Duet

by O'Gorman, Brian

  Patrick paused the playback again with a hand that felt almost numb. Every part of him felt numb. He had the most terrible inkling of what was coming next. He didn’t want to hear it but he needed to hear it. He lit himself another cigarette with hands that weren’t quite steady and then he started the video again.

  “When James grew into a young adult, his temper began to get more unpredictable. The periods of rehabilitation were happening every two to three weeks, just to stop him from going on a rampage. But it wasn’t enough to stop him. One day just before I was going to put him through the machine again he struck me over the head with my chair, knocking me out. When I came to, he had gone. I wanted to call the authorities, but they would have locked him up and thrown away the key and I didn’t want that. I wanted to cure him, I needed to cure him because it was my fault that he is the way he is. When I began to read in the newspapers about people going missing around the area I knew it was him. I knew he couldn’t control the rage anymore and I knew that one day he would come back for me. He was going to come back and punish me. But, I have a plan. It will take a while to put together, but if it works it will cure him and sacrifice myself at the same time. If it doesn’t work, God knows what will happen next. I think he will go after Patrick and try to use him to cure himself.

  In recent weeks, my assistant Graham Tweedy has been found murdered in his home and some of my blueprints and notebook on the Pharmacon have gone missing. I think James is preparing to strike at me very soon. I think that very soon I will no longer exist. I hope that this record finds its way to Patrick so it can serve as a warning to him. Patrick, if you ever get to listen to this then let me tell you that James is dangerous and he will find you. He will use you to try and cure himself and he will kill everyone that you love or care about to get his way. He has the sick and twisted minds of nearly a hundred murderers and rapists and all sorts of scum bags running through his head. You will get all of my wealth, everything I own. Use it Patrick, use it to run, and keep running. I created this evil and believe me when I tell you this, evil is coming home. Good luck son.”

  The playback stopped and Patrick was left with another cigarette forgotten in his hand.

  “Did I just hear that right?” said Jenny from the doorway. Patrick jumped out of his chair like a coiled spring.

  23.

  It was now four in the morning and yet Patrick didn’t even feel the faintest whiff of tiredness. He had explained everything he had learned from the video of his father to her and she had sat, her eyes growing increasingly wider and listened to the story. When he was done they had sat in silence for a moment.

  “I would understand if you wanted to cut and run. It’s a hell of a lot to impose on you so early in a relationship,” said Patrick, looking down at the floor. He was ready for her to agree and to pack up her stuff and leave. After all, wasn’t that what everyone did in the end? It was in his experience. That was one of the main reasons why he liked being on his own, then nobody could hurt him. He was almost cursing himself right at that very moment for allowing Jenny to mean something to him. He braced himself internally for her to go but instead she said:

  "Listen, if this is the worst that it can be and we can get through it then everything from now on will be a piece of piss won’t it.”

  Patrick looked up at her to see if she was serious. He saw no signs of any sarcasm or insincerity on her face and he felt his insides flood with a mix of relief and surprise.

  “Are you serious, because I would understand if you wanted to…”

  “Stop right there,” she said and got up off the sofa. She came over to him and squatted down in front of him. “I don’t want to hear any more talk like that. I’m not going to walk out on you just because the going is tough. I’m sticking around whether you like it or not, so you had better get used to it mister. Besides, we have some pretty good action going on haven’t we.”

  Patrick felt a moronic grin break out on his face. “Yes, we certainly do.”

  “Right then, I’m not giving that shit up without a fight, crazed twin brother or not,” she said.

  Patrick nodded and then he pulled her in for a hug. Each time he hugged her it felt just that little bit more natural, like it was meant to be.

  “Whats say we get some stuff ready to go to Layton House,” said Jenny softly in his ear.

  “Sounds like a good plan. We’re going to need snacks, lot of snacks.”

  “When its morning, why don’t you give Jack a shout, perhaps him and Donna can come and join us. Might as well make a party out of it.”

  “Sounds perfect,” he said. She was the first girl he had ever been with that actually encouraged his friendship with Jack. Normally they wanted him out of the way. The doubt about her that fogged a lot of his mind-set began to clear. Perhaps she was ‘The One.’ Time would tell of course.

  It took them less than an hour to pack thing up ready for the morning trip. It was now going on half past five in the morning. Patrick made them both a good cup of tea to keep them going just a little bit longer. He doubted he was going to get any sleep at all until he was more confident about their safety. He had always felt a little bit more at ease sleeping in the day. His body seemed to be that little bit more relaxed during a daytime nap. There were no possibilities of monsters lurking in the shadows during the day, nor any psychotic twin brothers. They sat in the living room sipping at their tea, not saying a word but neither of them felt the need to. Each was lost in their own personal train of thought. Patrick was wondering how similar he looked to his brother. He wondered if he was cured whether or not he would be just like him. Shit, a few days ago he had been the only surviving Hurst left. Now he had a brother who he had no recollection of. There was a nagging part of him that really wanted to meet him just to satisfy his curiosity, but then the rational part of his mind wanted him as far away from them as he could possibly get him. He didn’t want him to hurt Jenny, above everything else he thought that he might go insane if James did anything to her. But that fear was still there. Perhaps James could be the one to take her away from him, perhaps permanently. He tried pushing that thought as far away as he could. It wasn’t good to think that way and he bloody well knew it. He would end up spoiling the whole damn thing if he kept on being so fucking negative. Surely she deserved better than him thinking bad things about them being together before it had really had a chance to blossom. He decided right there and then that he was going to keep things on the positive. No matter what happened over the next few days, they were going to get through it and then they were going to have a bloody good time together. Perhaps he could build a damn good life with her. It would be a damn sight easier now that money wasn’t an object. He could spoil her all he liked. They could go and live anywhere they liked. They could travel the world if they wanted to. The possibilities were endless. He knew for a fact that it would be so much more fun with someone like Jenny to share it all with, especially as she didn’t give a shit about his money. He had a good feeling about this one, but he needed to solve the immediate problems that were facing him now. They sat and waited until it was six in the morning and then Jenny phoned Slater to tell them that they were making a move. They gathered their things and went out to the car that Patrick had taken from the garage at Layton House. It was an oversized four-wheel drive that he felt far more comfortable in than any sports car. They loaded their things into the cavernous boot and they were just about to go and get on when one of the plain clothed police officers that had been keeping an eye on the house came over to them and thanked them for the pizza last night. Patrick took a handshake from him and wished him well. Then, they got into the car and set off for Layton House. By the time they had reached the outskirts of Newtown Jenny was snoring steadily with her seat reclined. He thought about putting the radio on to keep him company, but instead he decided to leave it off. He wanted to be surrounded by a quiet ambiance instead of a bellowing overly happily radio show presenter yelling in his ear about nothing in particul
ar. He just needed the silence and the hum of the car engine and of course the gentle snores coming from Jenny. Soon, they were pulling into the driveway of Layton House. He stopped the car near the front door and shut off the engine. As he has there in the car, listening to the almost deafening silence around him he had a strange crawling in his guts that was telling him that he was going to have to fight to get out of this place alive and if he did survive then he would never be the same again.

  Part 2.

  Evil Comes Home

  1.

  “He won’t answer the damn phone,” said Patrick snatching the mobile away from his ear and putting it down on the coffee table. He had been trying to phone Jack for two hours now, but he just wasn’t getting any reply. The phone would ring out for a while and then go to voice mail. Jenny was similarly trying to get hold of Donna but she was having the same luck that Patrick was having.

  “Perhaps they are too busy enjoying each other’s company, if you know what I mean,” said Jenny.

  Patrick thought it over and then decided that she was probably right. If it was anything like they had been for the last two days and without the possibility of a genetically altered psychopath hunting them down, then Patrick guessed that he wouldn’t answer the phone either.

  “You’re probably right. I will give him another try later,” said Patrick.

  “Why don’t you go and lie down for a little while. You must be knackered. I bet you haven’t had much sleep at all in the last few days,” said Jenny.

  “I’m too on edge to sleep. Got too much to think about. That door in the kitchen for starters. I want to get it open. There is a big part of me that needs to get inside and see what is in there. I kind of need proof that everything that was on that disc is actually true.”

  Jenny stood up off the couch. “Right then Mister, let’s get that door open. Do we have any clues?”

  Patrick rummaged in one of his bags and came up with his father’s note book. “There might be something in here.”

  Jenny took the book and started to leaf through it. “We know that your birthday opened the garage outside, so it must be a significant date that opens the door in the kitchen. All we have to do is find the right one. Why don’t you make us a good cup of tea and I will keep looking?”

  Patrick nodded and padded off into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Whilst he was in there Jenny began leafing through the notepad. It was full of strange drawings and noted that she could not make head nor tail of. It was a lot of scientific nonsense that she had no hope of translating. She was still leafing through it when her phone rang on the arm of the couch next to her. She picked it up and saw that it was Slater. She thumbed the button and put the phone to her ear.

  “Hi Jenny. How are things going?”

  “Not too bad sir. We think we might know who Denton’s killer is although obviously we can’t confirm anything without more evidence.”

  “What?...Who is it Jenny?”

  “Well, it’s all a bit difficult to explain on the phone. I will tell you more when you get here. But let’s just say that it gives us a pretty good reason why he is coming after Patrick.”

  “Come on Jenny, give me a clue will you, then I at least can get an idea of who it is we are looking out for.”

  “Can I just ask you to trust me when I tell you that it will be easier to explain when you get here.”

  There was silence for a moment. Jenny could almost hear the cogs in Slater’s head whirring as he thought it over.

  “O.K. Jenny, I will trust you on this one. I will be up there within the hour anyway along with some new lookouts. We can talk about all of it when I get there.”

  “O.K. sir and thanks.”

  Oh don’t thank me just yet. Let’s wait until we have caught the bastard first,” said Slater and then he hung up.

  Jenny returned her phone to the arm of the chair and continued going through the notebook. She began to flick the pages a little quicker, trying to find something that wasn’t about the machine but of a more personal nature. Suddenly something written in bold scrawling letters flashed past as the pages turned and she stopped. She began to turn the pages slowly backwards until she found the writing that had caught her eye. The writing said two words, simple and chilling.

  CAROLINE

  MURDERED

  She paused for a moment looking at the two words that had almost been carved into the page. Then she saw what she was looking for right at the top in the left hand margin. A date. She jumped up off the couch and went through into the kitchen.

  “I found it,” she said.

  Patrick turned round and looked at the book in Jenny’s hands. He let out a small yelp and grabbed the book from her.

  “Let’s go and try it,” he said.

  They went over to the locked door and Patrick opened the keypad again. He typed in the numbers and for a moment nothing happened. Then there was a hollow metallic clonk somewhere inside the workings of the door and the light on the panel turned green. Patrick tentatively grabbed the handle and turned it. He pulled the door open and he peered inside.

  “Oh my God,” he said.

  2.

  Slater was getting into his car and shoving another menthol sweet into his mouth. He hated the damn things but they at least kept his sinuses at a reasonable operating percentage which also helped to prevent the sneezing fits that had been plaguing him for the last forty-eight hours. He absolutely fucking hated sneezing, it irritated him beyond measure. More than that he hated a sneeze that just wouldn’t come out. He had christened those kinds of sneezes ‘dick-tease sneeze’ much to the laughter and delight of his colleagues. He hoped upon hope that this damn cold would go away soon, he had too much to think about and too much to do to be hampered with a case of the sniffles. He hadn’t slept well. It wasn’t just the inability to breathe through his nose that had kept him awake either. He was worried that he had a serial killer on his hands and that he had struck many times before. He wanted to investigate the sheer number of missing people in the Newtown and Hemmington areas. It seemed to him that he was forever hearing about another person vanishing into thin air. He didn’t know the exact number, but he was going to find out. He was sure that there was a link, but he just needed to prove it. At the moment he was going off a good old fashioned hunch. If he managed to solve this one, perhaps he could put in for another promotion, one that would keep him at home on a bit more of a regular basis. That would have suited him just fine. He had spent too many years being at the forefront of every death in a thirty-mile radius. He was getting to the point where he was starting to get burned out. He had actually puked when he had seen his first dead body a million years ago and yet when he had seen Denton, his breakfast had hardly even stirred. He was beginning to lose himself as a human being and that had to change. This case was his ticket out of the front line and into the nice comfy desk at the station. Now Jenny had said that they might know who it is. He could have this one in the bag by the end of the day. He was just starting up his engine when his radio blared. There was a message for him. Cursing, he brought it out of his pocket and told dispatch to go ahead. They wanted him to go to a flat in Newtown. Two dead bodies had been discovered. He agreed to go over there with a sigh. His hot lead would just have to wait until later. He put the car into gear and set off, muttering curses as he did so. He knew that the killer had struck again before he had even got there which put another question in his mind: Why were the bodies suddenly becoming public? He knew the answer almost as soon as his brain had asked the question. The killer was trying to get his attention, and probably the attention of Patrick Hurst. He had suspected that there would be a message left for Patrick before he had even pulled up outside the property. Officer Blythe was there again with his partner. Slater was pleased to see that they had already taped off the area and were standing guard at the door. The forensics van was already there too. Blythe was a fast learner and he liked that.