Justine and the Psychic Connections

by Ruth Hay

  “Oh, I come bearing a gift, Thora.”

  To the best of her knowledge, her first name had not been shared with anyone in the village. Mrs. Kelso began to pay attention to the messenger.

  “A gift you say? What gift?”

  “Oh, a relative of yours has arrived in the village and you have money coming to you.”

  Mrs. Kelso forced the door almost closed in Agnes’ face. She knew this was a highly unlikely event. If there were any prospects of money coming from her family, she would never have been obliged to risk her freedom in the dangerous business of thieving from her employers.

  “If this is more of your fortune-telling nonsense, Agnes Little, I will report you to the authorities for mischief making.”

  “Oh, no! It’s as true as I am standing here before you, Thora Kelso. And, unless I am sadly mistaken, the good news will not take too long to arrive.

  Bye, Bye!”

  Agnes turned on her heel and left smartly, before any more questions could be asked of her. Let the smug so-and-so stew in doubt as long as possible.

  Thora Kelso was perplexed and worried. Something very unusual was going on and at a very awkward moment. She was planning to exit the village this very night and never see anyone, or any part of it, again. If there was, indeed, some kind of money coming to her she might be wiser to wait a few hours, just in case. It could be weeks before she could organize another easy gig like this one in the mansion of two rich old dodderers.

  * * *

  Jackson, in his dark winter coat and carrying an official-looking briefcase, made his progress through the village watched by several of the older inhabitants from behind their lace curtains.

  Agnes Little had spread the news. The village was agog with excitement.

  Jackson marched up to the mansion’s front door and rang the bell.

  It was no surprise when a flustered Thora Kelso quickly opened the door and invited him inside.

  No doubt, she did not want either of her employers to know about this unusual event.

  “Please step this way, sir. I believe I am the person you have come to see?”

  “If you are Thora Kelso, formerly of Greenock and Perth, then your assumption is correct.”

  Immediately a flush rose in Thora’s face. The mention of these two locations revealed more than she wished anyone here to know. Both were places in which she and the other men had conducted ‘business’ of a thieving kind.

  It was too late to deny her identity. The promise of money was temporarily wiping out all her native caution.

  She closed the Library door and waited while the gentleman took a seat and opened his briefcase. As soon as she had receipt of the money, she would toss him out unceremoniously and continue with her exit plan.

  The best of the furnishings were already safely on the road to London but there were still a few small, precious, portable items that she intended to acquire on her way out of the mansion for the last time.

  Now that Jackson had the upper hand and control of the situation, he moved in for the kill.

  “I have evidence of your illegal actions in two previous locations where you have preyed upon vulnerable older people and stolen valuables from them. I will be conveying this evidence to the county constabulary immediately.”

  Thora Kelso’s mouth dropped open, her breath stopped and her eyes almost popped out of her head with shock. This was totally unacceptable, but she was a hardened criminal, not easily thrown off track. She attacked.

  “Just you wait one minute! Who are you to come here like this and threaten me? I am a respected member of this household. I will summon my employer right now and we will throw you off the premises.”

  Jackson displayed no surprise but inwardly he was impressed by the prompt attack. A lesser man might have fled at this point, but Jackson Dalrymple was no lesser man and he was equipped with a complete Kelso profile from Justine who had identified for him the characteristics which she observed on her previous encounter with the housekeeper.

  Kelso is a coward who keeps people away from knowing that fact by adopting a prickly exterior. Push her and she will collapse.

  “I doubt your employer would respond well to the information I have in my possession. More than one police authority in Scotland has a summons out for you.

  Let’s just call Lord Lennox right now, shall we?”

  “Don’t be so hasty!” She was on her feet and edging toward the door of the Library.

  Jackson stood up and blocked her exit.

  In a deeply threatening voice, he changed his tactics and offered her a way to escape.

  “If you fetch your own possessions and remove yourself from this mansion via the back door within the next ten minutes, I will allow you to leave. Do not take one single thing that does not belong to you or this offer expires.”

  Thora Kelso had no time to examine the possible disadvantages of this offer. She saw an exit and she took it. In her mind, it was merely slightly faster than the escape she had already planned. Getting miles away from this boring place was exactly what she wanted. She had an old car stowed and ready in the woods behind the house. With a head’s start, she would be long gone before anyone could hope to pursue her.

  Without another word spoken, she was out of the Library and rushing to her room off the kitchen to collect her belongings.

  I had plotted this event carefully with Jack, in order to spare the elderly couple from the embarrassment of police intervention and the shock of realizing what their trusted housekeeper had been up to behind their backs for months now.

  I had no intention, however, of allowing Mrs. Kelso to profit from her thieving.

  Jackson had alerted the local police of the whereabouts of the woman for whom their colleagues in other counties had long been searching. He forwarded a photograph of her and linked Kelso to the rental van currently making its way through the Midlands on the A6 Motorway. The police would pick Kelso up in Glasgow and soon obtain the location of the warehouse in London where the group stored their ill-gotten gains.

  At my insistence, Jackson had gone on an expedition the previous night with Ramses.

  “Are you certain the cat is as clever as you believe? How could you know what I will find in the woods?”

  Without going into the mind-meld incident, I assured Jack that Ramses was quite capable of conveying information to me. The Siamese proudly led him by the pathway through the woods to the track where Kelso’s old car was hidden in the underbrush. Jackson had a photograph and the number plate to add to the rest of his file for the police.

  He would make sure Kelso left swiftly, then find Lord Lennox and introduce himself and his mission in the least disturbing way possible.

  I assured him I would be able to replace the housekeeper immediately and restore a proper balance to the old mansion’s household.

  I planned to accomplish this by phoning Sadie and making a number of suggestions she could not fail to appreciate, since it gave her more prestige in the village.

  As far as the locals were concerned, it would appear that Mrs. Kelso had left because of the unexpected inheritance. Her sudden departure fit in with the universal opinion about her nasty personality.

  “Good riddance to bad rubbish!” was Agnes Little’s summary when she spoke later with Maggie MacKay. They were sharing a small glass or two of spirits to celebrate their new household positions in the mansion. Together they planned to make the Laird and his wife more comfortable and more appreciated than ever before. It was high time, they declared, that the village inhabitants were able to be a contributing part of the mansion’s role as leaders in the Lenzie community.

  “Lord knows,” reminisced Maggie with a tear in her eye. “In my parents’ day, the Lennox family were at the heart of every good thing that happened around here. They looked out for the poor and they welcomed every new person who chose to live here. The mansion employed gardeners and woodsmen who brought money to the family. We two will be a part of restoring that good inf
luence again. Right, Agnes?”

  They clinked glasses in a toast to better days for the Laird and Lady Evelyn.

  Nineteen

  Thora Kelso had no idea who she was dealing with. Jack and I had handled many more hardened criminal types than she was ever likely to be.

  From my base in number 23, I watched and waited to hear the results of our plan.

  Jack soon returned and reported that Kelso had vacated the mansion as he demanded. She would be on the road to Glasgow now with no idea of the fate that awaited her.

  “How did your meeting with the Laird go? He is a lovely man who cares for his wife but he is not the most observant person or he would have noticed what Kelso was up to long ago and immediately dismissed her.”

  “I agree with your description of him. I found the couple sitting together in the kitchen.

  Lady Evelyn is charming although both of them did react with surprise when I appeared there quite out of the blue. They had no idea a stranger was in their midst.

  I told them the truth in as delicate a way as possible. Lady Evelyn expressed a prior suspicion that Kelso was up to no good but her physical condition prevented her from finding the evidence.

  I gave them the impression that I was working on behalf of the police and they would not be bothered with any of the details of the future prosecution. This was clearly a relief for them.

  Lord Lennox comforted his wife then he asked me how they would manage without someone to help them. I said I was sure the villagers would respond to their need at once. I mentioned that no one liked Mrs. Kelso and they were glad to see the back of her.

  It was Lady Evelyn who took in the information quickly and asked the tricky questions, as Jack reported it to me.

  “You appear to be very knowledgeable about our circumstances here, Mr. Jackson, or is it Sergeant Jackson? We can only thank you for interceding on our behalf in so many ways.

  Please stay for a cup of tea before you go and tell us more.”

  I now understood what had kept Jack at the mansion for so long. It spoke volumes about his kind heart that he would reassure the elderly couple about their future in that way.

  I was not one who normally enjoyed sharing living quarters with another person. Any strong emotional attachment brought constant fear that I would be engulfed by someone, and lost to myself.

  Jack, however, was the exception to that rule.

  I began to realize how much I would miss him when my leg was healed sufficiently to allow me to live independently again.

  Just as this thought passed my mind, Jack spoke to me of his feelings.

  “You know, Justine, I have really enjoyed this time here in Lenzie. To put it mildly, this has been light relief from the usual missions I am involved in. There’s been none of the stress and anguish of pursuing dangerous men with evil intent. No guns this time, and no need to protect innocent civilians from serious harm or patch up the injured in a helicopter.

  I could get to like this.

  How have you found the transition? Does it suit you?

  Michael …. he’s my version of your Simon, of course, ….. he told me about rescue missions you were involved in, in the Middle East and in European countries. You are something of a legend you know.”

  “Oh, I was always part of a team effort, Jack. You understand what it’s like. Your team is your family. Truthfully, I am resigned now to a lesser role these days. I need solitude and the peace of nature around me. But, no matter where I go, I seem to be involved in a situation of some kind that needs my help. Nevertheless, I could not have succeeded here without you.”

  “My pleasure entirely, Justine. Now what shall we eat to celebrate? I think Ramses deserves another helping of fresh fish for his contributions. Later, I will take a look at your leg. The massage is definitely helping restore circulation.”

  I could not avoid thinking how different my life here would be when, inevitably, Jack was summoned by his Michael, and sent back to headquarters.

  I began to develop a plan to take the two of us out of Lenzie for a day or two to visit some of the fine sights in the countryside nearby.

  It would save us from answering difficult questions in the village. Since Sadie believed Jack was my husband, it would not be unlikely for us to spend some holiday time together. By the time we returned, most of the speculation would have died down. There was always another interesting situation brewing to occupy the village gossips.

  * * *

  Jack was agreeable to my plan. He knew the surrounding area very well and encouraged me to take as much exercise as my leg would tolerate during the days we were away.

  We were blessed with bright weather and clear air and, at this time of year, there was no problem getting last-minute bookings in hotels or bed and breakfast establishments.

  Sometimes we shared a room with twin beds but when the proprietors decided we were a married couple we did not argue and happily enjoyed the pleasures of a double bed.

  * * *

  We were relishing a fine breakfast in a hotel overlooking Oban when I suddenly had a strange sensation.

  It was not specific but it was a clear warning. Something had happened to Ramses.

  Twenty

  By now, Jack knew not to question my instincts. We were only a few hours from Lenzie, and with Jack’s expert driving skills in evidence, we made it speedily.

  My feeling of concern about Ramses grew stronger as we approached the village.

  I saw it as I had first seen it months ago; a sleepy little place, somewhat left behind by modern development and looking like a perfect haven of peace to a troubled soul like mine.

  Now I knew better. Every place has its secrets and its unknown dilemmas. I had dealt with two of these and here was another problem at my door, so to speak. This time it felt more personal. Ramses was an exceptional animal and I did not intend to stand by if something was happening to endanger him.

  We drove straight to number 23.

  I left Jack to unload the car and went into the house to look for clues.

  In the kitchen, I saw that the dry cat food in the bowl I had left out for Ramses was untouched. This suggested to me that whatever had happened had occurred several days ago, shortly after we left Lenzie on our holiday. It was always possible that Ramses chose the company of Miriam and the children during my absence, but I knew he preferred the peace of my cottage at night for his late-night snack and sleep.

  There was no sign he had been here at all. And yet, my sense of him had grown stronger the closer we came to Lenzie. All the indications were that I was in the right place. But where was Ramses?

  Jack busied himself in the kitchen leaving me to sit quietly on the couch. I needed to clear my mind and focus on my connection to Ramses. Days had gone by. He could be anywhere.

  I deliberately dismissed my worries. They would only get in the way of my purpose.

  I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.

  After a minute or two, everything around me vanished and I was floating in a mist. Cries of fear and anguish came and went. I hardened my focus to eliminate the voices of humankind. Connecting in this way to an animal was extremely difficult and I feared it might not work at all.

  I was relying on the strength of Ramses’ own exceptional mind and the outside chance that he was thinking of me at this exact moment in time.

  I stayed rigid as my leg began to pulse with pain. Beads of sweat broke out on my forehead but I left them to run down my cheeks unheeded. I pulled together every memory and every feeling I possessed about Ramses.

  I concentrated.

  A countdown began in my physical mind. In ten seconds, I must break off this intensive search or risk damaging my psychic ability forever.

  five…. four…. three…… two….

  At the very last second, there was a brief flash of a breakthrough. I captured it and broke contact immediately.

  When I opened my eyes, Jack was kneeling in front of me with a glass of whisky in his hand. His
face was anguished.

  “Justine! I thought you were having a seizure. I did not dare touch you. I have never seen anyone in that catatonic state before. Are you all right?”

  I grabbed the whisky and downed it in one gulp. The fiery liquid raced through me bringing me back to life again. I had kept a tight hold on the strand of mental connection linking me to that flash from Ramses. I could not talk to Jack until I pulled it apart to gain every single piece of information from it, but I managed a brief grin and a gentle touch on his face to assure him I would be fine.

  Jack backed off and sat watching me work with the analytical eye of a medical doctor who was ready to intervene if required.

  confined space

  turning around and around

  clawing at wall

  old plaster flaking off

  crying for help

  becoming weaker

  trapped

  help me!

  It was not much to go on but I knew Ramses was in trouble and there was no time to lose.

  I opened my eyes and saw that Jack now had his phone in his hand and a tortured look on his handsome face. He scratched at his beard with his free hand.

  “Justine! I hate to do this. Michael has contacted me. I must leave right now. This is the worst timing, but there’s nothing I can do about it. He says my time is up here.”

  My heart sank. I would miss Jack’s support in so many ways.

  I gritted my teeth and stood up to show him I could cope on my own.

  “Jack, I understand. You have been a tower of strength to me…..”

  As the words left my mouth, I had a strange quiver of recognition. Somehow, without my volition, a thought had been planted in my mind and the phrase ’tower of strength’ struck a chord.

  It could only have come from Ramses. Once more, the cat had proved his exceptional qualities.