Martin scrolled down the screen. ‘This is Kulsay Island,’ he said as a picture of a barren, rocky coastline appeared on the screen.
‘Looks pretty bleak,’ Jane said.
‘From the reports I’ve read on the place it sounds like a hellhole. The island is about six miles across from north to south, about three east to west. The south end was once populated, mostly crofters. It was quite a thriving community at one time. There were a couple of pubs and one church. Population was about three hundred according to the 1931 census. But it’s the north end of the island where the incident took place, and that really is inhospitable.’
Jane stopped him. ‘Backtrack a little. Crozier said some kind of mass disappearance happened before. When was that?’
Martin frowned. ‘I know what he’s referring to, but the circumstances were different.’
‘How different?’ She crossed and uncrossed her legs. This promised to be a long session so she had better get herself comfortable.
He called up a menu, opened another page and started to read it, paraphrasing it for Jane’s benefit. ‘Round about sixty years ago a man called McMullen took a boat out to the island. He had a meeting planned with some of the crofters regarding the sale of their wool. Apparently when he got there the crofters had gone. In fact he couldn’t find anyone on the island at all. Kulsay was completely deserted. He poked around for a few hours, entered some of the houses, the pub and the church, but there was no sign of the locals. It was as if the whole population had upped sticks and left en masse. Drinks had been left unfinished in the bar of the pub, and in several of the cottages, radios were still on and meals were served up but half eaten. And interestingly enough the entire canine population of the island had gone as well.’
‘Is that significant?’ Jane had heard of people disappearing before, even small groups of people, and everyone had heard the story of the Marie Celeste. But she had never heard of a whole community leaving not a trace and no clues before.
‘Only in as much that there were almost as many dogs on the island as there were people. Sheep farmers rely on their dogs and value them highly. Makes sense that if they were going to leave the island they’d take their dogs with them.’
‘So it was a mass exodus?’ Thoughts and ideas were running through her mind and she knew that what ever the assignment was that Crozier offered her, the chances were very high that she would take it.
‘You’d think, but if it was then I’m buggered if I can find out where they went. There’s no record of three hundred people plus dogs pulling into any harbors on the mainland. Everything I’ve read suggests that the entire population disappeared without actually going anywhere.’
Jane made notes on the large pad beside her. ‘Listen, what happened to Simon’s face?’
Martin smiled. ‘Haven’t you heard?’
She shook her head. ‘Come on, what’s the gossip?’
‘Not gossip, actual fact. Trudy went into his office and he was still on the floor.’
‘On the floor?’
‘Robert Carter was in the process of storming out. He’d punched out Simon and knocked him flat.’
‘No!’ Jane could barely believe that Carter had hit Crozier. No wonder he hadn’t been around for a while. The reason had stayed quiet. Not that she was surprised; it was well known through the Department that the two men loathed one another.
Martin laughed. ‘That would have wiped the arrogant smile from Crozier’s face. But the hardest part for him would be if anyone found out. And someone did find out — me. I just need to bide my time until I let him know…’
‘Oh, Simon’s not all bad. Even he has his good points.’
Martin moved his attention back to the computer. ‘Any more questions?’
‘Loads. Surely there must have been some sort of inquiry?’
‘There was, but the results were inconclusive. There were no witnesses, no evidence. After a while the incident was swept under the carpet and simply forgotten about.’
Jane scribbled some more notes. It didn’t make any kind of sense. ‘What about the media? I can’t believe that such a sensational story would simply be ignored.’
‘There were the usual fluff pieces, but the stories were never given much credence. On a par with today’s tales of UFO sightings and crop circles. There was nobody to corroborate the stories so eventually they just petered out. Remember this was sixty years ago. The press was a fairly toothless beast back then. Not like now.’
‘And the crofters’ families?’ She had written down a few random questions as they occurred to her and was ticking them off as they spoke.
‘No one came forward.’ Martin knew the material by heart; he had a photographic memory, with no need of notes or briefings.
‘You’re kidding.’ Jane found that hard to believe, surely someone questioned three hundred people just evaporating into thin air.
‘Seems rather odd, doesn’t it?’ The same misgivings had occurred to Martin when he first read the reports. There was something strange about the whole episode. Not just where had they all gone, but why?
‘Perhaps they knew something. Some reason for the disappearance.’ Jane was letting her brain work through possible scenarios. Her conclusion would eventually be the same as Martin’s. They hadn’t chosen to leave the island.
Martin shrugged. ‘If they did, then they weren’t shouting it from the rooftops. No one ever heard from them, apart from their immediate neighbors on the mainland.’ He looked at Jane, and inclined his head. ‘Then there are the other disappearances more recently.’
Jane sighed. The sixty-year-old mystery would have to remain unsolved for the moment. ’Okay, let’s come up-to-date.’
He tapped a few keys on the computer. ‘So, what do you want to know?’ he said as a new file opened with the most recent documents about Kulsay Island. The Waincraft management team.
‘Everything,’ Jane said.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Society of Jesus, or Societas Iesu, is an order of the Catholic Church that directly serves the Pope. Its members are known as Jesuits, although are often called Soldiers of Christ or foot soldiers of the Pope. It is the largest religious order of men in the Catholic Church and over two-thirds of them are priests. They mainly work overseas on education as well as missionary work, involved in human rights and social justice.
Carter had done a Google search. Catholic had naturally thrown up thousands of results but refining the terms of inquiry narrowed the number of references. Surfing through the initial pages he found plenty of relevant mention of the work of the Jesuits. None of it displayed any clue of anything remotely sinister about a seemingly benign group of God-fearing men.
He watched as a heron flew gracefully over the lake, soaring and swooping as the wind currents pursued. A fresh packet of cigarettes lay on the table but he resisted. He closed his eyes and tried to formulate his thoughts into some coherent order. The sites, the possible supernatural occurrences, the people involved.
The files revisited yielded what he suspected. The first house was near a church, a Catholic church; the Flemings were practicing Catholics; Sian was Catholic, and the Jesuits were as close to the Pope as anyone could be.
The Roman Catholic Church seemed to be the link. Why?
In 1534 Ignatius, later Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and other students at the University of Paris formed a group they called the Company of Jesus. They swore to perform religious duties wherever they could and in 1537 traveled to Rome to seek approval from Pope Paul III. They were accepted and ordained as priests and set about working for the Pope in Europe, founding schools, converting people to Catholicism and helping stem the tide of the Protestant faith. In 1540 the name changed to the Society of Jesus.
Later Jesuits traveled more widely, settling in Japan, Tibet, South America, India and Russia. They became very powerful and this led to suppression by the ruling governments. Gradually though the order grew, as did the Church itself, and their influence wa
s felt worldwide.
Carter opened the packet of cigarettes, lit one and drew down the smoke in anger. He was no nearer a solution that might find Sian. He remained convinced she was alive somewhere, being held against her will. She had to be alive, she just had to be.
The water on the lake, even at this distance, was obviously rippling. He watched the trees; swaying in an encroaching breeze. The weather was changing. He guessed he had about another hour before it would rain. He set himself that hour to complete his research, and then a late lunch.
He scrolled down a few pages, looking for something that might give a less flattering view of the Jesuits. Controversies — what was this?
Being an influential body, the Jesuits attracted enemies. Catholic and Protestant critics accused them of being involved in secret missions for the Pope. Conspiracy theories grew about their participation in an oath taken by senior members to allow and justify any action taken to safeguard the papal leader and the faith. This included infiltration of other religions. In many languages the word Jesuit acquired the meaning of devious. Recent popes have spoken against the order and, incorrectly, rumors have spread that the Jesuits are against much of the Catholic direction including abortion, priestly celibacy and homosexuality.
A Superior General leads the Society of Jesus, with General Curia headquarters in Rome in a historic complex of buildings including the Church of the Gesu, the Jesuit Mother Church.
Carter closed the laptop and lit another cigarette. The bushes at the end of his garden were gently breathing in the enveloping wind, giving the impression of living, moving creatures.
He knew full well that his house was built on a ley line; it was one of the reasons for buying it. He enjoyed the forces, real or imagined, that pulsed beneath his feet. Now he had a connection of Leys, and Jesuits. But what did either of them mean to each other? And what help were they to Sian?
There had to be more but it was eluding him. Usually his investigations found a link between the event and the history of the site. Either that or the participant had a secret that had somehow caused the manifestation in whatever form it took. This time, and he realized in the most recent preceding cases, the link they had assumed to be the solution was something else.
He needed to dig deeper, and if that meant using the power of his mind then he would have to risk it.
CHAPTER TWELVE
‘Can I pick my own team?’ Jane said.
She had been with Martin Impey for most of the day. Now the light was fading from the sky and she was back with her decision.
‘Of course,’ Crozier said. ‘With one proviso.’ He spoke the words as though through gritted teeth.
‘And that would be?’ She was studying his face. He wouldn’t meet her eyes and she wondered what he was leading up to.
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and cleared his throat.
It’s going to be good, she thought. This is something he doesn’t want to say but has no choice. If someone as senior as Crozier was being made to do something, then the orders had to come from a very important and high up source.
‘I want Robert Carter to go with you.’ He turned his chair around so that it was facing the windows. It was as if he had been in the confessional and wanted anonymity.
‘Robert’s not been around for a while, has he?’ she said, feeling the blood rushing to her cheeks. There was history between her and Carter that she didn’t want to remember while her husband was waiting for her at home.
‘There was a disciplinary matter.’ Crozier was still looking away from her. Jane could imagine the look of pain and anger that must be clouding his face. She couldn’t reveal that she knew from Martin what the matter involved. ‘Carter is under suspension at present.’
Jane felt uncomfortable talking to the back of Crozier’s head but she had little choice. ‘I didn’t know that. So he can’t be part of the team?’
Unexpectedly Crozier spun his chair back so that his legs were under the desk. His face was darkened with frustrated anger. He sat forward and rested his arms on the desk. ‘You know what I think of Carter. The man’s unstable, and the methods he uses are dubious, and sometimes downright dangerous. I’ve clashed more with him over the years than any other member of the Department. I don’t like him, never have. But I’m also aware that he’s the most gifted sensitive I’ve ever worked with, and I think we need his involvement in this assignment.’
‘So you’re removing the suspension?’
There were no files, no paper on the desk, but Crozier fiddled with his fingers as though there were. ‘No, I’m not, you are.’
‘Me?’ Jane didn’t have the seniority to remove disciplinary suspensions.
‘Who better?’ Crozier was smiling now and that worried Jane even more.
‘You?’ She leaned forward so that her hands were on the edge of the desk. She sensed Crozier’s concerned look that she might smudge the pristine surface. ‘You have the seniority, I don’t.’
Crozier smiled. ‘Do you honestly think he’ll listen to anything I’ve got to say?’
Jane frowned. The animosity between the two men was the stuff of legend within the Department. And now with the suspension…“No, probably not. But you make it sound as if Robert needs persuading to come back. Surely if he’s been disciplined he’ll be only too glad to…’
Crozier shook his head as though he was saddened at Carter’s plight.
‘He won’t do it. You saw how he was after he lost Sian Davies. He won’t come back. Phone calls have already been made. His exact words — no, I’ll paraphrase — he said something like, ‘Suspend me, retire me, fire me — all the same. I’ve finished with it all.’ Yes, he was a mess after Sian Davies disappeared. Blamed himself, and quite rightly too in my opinion. But that doesn’t alter the fact that he’s the best there is working in his specific area of expertise.’
Crozier stood abruptly and walked across to the window, staring down at the cars passing by on Whitehall. ‘Look, Jane, I’ll level with you,’ he said, not shifting his gaze from the traffic below. ‘For a long time this Department has been a thorn in the side of the Whitehall mandarins. Every year it gets more difficult persuading them to support us. This year the bud get has been slashed by forty percent. If we are to continue, we have to keep the Minister on our side.’
She nodded her head slowly as realization dawned. ‘And it’s the Minister who’s insisting on Robert’s inclusion in this?’
‘He thinks it was a mistake to let him go.’ Crozier was speaking quietly now; the secret was about to be revealed.
‘But we didn’t, did we? I thought you said he was suspended.’ Jane’s words hung in the air, like incense in a church.
Crozier said nothing but continued to stare out of the window.
‘Or was he persuaded to go?’ she said, interpreting Crozier’s silence.
‘Let’s just say I didn’t try to dissuade him when he said he was considering leaving the Department.’ Crozier had placed one hand, palm first, onto the window, and as he moved it Jane could see the imprint of it on the glass.
Jane took a breath. ‘I see.’ She had personal reasons for finding the thought of working with Robert uncomfortable, but she was realistic enough to know that he was the best person for this assignment. Not only that, but she knew Crozier had used his dislike of Carter to get rid of him.
‘Don’t be angry, Jane. I think the same now as I thought then. Carter is a maverick and as such, a liability. I think the Department’s better off without him. But my hand is being forced on this.’ God how he hated letting her know that he was being told what to do, and against his better judgment.
It was as if Jane was reading his thoughts. ‘So how do you feel about losing your autonomy, about the Minister laying down conditions…and is this the only condition, or will there be more later?’ Jane knew Crozier would be extremely uncomfortable admitting any form of weakness, and to him being made to reemploy Carter was a weakness.
Crozier shrugged.
‘If there are, then we’ll just have to bite the bullet. As I say, we need the money. As for future operations…well, we’ll just have to wait and see.’
‘And if I do manage to get Robert to reconsider and to join us on this, which of us will be running the show?’ She needed to know where she stood professionally, but also with Carter.
Crozier turned to face her. ‘You, of course. I told the Minister that the only way I’d have Carter back is as a special consultant, for this one assignment only.’ He puffed back his shoulders as if reaffirming his authority. Once the job was done he envisaged Carter slinking back to lick his wounds at that Lake District cottage of his.
Jane considered this for a moment. ‘What’s the contingency plan should I fail to convince him?’ she said.
‘There isn’t one. We’re snookered.’ The Minister had made it crystal clear that the terms of the contract were binding.
She sighed. ‘Okay. I’ll drive up and see Robert in the morning. But I can guess what his answer will be.’
‘Just do your best, Jane. If he’ll listen to anyone, he’ll listen to you.’ He went back to his desk and sat down. Once back inside his comfort zone his demeanor changed. Suddenly he was all business again. ‘Right. What about the rest of your team?’
‘I’d want Kirby Grant. Is Raj Kumar back from Teheran yet?’
‘Three days ago.’
‘Then him too. Raj and Kirby work well together.’
‘Okay. Neither of them are assigned to anything urgent so they should both be available.’
‘And I want John McKinley too,’ Jane threw in quickly.
‘But won’t that create a conflict if Carter comes on board? The two are virtually interchangeable. Similar abilities.’ Carter and McKinley were both powerful psychics.
‘Exactly. That’s why I want him there.’ Jane hardened her voice; she was ready if some bargaining was needed.
‘In case Carter screws up?’ There was almost a hint of hope in his voice.
‘A safety net.’ Nothing more than that, but she knew it was more than that. They were going into the unknown and two minds like these would be better than one. She was also aware that Carter had been out of action for a couple of months and they would all need to be ready and alert.
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