‘I need your help, Harry. The two cops I’ve spoken to up here haven’t been helpful.’
‘Who else did you speak to?’
‘The guy who has McBride’s computer. Colin Stevenson.’
Simpson nodded. ‘Yeah, I know him.’
‘Someone leaked the Satanic website thing to the press and I think it might have been him.’
‘You want to be careful throwing around allegations like that.’
‘I’m not throwing allegations around, I’m just mentioning it to you. Like I said, McBride didn’t have an internet connection at his house, which means that he couldn’t have visited those websites. Stevenson says that he did and the press got hold of the fact in double quick time. I’m happy to be proved wrong, but it looks to me like Stevenson might have another agenda.’
‘Like what?’
Nightingale shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’
‘Seems to me there’s a lot you don’t know.’ Simpson tore off a chunk of naan bread and dipped it into the dansak.
‘That’s why I wanted to talk to you,’ said Nightingale. ‘Stevenson and Connolly might be more forthcoming with you.’
‘You want me to spy for you? That’s not going to happen.’
‘You’re on the case, right? Don’t you want to know what really happened?’
‘We know what happened. James McBride took his shotgun and killed eight children and a teacher, then he took his own life.’
‘But what if he was being used? What if there was someone behind him?’
‘Behind him? What do you mean?’
‘Someone put the Satanic stuff on his computer. I think they did that to hide the real reason for the killings. I’d have thought that you might want to know what that reason was.’
‘Why are you so interested? Your client is dead, right?’
‘He paid in advance,’ said Nightingale. ‘But this isn’t about money. It’s about getting at the truth.’
Simpson sipped his lager slowly as he thought about what Nightingale had said. ‘What specifically do you want from me?’ he said, putting down his glass.
‘I’d like to know if there was anything off about Etchells. The teacher that was killed.’
‘Off in what way?’
‘McBride shot him point blank in the playground. He didn’t have to. If he’d made any sort of threatening gesture with the shotgun, Etchells would have folded. All McBride had to do was point the gun at him. He didn’t need to pull the trigger. And when he went to the classrooms, he didn’t shoot the teachers. He chose to kill Etchells and I want to know why.’
Simpson pulled a face. ‘I haven’t heard anything.’
‘No, but you probably weren’t looking. He was a victim. Same as the pupils. You don’t look at victims in the same way as you look at the perpetrator.’
‘Okay, I can do that.’
‘And I’d really like to know why Colin Stevenson has been so uncooperative.’
Simpson’s eyes narrowed. ‘Are you suggesting he’s bad? Because there’s no way I’m getting dragged into a Professional Standards investigation.’
‘Someone put that Satanic stuff on McBride’s hard drive and leaked it to the press. Whoever it was must have done it for a reason.’
‘And you think it was Stevenson?’
‘He’s the only name I’ve got.’
Simpson put down his fork. ‘If I get caught sniffing around a fellow cop I could blow my career.’
‘What sort of cop is he?’
‘Close to retirement. He’ll be gone in a couple of years. He’s like a lot of old school detectives, he’s seen the job change and it’s not changed for the better. You know what it’s like, right? We get shafted by the politicians, our pay and pensions are attacked, the CPS and the courts let us down every day of the week and the public hates us.’ He shrugged. ‘Welcome to the new millennium.’
‘I know it isn’t easy being a copper. It never has been. But eight kids died and I want to know why.’
Simpson nodded slowly. ‘Okay. I’ll put out a few feelers. But I’m not promising anything.’
‘That’s cool.’
‘And we’re splitting this bill, fifty-fifty.’
‘Which is also cool,’ said Nightingale. ‘Two more Kingfishers?’
53
Sandra Harper ruffled her daughter’s hair. ‘What do you want to eat, honey?’ Bella was sitting in front of the television wearing her favourite Barbie pyjamas. The doctors had discharged her first thing in the morning and as soon as they’d got home she had retreated to the sofa. Bella shrugged and kept her eyes on the television. ‘I’m okay.’
‘Are you sure? Pizza Hut? KFC? Burger King? Your dad can drive and get you whatever you want.’
‘I’m not hungry, Mum.’
‘Tomorrow’s Saturday, do you want to go to the pictures? It’s been ages since we saw a film together. We could go with Grandma and Granddad. Make it a family day out?’
Bella shrugged but didn’t say anything.
Sandra sat down next to her daughter. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Don’t worry. I’m fine.’ She continued to stare at the television.
‘What are you watching?’
‘A documentary on the Holocaust.’
‘The Holocaust? Why on earth are you watching that?’
‘It’s interesting.’
‘I’m not sure you should be watching that.’
‘Why not?’
Sandra picked up the remote and flicked through the channels until she found a cartoon show. ‘That’s better.’
‘I hate cartoons,’ said Bella.
‘You love cartoons.’ She brushed Bella’s hair away from her eyes. ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’
Bella sighed. ‘Really, I’m fine.’
‘The doctors said you might be in shock for a while.’
‘I’m not in shock.’
‘You don’t have to go to school next week if you don’t want to.’
‘No, I’ll go. Really, I’m fine.’
Sandra smelled something unpleasant and she frowned. ‘Did you clean your teeth this morning?’
‘Sure.’
Sandra leant forward to smell her daughter’s breath but Bella turned her head away. ‘Mum, please …’
‘Do you feel okay? Is your stomach bad?’
‘My stomach’s fine.’
‘So why aren’t you hungry?’
‘I’m just not,’ said Bella.
Again Sandra caught the smell of something bitter and acrid yet also sickly sweet. Like very old cheese. But before she could say anything, the doorbell rang. She frowned. ‘Now who’s that at this time of night?’ She went over to the window and pulled back the curtain. ‘Bloody Jehovah’s Witnesses.’
Will appeared at the sitting room door. ‘Who is it?’
‘The God squad,’ she said. ‘Alisha said they were around yesterday.’
The doorbell rang again. ‘I’ll get rid of them,’ said Will.
Bella turned to look at her father. ‘What are Jehovah’s Witnesses?’ she asked.
‘Nutters,’ said Will. ‘They want to come in and talk about God.’
‘Can I talk to them?’
Will frowned. ‘What? Why?’
‘I’d like to talk to someone about Jesus.’
‘Honey, like Daddy says, they’re nutters. They’re a cult. If you want to talk to someone about Jesus we can go to a church, but these people are just a nuisance and they won’t take no for an answer.’
‘Please, Daddy. I want to.’
Will looked over at Sandra and she shrugged. ‘If that’s what she wants …’
‘Please, Daddy.’
‘Okay, but once we let them in we’ll never be able to get rid of them.’
Will went off to open the front door. A few seconds later he returned with a young man in a dark raincoat and a blonde woman on her thirties with dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. Both were carrying black briefcases.
‘I’ll leave you to it,’ Will said to his wife. ‘I’ve got to do some work on the car.’ He disappeared down the hallway before Sandra could say anything.
The woman held out her hand. ‘I’m Tina,’ she said. ‘Your husband said you’d be happy to talk to us. Have you heard the word of God?’
Sandra shook the woman’s hand. ‘We go to church, yes,’ she said. ‘But it was my daughter who wanted to talk to you.’
Bella smiled up at the two Jehovah’s Witnesses. ‘I’m Bella,’ she said.
‘Hello, Bella.’ She introduced her colleague. ‘This is David.’
David was in his thirties, slightly tubby with thick-lensed spectacles. He shook hands with Sandra and flashed Bella a beaming smile.
‘Look, I have to say that I’m a little uncomfortable about this,’ said Sandra. ‘As I said, we go to church. I don’t want you to start putting ideas into my daughter’s head.’
‘I just want to talk to them, Mummy. It’ll be fine.’ She patted the sofa next to her. ‘They can sit here.’
The two Jehovah’s Witnesses took off their coats and looked expectantly at Sandra. She took the coats from them and they sat down on the sofa, either side of Bella. ‘Why don’t you get them some tea, Mummy?’ asked Bella.
‘Oh, I don’t think they’ll be here that long, honey,’ said Sandra.
‘Actually a cup of tea would be lovely,’ said Tina, and David nodded.
Sandra sighed. ‘Right then, tea it is,’ she said. She walked out of the room, carrying the coats. Bella was looking at her, so Sandra mouthed ‘Ten minutes’ and flashed her a warning look.
‘So you are interested in God and how he can be a part of your life?’ asked Tina.
Bella nodded. ‘Of course. God loves us and we are his children.’
‘That’s right,’ said David. ‘But what is important is that we demonstrate our love for God. We must show that we are worthy of his love.’ He opened his briefcase and took out a handful of leaflets. He sorted through them and handed two to her. ‘These are especially for children,’ he said. ‘They will help you to understand what you must do to ensure your place in Heaven.’
Bella smiled. ‘Oh, I don’t think I’ll be going to Heaven.’
‘Of course you will, if you do what God wants,’ said Tina. ‘Now, have you ever heard of a man called Charles Taze Russell?’
‘He founded the Jehovah’s Witnesses,’ said Bella. ‘He wrote the books Studies in Scriptures, which is what your theology is based on.’ She smiled sweetly.
Tina and David exchanged surprised looks. ‘Has someone from our Church talked to you already?’
Bella shook her head. ‘No, you’re the first,’ she said. ‘But there is something I don’t understand. You don’t believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, do you?’
‘God is a single deity, there is only the one God,’ said Tina.
‘Right, but you think that the Archangel Michael is Jesus, don’t you?’
‘It’s not as simple as that,’ said David. ‘God created Michael and through him God created the universe, the earth, and all mankind.’
‘And that happened 42,000 years ago, you think.’
David and Tina looked at each other. ‘Bella, who have you been talking to?’ said Tina. ‘Have your parents put you up to this? Is this some sort of joke?’
‘Because really it’s not funny,’ said David. ‘God is not a laughing matter.’
‘I just worry about the dinosaurs, that’s all,’ said Bella. ‘They were around millions of years ago so I don’t see how that fits in with your 42,000-year theory.’ She clapped her hands. ‘But that’s not what really worries me. It’s the whole Archangel Michael thing.’
Tina frowned at the little girl. ‘What do you mean?’
Bella sighed. ‘You believe that Michael became Jesus. And that God sent him down to be the saviour.’
‘That’s right,’ said Tina. ‘He was without sin and he obeyed all of God’s laws. He took on all the sins of mankind and then he died and was born again in spirit.’
‘And you believe that one day Jesus will return to earth to destroy Satan and establish God’s kingdom on earth?’
‘That’s right,’ said Tina. ‘And only those who follow our path will be saved. That is why we come to people’s houses, to give them the chance to choose their own salvation.’
Bella nodded. ‘Here’s what I don’t understand,’ said Bella. ‘You say that Michael became Jesus Christ. But I’ve met them both. Michael took me to see Jesus.’
Tina stood up. ‘I think I’ll just go and see how your mother’s getting on with the tea,’ she said.
As she left the room, David pushed his spectacles up his nose. ‘What was this, Bella, a dream?’
‘I don’t think it was a dream,’ said Bella. ‘I think I sort of died for a while and then Michael came to see me.’
‘Michael? The Archangel Michael?’
Bella nodded. ‘He was very kind.’
‘And you think he was an angel?”
‘He had wings,’ said Bella.
‘Wings?’
‘Big wings. Like, huge.’
‘And he said he was Michael, the Archangel.’
Bella nodded seriously. ‘Yes. And then he took me to see Jesus.’
‘Bella, you know this was a dream, don’t you?’
Bella’s face hardened. ‘No, it was Jesus. He spoke to me for a long time.’
‘Now come on, Bella, it’s wrong to tell stories.’
‘I’m not telling stories. Jesus spoke to me. He told me lots of things. He told me about you, David.’
David’s jaw dropped. ‘What?’
‘He told me about you and what you did to that little boy in Bristol.’
David’s eyes widened and the briefcase tumbled off his lap and fell to the floor, spilling dozens of brochures over the carpet. David ignored them and continued to stare open-mouthed at Bella.
‘Jesus has a message for you, David.’
‘A message?’ stuttered David. ‘For me?’
Bella crooked her finger. ‘Come closer, David,’ she said softly. ‘I have to whisper it to you.’
54
Tina walked into the kitchen as Sandra was pouring hot water into two mugs. Sandra looked up and forced a smile. ‘Milk and sugar?’ she asked.
‘We both take it with milk and no sugar,’ said Tina. She folded her arms and leaned against the door frame as Sandra opened the fridge and took out a bottle of milk. ‘She’s a very special little girl, Bella.’
Sandra nodded. ‘She’s our angel,’ she said.
‘She’s very bright. For her age.’
‘Really? You think so?’
Tina nodded. ‘She seems to know a lot about Jehovah’s Witnesses.’
Sandra looked up from the mugs. ‘Are you sure?’
‘She knew about Charles Taze Russell.’
‘Who?’
‘Exactly,’ said Tina. ‘His name isn’t generally known by outsiders.’
Sandra shrugged. ‘She must have seen it on TV. She’s been watching a lot of strange stuff on TV recently.’ She poured milk into the two mugs and stirred.
‘Or at school perhaps?’
‘She hasn’t been to school for a while. Not since …’ She left the sentence unfinished.
‘Since what?’
Sandra looked pained. ‘Bella was attacked. She was hurt quite badly. She’s only just out of hospital.’
‘Oh my goodness, Bella Harper!’ said Tina, putting her hands over her mouth. ‘I’m so sorry, you should have said. Oh my goodness.’
‘It’s okay. She’s fine now. She’ll probably be back at school next week.’
‘Oh, the poor thing. It said in the papers that she’d been …’ She saw the look of horror flash across Sandra’s face and she immediately began apologising.
‘It’s okay,’ said Sandra, handing her one of the mugs of tea. ‘Like I said, she’s okay. It was her idea to invite you in. She wanted to talk to
you.’
‘A belief in God can help you through difficult times.’
Sandra nodded. ‘She said an angel helped take care of her.’
‘That could be true,’ said Tina. ‘God loves children more than anything. Why wouldn’t he use his angels to protect a child?’
‘If that was the case, he was a bit late,’ said Sandra. ‘He should have sent an angel to keep the monsters away from her in the first place.’
‘You’re angry,’ said Tina quietly.
Sandra’s eyes flashed. ‘Of course I’m angry. Why would I not be angry?’
‘You got your daughter back. For that alone you should be thanking God. So many missing children never come back.’
Sandra forced a smile. ‘I suppose so.’
‘And she is such a lovely girl. A treasure.’
Sandra took the mug of tea into the sitting room. David was on his hands and knees, gathering up the pamphlets, while Bella stared at the television. ‘Your tea,’ said Sandra.
David scooped the pamphlets into his briefcase then locked it and got to his feet. ‘We should go,’ he said to Tina.
‘Our tea,’ said Tina, holding up her mug, but David was already walking out of the room.
‘Bella, is everything okay?’ asked Sandra.
‘Everything’s fine,’ said Bella, her eyes on the television. She’d changed the cartoon back to the Holocaust documentary.
‘I’m sorry. I’m not sure what’s wrong with David,’ said Tina. She handed her unfinished tea to Sandra, picked up her briefcase and hurried after David. She caught up with him down the street, heading for his car. ‘David, what’s wrong?’ she asked as she fell into step with him. He ignored her. He took his car keys from his raincoat pocket and unlocked the door of his Toyota, tossed the briefcase onto the back seat and climbed in. Tina hurried around to the passenger side. ‘David, what happened? What’s wrong?’ She got in and pulled the door shut. David had already started the engine.
Tina fastened her seat belt as David pulled away from the curb.
She tried to get him to speak several times but he ignored her. The seat belt warning beeper was going but David ignored that, too.
Nightshade: The Fourth Jack Nightingale Supernatural Thriller jn-4 Page 17