Chief Taylor: “At approximately 5:45 this morning, a person or persons unknown entered Hob’s Cafe and Pub. Inside were owners Ms. Bella Daniels and Mr. Hob Daniels.
It appears that Mr. Daniels was in the main area of the restaurant and was the first to encounter the assailant or assailants. Apparently, Mr. Daniels was overpowered and killed first. Autopsies are still pending, but our preliminary investigation suggests he was killed by blunt force trauma to the head, the murder weapon being the jukebox on the premises.
We believe that Ms. Daniels then came upon the scene, whereupon she was also attacked. We suspect her injuries were caused by a baseball bat similar to the one she and Mr. Daniels kept to hand as defence. The bat was not found at the scene, but we do not know at this time if it was removed from the premises or destroyed by the fire.
Again, although we are awaiting confirmation from the coroner, we believe Ms. Daniels had already perished from her injuries by the time her body was placed upon the lit stovetop and the fire ignited.
At this time, we do not have any solid leads as to the person or persons who committed this heinous attack. We encourage anyone in the vicinity at the time who may have seen a person or vehicle of interest to come forward as soon as possible. All information is necessary and vital, no matter how insignificant it may seem.
Until we are able to identify and detain the person or persons responsible, we encourage everyone to be watchful and practice common safety strategies. Lock your doors and windows. Notify your neighbours if you are going on holiday. If you observe strange or unusual activities, please contact local authorities at once.
We will continue to keep you appraised as this situation develops. We will take a few questions at this time.”
One reporter asked:
Q: “Does this have anything to do with reports of suspicious activities at Hob’s?”
Police Chief Taylor answered, “We know of no connections between this morning’s events and any previous police calls to the Cafe. Rest assured, those events will be reviewed and scrutinized closely.”
Q: “Has any further progress been made on the disappearance of Miss Jessica Parsons, and do you think there is any connection?”
Chief Taylor: “To our knowledge, Miss Parsons is still missing, and again, we currently know of no connections, but will continue to investigate.”
Q: “Was any accelerant used to start the fire?”
Chief Evans: “No. The fryer was nearby and full of grease. It’s probable that flames from Ms. Daniels’ person reached the fryer and that acted as all the accelerant needed.”
Gazette Reporter:
Q: “Chief Evans, we’ve received an as yet unsubstantiated report that there was an incident at Castell Hirwaun last night, that some staff may have been attacked or even killed, and that an inmate or inmates may have escaped. Is it possible Mr. and Mrs. Daniels were killed by escapees from the Asylum?”
Chief Taylor: “At this (ahem) time, we have no -- official report of an incident at Castell Hirwaun. At such time as any such information should be reported, you may be certain it will be shared promptly. Public safety is, as always, our priority.
“Let me reiterate, at this point in the investigation, we are still gathering evidence. We strongly encourage anyone who may have seen anything at all this morning to contact police as soon as possible, and as per usual to practice common sense safety measures.
“Any and all relevant information will be shared with the public promptly. Keep tabs on your local news sources for the latest updates. Rest assured your police force is, as always, vigilant and on the job. Thank you all for your time.”
Please continue to check the Gazette online for updates.
Crystal lowered the paper. She knew the café only too well – it had also been mentioned in White Walls and Straitjackets. “Harry, something very weird and fucked up is going on!” Nothing feels real anymore, she thought.
“What now?!” he snapped. Again, she turned the paper to him. His jaw slackened, and she could tell by the look on his face that he too recognised the café and the name of the owner. “This has got to tie in to us, Sam and the letters!” he stated.
“I know, and we’re going to find out what the hell is going on this evening. And if any fucker dares get in our way, then I’ll kill the bastards!” she said. “Nobody, and I mean nobody, is getting in our way, Harry.” She then balled the paper up and threw it in the bin. “I’m taking a shower,” she said, slamming the bathroom door shut.
Harry continued to stare out the window. He was unmoving and unblinking. The cigar in his mouth was unlit.
Coming out of the bathroom with one towel wrapped round her head and one round her body, Crystal hummed. After grabbing her make-up, she sat down on the bed with a mirror and started to apply her “war paint”, as Harry called it.
“You could have taken me in to the shower with you, cunt!”
“Harry! You know I dislike that word.”
“Well? You could have!”
“Okay, I’m sorry – I didn’t think! Besides, we haven’t got much time to mess about. I want to be out of here for six-thirty.”
“Fine, but you owe me a shower with you tonight.”
“We might not be back!”
“Tomorrow, then! You aren’t getting out of it, bitch.”
“What I mean, Harry, is we may not be back at all – we could be dead in a ditch in a couple of hours’ time!”
“Fuck off, will you – nothing like that will happen to us, mark my words.”
“I’m scared shitless, and I don’t mind telling you.”
“We’ll be fine. Between me, you and the clown, we’ll ward off any threat. Your sister’s nothing more than a scrawny little shit!”
“I just want to get this fucking thing over and done with, Harry.”
“I’m not going to let any harm come to you!”
She stopped what she was doing and looked at Harry – it was the warmest thing he had probably ever said to her. Her heart felt as though it was ballooning in size; her mouth felt dry. She knew he loved her, but he never showed it. “Likewise,” she said as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.
Once she’d applied her make-up, Crystal stood up and fetched her hairdryer before sitting back down on the bed. Removing the lamp’s plug from beside her bed, she plugged the dryer’s in. It took her less than twenty minutes to get it dried and curled to a level she was pleased with.
“Fuck, I love it when you do you hair curly. You’re smokin’, woman!”
“Harry, you say the sweetest of things,” she said. “Besides, I think it’ll look nice with my dragon robe.”
“Me ninja, you Japanese lady – sexy!” he declared.
“He-he, you know it.” Once she’d finished with her hair, Crystal got off the bed and went to Harry. “Come on, let’s get you dressed.”
“Phwoar! I love it when you talk dirty.”
She rolled her eyes as she placed him on the bed. After stripping Harry to his underpants, Crystal went over to her large trunk, which held props and clothing – it had “Crystal and Harry’s Stand-Up Show” written across the front of it in coloured lettering. Grabbing an armful of clothes she needed for Harry, she went back to the bed and started to dress him.
“I can dress myself, you know!”
“Oh, I know that – I just thought you loved me doing it?”
“You know me so well. Are you going to Talc my arse and balls, hmm?”
“Do you want me to?”
He nodded. A smirk emerged as she put her hand down his underwear. “Ugh…” he groaned as she eased her hand around him. “You dirty fucker!” he said.
“There you go, all nice and clean.” Harry could only groan with satisfaction as she removed her hand.
After dusting her hand free of Talc, Crystal started to dress Harry in the mini, dark-coloured Shinobi shōzoku uniform – it was made from a type of keikogi cloth. She firstly put on his jika-tabi boots and socks, th
en slipped on the special trousers with double-ties that fastened at his ankles, knees and waist.
With his bottom half done, Crystal slipped his jacket on, which had overlapping lapels that tucked into the trousers. Once it was secured, she then put on his protective arm-and-hand sleeves – mini spikes poked out of the sides, adding a defence and attack.
“Put my hooded cowl and mask on!” he demanded.
“Give me a chance, Harry.”
“Less of the backchat!”
“You want to know something – traditional ninjas didn’t wear masks.”
“What is this – a fucking history lesson?!”
“Sorry, I just thought you’d like to know.”
He gave her a hard gaze.
Ignoring him, she put on his black hooded cowl and mask before attaching the obi belt round his waist. Hanging from the belt was a miniature grappling hook, blow pipe and Nunchaku. “There, all done!”
“Tuck some throwing stars inside my jacket. Knuckledusters, too!” he said.
Nodding, she complied with his request. “I think I’ll be taking a knife with me, Harry. God knows what or who we are going to come up against tonight.”
“Good idea. How do I look?”
“You look awesome – Crystal’s little warrior!”
He smiled at her remark.
Putting him back in the chair, Crystal started getting herself dressed by firstly putting on clean underwear. She then slipped into the dragon dress, which was more Chinese style than Japanese, but that didn’t matter.
Zipping the dress up, she turned to Harry. “What do you think?”
“Like a million!”
She smiled.
“Come on, we better get out of here – it’s almost six-twenty-five.”
Gathering up Harry, her purse and the room key, she headed out the door and down to the lobby. Once there, she headed through the hotel entrance, which led to the car park and their van.
They got in and Crystal headed out onto the main road. The fair was in the near distance and jumped with activity: the place was aglow as rides swooped, rose and fell.
As Crystal powered her van toward the psychedelic rendezvous to pick up Mr. Tickles, her heart sank. A pain developed in her guts. In less than two hours, she would be face-to-face with her sister, a woman who not only hated her but also wanted her dead. Gripping the steering wheel tighter and tighter, she tried to force all the negative thoughts out of her mind as she neared the fairground. But then Harry spoke, which helped take her mind off things.
“Where are you thinking of parking?”
“As close to the fair as possible.”
“They have that car park opposite. Is it open at night?”
Harry seems unusually calm, she thought. He didn’t seem to have his arrogant, hostile away about him. Was he, too, rattled by all this? Shit, who wouldn’t be? As soon as I see Sam, I’m going to stick my knife in her. The butcher blade she had concealed beneath her dress felt weighty against her.
“I’m not really sure, Harry, to tell you the truth.” As she closed in on the car park Harry had in mind, Crystal could see it was open. On a board close to the front, it had the opening times: from May through to September, the Pay’n’Display zone was open until one A.M. “Perfect!” she said as she pulled the van into a parking space.
“How long are you going to be?” he asked.
“Are you not coming with me?”
“No,” he said flatly.
“Okay, suit yourself. I’ll probably be about thirty minutes. Are you sure you won’t come? You’d love to see Miss Sideshow Nightshade,” she coaxed.
“Yeah, and why’s that?”
“Didn’t I tell you earlier?”
“No, you fucking didn’t!”
“She’s a vampire,” Crystal said as she clapped her hands together.
“Aha-ha-ha-ha!” Harry burst out laughing. “You’d buy an old bullshit, fair play to you!”
Crystal looked wounded, as she lowered her gaze. “Well, if you’re that sure, come and have a look for yourself. I saw her eating meat and drinking blood last night!” she said, although she wasn’t one-hundred percent sure of it.
“Really?!” Harry said, showing mild interest.
“Yeah, and if you don’t come along and see her now, you may not get the chance to!”
“Why, isn’t she attending?!”
“I don’t think so,” Crystal said, again not sure of her facts.
“Hmm…Maybe I will come, then.”
“You won’t be disappointed, I’m telling you!”
“Come on then, let’s get going,” Harry said.
Crystal nodded, got out, and went around to his side of the van. Opening the door, she picked him up and cradled him in the crook of her left arm as she locked the doors with her right hand. “Right, let’s hot-foot it over there…He’s probably waiting for us now,” she said.
As she walked through the open-air car park, something caught her eye. Turning her head to the left, Crystal noticed a limo parked between two huge recycling bins. “Strange,” she said aloud.
“What is?!” Harry asked.
“There, look.” She nodded with her head. “A limo.”
Harry shrugged his shoulders. “And?!”
“Don’t you find it odd?”
“Why? It’s just a fucking car!”
“It looks like it’s been parked there on purpose. As though it’s been hidden out of sight…” she said, letting her sentence trail off.
“Stop reading into things – you’re jumpy, that’s all.”
“Yeah, maybe,” she said, letting the matter go.
Crystal gave the car one last look before exiting the car park and crossing the road to the fair. She didn’t know why, but the sight of that limo and the way it was parked gave her the creeps.
THE GATHERING
After passing out on the bed earlier in the day, Sam had woken up in a panic – “I’m late!” she’d yelled, but then realised it had only been six o’clock.
Now, at exactly five-minutes-to-seven, she was dressed and ready to go. She jumped off the bed and cleaned the room before binning all the clothes she had used that day.
If I don’t make it back to the room tonight, then I need to make sure I don’t leave any evidence behind, she thought. If I die, then it wouldn’t matter either way. However, Sam wasn’t about to take any risks.
“If I do make it out of there tonight,” she said aloud whilst looking at herself in the mirror, “then I won’t be coming back here – I’ll get a bus or hitchhike a lift out of town. By morning, I’ll have clear daylight between me and this one-eyed place.”
Looking at her watch, she noted it was gone seven. The taxi will be here any minute now, she thought as she fidgeted with her dress. Sam pulled it this way and that, as it didn’t quite fit.
It’s tight more than anything, she thought, looking at the way in which her boobs pushed the fabric out. At least it makes my tits look bigger than they actually are! she thought, smiling, and then pulled the dress down so it was below the knee.
She didn’t like showing too much leg. Not these days, anyway. From all the prodding and testing she had gone through at the hospital, cuts and bruises had been left on her skin. Some had faded to nothing, but others remained prominent.
Not that anyone is going to be giving me filthy looks. Chance would be a fine thing, she thought, looking at her sunken face. Never mind – a few good meals and some sunshine will sort me.
Get a bus out of town! her mind screamed.
I wish I could, but I need to finish this business with my sister once and for all.
With her dress right, Sam picked up her bag, which contained the money and a concealed knife, and headed out the door. When she got outside, a taxi was pulling up to the curb. The driver’s side window was down, allowing the driver to speak to her.
“Jenny?” he asked. “Jenny Miles?”
“Yes, that’s me!” she answered, walking up to th
e taxi’s passenger door. Jenny Miles was the fake name she’d used when booking her room earlier in the day. She’d always loved the name Jenny, and Miles had been taken from her favourite actress, Vera Miles.
“Cool,” the driver said.
He has an Islamic look to him, Sam thought as she climbed into the back of the car. Very dishy, too. She gave him her best smile in the rear-view mirror, but he shrugged it off. What man is going to fancy a woman who looks like Skeletor’s daughter? she thought, sadly.
“Where to, please?”
“379 Eagle Moss Avenue, please,” she said with a scowl.
The driver appeared to smirk at her, but Sam didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention just in case someone recognised her as an escapee from Castell Hirwaun.
By now, her picture could be circulating on all the news channels across the country. Her name could be being mentioned half-a-dozen times an hour on radio and TV. She was a wanted woman, so causing big scenes was definitely a big no-no on the streets.
When she got Crystal alone or with a bunch of likeminded people, she could flip out as much as she wanted. Until then, she had to keep a lid on things. She just muttered “You blacky cunt” under her breath.
“Excuse me?” the driver said, looking in his rear-view.
“Huh? Oh, nothing…” she said, turning her head to look out the window. Inside, she let out a massive laugh.
After a few minutes of driving, they appeared to be leaving the town behind, which alarmed Sam. Was this guy really a taxi driver? What if it’s a set-up? He could be working with Crystal or even the person who sent me the letters…Her mind ran amuck as she started to breathe heavily. Sweat broke across her brow.
Keep calm, she told herself. Easy does it. Just…“Excuse me, but where are you taking me?!” Her tone was borderline hostile. It wouldn’t take much to tip her over the edge. Opening her bag, she put her hand to the haft of the knife inside. She was more than prepared to punch it through the back of his seat.
Escapees and Fevered Minds Page 12