by Clare Revell
Ben nudged her leg. Black shoes appeared on the edge of her field of vision. Strong hands covered hers, helping her. She glanced up into Nate’s concerned face. He undid her coat and pulled it off. She cried out in pain as her arm moved awkwardly.
“Take a couple of deep breaths. We’ll need the coat for now. I’ll get a doc in here to check you over, then you can go and clean up before we take your statement.”
Adeline nodded slightly. Her skirt was stained, too. “I dropped my phone.”
He picked it up and handed it to her. “There you go.”
“Thank you. I should get back to work.” There was something she needed to tell him, something important, but what was it?
“You can’t leave until you’ve given a statement. Things are a little hectic right now, but...” he turned away, and Adeline lost the rest of what he said.
She closed her eyes, trying to stop shaking. I wish I knew what was happening out there. Is she dead? How much chaos is there? Let them catch the guy quickly.
Was it too much of a coincidence that the guy who’d bought the doll in to be mended, had vanished into a building in the same direction the shots came from? She scrolled through the photos on her phone. There was the man and there was the building. That was it. Him.
She almost dropped the handset again as she twisted around. “Nate?”
Nate turned back to her. “Yes?”
“I’ve seen him before. He came into the shop. And then he went into this building right before the shooting. I took his photo.”
He moved swiftly over to her and took the phone. “This man here?”
Adeline nodded. “Yes. That’s what I was trying to tell you before all this happened.”
“I’ll be back. Don’t you go anywhere. I need to keep this as evidence for now. You’ll get it back.”
“I need my phone to talk to people. It’s got particular software on it. I can’t just use any old phone.”
“You’ll get it back or we’ll give you a replacement.” He strode rapidly over to the door.
Despite the situation, for a moment, she found herself admiring his authoritative stance. Then frustration at having her means of communicating long distance taken away set back in.
Adeline glanced down at Ben and sighed. Maybe she said the wrong thing again. Her hands were sticky with blood and she longed to go and wash them.
A hand dropped on her shoulder and she jumped. “Oh…”
“Hi, I’m Dr. Chandler. I’m the police surgeon. I didn’t mean to startle you.” The woman was blonde and her eyes carried her smile behind the glasses. “I need to check you over.”
Her arm hurt like the blazes, but in the grand scheme of things, it just didn’t matter. “I’m fine. Just need to clean up.”
Dr. Chandler took her hands, causing her to gasp in pain, and started to examine them. “...samples...”
“I can’t hear you,” Adeline said. “I’m deaf. If you look at me when you speak, I can lip read.”
The blonde woman frowned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. I said I’ll need to take samples of the blood from your hands and under your nails. But that gasp of pain tells me you’re not fine. Where does it hurt?”
“My arm’s a little sore from where I fell, but that’s not important, right now. How’s the Prime Minister?”
“She didn’t make it.”
Shock resonated through Adeline, setting every nerve on edge. She swallowed hard, bile rising as if someone had thumped her hard in the stomach. Thinking and guessing that was the outcome, was vastly different to seeing it spoken. She closed her eyes, blocking herself off completely from the world. The silence surrounding her became a blessing.
She couldn’t be dead. They needed her, with the fragile state the country was in at the moment. She was the only woman who could unite the country and lead them out of the recession. She was their one hope and now she was gone.
They’d been working on her when Nate brought her here. She might have died in her arms.
Hot tears streamed down Adeline’s face, huge choking sobs welled up and out. Falling to her knees, she wrapped her arms around her stomach, rocking back and forth.
A wet nose nudged her arm a fraction before strong arms wrapped around her, the scent of mint and aftershave following it. A hand moved slowly over her back in an attempt to both comfort and console. Nate…
Not opening her eyes, she took the comfort he offered.
After a few minutes, he tapped her shoulder, and she opened her eyes. She held his gaze, wanting him to tell her it wasn’t true. “Nate, she can’t be dead. They were working on her. She has to be all right.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s true. Mrs. Williams is dead. They just made the official announcement.” He took a deep breath. “Are you all right? The doc wanted to sedate you, but I intervened.”
“Thank you. I’m fine. I need to know if she…” She took a deep breath. “Did she die in my arms?”
Nate didn’t answer until she repeated her question. Then he nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
A fresh wave of tears fell down her cheeks. The Prime Minister had given birth to her first child, a daughter, only a few weeks previously. This was her first official engagement on her return to work. She’d never get to hold the baby again or sing to her. And the baby would never know her mother.
“Let the doc check you over,” he said. “Jas is coming in with a change of clothes for you. We’ll need the ones you have on as evidence. Then, once we’ve taken a statement, I’ll drive you home.”
“All right.” Adeline took a deep shuddering breath, wanting to wipe her eyes, but not wanting to get blood on her face. She settled for wiping her sleeve over them and then looked at the doctor.
Dr. Chandler smiled. “This won’t take long. Sergeant, if you’ll excuse us please.”
He looked at her and nodded. “Sure. I’ll be right outside.”
Adeline gripped his arm tightly. “Stay.” She needed a familiar face, one friendly presence in the midst of the horror.
Nate turned to face the doctor for a long moment, then smiled at her. “Sure.” He sat next to her.
Dr. Chandler scrapped under Adeline’s nails while Adeline blinked hard and glanced at Nate. His lips moved in what was obviously a prayer. She prayed along with him. Once it was over and the doctor had left, Jasmine came into the room.
Her friend held out a bag. “I got you some clothes like Dane asked.” She dropped the bag and held out her arms.
“I don’t want to get blood on you.”
“Never mind about that. You need a hug.”
“Yes, I do.” Adeline hugged Jasmine tightly. “Thank you.”
Jasmine hugged her then pulled back. She gently ran a hand down Adeline’s face, before signing as she spoke. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Adeline shrugged. She glanced at Nate and Dane standing on the other side of the room and signed her reply. She knew Nate could follow some of her signing now, but didn’t want to verbalize how she felt. “No, I’m not all right. Jas, Mrs. Williams died in my arms.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened as she replied rapidly in sign. “Seriously?”
“She stopped right by me, petted Ben, spoke to me. She had her picture taken with me and Ben. Then she got shot and landed on me. Jas, I was the last person to touch her, to speak to her.”
“I am so sorry, hon,” Jasmine signed and hugged her tightly. Then pulling back, she sighed. “Dane wants me to go, so he and Nate can interview you. I’ll go back to your house and put a casserole in the oven for you.”
Adeline shook her head. “Thank you, but I’m not hungry.”
“I know you’re not, but you still need to eat. I’m doing it. Call if you need me to come around later. Remember I love you.” She hugged her again and then headed out.
“Love you too,” Adeline called after her. She raised a hand in farewell and then looked down at the bag of clothes. “Can I go and change?”
Nate nodded “I�
��ll show you.”
“Thank you.” She followed him down the hallway.
Ten minutes later, she came out of the ladies room. Nate was leaning against the wall, waiting. She’d managed to wash off all of the blood, but longed for a hot shower. She could still feel it clinging to her. This must be how Lady Macbeth felt in the Shakespeare play.
“Feeling better?”
She nodded, resisting the temptation to ask him if he spent a lot of time hanging around outside the ladies. He looked well practiced at it, but then he was usually accompanied on trips by Vianne. Now just wasn’t the time for humor. “Yeah.”
“All right. Let’s go back to the interview room so we can take a statement.”
“Nate…first there is something you and Dane need to know. I tried telling you earlier, but everything was so chaotic. I’ve seen him before.”
He tilted his head. “Who?”
“The shooter. He came into the doll hospital this morning, but that’s not important. Nate, he’s the man from my nightmares. The one with the ponytail.”
Nate’s gaze turned to stone. “He’s what?”
“I think he’s the Herbalist.”
7
Adeline cradled the mug of steaming tea in both hands. Nate, Dane, and their commanding officer, DI Welsh, along with an MI5 officer whose name she didn’t remember, sat opposite her. She gazed down at her cup. Ben sat by her feet, his tail thudding against her leg. Long slender fingers moved under her field of vision and she slowly raised her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember anything else. It all happened so fast.”
Nate slid a picture over to her. “We took this from your phone. What can you tell us about this man?”
“He came into the doll hospital this morning. He had a broken doll with him, wanted me to mend it immediately.”
“What was wrong with the doll?”
“The arm had come off. It’s easy enough to reattach with the right tools. It took me five minutes. He was on edge the whole time.”
“Did he give you a name?”
Adeline let go of the cup, signing as she spoke. “No, we don’t need one as we don’t keep records for walk-ins. And he paid cash. I did him a receipt but he didn’t take it.” She jabbed a finger at the picture. “Actually, he over-paid, so the receipt is for what he gave me. He paced and watched out the window. I thought he must just be in a hurry. There was something about him and the way he kept looking at me. As if he could see straight through me, knew who I was.”
“Did you recognize him?”
“Not at first. Yes, he had a ponytail, but it was blond, not black, and a lot of guys do their hair like that these days. It was only after he left that I realized who the eyes reminded me of.”
“So you followed him?” Nate’s eyes bored into hers, signing the words he knew. “You didn’t think to call me or Dane, or just dial the station?”
She pushed the cup away, spilling hot tea over her hands. “No, you’re wrong. I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer. So, I sent a text, but you never replied. We assumed you were caught up on a case and would get back to me when you could. Then Jas suggested I take Ben for a walk and head to the memorial garden to see the Prime Minister and clear my head. She said that I might see you out there. I told her that you wouldn’t be doing street duty, but you were there.”
Her painful hands shook as she wiped them on her sleeves. “I’m not stupid. I wasn’t going to follow him on my own. If it is him…” She broke off. “Something I just remembered. There was a red light, like a laser.”
The MI5 guy raised his hand. “When?”
“Before the Prime Minister got shot. The light blinded me then slid to my chest as we posed for the photographers. Then the Prime Minister moved in front of me just as she got shot. The flash came from the building this man went in to.”
The four officers exchanged a long look. Then the MI5 officer turned back to her. “You’re sure the light hit you and not Mrs. Williams?”
“She was standing next to me, but the light was on me. I turned so it wouldn’t blind me.”
She buried her head in her hands, struggling with the grief and fear forcing its way through her. Tears filled her eyes, and she closed them, shutting herself off from everyone in the room. Her shoulders shook. Could she have been the target and not the Prime Minister? The thought was too stupid and hideous to contemplate. She had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Sudden images flooded her mind. The red sheen dropped and engulfed her.
A ponytail whipped around slapping her face, and a hand clamped over her mouth. The stench of garlic flooded her senses. She struggled to breathe, her hands rising to her throat, trying to push away the knife. Hot breath rasped against her ear, fingers traced the pulse point in her neck, before steel met skin in a final blow.
“Noooooooo……”
Almost immediately, Nate vaulted the table, his arms going around her. She clung to him like an anchor in a storm. Dimly aware of the vibrations in his throat, she knew he was speaking, but wasn’t sure who to. It didn’t matter. The Herbalist had struck again, and they were no nearer to catching him.
After a moment she looked up, her vision blurred with the tears, which fell unrestrained. She caught Nate’s gaze and held it. “The Herbalist. Again,” she managed.
“Where?”
“I don’t know. There was a hallway, green carpet, but I couldn’t breathe. He put a knife to my throat. The stench of the garlic…”
The MI5 agent tapped her arm. “Let me get this straight, Miss Monroe. You just zoned out. Are you telling me you ‘see’ these murders?”
Adeline nodded mutely. His disdain and disbelief was evident in his eyes and facial expression, without her needing to hear it.
She caught the look Dane gave him. “She knows things we haven’t released to the press. And we’ve seen her visions before. Each time she’s been right. The only thing we’re unsure of is the timing. Do they happen at the same time as she sees them, or before? Either way we take her seriously and suggest you do the same.”
DI Welsh stood and headed from the room. Adeline watched her go and then turned to Nate, her whole body still shaking. “You need to get someone out there.”
“The Guv’s getting uniform officers out into the herb roads and surrounding streets. Hopefully flooding the area will catch him.”
****
As Nate drove though the now deserted streets, Adeline sat in the front seat of his car, with Ben curled up in the back. She angled herself so she could see his lips. “Thank you for driving me home.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“I still don’t believe it.”
“Nor me.”
“It’s like something out of a nightmare.” The car pulled to the curb outside her house. She reached down for her bag. “Thank you for the lift.”
“You’re welcome, Adeline. Do you want me to come in for a while?”
“No. I’ll be fine. Thanks for the offer, but you should get home to Vianne. Jas said she’d come back later on.” She exited the car and opened the door for Ben. “Thanks again.”
“Welcome.”
She walked up the path, Ben running at her heels. The front door blew open. “That’s strange. Jas would have shut and locked the door behind her. Go on ahead, Ben. Go see what’s wrong.” She let go of the lead.
As she reached the doorstep, a hand touched her arm and she jumped. She turned to see Nate. “I thought you’d gone.”
“No, I was waiting to make sure you got in safely. Stay here.”
“Nate…”
“Just stay here.” Nate followed Ben up the step and pushed open the front door fully.
Ben backed away, his ears down and his tail between his legs.
Nate staggered backwards, his hand over his mouth.
Adeline’s stomach twisted. She stood on her tiptoes trying to see over Nate’s shoulder.
Jasmine lay in the hallway, blood draining from the knife wo
und in her throat. A gaping chasm appeared under Adeline’s feet, and she dropped to her knees, retching, losing the tea she’d drunk at the police station.
The vision she’d had. It was her hallway. It had been Jasmine’s death she’d seen.
Noooo…not Jas. Why?
She closed her eyes, shutting herself off in the tsunami of anguish and devastation rushing through her. Strong arms enfolded her, but she didn’t move or open her eyes as she knew it was Nate from the spearmint and musk. A huge lump in her throat made breathing difficult.
After a minute or two, Nate gently lifted her face to his. “Adeline, I need you to stay here a minute. I’ll be right back. And I mean stay right here.”
There was no way she could move any way at that precise moment.
He left her momentarily as he checked pointlessly for Jasmine’s pulse and then shook his head. “I’m sorry.” He returned and pulled her upright. “Let’s get you away from here.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and moved her away from the house. She walked remotely, turning her head back to look at the house. She could see Jasmine lying in the hallway. Tears stung her eyes as she finally pulled her gaze away.
Leading her to the car Nate unlocked the door and sat her on the front seat.
Adeline sat sideways in the seat, her feet on the pavement, as Nate pulled out his phone and dialed rapidly. “Guv, it’s Nate. I need a full forensic team and an ambulance...” He turned away, his face ashen.
Tears streaming down her face, Adeline buried her face in her hands. God, why Jasmine? Haven’t enough people died today without any more?
Blue lights filled the dark night. Leather clad feet rushed past her. Crime scene lights flashed on as a white tent was set up over the front of the house.
A hand closed over her arm, the touch firm and she looked up, her vision blurred with her tears. “Nate… what about Dane?”
“The Guv is going to tell him. I need to take you someplace else. Where can you go tonight that’s safe?”
“Forget me. Dane needs to know before the news breaks. Jas is his wife.”
“DI Welsh is on her way to tell him. In cases like this, the highest ranking officer—”