Spiritwalker (13 page)

Then she felt it, just as he was lowering his hood, an unconquerable force summoned her back to her body. She could hear them calling her name. She tried with all her will to stay with him but in the blink of an eye she was sucked back sharply into her body.

Chapter Seventeen

       
Her eyes fluttered open.  They were hovering over her, two faces one she didn't recognise, the other was Morley's.  The paramedic, the one she didn't recognise was calling her name loudly and asking if she could hear him.  He was checking her blood pressure, pumping a small ball like object in one hand, she could feel the pressure as it tightened on her arm. 

“She's awake” She heard Morley say, the relief in his voice was palatable as he saw her eyes open. 

“There you are.”  The paramedic said.  “We wondered where you had got to.”  He spoke to her as though he had been aware that her spirit hadn’t been present.  “How do you feel? Have you a pain anywhere?

Only then did Anna become aware of the fierce throbbing coming from the back of her head where her attacker had hit her.  Gingerly she tried to sit up and she touched the back of her head with her hand.  She squealed as she felt the painful lump that had become part of her head.

“Does that hurt?”  The paramedic asked her.

Anna nodded dumbly, her mouth and throat were sore and only dry gasps escaped her mouth.  “Water please.” she managed to croak at them.    Inspector Morley left and returned with a glass of water.  He handed it to her, hands shaking slightly she gulped the refreshing liquid greedily, spilling some down her chin in her haste.

“Easy now, take your time.”  The paramedic said as he removed the blood pressure monitor from her arm. 

It was then that she remembered that she was still on the bed and Sylvia's dead body lying within inches of her.  She shivered and recoiled involuntarily away from it.  As she tried to get off the bed a wave of nausea hit her.  She spied a metal waste-paper basket on the floor and lurched off the bed to reach it, she grabbed it and emptied the contents from it on the floor.  She then preceded to empty the contents of her stomach into the empty metal container.  “Sorry” she said weakly as she they helped to ease her back on the bed, careful not to touch the body beside her, she stayed close to the edge.

“Better out than in” Morley said in an attempt at humour trying to make her feel better.

She turned her head to look at Sylvia's body.  “Is she really dead” she asked hoping that she might by some miracle get a different answer to the one she knew in her heart to be true.   The medic followed her gaze and nodded slowly.

“I'm sorry about your friend, there was nothing we could do.”  He said softly.

“I barely knew her.” Anna said sadly. “She was like that when I got here.  I tried to ring you.” she said looking at Morley anxiously “But someone hit me over the head before I got a chance.  Why did he have to kill her, why did she have to die?”  She was crying now as the impact of what had happened to Sylvia and what had nearly happened to her hit her full force.

“Don't think about it now, we have to get you to the hospital.  You need to be checked out.”

Anna tried again to sit up again but waves of dizziness enveloped her, forcing her to sink back down.

From the doorway another medic appeared pushing a stretcher and between them they helped Anna onto it and brought her down to the ambulance that was waiting outside.  She noticed a small group of people outside suiting up in white coveralls.  “Who are they?” she asked.

“Scene of crime officers” Morley replied.  “I told them to wait until you were brought out before they came in.” He was standing beside her as the two medics prepared the ambulance for its passenger. 

With a practised hand they loaded Anna in and once inside one of them hopped in with her and closed the doors.  She heard Morley ask what hospital they were taking her

“Chelsea and Westminster” Was the reply she heard.         

            The drive to the hospital was short and Anna was seen immediately by a young doctor who insisted that she be kept under observation for twenty four hours.  A CT scan was ordered, and after it she was wheeled into a private room.  The nurse who brought her up to the ward after the scan was a fellow Irish woman from Galway.  A chatty woman who didn't seem surprised when she was followed to the private room by a uniformed policeman.

“You'll have to stay out here.” She ordered the policeman as she and an orderly wheeled Anna into the room.  He did as he was bid and as soon as they had transferred Anna from the trolley to the bed the orderly left. 

“What have you been up to?” the nurse whispered to Anna.  “It’s not everyone gets this kind of treatment.” She beckoned with her head towards the door.

“You'd hardly believe me if I told you.”  Anna answered

“I've heard it all before.”  The nurse stated in a matter of fact tone.  “You wouldn't believe the kind of things that human beings do to each other and themselves.  I've seen it all”

“I was attacked by a homicidal manic.”  Anna said.  Searching the woman's face for a reaction.  To her credit she barely batted an eye at this revelation. 

“Well at least you escaped.  That's what matters, isn't it?  You should stay away from those kind of people.”

Anna had to agree with her that she should indeed stay away from those kind of people.  Smiling to herself as she thought how great it would be, if those kind of people had “homicidal manic” tattooed on their foreheads for everyone to see.  That would make it a great deal easier.  The nurse seeing Anna smile, smiled back at her and touched her shoulder.

“There” she said “You're feeling better already.  I have to go, but if you need me press this bell here and I'll be in in a flash.  All right?

Anna nodded and thanked her, she sank gratefully into the pillows.  Her head hurt like hell despite the pain killers the nurse had given her, at least the CT scan had been normal she thought as she drifted off to sleep.  She felt safe knowing the policeman was outside the door. 

            She was awoken a couple of hours later by the same nurse who had come in to check her blood pressure and temperature.

“How are you feeling now Anna?” she asked as she checked her watch and felt her pulse at the same time.

“Much better, thanks.  Head still throbs a bit but I don't feel dizzy anymore.”

“You look much better, and everything seems fine here.”

“When can I go home, Nurse?” Anna asked as she watched the nurse write something on the chart that hung on the end of her bed.

“Not till tomorrow at the earliest, and call me Deirdre everyone round here does.  The police have been here trying to talk to you but I told em that they had to wait.  Doctors’ orders I said.  Do you want to talk to them?  I'll put em off for another bit if you like?”

“Thanks Deirdre” Anna said.  “But I'd better talk to them.  The sooner they catch that manic the better and I hope my description of him will help. It’s not much of a description, she reflected silently.

“All right love.  There's an Inspector Morley outside with a bit now.  He's been asking about you, I'll tell him he can come in.”

She left and Anna did her best not to feel nervous as she waited for him to enter. To her surprise when he did come in he was smiling, it lit up his whole face and he didn't seem quite so stern.  He genuinely looked pleased to see her.

Chapter eighteen

            With the ambulance gone, Morley turned his attention back to the crime scene and Sylvia's dead body.  He was just about to re-enter the building when a car with a blue light flashing on the top came to a screeching halt alongside the kerb.  A woman dressed in plain clothes jumped out of the driver’s side and ran towards him. 

“Stop, hold it right there.” she ordered him.  “Who are you?”  Morley raised his eyebrows at her in annoyance.  He wasn't used to being shouted at like some kind of criminal, especially by someone who seemed to have escaped from the set of Dirty Harry or some other over the top American police show.

“Inspector Morley, Canterbury police, I was first on the scene.  I called it in, and you are?”

“DCI Carter, sorry just got word the press are on their way, thought you might be one.” she said examining the ID card Morley held out to her.

“The press? Already, how did they find out so fast?” Morley asked his annoyance with her subsiding at her apology.  He examined the woman before him.  She had a wild mane of curly salt and pepper hair and she was wearing a shapeless grey blouse and equally shapeless grey trousers.  A female Columbo was how he would have described her.

“Who knows, a neighbour maybe, could even be one of our own.” It was obvious that Carter hadn't much time for the media.  “What are you doing here? A bit far from your own patch aren't you?”

“Working on a case, involving a missing woman, Jane Turner, she was a friend of the Vic. Thought she might be holding something back, came to see if I couldn't prise it from her.”

“The music tycoon's wife?”

“Yes that's the one.”

“Come on let’s talk inside” Carter said as a news van appeared around the corner and was quickly approaching.  A reporter inside, mike in hand was already opening the door getting ready to dismount as soon as the vehicle slowed enough.  “Cordon off the area” Carter ordered a young PC who was standing guard at the front door.  “Make sure none of that lot get past, keep them well back.”

“Yes Guv” the young PC grabbed a colleague and together they intercepted the female reporter who had just jumped down from the news van and was rushing towards the crime scene.

            Morley led the way to Sylvia's apartment, where the scene of crime officers were busy photographing and logging various bits of evidence. 

“Anybody touch the body?” Carter asked walking towards the bed, noting the position of the body and she gave a barely perceptible shudder as she looked into the glassy vacant stare of Sylvia's eyes.    “I checked for life signs when I got here, and so did the medic, but apart from that no one else has touched it, that's exactly how it was when I arrived.” Morley stated.

“What about the other woman who was taken to the hospital, do you know anything about her, could she have done it?”

“Unlikely” Morley said.  “When I got here she was on the bed lying in the same position as our Vic, she was out cold.  She had an injury to the back of her head and the medic thought he could smell chloroform from her.”

“Any idea who she is?”

“Anna Cotter, a private detective she's working for Jane Turner's sister, a Mrs Westhall.”

“Oh, why did they hire a private detective?” Carter asked straightening up and looking at Morley.

“We thought the sister had just gone off, just wanted a bit of time on her own, marriage had just broken up.  There wasn't any evidence of foul play so we didn't think it warranted extra attention.  The sister wasn't convinced so she decided to investigate for herself” he said a bit defensively.

“I see, so do you think your missing woman and our Vic here are connected, that it was the same person?”

“Definitely”

“Why”

“Seems too much of a coincidence not to be. Our lady detective arrived a couple of days ago to the Westhall's and since she arrived all hell has broken loose.  I've a missing woman, the attempted abduction of a minor and a cold-blooded murder.  I was on my way here to interview Ms Cavendish because of a conversation I overheard yesterday between Mrs Westhall and Ms Cotter.  Now it looks as if our perp has murdered her too, plus it looks like he lured Ms Cotter here to kill her too.”

“Wow, he has been busy, are you sure it’s a man we're dealing with?”

The girl that he tried to abduct is sure of it, and Ms Cotter got a glimpse of him that night and was able to rouse the parents, and they gave chase and caught up with him before he had a chance to get clean away with the girl.  He fled before we arrived on the scene leaving the girl, but we're confident it’s a man.”

“This Anna Cotter seems to be in the thick of your investigation, what you know about her, is she reliable, on the level so to speak.”

“I think so, I’ve a brother-in-law in the police in Ireland, I’ll get him to do a background check on her.” Morley said, he didn't want to let slip about Anna's claims that she was a psychic just yet.  He liked Anna despite everything and didn't want the Met to ridicule her, he knew they wouldn't take her seriously if they discovered that bit of information first.

“Is she Irish then, does she live over here?” Carter asked. 

“Yes, and no she lives in Ireland, it seems she was recommended to Mrs Westhall by a friend.”

“Seems a long way to go to hire a detective, recommended or not.” Carter mused echoing Morley's own thoughts when he had first found out.  “Right I want you to stick around, I'll need more information on your investigation.  If you go to the station, I'll have them give you access to an office.  You can make any calls you like from there.  Looks like we'll have to join forces on this one.”

            Morley sat behind the desk of Carter’s office, she had phoned ahead and instructed them to allow him the full use of her office and to give him any assistance he required.  He was impressed by her professional curtsey.  He felt she could be a demanding boss, but a fair one and he had to admire her for it.  It was obvious, despite her dishevelled appearance that she was well respected by her colleagues. 

He took out his phone and looked up Neil's work number.  Neil was an old friend and more recently his brother-in-law.  They had met nearly five years ago on a training course that the FBI had been asked to conduct on behavioural analysis.  Most of the stuff in the course was common sense, any good policeman worth his salt would soon pick up.  The course hadn't been a complete waste of time though, he had met Neil and had cultivated many contacts and friends on mainland Europe because of it.  With the free movement of people now within Europe it had been difficult to get reliable information on people who had moved to the UK from other countries.  Many criminals, who after the heat became too much for them in their own countries had moved to the UK, in the hope of starting their criminal activities afresh.