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The same day Simon Markman went to call upon Ms Lang, and he was received well enough by a woman who was very pretty, with a slim figure and, he reckoned, was in her late twenties. However, she too looked to be in need of some sleep, she too looked pale and drawn. After handing her handbag back to Ms Lang, he asked her the same questions as Agent Agers had asked, although the replies that he received were in some cases quite different to those supplied by Masters.
“Yes, I believe in the paranormal Mr Markman, in fact when I was much younger, just a child, I once saw two ghosts; one was an elderly man and the other a young boy, his grandson maybe. It was when my family was staying in an old country hotel; they appeared to me during the night, I watched as they walked through a closed door and into my bathroom however they never came out. I screamed to my parents for help, for I was terrified, my parents called the manager but of course they never found anything, and they never once admitted that the hotel was haunted, but what else could they have been but ghosts Mr Agers, for I assure you that I was not asleep at the time. I had been reading a famous five book by torchlight, the light in the room was off as I did not want my parents telling me to put my book down and to go to sleep.” Ms Lang explained.
“Recently, I have had more than my fair share of nightmares; and your colleague appeared in all of them. I was in a nightmare land, in the middle of a rainstorm, the land was filled with strange creatures and I was sure that someone was trying to murder me, but the only person that I could identify was your colleague, he appeared just before I woke up.” Ms Lang said looking rather fearful as her meeting with Rob in Paddington station flashed into her mind.
“Yes Ms Lang, it must have been very upsetting for you, I realise now why you were so afraid when you met him yesterday. I can assure you though that he is our best agent and would never attempt to harm you, unless you happen to be a Daesh agent that is.” Markman replied and then smiled at Ms Lang, although Ms Lang was beyond smiling at the moment.
“Tell me Ms Lang, have you experienced any paranormal events recently?” Markman asked.
“Only with your colleague at Paddington station, but that was enough for me, especially when coupled to the nightmares.” Ms Lang replied grimly.
“Yes it must have been Ms Lang. Nearly to the end of my questions, tell me are you planning anything in the near future that could even remotely be termed paranormal?” Markman asked.
“Well yes, I am going to a haunted house, I wanted to go to one to see if my childhood experience was just that, or whether it was just a child`s imagination.” Ms Lang replied just a little shakily. She had decided to cancel the trip but for some reason that she could not fathom she had decided against it. This in itself scared her but there was no way that she could even phone the Paranormal Investigators.Com, never mind cancel it. Even with Markman asking her about it she could not tell him of her wish to cancel the booking and hide beneath the bedclothes.
Markman took the details of the event and later found that she was going to the same event as Masters, however she did not know Mr Ian Masters.
Agers and Markman met up with Rob and Sir Willoughby Brown that afternoon to discuss what had been found out, when the haunted house was mentioned Sir Willoughby Brown groaned loudly.
“I might have known Rob, you have got yourself mixed up in another black magic case, you do realise that they are calling our agency the spooky club in some of the highest quarters? Well you had better see it through, we have no one else experienced in such matters anyway, so how do you propose that we go about it?” Sir Willoughby Brown complained although he knew that he was being unfair.
“I am not too happy about it either Sir Richard, each case puts my family and friends in more danger, we lost Gerry Handley the last time, and nearly lost this pair at the end of the case.” Rob replied angrily. “As to how we proceed, obviously I shall have to go to the haunted house with Masters and Lang, I will take Father Pritchard with me, if he is fool enough to come, and John and Simon here can act as our back up. I will phone them every hour to update them; if I fail to make contact then they can send in the Cavalry.” Rob said.
“Just try to stay in this dimension Rob, no travelling off to anymore hell dimensions.” Sir Willoughby Brown replied trying to add a spot of levity to the proceedings.
Later that afternoon Rob called Father Pritchard. “David, the two people with whom I shared a satanic moment on Monday, Mr Masters and Ms Lang, they are both going to a haunted house event on Saturday, but quite separately. They have told us that they do not know each other, making my meeting up with them as too much of a coincidence, especially as they too have been having experiencing some nasty nightmares over the last week with me making a surprise visit each time. Between now and Saturday my team and I will be busy researching the house, the company organising the event, and of course Mr Masters and Ms Lang. Would you like to accompany me to Petworth to check out the haunted house, after we first get the keys from Paranormal Investigators.Com in Croydon?”
“It will be my pleasure Rob; I will drive over to your office first thing in the morning.” Father Pritchard replied. “Oh, and shall I pack a bag?” Father Pritchard asked.
“A bag David?” Rob asked but knowing the answer and smiling.
“Well you are obviously going to join Masters and Lang on their weekend jaunt, so you will need me along to hold your hand, am I right Rob?” Father Pritchard asked and he too was smiling.
“I do need your help once again David, but after last time I was loath to ask you.” Rob replied. “So yes, please pack a bag, and another one full of the usual things, holy water, mercury, blessed salt, garlic and the suchlike.”
That night Rob told Christina and Cassie all about the case, obviously not something he normally did, but black magic cases always involved them whether they liked it or not. The last one had seen them both kidnapped to be used as levers to ensure that Rob did as he was instructed. Neither of them were very pleased to hear about the new case, but neither of them was too surprised after the incidents with the vine and the snakes; however fear was already spreading through their bodies. However, they could hardly complain, it was their brother that caused Ulysses Bourbon to take an interest in Cassie, some three years previously, and it was Christina who had involved herself by indulging in a spot of trespassing, where she had got herself caught by the Satanists. Rob had only become involved with the Satanists when he had arrived on the scene and saved both of the girls’ lives.
Tonight they were all going to sleep within a charged pentagram; it was still set up in their spare room after the problem with the hell snakes, all they needed to do was to reapply the blessed salt, put out some fresh candles and refill the chalices with fresh holy water. In this way Rob was able to sleep restfully through the night, and Moira, if she was the villain once again, could not turn her attention to one of the two young women.
“It must be Moira Bourbon again, to involve you in her latest quest, who else is there.” Christina complained bitterly from her hard bed on the wood floor.
“We do not know yet if it is Moira Bourbon, but you may be right Darling, as you say who else would involve me in their black magic shenanigans.” Rob replied glumly.
The next morning saw Rob in a meeting with John Agers, Simon Markman and Father Pritchard at the SIS headquarters.
“John, Simon, will the two of you check out the company organising the event, Paranormal Investigators.Com, and then dig into the backgrounds of Masters and Lang, see if they have been associated with Satanism or witchcraft before now. David and I will check out the old house near Petworth, see if we can get any Vibes. We will drive down there now, after we have called on Paranormal to obtain their permission, and obtained a key. My wife and her sister are helping out by surfing the internet to see if they can find out anything there about the haunted house.” Rob said.
“Is that wise Rob, involving them in an active SIS case?” John Agers asked quizzically.
“However, if Moira Bourbon is involved, then she is reaching out across dimensions and she has organised everything that has happened so far, she obviously wants me to visit the house for reasons of her own. In both of the previous cases Moira involved my family, unfortunately they are likely to be involved once again, and sometime soon John, whether we like it or not.” Rob explained.
“Please always remember that this is yet another black magic case, keep that thought at the front of your minds. For reasons yet unknown our department has been involved on purpose, yet again, and unfortunately we are likely to find out real soon, so be ready to react to whatever danger comes your way.” Rob said.
The meeting broke up soon after, and Rob and Father Pritchard drove to Paranormal Investigators. Com, their office was in Croydon, Surrey; Sir Willoughby Brown had already spoken to the managing director of the firm and asked for his assistance in the matter.
Dreamscape Page 17