Spiritwalker (32 page)

Chapter forty three

Neil was waiting at the airport when Morley landed, with him was DS O Malley. Neil had chosen him for his solemn, silent steadiness. He was a big man and could be relied on not to raise an eyebrow even at the more unusual events. He had also been chosen because he was aware of Anna’s talents and Neil knew that if things became a bit weird that he wouldn’t question anything. The two men embraced and Neil led his brother-in-law out to the waiting car.

“Any news of Anna?” Morley quizzed

“Afraid not, two of the local guards went out to the house but no sign, her car is there, but no sign of her.” He sounded worried. “We’re going to go there first.”

“Has anyone seen her since? I still can’t reach her on the mobile.” Morley had a feeling of dread at the pit of his stomach and it was getting stronger.

“Mrs O Keeffe said she called to her earlier, Jamsie her son minds the dog and keeps an eye on the place when Anna is away. He wasn’t at home so we don’t know it he’s spoken to her or not.”

“Jesus Neil, what if he has got her?”

“Look mate, this is Anna we’re talking about, I’m sure she’s fine. Probably just went for a walk.” He was trying to sound unconcerned but he knew something was up. It didn’t take a genius to work out why Kingston had risked coming to Ireland, when he could have been well hidden anywhere else in Europe.

“Let’s hope so.” Morley prayed. “How far is it?”

“Another half an hour or so.” Neil said as he tore down the country roads as fast as he dared. O Malley was sitting in the back seat silently, his knuckles white as he held on tightly.

After what seemed like an age, the car shuddered to a stop in front of Anna’s house. All three of them jumped out. Morley began banging on the front door, no response.

“Let’s try around the back.” Neil suggested. They headed around the back of the house, he tried the handle of the door and it turned opening in to the utility room.

“Shush, a minute.” Morley commanded. They could hear whining coming from inside a cupboard. Neil walked over and taking the chair from in front of it opened it carefully. Boozy jumped out and recognising him as a friend slobbered Saliva all over him. Then seeing Morley the heckles on the back of his neck rose up, he was wry of strangers after his encounter with the other man. Morley backed up, away from the dog, then he saw it…blood, a big pool of congealed blood.

“Shit! Look Neil.”

Neil focused on the area Morley was pointing to, his heart sank. That has to be Anna’s he thought. He let the dog out of the house, opened the front door for O Malley and they began a systematic search of the house. They scoured every press, every hidey- hole; but found no trace of Anna. They went outside, Boozy had calmed down and was now accepting of the two strangers, they didn’t have the same bad smell that the other man had. He thought he could even smell a trace of his mistress from one of them. The shed was searched and the bushes were pulled apart, anywhere that might conceal a body was examined.

“He’s got her, hasn’t he?” Morley spat out. “Where the fuck’s he done to her?” He kicked at the bushes in frustration.

“Right let’s think sensibly. O Malley you go to the station in the village and let them know what’s happening. I want road blocks everywhere. Boozy who had laid down on the doorstep with his head in his paws suddenly became animated. He ran up to Neil and Morley and began barking at them.

“Boozy stop it.” Neil ordered but the dog continued to bark and whine at them.

“Do you know what’s happened to Anna?” Morley asked the dog as he reached down to scratch it behind its ears. Boozy licked his face and almost knocked him over with his enthusiasm.

**************

Anna woke, she had a pounding headache. It had a familiar feel to it, she wondered how much more of a battering her brain could take. Where the hell am I? She wondered as she tried to bring her hand to her face to rub her eyes. Then the awful realisation dawned on her, her hands were tied behind her back. It was dark, slowly her eyes adjusted to her gloomy surroundings. Slivers of light were penetrating through the gaps in the wood of an old door. It looked like she was in some kind of out-house or barn. She tried to remember what had happened, but couldn’t. She heard a sound a bit away from her and to her right. She peered closely in its direction, fearing that it might be an enormous rat. The dark shape was much bigger than a rat and it was moaning softly. Then she remembered, recollection came flooding back as she recognised the shape on the floor… Shit…Jamsie. She remembered how she had heard a noise and gone to investigate then she had found him lying unconscious on her floor… then nothing, everything had gone black. She knelt up and shuffled over to Jamsie.

“Jamsie, Jamsie are you alright?” She whispered, fearing that whoever had done this might be close by. Jamsie hearing his name groaned loudly and croaked. “Anna is that you, what happened?”

“I don’t know Jamsie, I found you on the floor in my house, then nothing… Where are we?”

“Burglars!” Jamsie blurted out. He was in your house, Boozy knew it but I was too slow. He hit the poor mite and then when I tried to stop him, he hit me over the head with the frying-pan.”

“What did he look like?” Anna asked. The man that Jamsie described to her, sent icy shivers through her.

“Kingston?” she moaned aloud. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be in Europe somewhere. “Listen to me carefully Jamsie, if it’s the man I think it is we’re in big trouble. He’s not a burglar… he tried to kill me in England. He’s already murdered a least three people.”

“Jasus Anna, is he mad?” Jamsie couldn’t get his head around what she was telling him.

“I want you to do exactly as I say Jamsie. I want you to pretend that you’re still unconscious. I’ll distract him and hopefully you can escape and go for help.”

“Jasus girl, I can’t leave you alone with him, he might kill you.”

“He will definitely kill us both if you don’t. Promise me Jamsie.” They heard the rattle of a chain outside and Anna quickly moved away from Jamsie and back to where she had been left by Kingston. Jamsie curled back up against the wall and did as Anna had asked.

“Wide awake I see.” Kingston said as he entered, making Anna squint with the sudden brightness. “Good I have plans for you, but I wanted you to be wide awake to appreciate them properly.” A steely blade glinted as the light hit it, he was holding it down by his side. Anna looked at it in terror, trying her best not to show her fear.

“What do you want Kingston?” her voice trembled slightly. He pulled her roughly to her feet and pushed her up against the stone wall. Knife raised he slid it gently down her cheek, then seeing the fear in her eyes he felt powerful. He pulled the material of her jumper and sliced the knife through it roughly. Anna felt the cold blade slice into her stomach and she screamed.

Jamsie could contain himself no longer, he didn’t care what he had promised Anna, he wasn’t about to watch her be killed in front of his very eyes and do nothing. He thought of his mother and how ashamed she would be if she thought her son had watched while someone attacked Anna. I’d be more ashamed of myself, he thought. The sound of Anna’s scream went through him like an electric shock. He jumped to his feet, adrenalin pumping and ran at Kingston. His hands were still tied behind his back so he was only able to ram him with his head, it was enough to startle Kingston and unbalance him. He fell awkwardly to the floor, knife still in his hand, the sharp metal slipping and slicing through his hand as he landed. He let out a howl of pain, but he quickly jumped to his feet ignoring the pain in his hand. Jamsie ran at him again, but this time Kingston was prepared, he side-stepped his attacker and grabbing him by the coat flung him against the wall. Jamsie hit the wall head first and slumped in a heap as it made contact with the hard surface. Kingston kicked out viciously at the man now slumped at his feet.

“Leave him alone you bastard.” Anna shouted running at him. He caught her by the hair with his good hand and forced her to her knees. She cried tears of fury as she realised that there was nothing she could do.

“I’ll deal with you later.” He roared as the pain in his other hand resurfaced. He stalked out, dragging the heavy door in his wake, Anna could hear the chain being treaded through the handles and she knew that once again she was locked in. She shuffled over to Jamsie and tried to wake him, but he was out cold. Thankfully she could still hear him breathing, but the sharp rasps coming from him didn’t sound good, and she knew she had to do something and soon. The pain from where she had been cut had eased a little and the bleeding seemed to have stopped, she hoped that it wasn’t too deep, she didn’t want to dwell on it too much.

Anna sat down beside Jamsie and wondered what to do. No one was going to miss her for at least a day or two, Jamsie’s mother would begin to worry when he didn’t come home, but that might not be until morning, and that might be too late for them both. She knew she had to find out where they were being held. She leaned against the wall and drifted out of her body and out into the bright open countryside. She wished it was as easy to set her body free. She floated high trying to get a picture of where she was. An old ruined house was off to the right and she headed towards it. It had at one time been an impressive building, but now it was dilapidated and crumbling. She moved off again out over the fields and over a road, this she followed until she came to a crossroads, she spied a signpost almost covered in bushes. She lowered herself to read it. Her heart leapt, she knew where she was, she had passed this way many times over the years when she had been younger and her mother and aunt had taken them to a nearby popular wood and picnic area. It was only about an hour from her house. She floated home hoping that someone might have noticed something was wrong and maybe they were looking for her. She couldn’t believe her luck, Neil her cousin and Gary Morley were at her house along with another man who looked familiar. They were searching the garden and the sheds. They know, she sighed relieved, but how was she going to tell them that she was here and more importantly how was she going to let them know where she was?

Then she had a thought….Boozy.

***********************

“The dog!” Morley exclaimed. Boozy was jumping around them excited and barking loudly.

“Be quiet Boozy” Neil shouted at the dog, misunderstanding what Gary was saying.

“No Neil it’s her.” Morley said sounding excited

“What’s her, what are you talking about?” Neil hadn’t got a clue what Gary was trying to tell him.

“It’s Anna.”

“Where?” Neil asked confused, looking all around.

“The dog…Its Anna. She did it before, she’s here. The dog can lead us to her” Neil still didn’t get it. He looked at Morley as if he was crazy.

“It’s a dog, not Lassie from the TV, it can’t take us anywhere.

“No you don’t understand, Anna can talk to the dog and it can hear her and obey her. I’ve seen her do it before. Isn’t that right Boozy.” He bent down and the dog sat still and gave a single bark. “Watch” Gary spoke to the dog again. “Are you here Anna?” Boozy barked an acknowledgement. “Can you tell us where you are?” The dog barked again. “See!” Morley said.

“Okay” Neil said still not quiet believing. “If you really are here Anna get the dog to show me where the house-warming present I gave you is.” Boozy calmly walked to the back garden and stopped in front of a set of three garden gnomes, he whined softly and looked at Neil. “Jesus, that’s amazing!” Neil said finally believing. “Can you show us where you are?”

Boozy went to the back door and scratched on it. Neil opened it and followed by Morley they both entered. The dog then went to Anna’s office and pulled open the top drawer of the desk and pulled out a map of Ireland.

“Morley took the map from the dog’s mouth and opened it up, spreading it out on the floor, they poured over it.

“Where are you Anna?” Boozy obediently put his paw on the map, covering part of Cork County.

“Jesus!” Neil said “That’s still a big area to cover. Let’s try to break it down.” To Anna or Boozy, he wasn’t sure which, he said. “Bark when I say the closest village or town.” He began naming out towns and villages, the dog was silent cocking his head slightly as he waited from instructions from his mistress. Then Neil named it…the dog barked loudly. Gary said it again just to be sure and the dog barked again.

“Do you know where that is?” Gary quizzed Neil

“Yep, it’s about forty five minutes from here. Come on, if he’s there, he’ll stick out like a sore thumb. It’s a small community and they’re bound to notice strangers.

They jumped into the car, leaving O Malley to deal with the local Gardaí. Boozy was put in the back and he lay on the seat quietly, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

“Google the area, something might jump out at you.” Neil said. Morley took out his phone and googled the area, for fifteen minutes there was silence as he searched the internet, then Morley gave a gasp.

“I think I have it, Stonehurst Manor, it belongs to Lord Cavendish.”

“Who’s he?” Neil asked

“He’s the brother, of Sylvia Cavendish. One of the woman Kingston murdered. It says here that most of the estate was sold but the family still own the manor and about two hundred acres around it.”

“I think I know where it is.” Neil said excited. “My mother used to take us to all the big country houses when we were young. It sounds familiar.”

They came to the gates of the old manor house, they were rusty and barely hanging in place, a lock and chain were holding them shut. Morley noticed that the chain had been cut and that there were fresh tyre tracks leading up the overgrown laneway.

“Looks like someone was here recently.” He observed

“Let’s leave the car here and go the rest of the way on foot.” Neil suggested. They locked the car and after putting Boozy on the lead they crept up the lane. The house came into view. Neil told Gary to creep around the back and check the out-buildings while he tried the main house.

Around the back of the house, Morley found the vehicle, it was new obviously a rental. This looks like the place alright, he muttered to himself. He began to systematically examine the out buildings one by one. He opened one stall door and must have disturbed some pigeons roosting, they flew out and startled him, he jumped back dropping the dogs lead. Boozy discovering he was free bounded off and Morley was left with no choice but to follow.