Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time

by Roger K. Driscoll

  “The police are coming now,” he explained to Echo. “But you’ll be okay – I’ll tell you exactly what to do.”

  “Yesterday you saved my life, and today I did save yours,” said Echo. “We are now equal, but I must follow my own destiny. If you wish to join me, be at the place and time where sleep and the morrow both end – if not I will continue alone.”

  Jason stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

  Matt was sucking his grazed knuckles, then he pointed towards the entrance. “Hang on, what’s this?”

  Everyone followed his gaze. Jason’s eyes widened as the spooky figure stepped through the front doorway into the light. The woman wore a purple veil, shiny boots, fishnet stockings and a short black dress, laced up at the front. She walked into the hall, lifting her veil to reveal her long red hair, pale face, fangs and purple lipstick.

  “Oy, what the ’ell’s goin’ on?” she gasped, eyes darting in every direction. “All right, so I’m late, but that’s ’cos I couldn’t get my car down the lane. I was waitin’ for them blokes to shift the Land Rover.” She glared across at Nikki. “Oy, bimbo, yer’ve pinched my job! I’m supposed to be the bride ’a Dracula!”

  “Fangs a lot, Amber, but you won’t be needed,” said Ben. “The party finished early.”

  Jason wondered whether Echo understood the fangs a lot joke. He turned, ready to explain it to her, but the girl-dryad was nowhere to be seen.

  “Where is she?” he said, spinning around.

  “Dunno,” said Ben with a shrug.

  Jason heard a crash from the kitchen. He broke into a run, sprinting across the hall and through the doorway. At the far side of the kitchen the back door was flapping open, its frame splintered and broken. He had no difficulty imagining the flying kick, or perhaps the series of flick-flaks, needed to cause such damage. He ran outside, into an enclosed garden.

  “Echo!” he yelled, running down the path and through an arched gateway into the courtyard.

  He called her name again, but couldn’t see anyone among the darkened buildings. The Land Rover was there now, next to the other vehicles, but Guy and Stuart had gone inside the house. Jason realised he’d be wasting his time, chasing after Echo. What could be harder to catch than a dryad who didn’t want to be found? He felt a sickness in the pit of his stomach, and the sting of tears in his eyes. Surely it couldn’t end here, after all they’d been through - but Echo was clearly terrified at the thought of school. She hadn’t understood about giving statements to the police. Kate was right – Jason and Lauren had no choice but to help bring the Cobalts to justice, however long that took.

  Then again, wouldn’t the tape take care of all that? The police sirens were very loud now. As flashing blue lights appeared in the courtyard, Jason turned and ran back through the archway. He dashed along the path and into the kitchen where Lauren and Kate were waiting for him.

  “There you are,” said Lauren. “What’s going on?”

  “Echo’s gone!” he cried.

  He heard Ben, yelling from the hall. “The cops are here now!”

  Kate was setting off to meet him when Jason took her by the arm, tugging urgently.

  “No!” he said. “I need to speak to you both, before you say anything to the police.”

  – CHAPTER FIFTEEN –

  Echo and her Fate

  When the police told Jason he’d be spending the night at the station, he thought they meant the one in Oswaldley. Instead he was taken to a city ten miles away, and the police headquarters there. Pauline Hewless, his key worker from Brandsby House, was called out. Her rage at Jason’s behaviour soon gave way to confusion - and perhaps a little admiration, once she’d heard about his role in rescuing his sister.

  After being checked over by a police doctor, Jason and Lauren were shown to a suite of rooms; overnight accommodation set aside for young people ‘involved in police enquiries.’ Jason was grateful for the warm shower, good food, comfortable bed and change of clothes.

  Things got off to an early start in the morning. Jason and Lauren were seen separately in different interview rooms, each giving detailed statements. The officer in charge of Jason’s interview was Detective Sergeant Dave Masters, a slightly-built man in his late thirties with short, dark-brown, receding hair. Pauline Hewless was present throughout the whole interview, but after an hour-and-a-half she looked more bewildered than ever.

  “Tell me more about the girl,” Detective Sergeant Masters said, pausing to check his notes. “A red-haired girl in a green hoodie.”

  “She can’t be from Brandsby House,” said Pauline. “Her description doesn’t fit any of the children there.”

  Jason looked down at his hands. He’d sworn Kate and Lauren to secrecy the night before, asking them not to mention Echo to the police or anyone else. Kate and Ben had quickly spread the word among their friends. Jason wondered whether he might get into trouble, holding back information from the police. Then again it was only a small lie, and he’d told the truth about everything else.

  “We’ve already spoken to the Cobalts and their gang,” DS Masters went on. “They’ve all mentioned the girl, describing her as vicious and all kinds of other things that I won’t repeat. But here’s the funny thing. Kate Megginson, Ben Wild and the others don’t seem to remember the girl at all. Even your sister denies any knowledge of her.”

  Jason glanced up. “I didn’t see a red-haired girl.”

  DS Masters scratched his head. “Ah well, it’s probably not important on the scale of things. Otherwise, the news is good. We’ll be taking full statements from the other witnesses later, but last night we interrogated the Cobalts and their friends. We had no idea Scott Cobalt was involved with Maxine Knaggs, one of our own people. Turns out that Scott and Maxine are a very sharp couple – it was impossible to get a confession out of them.”

  Pauline frowned. “I don’t understand how this Maxine woman got involved with these ghastly people in the first place.”

  “When Scott Cobalt first came to own the manor, four years ago, there was quite an investigation,” DS Masters told her. “We thought it was fishy at the time, but we couldn’t prove anything. Maxine Knaggs was one of the officers assigned to the job. This brought her into contact with Scott, and unfortunately she fell under his spell. His promises of the high life proved too much of a temptation.”

  “I don’t get it,” said Jason. “Why’s this good news?”

  “I’m coming to that,” said DS Masters. “We figured that Kevin Cobalt was the weakest link in the chain, so we put our best team on him. That tape your sister found, and the recordings she made, we had it all checked over by a couple of voice experts. There’s no doubt it makes excellent evidence. We played the tape to Kevin, over and over, and we bombarded him with questions. Eventually he cracked, and after that he sang like a canary. He confessed that he was there when Scott forced the old man into signing a false will. Not only that, he admitted it was Scott who killed your mum, and that he helped Scott kidnap your sister. He even confessed to lighting the haystack, having been put up to it by Maxine Knaggs.”

  Jason breathed out deeply. For the first time since Mum died, he began to feel safe.

  “This really is good news,” said Pauline. “Does it mean Jason won’t have to appear in court, if this Kevin character has admitted everything?”

  “Hopefully they’ll all plead guilty in the end,” said DS Masters. “We think Tiffany will be the next one to crack.”

  There came a knock on the door, and a young policewoman walked in.

  “Two people have turned up at the station,” she said. “Wanting to speak to Jason and his sister. They say it’s really important.”

  “We’d best go and see what it’s about,” said DS Masters. “Anyway we’re pretty much finished here – for now.”

  He and Pauline led Jason out of the interview room, and through a series of corridors to the main reception area. Jason saw Lauren, and Kate and Ben, talking to the desk sergeant.r />
  “Could we borrow these two for a little while?” said Kate. “It’s something we talked about last night. They’d like us to take them to the cemetery where their mother’s buried, to put flowers on her grave.”

  “I’m not sure about this,” said Pauline. “After everything that’s happened, I’d rather not let Jason out of my sight.”

  “Ben and I are due here later on, to give our statements,” said Kate. “Once we’re finished at the cemetery we’ll bring Jason and Lauren back with us. We’ll take good care of them in the meanwhile.”

  “But we’ve got them booked in for some counselling,” Pauline went on.

  “What better counselling could there be, than talking things over with friends?” Ben asked her.

  “Actually, Miss Hewless, there is something we could be getting on with in the meanwhile,” said DS Masters. “I need your help to complete some forms, concerning Jason’s background.”

  “Oh, very well,” said Pauline with a sigh of resignation. She fixed her eyes on Jason. “But come straight back here once you’ve been to the cemetery. We need to get you to Brandsby House as soon as possible, then we can sort out a room for Lauren.”

  DS Masters shook hands with Jason and Lauren, then they left the building with Ben and Kate. The brown car was waiting for them in the parking area. As everyone got in, Jason noticed four bunches of roses and carnations, piled in the middle of the back seat. He and Lauren sat at either side of them as Ben set off. He came to a junction and took a left turn, joining the heavy traffic. Jason couldn’t help feeling an uneasy pang of guilt about Pauline. She had a difficult job to do, and this was bound to cause her some inconvenience. Then again he was certain he was doing the right thing, leaving his old life behind.

  “The police have found Uncle George’s old will,” Kate was saying. “It was still there, at his solicitors. Because of the tape, the false will is null and void – which means Scott gets nothing!”

  Jason laughed. “And you get the lot!”

  “Thanks to you two,” said Kate. “And your friend. I’ll pay you back for everything you’ve done, however I can, whenever I can – starting now.”

  “The police are going to confiscate all the Cobalts’ money too,” Ben added. “Such a shame.”

  They arrived in Oswaldley twenty minutes later. Jason checked his watch as they came to St Leonard’s cemetery; ten past eleven. They each took a bunch of flowers from the back seat then made their way through the graveyard, stopping at the black marble headstone etched with the name Anna Fleeting.

  “We’ll leave you to it,” said Ben, pointing towards a different part of the cemetery. “Old George’s grave is over there.”

  As he and Kate wandered away, Lauren knelt down to arrange some roses in the stone vase near the front of Mum’s headstone.

  “I don’t know whether to feel happy or sad,” she said. “I just feel numb, after everything that’s happened.”

  Jason felt the same. There were tears in his eyes as he looked up at the sky.

  “Echo knows her mother is watching her,” he said. “I wonder if it’s the same with our mum.”

  Lauren got to her feet, putting an arm around him. “Sure it is. She’ll know that everything’s all right now, and she’ll be very proud of you. We must come back here, whenever we can.”

  Kate and Ben returned a few minutes later. Jason wanted to stay longer, but he knew there was little time. He and Lauren said good-bye to Mum, then followed the others back to the car.

  “You’re sure you want to do this?” Ben asked as they all got in.

  Jason nodded.

  “You could be landing us in trouble,” said Kate. “But I guess we’ll take the risk.”

  Ben started the engine then pulled away.

  “We’ve managed to put a story together, Jason,” he said. “How about this? We left you and Lauren at your mother’s grave while we went to Old George’s. When we came back, you’d both gone and we couldn’t find you anywhere – you’d done a runner!”

  “Don’t worry,” said Kate. “I’m sure we’ll be able to bluff our way through it.”

  Ben drove out of town and soon arrived in open countryside where he joined the Easthorpe road. Jason recognised the route now; part of the journey he’d taken by bus two days before.

  “Of course, you don’t have to do this,” said Kate. “Ravenstone Manor is mine now. You can both live there – it’s the least I can do.”

  “Thanks,” said Lauren. “Maybe we’ll take you up on that, one day. But don’t forget, for three years the manor was my prison. Three whole years, cooped up in that chamber. I’d no idea Maxine was a copper, I just thought she was Scott’s girlfriend. She could be nice, sometimes. She kind of looked out for me, making sure nothing really bad happened. Sometimes she’d take me out into the grounds, for exercise, but one of the Cobalts would always be there too – with that horrible dog.”

  “I bet you felt like the dog,” said Ben. “Taken for walks like that.”

  “Too right,” said Lauren. “But a couple of things kept me going. First, I knew Jason would come for me one day. Second, there was a programme on telly I never missed – Surviving with Jonny Monks.”

  “You mean the ex-SAS soldier?” said Kate. “I know that programme. Doesn’t he go around the countryside, living rough and surviving in the wild?”

  Lauren nodded. “I decided that one day I’d do the same. I want true freedom – the opposite of being locked up at the manor. I used to watch programmes about pagans too – you know, goddess worship, and being close to nature.”

  “Yes, you mentioned that to Nikki last night,” said Kate. “She’s really into that sort of stuff.”

  Jason had always laughed at pagans and tree-huggers, but the events of the past few days had changed his mind. He remembered everything Fenella had told him about Tenkys, the goddess who reigned over the whole universe. Soon Ben was approaching the crossroads near Easthorpe Golf Club.

  “How do you know your friend will be waiting for you?” he asked.

  “She told me last night,” said Jason. “‘If you wish to join me, be at the place and time where sleep and the morrow both end – if not I will continue alone.’”

  Kate shrugged. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “You have to break it down into bits,” Jason told her. “Morrow is Echo’s word for morning. The first part of the clue is the place where sleep ends. Echo meant the end of her long sleep, the place where she came alive again – in other words, the tree trunk and clearing in Witch Wood. The time when the morning ends, that’s the next bit. She meant noon, midday. If I’m not there by then, she’ll think I want to go back to my old life – then she’ll carry on alone, travelling round the country, helping other people and living off the land.”

  Ben came to the crossroads and turned right. “I don’t understand this long sleep stuff, but I guess you know what you’re doing.”

  “Don’t park near the golf club,” said Jason. “There’s a man there, with a bit of a grudge against me – and we don’t want anyone to see us.”

  Ben drove past the golf club entrance then carried on over a humpback bridge. After a few metres he hit the brake and pulled the car over onto the verge. Everyone got out then Ben opened the boot. Inside were three rucksacks, with tents attached, and a bag of shopping.

  “We had a whip-round with the rest of the band,” Kate explained. “Then we went to the supermarket, and the camp shop in town.”

  Lauren’s eyes widened. “You must’ve spent a fortune! But we’ll pay you back, every penny.”

  “No need for that,” said Kate, grabbing the shopping bag and one of the rucksacks.

  Jason looked again at his watch; almost ten to twelve.

  “I’ll run ahead,” he said.

  “We can carry the stuff,” Kate told him. “I know this area pretty well. We’ll head for the middle of Witch Wood, then give you a shout.”

  Jason ran back along the road, then over the brid
ge. He came to the top of the cutting then clambered all the way down to the old railway. He sprinted along the trackbed, glancing at his watch every few moments. Then he laughed to himself. This was his first day of freedom. Even the weather seemed to be celebrating with him, the sky cloudless, hazy and sultry. It was a day full of promise, the only sounds the song of a lark above, and the clatter of Jason’s footsteps on the trackbed. Soon he was passing the five-barred gate and the oat field. Witch Wood was now in sight and he carried on to the embankment, stopping to scramble down the side and over the fence. He hurtled through the undergrowth, finding the path that took him through to the clearing.

  Deep tyre marks scarred the ground in the clearing, but today the saw-men and their truck were nowhere to be seen. There were no signs of Echo either. Most of the logs and fallen branches had been taken away but the ancient oak trunk remained, now cut into sections. Jason rushed to the tree stump then stepped onto it, turning full circle to scan the perimeter of the clearing.

  “Echo!” he called.

  No reply. He checked his watch again; three minutes past twelve. Perhaps he was too late – or maybe he’d misunderstood Echo’s clue. He began to wonder how she could know the exact time anyway – she didn’t even have a watch. Then again, maybe dryads had an instinct for that kind of thing. He heard the hoot of an owl, from somewhere behind him. He whirled around, staring at the trees beyond the clearing as the owl hooted again.

  That’s weird, he thought. Owls aren’t supposed to hoot during the day.

  Then again, was it an owl at all? He broke into a run, dashing across to follow the sound. He came to the foot of a tall tree where he glanced up. At first he thought the strange lump was part of the high bough; a gnarl, an irregular growth in the tree. Then he was sure he saw a slight movement, and a brown dress, and stripy arms and legs. It reminded him of a tabby cat, hiding in long dry grass, camouflaged. Echo was like a chameleon, part of the tree.

  “I’ve seen you!” Jason cried, heart racing.

  With this, Echo’s limbs moved again. She climbed up to stand on the bough, raising her arms above her head. Jason stepped back as Echo vaulted up, somersaulting three times in the air before landing soft-footed in front of him. She began to laugh. Jason laughed too.