Underbelly (70 page)

“
I’m grateful that you haven’t. I am concerned about my child. This stress cannot be good for it.”

“
I have delivered many babies before. You won’t die and nor will your child. You got caught in the middle, Germaine. You’re in no real danger,” Octavius admitted. While he knew she would never accept it, he was a godsend to her, protecting her along with the rest of humanity from the likes of Aolfa and Young Winston. She needed the protection as she was entangled deeper than most, and he was surprised to find how uncorrupted she was. Grey thought of her as a pure innocent, and Octavius quickly found the same feelings developing for her. He did not need her gratitude; liberating her from their accursed bondage was enough.

“
Let me go and they’ll leave you alone.”

“
He won’t. He showed that before with Cecil Winston. He’ll try and restore the ‘rightful’ occupant to this body, whoever that is. The witch will try and take my secrets from me, in ways she would never have dared before, when she hid in shadows from me. I have had her scent – you don’t forget such a foul stench.”

“
Taking me prisoner makes them more determined. You have some integrity, Mr Octavius. Enough not to harm me or my child. Let me go and I promise I won’t lead them back to you. People will come here soon and they will want that reward.”

“
Watch,” Octavius said and a small flame emanated from his left hand and slowly travelled across the hangar through the air on a wayward trajectory, like an injured fly, before it hit the wall without even making a sound. “Once that would have caused this whole building to rock. A fireball is now a spark. I am not what I was. Yet what I am is enough to deal with those two. Once they’re disposed of you and your child are free to enjoy your lives in peace.”

“
Unless the child has powers like their father. Like you. James, Laura, you – you’re as human as me and everyone else. Please don’t follow this path again. This is a new start.”

“
They won’t allow me that and you know it. She might, though she’s far more devious than I ever was so her word means naught. Your husband is not that kind of man. Immoral, yet believes himself righteous and that he dictates what is or not acceptable.”

Germaine shook her head. “That’s not him at all. In my first life all hope was gone. Without him there could never have been a second life.”

“
As a soldier I came across many orphans. I took some of them in, schooled them, for either my army or my harem. You exploit your past to try and weaken my resolve, to make me be merciful to your husband for your sake, as though this loss would be too great. There is no loss too great, Germaine. Anyone can overcome any trauma. If he had not been around at your darkest hour you would have found another path. A story you may not know of my past concerns Aureolis. A short man, in stature, yet we would all have followed our centurion into the Underworld to kill Pluto if he asked us. I was a lowly legionary then and he was a God to us, truly invincible. He saw us through many perils and we all believed that as long as he was with us we stood a chance of making it home. One day he was decapitated in the very early stages of a battle. Without our talisman, we still won the battle and most of us survived.”

“
I thought you would have been born with your power.”

Octavius shook his head. “It was a long journey. In life we make the fundamental mistake of underestimating ourselves, a folly I never repeated. We believe ourselves to be basically weak and believe we need weapons and other people to make us strong, crutches. I amassed an army and made myself stronger in numbers and with weaponry but I never forgot that what made me strong is me. You don’t need your parents or sister or husband; you may wish they were all still in your life for the sake of your wellbeing and happiness, yet for you to survive they have no function.”

Germaine started to cry and she covered her eyes.

“
Don’t feel you have to cover your face. You will shed many more tears, I am sure. Yet you will not die.”

“
I’ll just wish I was dead,” Germaine said quietly.

The police were doing nothing. Ordinarily Grey may have made excuses for them, as he knew they were busy and overstretched and probably were trying their best. However, as it was his wife who was missing and had undoubtedly come to harm, he felt they should have been turning the city, the whole state, upside down to find her. Conrad had stepped up and Grey was grateful for his support. He had already put two PI’s on the case, both of whom he personally vouched for as the best in the world with a price tag that proved it. He threw even more money at the problem, offering a ransom for Germaine’s safe return and had printed thousands of posters and had them plastered all around the city and was steering Grey through the whole media process, with newspaper ads and even a film spot being prepared. Laura kept trying too, even trying spells to locate Grey’s missing coat and hat, in the hope that these items were not protected and would lead them to kidnapper and prisoner. It transpired that coats and hats didn’t have any unique energy auras to help them out. Five days and counting now...

With Grey’s powers back at last he tried to locate spirits who could help, ideally spirits who were able to see the world around him and could search the city for him, in every hidden room, in every dark corner or cellar. He was curt with Del as he tried to help and immediately apologised.

I’m sorry, pal. It’s just I need to talk to spirits who have more senses and can locate her. It’s been five days now.

No offence taken. I’ll back off. I’ll be around, if you want to talk.

Talking would mean going over possibilities that...things I can’t allow myself to think. We both know how sadistic humans can be.

Don’t think like that. I hope everything works out, James
, Del said gravely, unusually serious.

Me too. Look after yourself and we’ll talk soon.

Grey tried exploring the spirit world for answers and for a spirit who he could use as a runner. 16 useless spirits came to the fore, all wanting his help, which he begrudgingly gave though he rushed them. The 17th died in the hotel and asked Grey if he could check his body had been found.

The maids come up and clean every morning, unless you have a special arrangement. They don’t come to our room because we value our privacy. How long were you booked in for?
Grey said, going through the motions, trying not to let his disinterest come across.

Three days. I’m from Wisconsin, Jimmy, which is too far to commute so I was staying in town for the meeting at the expense of the company so I chose the Overton hotel. I’d only arrived an hour before this, so I can’t blame the food for poisoning me. I’d unpacked and I was thinking about going out for dinner when I had the heart attack.

Your body would have been found the next morning, for definite. How long ago did this happen, because I can check now for you? I’m on good terms with the owner’s son, he’s a good friend.

I was booked in Friday through Sunday. If you want the dates that’s the 9th to the 11th.

That’s been and gone. It’s Tuesday the following week now.

Sorry, you lose all sense of time.

No, I’m sorry. My wife is missing, that’s why I’m grouchy at the moment. That’s not your fault or your problem.

How long has she been missing.

This is the fifth day.

So she went missing Friday. That was a crummy day all round. You must be out of your mind. Just because I’d only just arrived this time before pegging it doesn’t mean I don’t know the city. I’ve been to New York other times and I would be very worried about my wife alone on the streets.

She’s also heavily pregnant. Anyway, Jack, I’ll find out what happened with you. I’ll ring Conrad now and this should bring you peace. What room were you in?

243. An executive suite. At least I picked decent surrounding to snuff it in.

You did. I think that’s the floor below us, where most of the rooms are a decent size. I haven’t seen any doctors around or anybody wheeled out, but you know how big the place is.

Of course.

Grey rang up Conrad and quizzed him on the matter. Conrad was loath to investigate this and told Grey he should tell the spirits to give him a break but he promised he would look into it and phone him back. 10 minutes later he phoned back Grey and told him that Jack Collinson had checked into the hotel on Friday before leaving the same day without notification.

“
That’s strange,” Grey said.

“
His company paid in full so we have no complaints,” Conrad said. “His stuff is in storage and he will be billed for it if he wishes to have it back. One of the administrators is writing to him about that. They hadn’t bothered, until I phoned up and now they’ve deemed it top priority.”

“
So who am I talking to then?”

Conrad was silent for a few moments as he began to understand the situation. “That’s a good question. A bullshitter?”

“
Or...this is something similar to before.”

“
Don’t mention that over the phone!” Conrad said, raising his voice.

“
I know better than that. What do you think?”

“
I think I’ll be round in an hour,” Conrad said as he hung up.

Grey held the receiver in his hand as his head pulsated, the mother of all headaches coming on. Returning to Jack he said,
Did you feel pain during your heart attack?

It was fast and fatal. One second I was sitting there planning my evening and the next I was floating around in blackness. Has my body been sent home to Joan?

Not as of yet. I don’t want to alarm you or give you false hope so all I’ll say is that there may be more to this than meets the eye. I need you to describe yourself to me in microscopic detail.

Are you suggesting murder?

Explaining what I mean would take way too long. In time I will, but my wife may not have time. Do you have any pictures of yourself present?

No. The only photo I carry on me is a shot of my wife I keep in my wallet.

Wisconsin. That’s not so far,
Grey mused.

What’s that supposed to mean?
Jack said defensively.

What sort of time did this heart attack happen?

I don’t know. Tell me what’s going on and why you’re wanting to know this
, Jack said, this calm spirit becoming irritable and edgy as Grey spoke in riddles and gave dark clues and, even worse, implied he would be approaching Joan.

I haven’t got time for this, Jack. You may not be dead, okay? So you said you were 47, and I’m guessing white. What colour hair do you have, are you tall, short, thin, fat?

Hold up. It’ll be quicker if you start from the beginning, because I’m not going to answer your questions while you bamboozle me like this.

Fuck you then. I’ll find out another way.

Don’t you fucking dare go near my wife, punk.

Your wife is safe. You don’t know how lucky you are.

Jack Collinson was gone, though Grey was sure he could bring him back. Conrad and Thomas were not constantly present throughout that fiasco yet remained accessible when the moment of truth arrived. Unlike the maid. The others were right, a 2 out of 3 success ratio was good, and not worth torturing himself about. Yet he still did so. Allan Whitlow, the doomed Pagan Resistance, including the heavily pregnant Odette, Ollie Seddon’s victims...even without trying there was a trail of blood behind him, of people he’d failed or wrong decisions made that proved fatal to others. Germaine couldn’t be another casualty.