Black Matter

by G D Parker

  Mike placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘We do, but it’s better than yours,’ he replied with a smile, with seemingly no remorse for killing a man.

  The four of them walked over to Scientist83. He was slumped face down on the floor. The metallic smell of the blood pouring from his head was prominent.

  ‘Would you like to have the honour?’ asked Mike, holding out a hand as a gesture to remove the balaclava.

  ‘No, you do it!’ Valentina replied.

  Mike walked over and ripped the balaclava off the body without concern. Valentina gasped at the person underneath.

  ‘You know him?’ asked Mike.

  ‘Very much so,’ she replied as she stared at the lifeless face of Russell Davidson.

  29

  Valentina returned to the hotel room. Her feet were sore from the hike, with blisters as big as her feet causing her issues. Her phone beeped notifying her of a text message, which she ignored as she wandered around looking for Tammy.

  The computer equipment was gone, along with all Tammy’s stuff. Valentina made her way down to reception, where she was informed that Tammy had left first thing that morning. That’s when it hit Valentina; her suspicions had been right.

  Valentina went back up to the room and collected all her things, not wanting to stay in the hotel a second longer. She checked out, to find that Tammy had already settled the entire bill, which she found strange. Why would she do that?

  Valentina became overwhelmed by a there’s-no-place-like-home feeling as she stepped over the threshold into her house. It was warm due to the fact that she’d left the heating on, and she decided to run herself a bath as she unpacked.

  Her phone started to ring. It was the Chief Constable of South Wales Police.

  ‘Valentina, do you know anything about this?’ he asked.

  ‘About what, sir?’ Valentina replied.

  ‘The body of Russell Davidson found at the top of Pen Y Fan?’ His tone was somewhat light-hearted, urging her to deny any knowledge.

  ‘No sir, what’s happened?’ Her ignorance was obvious.

  ‘Come down to the station in the morning. I have some good news for you.’

  ‘Will do, sir,’ Valentina replied, hanging up, then stripping off to take a long hot soak in the bath.

  The next morning, she was greeted by the chief constable at the station.

  ‘Nice to see you where you belong,’ he said. ‘Follow me.’ He walked her to his office. ‘Take a seat,’ he gestured.

  Valentina sat, feeling slightly nervous at what he needed to tell her.

  ‘Russell Davidson was found dead, assumed murdered, at the top of Pen Y Fan. I trust you don’t know anything about it?’

  Valentina shook her head. The chief knew the truth, but he didn’t want to know. ‘Okay, what happened?’ she asked.

  ‘He was shot in the head with a military issue 5.56 calibre bullet. We searched his home.’

  ‘Okay?’ Valentina said, shifting nervously in her chair.

  ‘He’s Scientist83, the man you’ve been looking for. We now have all the evidence we need to prove Tommy McGregor’s innocence. Tommy’s being released today. Thought you’d like to go and pick him up from the prison. We need to go through a few things with him first, and he’s going to need your support.’ The chief smiled at her.

  ‘You mean I’m back?’ Valentina asked eagerly.

  ‘Indeed, you are.’

  ‘Thank you, sir,’ she said, smiling from ear to ear.

  ‘But,’ he said, holding up a finger.

  ‘Yes?’ she asked.

  ‘The McGregor case is now over, and I don’t want you looking into it anymore!’

  Valentina smiled. ‘You have my word!’

  She stood and walked into her office. There was a display of balloons and a large cake with her face printed on the icing. She smiled, feeling overwhelmed, and picked up the photo of Roberts and his wife, kissing it with relief.

  ‘It’s over Roberts. We got him!’ Valentina said with a smile, then placed the picture back in its rightful place. She then checked her phone, remembering the text she had received last night. It was from Mike.

  “Hi babe, it’s only me. I can’t help it, and don’t freak out, but I still have all my feelings for you. Please call me.”

  She grinned at the words, feeling there was a happy ending for everyone. She replied to the message.

  “There’s a few things I need to do, then I’ll be in touch. Don’t go anywhere!”

  Her phone rang, and she answered. ‘Valentina.’

  ‘McGregor is ready for collection.’

  ‘No problem, I’ll go and pick him up now.’ She replaced the handset, collected her keys and made her way to Swansea Prison.

  Tommy was standing there, looking a little glum, holding a carrier bag of all his belongings whilst waiting for Valentina. He lit a cigarette, dragging the smoke deep into his lungs, then exaggeratedly blowing it out. He looked up at the sky and saw the birds flying about above his head. It was only then that the sense of real freedom hit him. He could go anywhere and do anything he liked without anyone even telling him what time he had to go to bed.

  Valentina pulled up outside the prison, parking opposite Tommy whilst simultaneously winding down the passenger side window.

  ‘You getting in McGregor?’ asked Valentina with a joyful tone in her voice.

  Tommy looked over and smiled. ‘Of course.’ He opened the door and climbed in, placing the carrier bag between his feet.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ she asked.

  Tommy stared out of the window at all the passers-by, thinking how life just goes on. ‘Not too bad, thanks. Glad to be out of that shithole!’ he exclaimed.

  Valentina raised her brow. ‘I’m not surprised, considering the hassle you’ve had.’

  Tommy didn’t look at Valentina as she continued to drive. ‘So, who was it,’ his head turned, ‘behind all this? Who made me do all those things?’ There was a sadness in his eyes.

  ‘I’ll explain all back at the station. I’m required to give you a de-brief to provide you with some clarity on all that has happened.’ Valentina became more serious.

  ‘Okay,’ he replied and turned to look out of the window again. Driving through streets had never been so interesting.

  At the station, Valentina took Tommy into her office, feeling it would be more appropriate than an interview room. Tommy sat in an armchair placed in the corner of the room.

  ‘Can I get you a drink?’ Valentina asked.

  ‘A pint of beer will do me,’ Tommy replied with a smile.

  Valentina couldn’t help but wish she could give him a stronger drink, but he’d need to wait until he got out of the station for that. ‘I’ll get you a coffee, then we’ll make a start.’

  She returned with two cups and took a seat on the chair next to him, where she began to explain all that had happened; Davidson, Tammy, and the tragic news about Roberts. Tommy shifted in his chair as he listened to the details, finding it difficult to take it all in.

  ‘So, you’re telling me the freak made me do all those things?’ Anger boiled his blood. This man had ruined his life and many others on the back of it all.

  ‘The freak as in Anderson?’ Valentina asked. Tommy nodded. ‘I’m afraid so, Tommy, but he’s also passed away.’

  Tommy couldn’t help but deliver a little smile at the news of Anderson’s death. At the same time, he thought that had been the easy way out, rather than going through the system being punished.

  ‘What about any form of compensation, you know, for my false imprisonment?’ Tommy asked, sitting back in the chair, looking into Valentina’s eyes and waiting for her to respond.

  ‘Yes, there will be a form of compensation. That won’t be anything to do with me. However, I can put you in touch with the team who deal with that side of things.’

  Valentina finished going through the fine details of the case, bringing Tommy up to speed with all that had happened.

  Wi
th his mind processing all that information, some of which he wished he didn’t know, Tommy didn’t feel any better. He walked out of the station and made his way back to his apartment, which was only a twenty- minute walk.

  The door to his apartment jarred on the first push, then opened. The place smelled fusty and damp, followed by a vulgar smell of something rotting. He moved around the flat, memories of his previous life hitting him straight in the face. The last time he had been there was with Emily, and now she was dead at the hands of Anderson.

  Tommy noticed a broken picture turned upside down on the floor. He picked it up, with the broken glass falling from it. It was a picture of Tommy and Taylor; a happy memory they had once shared. A numb feeling came over him as he remembered the good times and also the horrendous times. He had an urge to visit Taylor to see how she was, and he hoped, with the breaking news of his false imprisonment, she may be able to forgive him.

  He knocked on the door to Taylor’s house. The last time he had been there, he had murdered her mother and disfigured Taylor’s face, although he had no memory of any of it happening. The door opened cautiously and Taylor peered out. There was a pause as the two of them stared at one another, shocked at the sight standing in front of them.

  Taylor looked prettier than ever. Her hair was cut differently, with a fringe covering her forehead, masking the horrendous scars Tommy had left there. Her eyes had a glint in them as they filled with tears.

  ‘D,do you want to come in?’ she asked with a stutter.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Tommy replied, hopping from one foot to the other as awkwardness overpowered him.

  ‘It’s fine, please come in, just for a minute?’ Taylor stepped aside, allowing him through.

  They both sat in the front room, unsure of what to say to one another as a cloud of awkwardness hovered between them both.

  ‘I’m so sorry-’ Tommy started to say, but he was quickly interrupted by Taylor holding out her hand.

  ‘Please, don’t say that.’ Taylor’s eyes glazed over. ‘I’ve seen the news, and DI Valentina has been round explaining everything. I really don’t want to talk about it, is that okay?’ A tear rolled down Taylor’s cheek.

  Tommy wanted to wipe the tear away but was too scared to get too close. He just watched the tear roll down her pretty face and drip down onto her neck.

  ‘You been up to much then?’ Tommy asked, a slight quiver in his tone.

  Taylor shrugged, ‘Not really. I’ve been back in work a few months now, and it’s going well. Other than that, not much really. I just like to keep myself to myself these days.’ Taylor then tucked her feet under her bum.

  ‘I only just got out of prison today. I’m not sure what to do!’ Tommy bowed his head. It was clear to Taylor, despite being proved not guilty, that his shame was still there.

  After half an hour, Tommy felt he’d stayed a little too long, and he didn’t want to push things with Taylor, as it must have been a shock already with him just turning up at her door.

  ‘I’m going to go now,’ he said, ‘but please stay in touch.’ He gave her a partial smile, but there was an element of sadness in it.

  ‘Okay, yeah, of course. Come round any time. It’s been nice to see you.’

  Tommy stood and left quickly, holding back the intense emotion that was building up inside him. As soon as he stepped outside and the door closed, he burst into tears.

  Tommy decided to clean his flat throughout, bought new bedding, and changed things around to make it look fresh, ready to start his new life. He picked up the carrier bag from the prison, took out his phone and threw the remainder of the items in the bin.

  Tommy charged his phone, but hesitated to turn it on, as he was scared of what might have been on there. He held off, deciding to watch a film to lose himself for a couple of hours and take himself away from the reality of his life.

  After the film, he found the courage to turn on his phone, switching it straight to flight mode to stop any unwanted messages coming through. He made a note of any numbers of old friends he wanted to keep, then removed the SIM card, destroying it. A new life, a new number.

  The following day, Tommy made his way into town to get himself a new phone. Some passers-by gave him a look, and he wasn’t sure if he was being paranoid or not.

  Once he had bought his new phone, he then decided to get himself a haircut and some new clothes. He grabbed a coffee and sat thinking about what he was now going to do with his life. He had some money in savings, enough to keep him going for a little while, so there was no immediate pressure to find a job straight away. That was if anyone would employ him again.

  Back at home, Tommy set up his new phone, downloading all his previous apps off the cloud. He sent Taylor a text straight away.

  “Hey, hope you’re ok? Just wondered if you’d like to meet tonight, maybe food?”

  The silence in his apartment was broken by the buzzer sounding from the communal door. It caused Tommy to jump, and he hesitated to answer. He built up the courage and picked up the receiver.

  ‘Hello?’ Tommy’s voice was quiet with scepticism.

  ‘It’s Mum! You going to let me up?’

  He picked up on her blunt tone, and every muscle in his body tensed up, fear taking hold of him. Tommy had become a fragile man. He didn’t say anything, but pressed the buzzer to release the door, allowing her up.

  Tommy stood in the doorway as anxiety built inside him. His chest felt compressed and his palms sweaty, listening to her footsteps as she climbed the stairs. She came into view. Tommy didn’t know what to feel.

  ‘Hello Tommy,’ his mum said. She looked withdrawn and cold towards him.

  ‘Mum.’ He moved aside as she walked into his apartment, walking straight past him into the lounge with the expectation for Tommy to follow. Who does she think she is, he thought to himself.

  Tommy followed her into the lounge. She’d already made herself comfortable, while he remained standing, feeling uncomfortable.

  ‘What brings you here?’ Tommy asked.

  She looked at him with raised eyebrows. ‘Why do you think?’

  Tommy was taken aback by her attitude. ‘You tell me! I’ve not seen you since I was sent to prison!’ Sadness was written all over his face.

  ‘We need to talk. You’ve shamed us,’ his mum paused, her face filled with anger, ‘me and your father.’

  ‘Can you leave, please?’ Tommy asked, not wanting the third degree when she had no understanding of what had actually happened.

  ‘I will be in a second. I’ve come round to let you know, we don’t want any contact with you. You’re dead to us.’

  Tommy buckled at the knees from his mum’s words, forcing him to take a seat. ‘That’s fine,’ he replied. ‘I’ve written you both off already.’ He stood again and walked to the lounge door. ‘I’m going to go into my bedroom. I want you to leave. No goodbyes, nothing.’

  Tommy lingered in his room with the door shut, waiting for the sound of the front door to close. As it slammed shut, he burst into tears, feeling lonely. He had no one.

  After a moment of heartache, he returned to the lounge and picked up his phone. There was a message from Taylor.

  “Hello, I would really like that. Call me later and we can arrange.”

  Tommy felt a sense of happiness; something he’d not felt in a long time. He didn’t reply straight away and thought about what he was going to say. He imagined how the dinner would go. Is this the start of “us” again? he thought to himself.

  30

  Tommy’s palms were sweating as he waited for Taylor down at Cardiff Bay. He stood outside Nando’s, pacing the footpath. Will she turn up?

  He saw her in the distance walking towards him. She looked beautiful and radiant, lighting up the night sky. His feelings for her came racing back. I love her, he thought to himself. She drew closer, her smile wide, filling him with happiness and butterflies fluttering inside his tummy. Then the unexpected happened.

  Taylor threw h
er arms around him, drawing him close and tight. There was a magnetism pulling them into each other.

  She turned her head and whispered in his ear, ‘I love you.’

  Tommy felt overwhelmed. He pulled her closer, but it was not close enough. He felt her love for him transferring, pulling at his heart. ‘I love you too,’ he replied with a wobbly voice, fighting the urge to cry.

  They separated, looking into one another’s eyes. The passion was overwhelming for them both as they absorbed one another. They smiled and Tommy thought he had never felt so happy.

  The pair sat opposite each other in the restaurant, constantly smiling. Food was placed in front of them, but they couldn’t take their eyes from each other. The connection was intense; something they’d never felt before. All this adversity had brought two soul mates closer together and nothing could come between them now.

  The night progressed, and they laughed and cried as they slowly walked back to Tommy’s apartment, which was once their home together. They both needed and wanted each other, feeling intense overwhelming urges that felt natural and meant to be.

  They made love all night, like never before. The connection between them was like two planets colliding with an intense explosion.

  The next morning, Taylor awoke first. She looked over to see Tommy sleeping soundly and she grinned, feeling happy. She decided to wake him, as she missed him while he slept.

  ‘Good morning,’ she said, her voice sweet and soft.

  Tommy stirred and opened his eyes, looking deep into Taylor’s. ‘I love you,’ he said.

  ‘I love you too,’ Taylor replied.

  ‘This is only the beginning, babe,’ he said, looking into her eyes.

  ‘It is,’ she said with a smile, ‘but,’ she paused, and Tommy looked worried, ‘we can never talk about before. This is a new start, a new beginning.’

  He smiled at her words and pulled her close. They kissed intensely, regardless of their morning breath. They then separated looking up at the ceiling, overwhelmed.