Legacy (14 page)

I turned the shower off and suddenly realized that I hadn’t brought a towel into the bathroom with me and now I would have to head for the airing cupboard soaking wet to go and get one.

My body was aching from head to toe and the trip from the airing cupboard to my bedroom after grabbing a towel was a lot slower than normal.

So into my bedroom I went and as I began drying myself, I suddenly realized that the blinds were open and whoever was passing would be able to see parts of me that I didn’t want them to see.

I wrapped the towel around myself and went to close them and as I did so, spotted a silver car parked not too far away with two men inside – I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even I could tell they were police.

It looks like I’m being watched.

Maybe it would be safer to stay put for a while – that is if those two policemen out there are nothing like those two who were supposed to be watching me back at the hospital.

But of course they had the distraction of that nymphomaniac nurse who wasn’t exactly shy in coming forward.

Looks like I’ll have to take that chance – I panicked back at the hospital and that nurse wasn’t exactly trying hard to keep me there.

I need to get dressed.

I go to get up and as I do so, I suddenly hear a creaking noise coming from outside my bedroom.

I stop and listen for another creak, but nothing.

Dismissing it as paranoia, I grab my underwear from the drawer and quickly put them on.

I continued to get fully dressed without any more incidents and after realizing that nothing was lurking in my flat, I took a moment to calm down before I got myself worked up so much that I would burst into blind panic.

And just as I managed to bring my breathing to a normal level, the hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stood up as I noticed my bedroom door opening wider.

My heart started pumping faster and my chest grew tighter as the butterflies in my stomach became more and more uncontrollable as I sat there, frozen to the spot, preparing myself for what was lurking behind the door.

And it wasn’t long before all was revealed.

Standing in my bedroom doorway was none other than Lucius.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Outside Naomi’s flat, exactly as she had thought, two policemen were sitting in an unmarked grey car keeping a watch on the property.

They had arrived moments after she had made it into the flat and were completely unaware that she was inside – and even more scarily, one of the men they had been trying to protect Naomi from had actually managed to make his way into the very flat they were watching completely undetected.

The only thing that revealed to them that someone was inside was when Naomi closed the blinds in her bedroom.

              “Did you see that?” one of the policemen asked his colleague.

              “Yeah - the blinds moved!” He confirmed.

              “Well, that confirms there’s definitely someone in the flat, but is it the woman who disappeared from the hospital?”

              “Whoever it is, I’m contacting Harran to let him know and he can decide what to do next.” The other policeman said and he dialled Harran’s number on his mobile phone.

But while the two policemen kept watch on Naomi’s flat, neither of them noticed a figure suddenly appearing out of nowhere before disappearing behind the unmarked police car completely undetected.

Not only were they oblivious to what was happening inside the flat, they were also unaware that someone was up to no good directly behind them.

There was no answer from Harran’s number as he was presently trying to save the life of the dying nurse back at the hospital so the policemen continued their vigil from the car until they could get a reply.

And as they sat there in silence, the strange figure moved along the passenger side once again unnoticed.

The silence in the car was broken as the mobile began to ring and just as the policeman in the driver’s seat went to answer it, the air was filled with the sound of the passenger side’s front window being smashed into thousands of pieces.

The car shook violently and he couldn’t do anything as an arm came in and physically dragged his colleague out from inside the car with impressive ease.

He opened his door and stepped outside to be greeted by a man perched on the car roof, looking directly at him with a huge grin on his face.

              “Get off the car!” he shouted at the man, “This is an unmarked police vehicle and you have just assaulted a police officer!”

But the man refused to move, instead pointing to the other side of the road where the lifeless body of the other policeman who he had taken from the car seconds ago lay.

              “I’ve done a lot more than that!” he said before his smile turned into an echoing laugh.

The policeman went to make a move to call for back up, but the man swiftly jumped to the ground and stood directly in front of him menacingly, stopping him from doing so.

              “You can call for as many policemen as you want to back you up, but every one of them will face the same fate as your friend over there. There is nobody strong enough to defeat me and if anyone is stupid enough to try to try their luck with me, then they won’t live to tell the tale. Now, perhaps you and I can stop playing these silly games by you telling me where the girl is.”

The policeman shook his head.

              “I don’t know who you’re talking about!” he lied.

Without warning, the man suddenly grabbed the policeman by his throat and lifted him a couple of inches off the ground with considerable ease.

              “Now, that was a foolish thing to do!” the man said, tightening his grip as he did so, causing the policeman to struggle for breath. “You and I are both here for the same reason – and that is for Naomi. If it wasn’t for that bitch back at the hospital helping her to escape, we wouldn’t be in this position right now – but that nurse paid for what she did – I made sure of it personally. So, I strongly advise that you tell me which one of these buildings Naomi lives in before my patience starts to run out!”

As the policeman struggled to get any words out, the mobile phone in the car started to ring again.

The man instantly dropped the policeman to the ground and grabbed the phone from inside the car, pressing the answer button as he did so.

              “Hello?” a voice could be heard through the earpiece.

The man just laughed and tossed the mobile phone across the road, smashing it into a few pieces as it bounced along the concrete.

The voice on the other side was Harran’s and he immediately became suspicious at what he had just heard and motioned Short over.

              “I need you to do something really important for me, Short.”

Short nodded his head immediately and listened to what Harran wanted.

              “I’ve just called the policemen who are out looking for the Gallagher woman and when they answered, all I got was a really strange laugh and then the phone went dead. As you know Short, being the senior officer at a scene like this means I can’t leave it until the right procedures are carried out – so I need you to get in the car and do a little spying for me just to set my mind at rest. Start with the woman’s house and let me know if you come across anything suspicious.”

Short agreed and went to walk off, but Harran stopped him in his tracks.

              “Short, whatever happens, do not under any circumstances try and be a hero. The moment you think you need it, you make sure that you call for back up. It’s quite clear that we are dealing with very dangerous people who are starting to leave not only a trail of destruction, but also an ever increasing body count as well!”

              “I can assure you Sir,” Short replied, “I will most certainly not do anything stupid.”

Harran nodded his head and gave a wry smile.

              “I believe you, Short. You’re the only one I can trust right now. But don’t let your guard down at any moment because this case has already pulled out the strangest things that I have ever witnessed and I’m sure we have a lot more to come before we put an end to it. As soon as I am finished here, I’ll join you as quickly as I can.”

And without saying another word, Short stepped out of the room, leaving Harran alone with the dead body of the nurse they had both been unable to save.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I couldn’t believe that Lucius had managed to get into my flat so easily after I had made sure that I had securely locked myself in and I can’t even describe in words how scared I was right now.

He just continued to stand in the doorway, just starting at me without uttering a word – and that silence was making me feel a lot more uneasy.

Outside, there was quite a commotion going on and Lucius made his way towards the bedroom window to see what all the noise was.

He beckoned me to join him, but there was no way I was going to let my guard down – after all he had broken into my property uninvited and was walking around it as if he owned it as well – one thing I have learnt is whenever Lucius or Zephal suddenly turn up, the other one is never too far away and as soon as they meet, trouble immediately follows.

Since they have come into my life, there has been nothing but disaster and death – but what happened when the two of them met back in my hospital room was enough for me to try and stay as far away from them as possible.

But something was really interesting Lucius outside and a little part of me wanted to find out what.

Lucius must have been aware of this as he pulled the blinds further apart in order for me to see for myself without having to move off the edge of the bed.

              “See what we’re dealing with?” Lucius asked as it became clear what the commotion was about.

The two policemen who had been watching my flat were now out of the car, but both were showing no signs of life.

But their killer didn’t seem to show any indication of wanting to flee from the scene either – instead he remained at the side of the unmarked police car looking around as if searching for something.

It was at that point that I realized that man was Zephal.

              “What do you mean by we?” I answered, “If my memory serves me well, back at the hospital he was constantly badgering me to tell him where you were. You’re the one he wanted! He only went for me because he thought I was hiding you!”

              “I don’t think you realize how much danger you’re really in. Don’t be fooled by him – you’re the one he ultimately wants! The only reason he wants to kill me is that once I’m out of the picture, he can easily get to you. As long as I’m around he’s not going to get that opportunity.” Lucius replied.

I was totally taken aback my what Lucius had just said and he was right in one way – I had suddenly become the centre of attention and it had been puzzling me why.

              “So why does this Zephal want me then? What have I done that’s so wrong?” I asked, hoping to find out the reason, but Lucius’s answer was not what I wanted.

              “I can not tell you right now, but I promise you it will all become clear very soon. You must trust me.”