Telling Dreams

by Linda Taylor

  ‘Oh, yes, Peter Bishop. We’ve checked him out’, he turned to Daniel as he said this,’ ex- army, now M.O.D. Good chap but pushing his nose into dangerous areas, I fear. Tell him to step back and leave all this to the experts, will you. He’ll soon realise his ‘‘source’’ have been blocked. This is all too valuable a piece of work for amateurs to be meddling into.’

  ‘We didn’t mean any harm Officer. Peter has moved in, to keep me company and safe. But now I’ve seen Daniel again, I feel better already!’

  ‘That’s a good idea, to have someone else with you. Try to do that and at all times, Miss Fisher. We aren’t sure if Robson intends you harm still. He will do anything now to try and find Daniel and if he wasn’t taken in from the scene at the pub, you could still be in danger. What did he say when he arrived at your flat? Try and remember every detail.’

  I sat back against the wooden chair.

  ‘Peter and I pretended to be well, kissing cousins! We put on another act and he went off quite quickly. He said ‘so you don’t know where Daniel is?’ and I said’ Daniel who?’ I turned to see Daniel’s reaction but he just winked back at my cunning.

  ‘Well done. We’ll try and keep him off your trail.’

  ‘You cannot believe my aunt was involved in anything criminal, surely? She loved to play detective I agree and watched too much television, but she was so innocent, really…’

  ‘Have you or your cousin a key we can use, to check out the flat Miss?’

  I was alarmed at his attitude and lack of response to my questioning.

  ‘We are however, indirectly, pleased with the photos your cousin found and chose to show his ‘source’.

  I sat forward uncomfortably at this disclosure.

  ‘Did Peter find anything else, anything he didn’t tell you about, on your Aunt’s sudden death?’

  ‘There were some insurance documents, we needed them, a birth certificate I think. Oh, and a locket. Peter should still have those.’

  ‘Where is Peter now?’ Tate asked.

  ‘He went out earlier than me. I’m not sure, to be honest. He doesn’t tell me where he goes all the time. We aren’t joined at the hip or anything.’

  ‘You may well need to be, Miss.’

  I saw him take out his mobile phone and dial up. He left the room for a few minutes, no doubt to report back.

  ‘Oh, Daniel! I panicked when the phone didn’t work. Are you in the police force then? Can’t you tell me more now?’

  Daniel bent to his knees and kissed me again, as if to silence more questions.

  ‘I’m sorry about all this. My father committed suicide but he was driven to it by De Vere, the man we also know as Robson. I have been working for some time now with the police to gain his trust. I may have lost that now, blown my cover, as they say, in the best crime novels. Louisa, how are you and the baby? Have you had a scan yet?’ he asked, patting my belly gently.

  ‘Bless you. All’s well. How are we to keep in contact now, Daniel? I need to know.’

  ‘I have to go abroad, to tie up some further pieces of evidence. We need to convict this man. The Department will fix up an email link which should be hack proof and we can keep in touch that way. It’s all I can offer you for now. Tonight is ours though, my love. A police car will be arriving to take you away! You not only shop- lifted but smacked a copper too!’

  ‘God, no! My reputation!’

  He laughed at this. ‘I shall be following you, so don’t worry and we will have a evening together in a safe house before I leave for the Moors of Gascony.’

  ‘But I must let Peter know. I can’t have him worrying.’

  ‘Don’t worry about Peter. You can bet he is being tailed right now and he will be asked to return to your flat and act as normally as he can. We don’t want to arouse any further suspicion. We can’t be sure who is watching at present. You will be ‘‘released’’ in the morning. Leave off any makeup and look nice and pale and worn from being detained and questioned all night! Okay?’

  He kissed me again.

  ‘But surely they don’t think my sweet aunt had anything to do with finance and drugs?’

  ‘We’ll talk later, love. She could have been a mere pawn. Do you have those keys in your purse or did you leave them in the drawer?’

  I started to open my bag. No, I had left them at the flat.

  ‘But how did you know…’ I began.

  ‘I know lots of things about you my lovely Louisa that I probably shouldn’t know. My work with the police…’

  ‘Go on. You’re a policeman, a detective?’ I looked straight into his dark brown eyes. I could see only my own reflection there.

  ‘Not quite. I work for them, certainly. I work for them as a psychic, Louisa.’ He stood up and awaited my reaction.

  All I could find to say was,’ I see.’

  Chapter 17

  We drove for an hour and more until we arrived at a large house, set back from the main road. Daniel and I hurried through a double iron gate and crunched over the gravel path to the door. We were hurried in and led up a long, glamorous staircase to a room for the night.

  We spent the night in each other’s arms and Daniel pressed a busser on the bedside phone. A tray was left outside our door and another was there the next morning.

  We saw no one. We had no wish to.

  We made love until we were exhausted and slept wrapped in each other’s arms. I felt safe again and deliriously happy. He was mine and mine for ever. We were surely meant for each other, however hackneyed the phrase and despite, or even because of, all the troubles and sorrows we had endured. We were meant to be.

  ‘Have you seen her recently?’ he suddenly asked, as he bit on his toast hungrily.

  I too was famished after that night together.

  ‘No. Have you?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes. My mother comes to me often. She wants me to find his body you see, Louisa.’

  ‘How did he die?’ I pretended not to know.

  ‘You know he was hung.’ The answer sounded like an accusation.

  ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound… I didn’t know how much to say…’ I began, ignoring his tone and the inference.

  ‘It’s okay. The body went missing you see. Someone took the body. Probably to avoid a post-mortem and evidence of the hallucinogenic drugs they fed him. You understand now, how I have to finish this job. This one is too special for me. This one hurts more than any other could. But I don’t want you or our baby in any danger. Nor that cousin of yours. The kissing one!’ his mood seemed to lighten but I guessed this was just for my benefit.

  ‘Have you always been, you know, psychic ?’ I broached the subject carefully, unsure of myself.

  ‘It started when I was about nine. I denied it of course as most of us do: we fight against it. My brother had just been born. My mother died giving birth to him. I think that was why I never ‘connected’ to him. Resentment is a strong emotion and it can block the best of us. My mother feels his death even now. She weeps for it. For my father, she feels only love. He is at peace, knowing she and I have taken over the search. She may rest then, when we do find him.

  I am described as a ‘sensitive’. I can sense place, time, by touching articles of the missing, believed dead. I don’t always sense it. It can be random, according to how I am within myself, I guess.’

  ‘Daniel, I find all this hard to understand. Hard to believe. I’m sorry…’

  He turned to me then, and with that knowing smile of his said:

  ‘Stop fighting it. You think I don’t know?’

  I just frowned, my brow creased in confusion.

  ‘Know? Know what?’

  He leant closer, his face inches from mine.

  ‘The dreams. The Lady. You too, Louisa. You too have the Sight. But you don’t accept it yet. It is why we are ‘meant to be.’

  I could find no response and a silence came between us. I left him for home soon afterwards, having nothing to add, yet denying nothing.
<
br />   He looked back at me as I was driven away. He smiled, waved me goodbye. There was love in his eyes and a new kind of understanding.

  I was home.

  ‘Peter! It’s good to be back and to see you.’

  Peter opened the door to me. Another lock and safety chain had been added over night.

  ‘Louisa. I’ve been called off. Spoken to. Warned even, not to interfere. My job is to protect you and I am not now to let you out of my sight! Some officials came for the key to ma’s flat too. I wasn’t allowed to go with them, but I don’t know what they think they will find there. There’s just this locket. I don’t see why they should have this as well!’ he sounded upset.

  I sat down wearily and he stood fingering the locket he had found amongst Aunt’s papers in the cash box.

  ‘They didn’t ask to see that then?’

  ‘I haven’t told anyone about it. What can their taking this away prove? Anyway, I reckon it could be valuable. I don’t think I saw Jan with it though. She must be some distant relative of ma’s’ he said gazing at it.

  ‘Let me see!’ he handed me the open locket.

  The picture inside appeared to be painted on porcelain. It was beautifully executed. Immediately I recognised this dark woman, pretty with sharp features, an aquiline nose, deep set eyes and high cheek bones. I closed the locket and felt a rush of blood, then a tingling feeling race up my arms.

  ‘Pete! Pete, I do feel queer!’

  I must have lost consciousness but I’m told it was only for a few minutes. On seeing me come to, Peter was about to call for a doctor, he said, however much this went against the rules laid down for the two of us by our police friends.

  ‘You okay now?’ my cousin was peering at me, looking so anxious. I smiled weakly at him and he gave me that famous grin of his.

  ‘Little actress! Got me really scared, you did!’

  ‘Did I?’

  ‘I’ll make some tea. You know how it’s supposed to be the panacea for any kind of shock.’ He stood up and was about to go to the kitchen but he turned back to me and asked,’ oh, can I have it back now?’ He was staring down at my hands.

  I opened my right hand. I held the locket fixed tightly there and I hadn’t realised.

  ‘Can I keep it for a while?’ I asked him.

  ‘Did you recognise her or something, Cuz? I certainly don’t know her. Ma didn’t mention her to me. But then you two gals were so close.’

  ‘Yes, we were, weren’t we?’

  He came back with tea things jingling on the tray and a packet of unopened biscuits.

  ‘Did Aunt ever go to any of those séances or see any medium shows, Pete?’

  ‘I was away mostly, love. But she always found them scary. She said there were things it was best not to know. But she couldn’t stop the silly blighter. He got involved in some white magic group too you know. But they scared him big time. It was at the end of his life, so I gather, not long before he died. Ma threw out some odd robes and medallions he kept. He had a trunk full of rubbish. It looked like stage props from a Dennis Wheatley film to me! She was very pale though, come to think of it, when we were sorting it and getting rid. But then, what with the loss and her nerves, I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time. Why?’

  ‘Oh, I was just thinking…’ I replied and dunked another biscuit.

  ‘You don’t want to do too much of that!’ he began to fidget, his knees knocking together madly, a sure sign of stress for him.

  ‘Pete. You would tell me if you knew anything more about what your dad was up to? You aren’t keeping anything back?’

  ‘Lou, he’s gone now. No good can come of raking over the past. He made mistakes. He wanted to believe in all sorts of things, did the old man. I guess the war lost him his faith and he was searching for meaning. All I know is, he gave ma a tough time of it. She had more idea about, well,’ he hesitated but stopped fidgeting…’ those kind of things…’

  I just raised an eyebrow quizzically, it was enough.

  ‘Let’s put it this way. She knew when I was going to ring, before I rang. She knew when you were at your lowest. The old girl just knew. She was special. She was Love! God, I miss her so much.’

  He searched awkwardly in his trainer trousers and got out a red handkerchief.

  ‘She always dismissed my fears and kept my feet firmly on the ground. She seemed so down to earth for one so nervous. Do you think it was a bit of an act?’ I said.

  ‘She loved you Lou, more than you might realise. More than Jan, I reckon. Whatever, it would be to protect you. She said you would always need protection.’

  I sat forward at this.

  ‘Really? She said that, to you?’

  He grinned then. The old Peter was back. With his hand held outwards and gesticulating the size,’ ever since you was this high,’ he laughed, teasing me, ‘ever since.’

  That night, I woke from a dream. In this dream, I walked through the pine forest, I found the chalet. I heard the woman humming that same tune. She sat again at the table but there was no map. She turned to me and smiled. Before waking, the candle light flickered and my eye traced something glinting in the fading light. It came from the locket. That same locket that now hung, as if it belonged, around the laced neck of her dress.

  I awoke feeling calm. I was not perspiring nor was I unduly worried by the dream. I fleetingly thought of ringing John and telling him of the change in my dreaming but in the same instant decided there was no reason to do so. I had conquered the bad. I now recognised the good.

  Chapter 18

  The postman brought a small packet and Peter opened it for me.

  It contained a new mobile phone and, when we switched it on, it had a password and a message saying that I should use it to access some special emails. I switched on my laptop and did so. The emails were marked in a way I had not seen anywhere before. After reading, they could not and would not be saved and would be deleted on closing. The message attached also informed me that they were non-printable, un-editable and could not be forwarded but only read. This was rather exciting for me and Peter could only exclaim’ well, I’ll be damned, that secure!’ But it was also rather scary and made me realise we were involved in something so very serious.

  However, I was also very pleased that Daniel and I could now communicate safely and not be hacked into due to this novel technology. No doubt government offices would use it, if they didn’t already. Peter agreed with me, saying there were things the M.O.D. used that would ‘blow your mind’.

  ‘Still cuz, look what we Brits achieved at Bletchley! We were always good at being secretive and cunning!’

  ‘Yeah, right! Go and put the kettle on Mr Cunning!’

  Daniel’s emails came through quite regularly so I guessed he had either found somewhere he could safely use a lap top or other device or, as Peter suggested, maybe he had them timed to send at regular intervals so as to allay some of my obvious fears.

  There were still so many unanswered questions. My head ached at times to know the answers. So when I emailed him I asked why he and Robson had even been on the coach trip. He said that Robson had been worried over the last year or so and had used various modes of transport to cover the country and continue with his business ventures. This way he could cover his tracks rather well and not draw too much attention to himself.

  He also opined that Robson, having checked the list of passengers, may have remembered Aunt’s surname or that she had recognised him from that photograph she had kept so secret. I was no longer surprised that he knew of it and of so many things about us.

  My uncle had also been suspected for some time of his involvement with a syndicate. His ‘pleasures’- gambling, clubbing and young boys had to be financed somehow and he was no expert criminal. Nor had my Aunt seen any extra money from him.

  As Uncle went from restaurant to restaurant in his capacity as the chain’s chief accountant, the police now believed he acted as some kind of courier. This employment meant he could
and did travel widely and was ideal for such a job.

  I was shocked when he explained that the syndicate was financed by drug trafficking,’ moving’ all the known drugs and a particularly nasty, new hallucinogenic.

  I had to try and remember all these details myself as Peter was not inclined to look over my shoulder. Some of the emails of course contained very personal comments between Daniel and me and he was well aware of this.

  All the emails disappeared on closing, as if they had never been sent.

  Daniel also apologised for putting me in any danger. He admitted that the weekend away together at Cromer was probably a mistake but explained that his love for me had blinded his reason.

  I could have kissed him for this and mentally did so.

  My mother and father were coming to see me! Peter wanted to go out to avoid them but I pleaded with him to try and stay and support me.

  They knew about the baby but I had no seen them face to face.

  We bought some shop cake and a quiche and I washed some lettuce ready for their arrival. They had said they would not be staying long due to the demands of the business. How often had I heard that!

  Dad looked thin and tired. Mum looked harassed and stressed.

  I tried not to let it rub off on me.

  ‘How are you coping, dear? Any news of the father? You do know the father?’

  She always could say exactly the wrong thing. Dad gave her his usual disapproving look that was always ignored.

  ‘I’m fine. The baby is fine. The father is fine. Come and sit down. I’ve prepared a bite to eat. How’s business, Dad?’

  ‘When is it due, this baby? Have you been scanned? It is alive still I take it, you’ve always been too thin to feed yourself let alone…’Mum continued giving Dad no chance to answer.

  ‘Hello there, Aunt Joy! Uncle David!’ Peter could see the expression on my face; it was anger. I wasn’t about to cry. I was used to her pessimism and brusque manner. She was my mother and she would never change.

  ‘Oh, you’re here still. So Alison died. What a shame. She was one of your better choices, Peter. Do wipe that silly grin off your face. You never did know when to stop play-acting.’