Underbelly (71 page)

Grey entered Laura’s room without knocking and saw that she knelt on the floor, clad in only a thin petticoat, in the centre of a bloody circle. A goat’s head was in the circle with her too, along with various internal organs from the animal, and Laura and her white petticoat were splashed with deep scarlet, suggesting the sacrifice may have occurred here (though the main parts of carcass were not immediately visible).

“
I’ll wait or I can come back if you’re in the middle of a spell.”

Laura shook her head and stood up and walked out of the circle. “I was, a useless spell. It wasn’t leading anywhere. Have the newspaper ads been made yet?”

“
Not quite. Conrad’s offered to triple the reward to $30,000...”

“
That will get people’s attention,” Laura said.

“
Hopefully. We may need a wanted poster too. It turns out on the floor between us, in room 243, Jack Collinson’s spirit left his body between 1 and 6pm last Friday. No body has turned up and he can’t be accounted for from that time. I phoned up his work and he should have been back home yesterday and back at work today. He’s a missing person.”

“
Not dead though? Or no body has turned up anyway? That timeframe is when Octavius was trying to get into your brain – which I would never have allowed.”

“
I know. We’re thinking the same thing. He was in my head, he threatened Germaine. He could have gleaned the room number from my head.”

Laura smiled. “This changes everything. We can track him down. He won’t expect us to work this out.”

“
I can get his things, if that would help you locate him.”

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It would. In his original body I could feel him from 100 miles away.”

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Conrad’s coming to see me so I’ll get the items from him, bring them to you, and then we go and get Germaine back.”

“
It might be better if I go by myself.”

Grey shook his head and said adamantly, “This is my affair. I want you to come in case I fail, but I’m going in first. I’ve put spirits back where they should be before, and I felt bad when I did so because the invaders weren’t bad people. This time I will feel great satisfaction.”

“
Octavius lived longer than me by at least 1000 years, though I still feel that 1300 years is a long time to be alive, right? Yet throughout that time, consistently, despite all other changes, the stubbornness of man never changes. Fine, you can come with me; I know better than to get between husband and wife. I’m merely stating that the intelligent thing to do is to let me handle this.”

“
Love isn’t governed by the intellect, Laura. I’d be happier dying trying to get her back than waiting in the wings while others act, even you.”

“
I understand. I know you’d crawl over broken glass naked for her. With Octavius such things may be a stipulation. We’re not dealing with normal people here.”

“
And neither are we normal people. Come with me as my second. The honour of killing him goes to me. I’m not blinded by revenge. Germaine comes first, even if that means he escapes. If...if we’re too late, you’ll see a different side to me. I have darkness in me too, Laura.”

“
Everyone does, James. I hope I don’t see it come out though. It wouldn’t suit you.”

“
I know. I’ve never been this close to the edge before. I’ll come back down in a bit. I won’t bring Conrad.”

“
Best not to, I think. I love that you come in here during this and don’t bat an eyelid. You have greater concerns, of course.”

“
I know you’re trying to help, by any methods necessary. I know you’ll succeed when we get Jack’s things. See you soon.”

Conrad led Grey to storage and gave Grey dispensation to take the suitcase away. Conrad needed to talk to some staff quickly and told Grey he’d meet him in his room which gave Grey the opportunity to give Laura Jack Collinson’s suitcase. By the time Conrad was up to Grey’s room Grey was sat down tapping his foot as he thought of Laura downstairs, hopefully coming up with the solution.

“
Sorry about the holdup. That was something that couldn’t wait. I managed to get in touch with Lynch and he’s going to get us a picture of Jack Collinson. The ads are good to go. Do you still want them to run or would you rather wait and explore this new lead?” Conrad asked.

“
I’d rather wait. Thanks for coming straight over, Conrad, but there’s somewhere else I have to be. It involves the supernatural side of things and I’ll spare you the details.”

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I couldn’t talk about that over the phone. I am interested. I know exactly what poor Jack is going through. He’ll be terrified. Does that mean there’s another Winston around?”

“
I fell out with Jack because I didn’t have time to explain everything. If I’m honest I have had the time, because since then time has continued to plod along slowly. There’s not another Winston around, I can promise you that. An aggressive spirit tried to take over my head before. He couldn’t get into me. Jack wasn’t so lucky. You may be susceptible to such things so I think you should go.”

“
When the shit hit the fan at Winston manor you should have gone too. You didn’t. I’m apprehensive now, but I don’t abandon my friends, James.”

Grey reached to shake his hand and Conrad obliged. “You’re a good man, Conrad. Better than you give yourself credit for. This aspect of things I have to manage alone. Help me out by getting ‘Wanted’ posters made up for Jack Collinson. I need to go and explore this avenue alone.”

“
I don’t want to get in your way. You sure you don’t need a hand?”

“
Not for this. Spirit stuff. I try and explain the whole thing and we get plodded down all night. It’d be like you trying to explain the stock market to me.” Grey stood up and walked with Conrad to the door, which he locked behind him. “I pray that the answer is within my grasp.”

“
She’s in my prayers too. I’m going to the main offices. You coming that way?”

Grey shook his head and they went their separate ways in the corridor as Grey went to take a different lift. By the time he rejoined Laura she was still performing her spell as she sat cross-legged amongst Jack’s scant possessions, with his clothes draped across her and his razor in her hand. She bled from her bare right arm and sat topless. Still Grey could not believe she had chopped off her breast and was transfixed at this sight. He sat silently on the sofa and she did not acknowledge him as she concentrated her hardest, desperate that the spell worked this time. There was a chance that Octavius’ spirit could complicate the tracking spell as the man she was looking for was now a hybrid. If this failed she doubted anything would work and Grey would never know what befell Germaine, which was far worse than knowing she was dead.

When she was finished she stood up and turned to look at Grey. She was overjoyed at the good news she had to deliver and she said, “There’s no time for sitting around, James. This bloodhound has his scent.”

Grey stood up and wanted to hug her, hesitating because he knew she was not at all tactile and she was still only partially clothed. “I knew you could do it,” he said emotionally. As Laura dressed in her room Grey began to cry, relieved that finally Germaine would be coming home. He could only imagine what she had been through. Whatever she’d endured, they’d be fine, with Grey on tap permanently as her round the clock bodyguard. The tears continued to flow as Laura rejoined him and he scrubbed his face clean with his hand and said, “Let’s go.”

“
They’re not close so a car would be handy.”

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That’s sorted,” Grey said as they dashed down the corridor and Grey pushed the button for the lift repeatedly.

As Grey sped down the road according to Laura’s directions he said, “Octavius. You know as much about him as I do, probably more even. What would he do to his prisoner? Germaine isn’t a threat to him and is no sport. Trophy to keep alive, like Slene? Or...oh, he killed Slene in the end. He killed innocents to make some point to Dagulen. Where does my wife stand in his twisted code of morality?”

“
I believe that if he wanted to kill her he’d have left her body in the flat for you to find. I think he removed her as a trophy, or as a sounding board. A man like that was so used to being idolized that he needed a witness, and most people have no conception of what he was and would disbelieve him if he told them and call him a lunatic. Germaine is one of the few who knows of such things.”

“
Never again. It’s the quiet life from now on.”

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That’s what works for me. Left up ahead, if that road leads the right way.”

“
We’ll make it lead the right way. I think you might be right. Hurting her doesn’t fit in with his master plan. She’s bait, that’s all.”

“
I don’t believe that she is. He hid her from view; he doesn’t want a showdown yet. Maybe he would have exposed her to view when he felt ready for a fight. Are you still insisting on going in first?”

“
Yep. It comes down to Germaine being my woman and my job is to protect her. I don’t want anyone else stepping in unless I prove incapable which is when you can knock yourself out. You’d feel the same about John, you wouldn’t want me rushing in to save your man.”

“
If it was a spirit matter and you were better equipped I wouldn’t mind in the slightest, truly, James.”

“
This is a spirit matter. I go close enough, check Germaine’s fine, restore Jack’s spirit and banish Octavius to the bowels of hell. We may even get that card game finished once Germaine’s safely tucked up in bed. Can you sense her with him?”

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All I have is his location. I’m locked on him so even if he moves he doesn’t escape. If you need my help just shout and I’ll take over.”

“
I will. If I feel she’s in immediate danger I’ll do so.”

Laura repeated the offer of going in first as Grey parked up some distance from the hangar so that Octavius would not hear him approach. Again he refused and she walked part of the way with him and left him to it, though observed the situation with her senses. She sensed that Germaine was alive and with Octavius and she knew that she could sort this matter out safely immediately yet she stayed her hand. Grey needed to do this.

Grey attempted to slide the door quietly and made an unholy ruckus as he tried to do so. So much for the element of surprise. Jack’s spirit was back and Grey had given something of an explanation to him. Grey saw his body, as thin as Jack said, as Octavius stood in the distance staring impassively at him. Before Grey attempted to dislodge him he saw Germaine sat in a chair by the near wall and he ran to her, and when he reached her and saw she was well he looked back at Octavius who remained still. Grey tried to untie her hands whilst keeping his eyes fixed on Octavius.

“
The $10,000 is yours, James,” Germaine said emotionally. She then said, in a quieter voice, “You need to get out of here quickly.”

“
Ladies first,” Grey said as he freed her right hand. She aided him in trying to free her left hand. “I have the true prize here.”

Octavius walked closer and said, “Do you need me to untie her? She’s free to leave. Her job was to bring you here. Witnessing your death may be bad for her psyche.”

“
I’ll deal with you once she’s left. I’m not scared of you, Octavius,” Grey shouted back to him, eyeballing him as Octavius stopped approaching them.

“
Come with me,” Germaine pleaded as Grey managed to untie the stocking from the chair, though it remained tied to Germaine’s wrist.

“
He has to be dealt with. Have faith in me,” Grey said, holding her face in his palms.

Germaine reached to kiss him and Grey quickly kissed her before he stood up and pulled her to her feet. She dashed out of the hangar and into the field where she saw a lone figure in the distance that unnerved her until she was it was Laura. She ran to her and pleaded for her to go in and stop Octavius.