Force Book 2

“Danny, what time do we have to go to the police station?” I couldn’t remember.

“One o’clock, Leah. We’ll leave here at twelve fifteen. You’d better have an early lunch as I’ve no idea how long we’ll be there,” he explained.

We sat around for the rest of the morning as there was nothing else to do in work. No bodies had come in during the night so the boys were having a break. They worked so hard and deserved some time off. I had an early lunch and so did Alec, to make things easier.

We were in the car, on our way to the police station, when Danny said, “I have someone coming tomorrow to estimate what damage was done to the stables. I couldn’t think about it until now.”

“I’m not surprised you haven’t done anything. You’ve had enough on your bloody plate,” I told him. “It’s a good job you’ve got about twenty-five brains inside that head of yours.” I smiled over to him and he giggled, knowing exactly what I meant. Plenty of places to hide information. He looked at me and smiled. I know I’m right and heard him giggle.

We were a bit early but we went in anyway and had to wait a few minutes for the inspector to call us through to one of the interview rooms.

“Hello, Danny, it’s been a while. This must be Leah. Hello, it’s very good to meet you.”

We both said hello and sat down on the seats on one side of the table; he was on the other.

“Now, Leah, please call me Matt. I asked Marcia to contact you because of the breakthrough we had on the hit and run, after the phone call from Elsbeth. Marcia is my cousin. I have some knowledge of the things you may be able to do, Leah.” He let that sink in for a moment with a glint in his eyes. Bloody hell.

Danny was getting excited, hearing all that.

“It’s a bit unorthodox for some police forces to use psychics,” Matt said, “but I have a different attitude to all of that, probably because of Marcia. Most of them are scared of it; I’m not. Marcia tells me you’re better than her at the tarot cards.”

I gasped, knowing how good she was. Danny was ecstatic and I could see Matt was amused at my reaction.

“Could I have a drink of water, please, Matt?” I felt claustrophobic in that small room.

“Of course, Leah. I’ll get some brought in.”

He took out a phone and asked for a glass of water. He didn’t ask Danny; he must know him very well. I looked at Danny; he told me yes in my head. While we waited, he asked Danny how things were going with the business and about the fire. The water was brought in after a few minutes. He didn’t say anymore to me until the door was firmly shut.

“We have a few outstanding cases we haven’t been able to solve, Leah. I know you told Marcia you didn’t know if you could do this, but I’d like you to try, if you’re willing?” He let me think about it.

“I don’t mind trying. I just hope I’ll be able to help you,” I told him honestly.

“Would you be willing to have a look at a couple of them this afternoon?” He waited.

Danny could hardly contain himself.

“Yes, that’s okay with me.” I smiled at him and he looked relieved.

“Thank you, Leah. I’ve had a couple of cases set up in another room. Would you both like to come with me?”

He got up and we were taken through the door beside the front desk, up two flights of stairs and into a long room. There were boxes on both sides of the room, resting on large tables. A file sat near each pile of boxes.

“In the boxes are items that might distress you, I’m afraid, Leah.”

Before he went on, I told him, “I work alongside Danny and my cousins. I’m used to most things, so don’t worry about that, Matt.”

He looked surprised.

“Nothing has thrown her yet, Matt, and you know what we deal with on a daily basis,” Danny told him.

Matt smiled at me. What he was thinking made me smile. Oh my God.

“Okay. In the files are all the reports and what photographs we have for each case. You can look at them now, as we’ve drawn a blank, and anything you come up with will be very helpful. I can’t thank you enough for doing this, Leah. I’ll leave you two and you can look at it all, without me leaning over your shoulder. If you need anything, tea, water, there’s a bell on the wall, over there.” He pointed to it as he left us.

“Fancy that. I didn’t know Marcia was his cousin. You wait ’til I see her.” Danny giggled.

He watched me as I walked over to the nearest file and opened it. Inside were many handwritten reports and a few photos of a man, probably in his mid thirties. He had receding dark hair and a designer-stubble beard. Quite handsome, poor sod. I didn’t want to read the entire file. I pulled up a chair and opened it up. I put my right hand on the top photograph and it started to heat up.

“Danny, can you ring the bell and ask for a recording machine. It looks like I’ll be able to read this file, like the tarot cards.”

Danny’s eyes lit up. He rushed over to the bell and pushed it. It didn’t take long for someone to come. It was Matt.

“Matt, have you got a recording machine? Leah can read this file like the tarot cards.”

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He looked across at me, amazed. “Right away, I won’t be long.”

Danny came over to me and gave me the biggest cuddle.

“You’re getting a kick out of this, you bugger.”

He giggled.

That’s a yes.

After a few minutes, Matt and an engineer came in with recording equipment. He set up a machine, similar to the one in the interview room we’d been in earlier, and showed me how to use it. Matt stayed this time.

I switched on the tape machine and sat with my eyes closed for a moment, opening myself up to spirit. I placed my right hand on the photograph, and again, it started to heat up.

“Michael Robinson was born in Northern Ireland in nineteen seventy-two. His parents split up when he was eleven and Michael went off the rails from then on.

“He was sent to a detention centre, over here in England, when he was seventeen. He spent lots of his youth and early twenties in and out of prison; small charges mostly, until he found drugs. He was convicted of trafficking drugs and spent eight years in Pentonville prison in London.

“On his release, he met up with the same gang of men and got straight back into that life. His life came to an end during a brawl, outside the nightclub in the Triangle in Bournemouth. He was stabbed three times and was pronounced dead on his arrival at Boscombe hospital. You’ve never been able to find his attacker.”

I stopped for a moment. “Can I have something belonging to him from that night?”

Matt couldn’t speak for a minute, he was stunned. When he regained his composure he went to one of the property boxes and pulled out a shirt Michael had been wearing. It was in a large evidence bag with a number stamped across the front.

“Can I actually touch it, Matt?”

He opened it and gave me the shirt. I began to get someone’s {vivid mental images} as soon as it was in my hands:

{{I’ll get him, mouthing off like that. I’ll finish these drinks and he won’t know what’s fucking hit him.}} He tapped his back pocket. {{Yes, I feel it. There he is. He won’t know I’m fucking coming with his back to me. I’ve got him. What’s going on?}} He hit the floor, cracking his head. {{He’s on top of me. How the fuck did that happen? Argh! What’s that? Argh! Argh! I’m fucking bleeding; how?}}

“The knife that killed Michael was his own. He was the first one to use it. The other man was stabbed and then got the knife away from Michael. He was shocked that the tables had been turned on him. He knew he’d been too clever and was going to die.”

I closed my eyes and closed myself down, switched off the machine and turned in my chair to look at the two stunned men before me.

“I didn’t quite believe Marcia when she described how you did the tarot cards. Christ, I do now. That was amazing, Leah. I don’t know what the CPS will think of that. I’ll send them the tape and the video, from that camera over there.” He pointed to the camera, mounted high up on the wall. “Sorry I didn’t tell you about that. I thought it would put you off. I can see now, it wouldn’t have. This looks to me like self-defence,” Matt said.

Danny was smiling at me, thrilled to bits.

“Could I have some tea, please, Matt? I’ll look at the other one after I’ve had a little rest, as this takes it out of me a bit,” I confessed.

“Come with me. We’ll go to the café in Stafford Road. It’s not far. The tea here isn’t worth drinking.”

We followed him out of the police station and he turned left, down a small bank past the Law Courts to a café in a small parade of shops. Inside were lots of barristers and court officials having lunch. Apparently, the Quarter Sessions were on at the moment, trying the larger cases the magistrates had referred to them. Matt explained all that as we walked there.

We sat at the only vacant table. They were cramped bench seats, with a table down the middle. Danny sat with me on one side and Matt on the other. He ordered tea and the waitress brought three cups. He smiled at Danny when the cup was put in front of him.

“Don’t worry, Matt, Leah will drink it. She lives on the stuff,” he said, smiling at me. “Leah, I’m really proud of you. That was really amazing.”

In my head, he said more. I’m not going to say what. I’d be embarrassed in front of this police inspector. I let it drop. We’ll talk in the car. Danny was following my thoughts but he didn’t give two hoots.

“Is anything happening concerning Becky?” I asked Matt. I felt emotional when I spoke her name. Danny took hold of my hand to steady me. That didn’t go unnoticed by Matt.

“Are you two an item?” he couldn’t help asking.

Danny smiled; that said it all.

Matt looked confused but answered my question. “I’m looking into the possibility of charging Maggie Phillips with GBH. Becky wouldn’t let us do anything at the time. I think she was too scared. The CPS will decide.”

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I started on Danny’s tea. “Does that mean I’ll be a witness if it goes to court?”

He nodded.

“Good, I’m fine with that. I thought she’d been arrested for it, anyway. She hasn’t set foot inside the church since it happened,” I told him.

“She moved, but we know where she is, don’t worry. She lives in Parkstone now. She was taken to court in Poole for shoplifting a month ago. She got a conditional discharge; first offence.”

“Well, I’m fine now, shall we go back?”

Outside the café, I held Danny’s hand. “Don’t worry, Matt, this relationship is completely platonic,” I said in answer to Matt’s confused look.

Danny sniggered. That’s my girl, I heard in my head.

Matt seemed to accept that and settled down. You’ve got me lying for you now, you bugger.

All of the items related to Michael Robinson had gone when we returned to the room. Matt and Danny stayed on the now cleared side and stood observing me. I walked over to the other file and opened it. There were just a couple of sheets of paper but no photographs. I pulled up a chair and opened up. My hand didn’t heat up this time so I stood up and opened the first box to look inside. There were bones inside evidence bags. The skull shocked me a bit. I opened the other three boxes. The first contained clothing which was almost rotted away. The second contained hair, one glove and one shoe. The third had a watch, jewellery and a handbag. The contents from the handbag were individually sealed in separate bags. I turned towards the two men.

“Could I have the watch in my hand, please, Matt?”

He came over, duly opened the bag and handed me the watch. As soon as it was in my hand, it started to heat up. I smiled and sat down as Matt switched on the recorder.

Then the {images} began:

{{I never thought it would be this fucking difficult or take so poxy long to dig a hole. I can’t stop shaking and I’m dripping in bloody sweat.}} Rivulets were running off her scalp, down her face and neck. She kept wiping it away with the back of her left hand. {{I have to get this finished before daybreak or I’ll get fucking caught.}} Dust was stuck to all the sweat. {{I can bloody taste it. She’s supposed to be fucking helping but she digs so bastard slowly. I’ll need her to help me get her in. Ouch, that fucking hurt. Now the back of my bloody hand is bleeding. What fucking next? Will I ever get this finished? Christ, I’ve got to and get home before he bloody wakes.}}

“The watch I’m holding doesn’t belong to the woman in the box,” I said. “It belongs to the person who buried her. The strap got caught on something when they were digging the hole. It belongs to a woman. One of the deceased’s relatives.”

I turned again to find both of them were standing with their mouths open. They straightened themselves out pretty quickly. Danny was smiling.

Matt walked over to me. “Sorry, Leah, I’m just astounded. Do you want to touch something else?”

“The hair, I think.”

Matt couldn’t believe his ears. That was the last thing he’d thought I’d ask for. He opened the bag but wouldn’t touch it himself. I took it out. It felt dirty and not like real hair at all. I closed my eyes. It took some time before I got anything.

{{She’s gone mad. What’ve I done? Oh my God, she’s got a knife. My head hurts. She’s got a fist full of my bloody hair. She’s found out; how?}} A sharp flash of steel glinted across her throat. {{That’s blood hitting the wall. Whose is it? What’s happened? Everything’s getting dull…}}

“This woman was killed by her sister over the adultery with her husband. It happened four years ago. She wasn’t killed at the location where she was buried. I’m trying to get a name. Give me a minute…” I sat and concentrated hard for quite a while. “Linda, Linda Newman.” I turned to Matt again. “Can I have the handbag, please?”

He came and opened the next bag. I put the hair back into its bag and took the handbag from Matt. It immediately started to heat up.

{{How’s that got on my bloody bag? You must have it on your hands. No. You’ve fucking got it on yours, look? I’ll have to get rid of it now. What a bastard!}}

“This bag doesn’t belong to either woman. It was buried with the body because it had blood on it. It belongs to a friend of the murderer, who helped her dispose of the body.”

I sat back in my chair and closed down. I heard them both cross the room. I opened my eyes to two giggling idiots and had to smile at them.

“Now I know why Marcia was so excited about you. I’ve never seen anything like it in my whole life.” Matt was beside himself.

Danny gave me a hug. “Well done, Leah…that was brilliant.”

“I hope you catch her,” I said to Matt.

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“I don’t see any problem with that now. We had no clues from any forensics. I don’t know how they missed the blood on the bag. We had nothing to go on – but now we have a name and more details about her life and disposal. We’ll be on this straight away, and I can’t thank you enough, Leah.” He shook my hand vigorously.

“Call on me again. I don’t mind…I was happy to help today, Matt,” I told him.

Danny held his hand out to me. “Shall we go?”

Matt escorted us down to the front desk and said goodbye.

On the walk to the car, Danny kept looking at me and smiling. I knew he was pleased. I was glad it had worked and I was able to give them something to go on. Before we got in the car, Danny cuddled me and said, “I love you, Leah.”

I play-punched his arm. “Don’t tell me that in front of him again; even if it was in my head. I could feel myself going red. The fact we’re together freaked him out anyway. The poor man nearly fucking passed out, and I had to lie.”

Danny couldn’t help laughing and opened my door.

On the way home, I asked him, “How long has he known what you are?”

He looked at me and smiled.

“Come on, spill the beans?” I coaxed him.

“His mother used to bring him to the church from about four years old. He knew me until he was twelve and then his family moved away.

“The next time I saw him was at the business, roughly twenty years later. He’d come over for something to do with one of the cases he was working on. I couldn’t say what it was now; something to do with chemicals. Anyway…when he saw me, he nearly passed out, for real, and he began backing away from me. He’d heard the rumours about us but had never put me and the rumours together until that day. I had to shout at him to stop and let me explain. He stopped backing off and listened. I told him everything, and he’s been a friend ever since.” He beamed one of his amazing smiles at me.

“That’s incredible. Maybe because of Marcia, he had a different slant on life. Finding out you’re all vampires, he certainly was very trusting for a human.” I held Danny’s hand.

“Yes, and I have a bone to pick with her…” He laughed.

At the house, it looked like no one was in. Danny got me a drink and we strolled out to the garden to sit on our bench. Emily and Alec came through the bottom gate and walked up the path between the flowerbeds next to us.

“Hi, we thought you’d all gone out.” They look so happy.

Emily nearly jumped out of her skin; neither of them had noticed us.

Alec laughed at her and said, “Hi.”

“How did it go?” Emily wanted details. She shoved in next to me, then Alec sat on the grass beside her.

“We’ve only been back a couple of minutes. It went well. I expect I’ll get asked again.” I don’t want to boast.

“Emily, she was fantastic. She won’t tell you herself, but I will. She proved a case wasn’t murder but self-defence, and the other case, well…that was phenomenal. There was only a pile of bones, a glove, a shoe, hair, a watch and a handbag left at the crime scene. Oh, I forgot some rotten clothes. She gave them the name of the deceased, who killed her, and who helped with the disposal of the body. She says it went well. Leah, you deserve a medal for that alone, in my eyes.”

Emily and Alec smiled, making me feel embarrassed. Danny took hold of my hand. He knew how I was feeling and his hand had always been so calming for me. Just a little quirk he had – and very bloody handy at times.

Emily got to her feet. “Come on…let’s celebrate. I’m cooking you dinner.”

She got hold of my hand and pulled me to my feet. Before anything else she hugged me. “I knew you’d be good at it. I’m very proud of you. Come on, Danny, get the wine out.”

We went into the house and talked while Emily cooked.

“Where are the boys?” Danny asked Alec.

“Two of them have gone to pick up a body and the other three are over there, working. Two bodies came in just after you left.”

“I’d better see what’s happening. I won’t be long.” He left us at the table.

“What’s your cottage like, Leah?” Alec changed the subject entirely and I was grateful.

“It’s lovely – but I wouldn’t have called it a cottage, it’s the size of a house. You’ll see it. We’ll use it some weekends, instead of going to a hotel all the time. Hotels are a treat, but you can get bored. You must know about that. I expect you’ve lived out of a suitcase for years.”

“I know exactly what you mean. You’re right. I’ve seen the inside of most of the big hotels across the globe. They’re all the same,” he empathized.

His former job had been as a bodyguard to the rich and famous. Now, he was my protector and Emily’s boyfriend. Regardless that he was human and she a vampire, they really seemed to make it work and were besotted with each other.

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Danny came in and sat with us again. “Everything’s okay over there. The two bodies came from the coroner. I don’t know what Josh and Leo are picking up until they get back. They shouldn’t be long. It’s quite local to Winton, apparently.”

Emily came over with our meals and Danny brought the wine.

We were halfway through eating when Danny got up and left the kitchen. He was gone for a while. I’d just finished when he walked back in.

“It’s Becky, isn’t it?” I said before he could speak.

He nodded to me and gave me a cuddle. “You’ll see her tomorrow, unless you want to go over tonight? It’s up to you…”

“I think tomorrow will be soon enough for me. I don’t think I could face it tonight,” I confessed to him. “I want to go to bed. I’m really drained. You don’t have to come up yet, it’s too early, Danny.”

He looked at me. “I’m coming.”

Knowing how tired I was, Danny carried me upstairs, laid me on the bed, took my shoes off, draped the shawl over me and lay down to cuddle me for the night.

“Get some sleep, Leah. I can feel how tired you are.”

I don’t know what I’d do without him.

I sat up. It was dark. “Hello, Becky, I’m pleased you came to see me.”

Danny watched me in silence.

Leah, don’t get upset. I’ll come and see you again. I’ve not gone forever, you know that. I’m pleased you’re with your cousin. I know you love him and he loves you. Whatever the hurdles, you’ll make it work. I’ll see you again soon. Goodbye, Leah.

“Goodbye, Becky.”

She was gone.

I felt Danny sit up. He wrapped his arms around me without speaking. He’d watched it all and heard her through me.

“I’d like to see her now. Do you mind, Danny?”

“Of course not. I’ll take you over.”

He grabbed my shoes, picked me up and carried me downstairs. He put me down just outside the kitchen door.

He was strong and could pick me up as if I weighed nothing – they all possessed the same strength. I still couldn’t get used to it.

In the kitchen, two of the boys, John and Leo, were at the table playing chess. They nodded to us, knowing what we were about to do, and didn’t need to speak.

Michael was the first to see us in the receiving room. He stopped what he was doing and left. Josh and Greg came out of the embalming room and followed Michael. Danny took me over to Becky. She’d had a post-mortem. They’d shaved some of her hair and there were huge stitches in her scalp.

“I’ll sort that out for her…don’t worry, Leah,” Danny said gently. “She’ll be beautiful when Emily’s finished, you know that.”

I bent over her and kissed the top of her head. Danny took me out of there at that point; he knew I was getting upset.

“Come on, you need a drink.”

We left the building and the boys all said sorry as we passed them in Emily’s room.

Over in the kitchen, instead of putting the kettle on, Danny opened the drinks cupboard and gave me a brandy.

“Drink that, Leah, you need it,” he said, then sat beside me with his arm around my shoulder. “I think you’re very brave. We’ll give her a good send off and use the carriage for her funeral, Leah.”

I looked at him. “Thank you.”

We sat there for a while as I drank the brandy. Danny had been right, I did need it.

“What time is it, Danny? I’ve no idea…”

“Four fifteen, Leah. If you’re tired now, we’ll go up if you want?”

I smiled at him. He picked me up, to take me upstairs for the second time that night.

We both got up early. I crossed the hall for a bath and Danny went to the cellar, where they had showers. When I entered the kitchen, Emily and Alec were both at the table.

Emily came and gave me a hug. “I heard about you and Danny going over there last night. I’m so sorry.”

Alec looked surprised. He’s missed so much, not being able to hear our thoughts.

I sat down.

Danny carried my breakfast over and told them, “Becky visited Leah in her bedroom last night and we went over, straight after.”

Neither of them spoke for a while; what could they say.

Josh and Leo came in and sat down; they’d heard it all as well. Still, no one spoke.

I broke the silence. “Becky wouldn’t want us all to be morbid. She’d be annoyed with us. You heard her, Danny…wouldn’t she?” I looked at him.

“She’s right. She would be annoyed. She wants Leah to be happy with me. I heard it all.” They looked surprised. “She said she knew we loved each other and we’d get over any hurdles to make it work. Her exact words.”

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He held my hand and sat looking smug for a while. The atmosphere changed slowly and they all started smiling again. I was pleased.

When it was time for work, Emily said I could have the day off. I told her I was working. She didn’t argue, and we crossed the yard together. I had hands to do on the two men who had arrived the day before when we were with the police.

Danny began sorting Becky’s scars out. He took all of the huge stitches out, even those high on her chest, and replaced them with tiny ones you could hardly see. He spent all day with her. Between hands, I walked over to see how he was getting on.

“Emily will have a hairpiece to mingle in with her own hair. You won’t know they shaved part of her head when she’s finished. She’ll be able to have an open coffin in church. When she’s ready, she’s going over to Winton. Her family wants to see her there. I’ll take you when it’s time.”

I thanked him and went back to work.

End of chapter