to say next.  ‘We let you down Rebecca.  What Dr Ennis put you through, should never have happened.’

‘There you go with the ‘We’ again Doc?  Who the hell is ‘We’?’ she asked, an obvious annoyance entering her tone.

Dr Hanlon smiled at her, unabashed by her tone.  ‘Who we are is unimportant.  Why you are here is important.  Why Jacob is here is important.  The choice in all of this is entirely yours.’ he answered, standing up and looking down at her still petulant façade. 

‘And that is all I get, after everything you have done for me, that is all I get?’ she questioned, leaning upwards on the sofa onto her knees, her body coming in line with Dr Hanlon’s chest as she looked up towards him. 

‘You can have a hug if you like?’ he answered playfully.

‘That’s not what I meant and you know it.’ she said in frustration.

‘From me, that is all you will get.  However, it is entirely your prerogative, if you decide not to kill yourself, to find out more.  I can’t stop you doing that.  Now though, I really have to leave and personally, I would like a hug before I go.’