by Gareth Otton
“No. We proved that you and I shared a dream. We won’t know for sure until I find out if he’s missing… or if he even exists.”
She took a step back and wiped a tear from her eye. “I want to help.”
“No. You’ve got school.”
Her typical anger returned and she said. “You need my help. That thing is too dangerous.”
“You have school,” he repeated. “That’s final.”
She glared at him, her mouth open as though she were about to shout, but finally accepted her fate and stormed toward her room. Whatever bonding they had done in the dreamworld was lost to him already.
Easy come, easy go.
Kate stepped into the kitchen. “I think I’ve missed something here?”
He nodded, but waited until his ghosts arrived before explaining his shared dream.
“What are you going to do?” Charles asked. Of them all, he knew Tad best and knew he wouldn’t sit around waiting for this danger to find them. It was why his voice shook and he looked on the verge of fleeing. Things had been bad enough already, no doubt all Charles saw in this latest complication was an escalation of their troubles.
“I'll find out if James Tanner exists, then figure out where to go next.” He looked at the clock and said, “But we’ve got a lecture first, Charles. We’ll head to work, then after that you’ll have to come with me if you don’t mind.”
"Of course not. We have a responsibility to those students so we must attend the lecture. But I'm not sure you're making the right play here, Thaddeus. If what happened in your dream was true, then going after it is the last thing we should be doing."
"Alright. You don't have to come with me," Tad said, not looking for the argument he could feel coming. "I'll go to the lecture with you and then I'll look into James Tanner on my own."
Charles' nostrils flared, his eyebrows shot up and his chin quivered. Tad took a step back as Charles turned purple, looking like he would explode.
"Now see here, don't think to call me a coward, Thaddeus."
"I never said—”
“I just recommended staying clear of this because it would be the safer course of events. I am thinking of Jen’s safety, and your own. Don’t think to—”
Tad didn’t want to argue, but he was operating on very little sleep and a rough few days. The implication that he wasn’t putting Jen first struck him the wrong way and suddenly he was every bit as angry as his oldest friend.
“For God’s sake Charles. It’s not a competition. I’m not calling you a coward or passing judgement. Don’t get so defensive. Never suggest that I’m not doing what’s best for Jen or use her as an excuse to get your own way.
“Yes, investigating what happened last night could be dangerous, but ignorance is worse. If I took James Tanner’s advice and moved, how would I know which part of the world is the furthest away from a threat I’ve never even heard of? I need more information if I’m going to protect Jen, so don’t fucking lecture me about keeping her safe.”
It wasn’t just Charles who stared at him in shock, but it was Kate who broke the silence.
“Holy shit guys. That got out of hand quickly. I’ve never seen you two go at it like that before.”
“Me neither,” Miriam was quick to add.
“Nor me,” Tony whispered. Maggie just nodded, otherwise staying out of it.
Seeing all of their eyes on him, Tad fought back a wave of embarrassment, sighed and tried to shake off the adrenaline tremors in his fingers.
“You’re right. I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have—”
“No Thaddeus, that was on me. I… I’ll admit, I could have handled it better. Things have been getting dicey around here and… well… I will confess to feeling a little more anxiety than normal. I think that maybe it got to me. You’re right, I should never have doubted that you would do anything for that little girl. We all know it. Please, forgive me.”
“Of course. And Charles, never think I believe you’re a coward. We’ve all seen you face your fears to save others. But you’re right that things are getting more serious and we need to be cautious. That’s why I need you with me this afternoon. I need to find out what’s happening before whatever it is that came after the others comes after me and Jen. I’ve got this feeling that if we don’t act soon, we'll be too late to do anything.”
“Of course I’ll be there, Thaddeus.”
Tad smiled and clapped his friend on the shoulder. He turned to Miriam. “Why don’t you stick with Maggie today. You two should go see what you can find about Mark.”
“Are you sure? This thing with the Proxies sounds serious and maybe we should concentrate on that for now.”
“It is serious,” Tad agreed. “But, we only have the one lead. Charles and I are more than capable of handling it. However, Mark could be destroying evidence on Maggie’s case as we speak and you’d be most helpful there.”
Miriam hesitated only a moment longer before nodding at Maggie.
“What about me?” Tony asked.
“What about you?” Kate snapped. “You’ve probably got a busy day of peering into the girl’s changing room or watching uni-students showering.”
Tony grinned. “No, I just hang out at the locker rooms at the police station and see what’s going on there.”
“You’re lucky you’re dead you little perv. If you weren’t—”
“Then you still wouldn’t do anything because you’re a cop and can’t do things like that.”
Kate’s grin was filled with menace. “There’s lots of places to hide bodies in the valleys. Being police has just taught me how to better get away with it.”
“It’s a good thing I’m dead then. You can’t get me here.”
“But I can,” Miriam said. Tony blew her a kiss in response and when Miriam’s face darkened, he made his first smart move of the day. He backed off.
“You know,” he said as he was walking out the door. “I think I’ll hang around with Jen today. She appreciates me at least. Besides, it’ll be good to watch her back.”
“When she’s clothed, Tony!” Tad warned and for the first time Tony looked uncomfortable. A pissed off Proxy was not something any ghost wanted to worry about.
“Of course. She’s twelve, dude. That’s—”
“Nothing to you. You’re still fourteen in your head. It won't be long until she looks your age. I’m saying this now to get it out the way. Steer clear. Be her friend, watch over her, but that’s it.”
Tony held up his hand in surrender and backed out of the room. “Of course. Sheesh. What’s with the Tony hating this morning? It only happens whenever there’s a dyke reunion—”
“So help me God, Tony,” Kate snarled.
Tony fled. He was a good kid at heart, but Tony always could rub people the wrong way. Tad turned his attention back to the day ahead. He had things to do and people to find.
He hoped that James didn’t exist, but he knew deep down that would not be the case. Someone was hunting Proxies, and if he didn’t find out who soon, then he or Jen might be next.
8
Tuesday, 17th November 2015
20:12
Jen wasn’t in the mood for Tony, so Tad got stuck with him after all. After dropping her at school, they headed into work with a grumbling Tony along for the ride.
This didn’t bother Charles who cheered up as they approached the lecture hall. He was in his element when teaching, but had grown to love it more than ever in recent years. Tad used to utilise Charle’s knowledge and talent for teaching, but Charles had little actual input. Today, just as he had for the past year, Charles was going to run the show.
There was a time when the number one rule of being a Proxy was to never let your guard down. Even the benevolent ghosts had days where they couldn’t resist trying to take charge of their host and live again. A Proxy’s will is normally much too strong for this to happen, but the more ghosts they have, the harder they have to concentrate. Wrestling control back from a ghost i
n charge was even harder again.
Once, Tad wouldn’t have dreamed of surrendering control to Charles for any reason. That changed when he realised it was getting easier to protect his mind. He didn’t like to think of it too much less his ghosts find out, but he was finding it easier to impose his will on them.
The benefit was that he didn’t have to worry about lectures. He could sit back, let Charles take charge and he would be free to think of other things until the lecture was over.
Today he thought on his dream, and by the time Charles had finished the lecture he was raring to go. They grabbed Tony and hit up as many contacts as Tad had left, seeking a lead on James Tanner.
When the time to pick Jen up approached, he got a call from one of her friend’s parents saying she would take Jen home for dinner. Tad was glad not to have to go home and see his daughter. In the back of his mind he hated himself for that, but she had been stressing him out and he had enough of that already.
Another four hours, another ten conversations and he was still getting nowhere with his leads. It didn’t help that he was having trouble even tracking down his old contacts. Those that weren’t already missing had gone into hiding. It left Tad with few places to turn.
By the time eight o’clock rolled around, he had a second call saying that Jen would be dropped off shortly. There was no way Tad would get there in time so he asked to speak to Jen.
“What?” came her harsh greeting.
“I won't be there when you get home. I’m busy.” She sighed theatrically, no doubt showing off for her friends, and it was a good job he wasn’t there. In the mood he was in he might have strangled her. “When you get back, you might have to show your friends Miriam or Maggie. They should both be home by now. I’ll try to get hold of Letty and see if she can—”
“You don’t need to. Miriam and Maggie are enough. I like hanging out with them.”
There was no use arguing. He would just agree then call Letty anyway. He was about to go through with this plan when he realised she had already hung up.
“Mother of God. One of these days I'll kill that girl,” he snapped.
“I hate to add to your burdens,” Tony told him. “But there’s a rather sexy problem coming our way.”
“What?” Tad asked, following Tony’s gaze. “Oh please. Not again. Why does this keep happening?”
“Probably because you’re working the same case.”
“I haven’t got time for this,” Tad complained.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Stella sounded just as annoyed as he felt. After hearing her tone, he wondered what happened to her plan to seduce him. When he turned and saw the thundercloud of her expression, he almost wished for the succubus back.
Tad stood outside a modern pub that sat on a corner overlooking an alley in the city centre and was appropriately named Hidden. He had hoped to find an old drunk who had been a Proxy once upon a time and hadn’t enjoyed the experience. The man had been trying to drown his memories ever since. The Proxy gift never left him though, and he sometimes heard things that Tad didn’t know.
“What are you doing here, Tad? I’m getting fed up of this.”
“Nice to see you too,” he deadpanned. “I’m looking for a guy called Michael Midas. He drinks here—”
“Every day of the week,” Stella finished. “I’ve heard. And just why are you looking for him? You still chasing Tommy?”
He nodded, preferring the lie to explaining the truth. However, Stella was better at detecting lies than he gave her credit for.
“I’ll ask again, and this time I want the truth. I’m this close to arresting you, I swear. What are you doing here?”
“Fine. I’m looking for news of a man named James Tanner.”
Stella stared at him, her eyes narrow and wearing an expression that promised violence. When she reached for him he thought she was acting on that promise, but instead she gripped his arm.
“Stella. What are you doing?”
“Going into this pub for a drink. You’re coming to.”
“Actually, I need to be going.”
She stopped in the entrance and gripped his arm tighter. She looked like a woman about to snap.
“That wasn’t a request. I don’t care what you’ve got waiting. You’re coming with me and we’re going to lay our cards on the table.”
Before he had chance to respond, she dragged him inside.
The interior of the bar was all straight lines and clean edges, black tables and tall chairs, all lit up by LED lights everywhere. It was like every other soulless bar that popped up recently and were taking over the Welsh capital.
Stella marched him to the sofas in the far corner and pushed him hard so he had no choice but to fall onto one.
“What are you drinking?” she asked as she shrugged out of her coat and laid it over the back of her sofa opposite his.
“I’m not—”
“What. Are. You. Drinking?”
He hesitated before saying, “Lemonade please.”
“I’ll be right back. If you so much as move a muscle in that time, I swear to God, it’ll be the end of you.”
She stormed off and Tad was so stunned by her attitude he didn’t even take the time to appreciate the view of her walking away. Her charcoal-grey trousers were tight across her rear which of course caught Tony’s eye.
“She’s really something, right Tad?” he asked. “I think I’m in love.”
“You say that about every girl you meet.”
“This time I mean it. I think that she’s the one for me. That is, hands down, the best arse in Cardiff.”
Tad closed his eyes and sank deeper into the chair. Where was Miriam when he needed her?
“Eyes open old chap,” Charles whispered. “Here she comes.”
He opened his eyes as she approached and was just in time to miss a thorough splashing as his drink was slammed down hard on a coaster in front of him.
“Right. I want answers. I’ve seen you three times in three days, always in relation to this case which gets weirder every day. Now you have knowledge of someone who’s been missing less than a day. I’m not even supposed to be investigating it yet. How the hell do you know about James Tanner?”
So, he was real then. There was no question anymore. Worse, it sounded like he actually lived in Cardiff.
“He’s a friend of a friend. I heard of his disappearance through the same friend.”
“Names, Tad. I need names.”
Tad hesitated. “I don’t have any.”
She choked on her cola and those blue eyes of hers frosted over.
“Not good enough. I’ve got enough to arrest you right now, Tad.”
He still had access to Miriam’s knowledge and was certain that wasn’t the case, but wasn’t ready to push the issue. She would probably be within her rights to demand he accompany her to the police station at least.
“Look. I heard it from a friend, probably the same one that reported the crime to you.”
He hoped she would provide a name, but was disappointed.
“Who’s Maggie Patterson?”
He blinked. He hadn’t expected that question.
“What?”
“Who is Maggie Patterson? You were friends once, right?”
“Yes. A long time ago. Why? What is this?”
“Did you know that she’s dead?”
“What?” He tried to sound shocked. It didn’t fly and her eyes narrowed further.
“You not only know she’s dead, you told Kate about it. That’s how she’s got herself assigned yet another murder.”
Tad panicked. How had Stella put that together?
“You listen. I’ve been good to you so far. I’ve been friendly. If I find out you’re investigating these disappearances with Kate behind my back, trying to cut me out of the credit, then you’ll see my bad side.”
“That’s not what’s happening. Kate has nothing to do with this.”
“She has something to do with
Maggie Patterson though. What happened there? Did you kill her? Is that how Kate keeps landing these cases? You kill them and then Kate cleans up the mess, claiming the rewards?”
“Dear God. You’re mad.” Tad stood up abruptly and Stella stood with him, the black nail of her index finger pointing at his face.
“I’m not done with you. Sit down.”
“No. I’m done with you. I’m not listening to any more of this. If you’re going to arrest me, do it. If not, I’m leaving.”
For the first time she seemed uneasy. Tad called her bluff and had guessed correctly. He didn’t wait to act on his advantage, he left the pub as quick as he could and tried to put as much distance between himself and Stella as possible.
He barely got around the corner into the narrow alley when he heard the sounds of her boots clacking on the pavement as she ran after him.
“Does she have her cuffs out?” he whispered.
“I wish,” was Tony’s answer. Tad ignored him.
“Tad, wait.”
“No,” he called over his shoulder. “I don’t have to listen to this.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just frustrated.”
Frustrated? She didn’t know the meaning of the word. He was more intimately involved in this case than her and he was getting nowhere. His daughter’s life might very well be in the balance and he knew little more about how to save her than he had months earlier.
He was suddenly angry and rather than escaping, he turned to face her. Something in his gaze forced her to skid to a stop.
In her rush to chase him she had grabbed her coat, but not put it on. With the rain growing heavier, her charcoal jacket was growing darker and already her hair had a glossy sheen. That, combined with her tone and expression, made her look a touch pathetic and desperate. It was a look he hadn’t seen on her before and he had to fight down a bout of compassion to keep hold of his anger.
“I don’t care. I’m not the bad guy and I don’t have time for this nonsense every time I see you.”
“Then let me help you,” she begged. “I know that you know more than you’re letting on. You’re not a good liar whereas I’m great at spotting lies. So please don’t insult me again by lying. Can’t you see that I am trying to help you?”