A Body Displaced (Lansin Island 2)

by Andrew Butcher

  He turned and moved back from the woman, who appeared unnaturally still. Bewilderment and anger were mixed in his eyes. Bunched around his ankles were his trousers and underwear, revealing his bare legs. And the rest. Stupidly, Juliet felt more betrayed than she already had. Not only had Austin lied about his knowledge of her, and then tried to kill her, but now he was screwing another woman.

  The guy fettered to the frame shifted suddenly. ‘Juliet?’

  ‘Nicolas?’ She frowned. ‘What is going on here?’ Her voice came out unexpectedly shrill, while she kept a wary eye on Austin.

  Nicolas stared at her, as seemingly perplexed as Austin. ‘He handcuffed me and forced me to watch.’ Dropping the scarf, he stretched towards her with his free hand. ‘He killed my girlfriend and—’

  ‘Shut up, you!’ shouted Austin, struggling to pull his trousers up.

  ‘—he forced her spirit back into her body and—’

  ‘Shut up!’

  ‘—he raped her!’ His eyes were bloodshot and moist. ‘You have to get away from him! Leave me, I’ll be fine. Go find help!’

  Juliet looked over at the lady slumped chest-down on the table, and moved to the side to get a view of her face. That woman’s dead? Swiftly, Austin reached out a hand towards the woman; the corpse raised its head. Juliet almost shrieked, jumping from the sudden shock. I thought she was dead … And then she recognised her from the news … She’s the girl who was abducted from the hotel.

  Austin laughed mockingly, now trying with only one hand to yank up his jeans. ‘I told you, didn’t I?’ he said. ‘You don’t know half the things you can do with your power.’

  The news report Juliet recalled had mentioned a lot of blood at the scene, and now she understood why. The gaping hole in the corpse’s throat turned her stomach. Then, remembering she’d had sex with Austin turned it over again. Somehow the sight seemed both worse and more bearable than when she saw Aldrich’s body with a knife sunk into it. That sight had brought her close to retching. Or had her reaction been caused by the panic of realising she was involved in a murder? Because right now she handled the nausea a whole lot better. It probably helped that there was no blood; the neck wound was pale, like a drained hunk of meat hung in a walk-in freezer.

  Trying to grasp how the lifeless body was able to move, she reached out with her uncanny ability, directing it at the corpse. It was true: The woman’s spirit was in there. To Juliet it felt like seeing someone locked in a cage, desperate to get out but unable to call for help, unable to break through the bars. The ghost’s suffering was potent.

  ‘Let her spirit go,’ Juliet said instinctively. ‘Let her move on!’

  Austin glared at her while he struggled to zip over his persistent erection. ‘I told you to drop this.’

  Juliet took out her personal alarm.

  ‘Oh, as if!’ Austin huffed. ‘You’re using that stupid thing against me again?’

  So many questions crashed about her head that they came in no good order. ‘Who are you? How did you know about Aldrich? Why are you doing all this?’ She tried to sound in control.

  Now dressed and standing tall, Austin faced one of his palms at the dead woman. She rose from the table and stood by him. She was shorter than him by a head or so.

  The fear that swept over Juliet was like nothing she’d experienced before—a sense that thousands of dark hands were stretching towards her from every direction, clawing away, trying to rip her apart. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to run.

  ‘See what we can do, Juliet?’ Zeal saturated Austin’s voice. ‘Why don’t you join me? Why don’t you learn from me?’

  She took a step back. ‘No.’ Her fist clenched the alarm tighter. ‘Now answer my questions or I’ll set this off.’

  He glanced with disregard at the alarm in her hand. ‘You won’t set it off. The other buildings are too far away. No one would hear.’

  ‘Do you want to risk it?’

  His face twitched. ‘If I get caught, I’ll tell the police what you did to Aldrich.’

  ‘Maybe you will tell them. But my guess is that you’d rather not get caught.’

  He scoffed then smiled contemptuously, making horizontal slits out of his brown eyes. ‘Well, as you’ve already discovered, you don’t really know me at all.’ He flung one hand forward to point at her, signalling as if sending troops into battle, and the dead woman charged.

  The plastic was smooth on Juliet’s thumb, but felt solid as she pressed it down. Click, and the siren began: weh-weh-weh-weh-weh-weh-weh! Ear-piercingly loud, it stabbed her eardrums and gave her organs a jolt. The corpse stopped in its tracks, and Juliet realised she’d successfully called Austin’s bluff; a brief panic ran over his face. For a moment, his eyes bore into her, as if he’d enjoy nothing more than tearing her head off, but instead he beckoned the dead woman with a gesture and then ran with her to the exit. Well, the corpse limped more than ran.

  When they were out of sight, Juliet silenced the alarm to discover Nicolas shouting something. ‘Follow them! See where they go, if he gets in a car, registration plate …’ The scarf was back in his hand and he’d managed to hook something with it and drag it to him. ‘Quickly!’ he yelled.

  She obeyed. She ran in the direction Austin had, which led her to a long hallway with an open fire exit at the end. The sound of an engine starting up floated down the hall as she neared the door. She pushed through just as a white van zoomed off, tyres crunching up grit in their speedy escape.

  All she managed to glimpse was a sticker on the vehicle with the word ‘Rental’ on it, and pink blossoms clung to the exterior of the van. Some of the petals had blown off and now speckled the ground.

  When Juliet had circled the factory earlier on, she didn’t spot the vehicle; it had been in a space behind a wall that extended from the building, which appeared to have once been a loading area. Frustrated that she hadn’t even caught the number plate, she rushed back inside to Nicolas.

  He’d uncuffed himself by the time she returned and was rubbing at a deep red line on his wrist. For a second, seeing him unchained panicked Juliet. Why is he involved with Austin? It can’t be a coincidence … Is this some kind of setup? Would Nicolas do that? She certainly knew what his brother Tommy was capable of. But she didn’t think Nicolas was like that; he had subjugated the urge to kill Aldrich, and Juliet imagined most men would jump at the chance to avenge their mother’s death. But not him; his morals won out. Someone like that couldn’t devise a scene as twisted as this …

  ‘Did you see where they went?’ he asked, his voice ragged.

  For some reason, Juliet felt as if she’d failed him. ‘They drove away in a white van.’

  ‘Did you see the registration plate?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Did you see anything?’

  ‘Pink blossoms covered the van. The vehicle appeared rented,’ she answered curtly. ‘And don’t talk to me like that.’

  Nick looked both angry and abashed. Tensions were running high for both of them, and Juliet understood that. When Aldrich had taken control of her, she’d been furious afterwards; right now she could only imagine how enraged Nicolas felt, having been restrained and made to witness what she’d only walked in on.

  While Nicolas was silent, presumably trying to compose himself, Juliet thought, He didn’t have a girlfriend when we met before; or at least if he did, then he didn’t mention her. Selfishly, she became lost in the thought, considering the possibility that he’d let her kiss him while he was dating someone else. But then she remembered that the ‘someone’ she referred to was dead, and her spirit trapped in her body.

  She gave Nicolas her eyes after a reasonable amount of time. His mouth opened like he was about to say more, but then he stopped at the sound of a mobile phone vibrating. He turned and looked down at the items on the floor before picking up and shoving his wallet and keys into his pockets. With a frustrated sigh, he said, ‘My manager’s calling because I’m supposed to be going back to work. One moment.’


  Juliet watched him glance at the screen apprehensively before answering. ‘Hi, Mora … Yeah, sorry … It was all cheap and crappy stuff …’ He gave a conversational laugh, yet Juliet could see the misery in his face. And although he’d perked up his tone, there was a sad and sunken tinge he’d failed to mask. ‘I was on my way back and my car broke down … I was about to call you …’ He said nothing for ten seconds or so. ‘Okay. Thank you, Mora. I’m sorry about all this … Me? No, I’m fine … honestly … just annoyed my car’s playing up … Okay, bye.’ He hung up.

  I see you’re still adept at lying, thought Juliet, though she kept it to herself. I’m one to talk … She bit down on her lip, thinking of her gran and Kim. I never used to lie. Ever … Apart from to myself.

  Another sigh escaped Nicolas, then he said to Juliet, ‘I was supposed to finish at five, so she told me not to worry about going back in today.’ Quickly he shook his head. ‘Anyway, I … I didn’t mean to talk to you the way I did.’ He forced his eyes shut. ‘I just found out my girlfriend’s dead, and, and, he—’

  ‘It’s okay; you don’t have to—’

  ‘I do … I have to say it; I have to face it.’ He brought a clenched fist up to his face, pushing the knuckles into his chin and mouth. His eyes were teary and determined. ‘She’s dead,’ he spat the words. ‘He murdered her, defiled her, and now even in death he’s forcing her to suffer it all.’ In a voice that brought Juliet close to tears, he said, ‘I saw it in her eyes, Juliet. She’s suffering …’

  ‘I know, she is. I sensed it with my ability.’

  They were both quiet for some time. Juliet was surprised by Nick’s control over his emotions. Back when he had discovered his mum was murdered, he’d sobbed in Juliet’s arms, his body convulsing. Here and now, though, there was a firmness in his eyes that seemed to say, ‘I’ve had enough of tears; I will get through this.’

  He’s changed. Not only had he apparently found some emotional strength, he also appeared older. Or was that just because every time Juliet looked in the mirror she seemed more youthful, and so in contrast, Nick appeared to have aged more than her these past six months? Whatever the case, he gave off a stronger sense of presence than before. He’s moved forward in his life since we last saw each other … I went backwards in mine. Realising this only made her want to grab the reins of her future even more.

  It was becoming cold inside the dim, capacious factory. ‘How do you know that man?’ asked Nick. ‘Austin, he told me to call him.’

  ‘I was going to ask you the same thing.’ Her voice sounded harder than she’d intended. ‘I met him a while ago, and we started … dating. But yesterday, when I became suspicious of him, he tried to kill me and attacked my grandmother.’

  Nick put a hand to his forehead and looked down at the floor. After gripping his brown fringe in apparent distress, he gave Juliet his eyes. ‘If you know anything more about him, I need to know it. I … I just … I don’t know how you’re involved in this.’ He winced, rubbing his bright red wrist. ‘We need to talk, but not here. We should leave this place.’

  ‘And talk where?’

  ‘My car is nearby. It will have to do for now.’

  ‘What should we do with that scarf?’ She pointed. ‘And the handcuffs?’

  Nick turned back to them, blinked hard, and then sunk his head into one of his palms. ‘Crap. I don’t know … I can’t take the scarf with me. It’s probably got Kerra’s blood on it …’ He cringed. ‘… or strands of hair … or something. If I take it and the police find it in my possession, then I’m screwed.’

  Kerra; that must have been his girlfriend. Juliet recognised the name from the news report.

  Nick continued, ‘But if we leave it here and someone else finds it, then the police might find evidence of us being here. We can’t leave anything behind.’

  ‘I never thought I’d be in this situation with you again,’ Juliet mumbled as she peered about the factory, ‘trying to find ways to destroy evidence.’ More powerfully, she said, ‘I never thought I’d see you again.’

  Nick didn’t reply; he just looked at her with those set, bloodshot eyes and then used a key to unlock the handcuff hoop that was still connected to the metal frame. ‘I suppose I can wipe these down, and … I don’t know … wrap them in a bag and throw them in a public bin. Just have to find one with no CCTV nearby.’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t know what to do with the scarf.’

  ‘I’ll take it.’ What am I doing? ‘If you can just get me home with it, then I’ll burn it in my woodburner tonight.’ A kind of pity had urged her decision; she could see how hard Nick was trying to resolve their predicament, given the trauma he’d just faced. His determination made her want to help. Not only that, but she should be the one taking control of this situation. Running away didn’t help before. ‘There’s a man who lives a few houses down; he lights really foul-smelling bonfires. If anyone notices the smell, they’ll think it’s him. And I light my woodburner quite frequently anyway, so if they notice the smoke’s from my chimney, then they’ll just assume I’ve lazily put something unwanted in there along with the wood.’

  ‘You’ll really do that?’ His face became soft and unsure.

  His doubt annoyed her, a little. ‘I know I walked away from what happened before … but I want to know what’s going on here too. If it means we can leave this factory and figure it out, then yes, I’ll do it.’

  ‘Alright.’ He bundled up the scarf and handcuffs under his armpit. ‘I hope the nearby factories haven’t caught us here on their cameras.’ His voice had a numbness to it, like he was sleep-talking. He headed off, treating Juliet almost as if she wasn’t there, like it made no difference whether she followed or not. But she did follow. On the way, Nick used the bottom of his tee-shirt to quickly wipe down handles and surfaces they might have touched.

  They walked hastily, and Nick turned back to say, ‘How did you know I was in the factory?’

  Juliet heard a scream and fast footsteps in her mind. She saw the fear in Samantha’s eyes. ‘I’ll explain in the car.’

  They sat in the black Vauxhall Corsa and said nothing for a while. Juliet could tell whatever was on Nick’s mind should not be interrupted. At one point he opened his mouth wide, turning to her as if ready to talk, but then a grief-stricken look entered his eyes. He twisted back the other way and thumped his head back into the seat. He took loud and deep breaths, eyes closed, fists clenching.

  He’s dealing with this quite well, Juliet reflected. He’s trying to stay strong. The sky was as white as it had been on the way to Etherby, and its dullness was depressing.

  Nick huffed suddenly, sounding exasperated and bitterly amused. ‘A necromancer, for Christ’s sake,’ he mumbled.

  Juliet frowned. ‘What? Sorry.’

  ‘Austin called himself a necromancer, someone who can reanimate dead bodies.’ Laughing to himself a little manically, he added, ‘If there was the option to play as a necromancer in a game, like a roleplaying game, I would always pick it.’ He shook his head and huffed again. ‘I won’t be doing that anymore …’

  The word ‘necromancer’ meant nothing to Juliet; she’d never heard it before. She realised Nick was falling into cynical thoughts, and so she tried to progress with the matter at hand. ‘Where do you think Austin has gone? Should we be sitting here like this, or doing something?’

  ‘Erm, I’m not sure. He managed to break into my house yesterday, but I don’t think he would go straight there. He’s probably gone back to wherever he lives on the island. I’m going to call Tom, make sure he’s not going back to my house tonight.’

  Juliet remembered Tom; he was the twin she liked. ‘Austin told me he’s staying with a friend on the island. I don’t know where, though. I’m going to check up on my gran too.’

  So while Nick made a couple of phone calls (Juliet overheard parts and it sounded like he’d contacted his dad as well as Tom), Juliet rang Susan, who said she would stick by Lillian for the evening.

/>   After the phone calls, Nick slumped down in the driver’s seat. He looked defeated.

  Juliet would not let his determination dissipate, though. ‘I knew you were at the factory because I spoke with your mum’s spirit again.’

  He sat upright. ‘Did she come to you? Is she okay?’

  ‘That’s the thing … I wanted to talk to her so I could find you. After Austin tried to kill me, he threatened to tell the police the truth about Aldrich’s death. I figured he must have known about your involvement too, so I used my ability to try to summon your mother’s spirit.’

  ‘You summoned her?’ he said, and Juliet wasn’t sure if he sounded annoyed, impressed, or something else entirely.

  ‘I think I did. But after she told me where to find you …’ How can I word this?

  ‘What? What happened?’

  ‘She said something in the Spiritworld was chasing her, and that I’d put her and myself in danger by summoning her. When she disappeared, I heard a scream, and it sounded like she was running.’

  Nick stared at her and brought his eyebrows together. ‘Is she okay?’

  ‘I don’t know. She told me not to summon her again.’

  ‘Oh.’ Apparently stumped, he peered out the car window. When he looked back, he said, ‘We’ll have to figure that out later. Maybe you could try and summon her again. You don’t need to be sorry; I’d be dead if you hadn’t showed up.’

  How many times have we saved each other now?

  Nick continued, ‘This is getting crazy, isn’t it? Austin having an ability, me having one, you, Aldrich. Since we last met I’ve learnt I can see the past in my visions, as well as the future. Now you’re saying you can summon ghosts … You couldn’t do that before, could you? You told me they came to you.’

  ‘I tried it properly for the first time today. There’s more I should tell you, though. Before Austin attacked me, he revealed that he was soulless. Like me. He had a near-death experience too.’

  The road Nick’s car was parked on was wide and quiet, a fair distance from the industrial estate. Juliet wondered how suspicious they looked. Nick appeared too flustered to care. He said, ‘You can force ghosts into dead bodies too?’