by Matt Drabble
“That’s just it; I was only ever going to be a character witness for Arnold. I had no direct evidence about the case but apparently even that was too much for Adrian Todd,” Jeremiah said bitterly.
“A character witness?” Ally said with disbelief.
“I never recognised the monster that the trial painted,” Jeremiah sighed again. “I taught Arnold when he was a young man. Yes he was a little withdrawn and quiet, but certainly no more than that. He was bullied at school as he was just one of those kids that was a natural magnet for attracting abuse. The older kids just felt that there was something different about him and you know as well as I do that different never plays well in the schoolyard hierarchy.”
“What about his family?” Tommy asked, “Did you know them well?”
“Not really. I know that his father passed away early in his life and that his mother was never there for parent’s evenings. Word around town was that she was a bit of a lush. I do know that he often came to school with poorly explained bruises and marks. I tried to get social services involved but there were only ever a few routine visits and nothing ever came of it.”
“How did you get to know him? I mean I’m assuming that you knew him more than just a student?” Ally enquired pertinently.
Jeremiah looked down. He raised his arm in one fluid motion and a bouquet of paper flowers magically appeared in his arthritic hand. “Ta-dah,” he cooed softly.
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“Well now wasn’t that interesting?” Doc Norton said as he replaced the telephone handset after an hour or so of ringing around.
“What?” Gaines couldn’t help but ask.
“Oh, so now you want to know?” Norton said smugly.
“Quit being a dick Sam and just tell me,” Gaines barked gruffly.
“Well I wouldn’t want to get you in any trouble Sherman,” Norton said grinning.
“Doc,” Katy said warningly.
“Alright, alright. Well, according to my sources it appears that young Tommy Marsh grew up with quite the medical history.”
“Medical as in…?” Katy said.
“Medical as in treatment for psychological disorders.” Norton answered.
“Well surely that is only reasonable Doc?” Gaines added. “Considering what those kids went through.”
“Maybe so, but Tommy’s medication is still ongoing and I also know that he hasn’t filled any prescriptions since he got back into town.” Norton said with a smug smile.
“Ok,” Gaines conceded. “What’s he got and what’s he on?”
“Well to start with he’s on a prescription for Periactin.”
“That sounds kind of familiar. Where have I heard that name?” Gaines asked.
“It’s a drug commonly used to help war vets with PTSD. Psychiatrists will often prescribe it to kids with night terrors, you know severe nightmares. He’s also on Amitriptyline Hydrochloride, Zoloft and Paxil. Which are all antidepressants of one kind or another.”
“Jesus, how screwed up was he?” Katy wondered aloud.
“More to the point, just how screwed up is he?” Gaines asked pointedly.
“Well I can tell you that he is still on the books of a Dr Rieser, but he doesn’t keep regular appointments. Just the occasional check-up.” Norton continued.
“Where exactly does an old goat like you get such sources?” Gaines couldn’t help but marvel.
“Well I’d love to tell you a tale to rival James Bond, but the truth is that I got lucky. A guy that I was in medical school with now works on the national database. In fact I could find out if you’ve ever had any embarrassing ailments Sherman,” Norton laughed.
“Isn’t that illegal?” Katy asked wide eyed.
“Very,” Norton grinned as Katy grinned back.
“Well I’m glad that you’re both enjoying yourselves.” Gaines growled. “But we do have dead bodies stacking up in town in case you’ve forgotten.”
“You’re right Sherman,” Norton said, suitably chastised.
“Sorry,” Katy mumbled.
“The town council will no doubt be hauling my ass in tomorrow to replace me. Denver Mills will soon be crawling with real cops and real itchy trigger fingers.” Gaines moaned.
“You know I wouldn’t so sure about that,” Norton interjected. “I’m not convinced that Adrian Todd is going to want outsiders poking around his particular corners of this town.”
“So what do we do now?” Katy asked.
“I think that we need to have a chat with Tommy Marsh, one on a more formal basis,” Gaines said firmly.
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Adrian Todd sat with his eyes glued to the horizon. The road that ran to the end of his property line stretched out far and gave ample notice of any vehicle’s approach. His sparrows had told him everything that there currently was to tell. The bodies were stacking up high now and there could be no doubt as to their connection. He was a man who had led his life on his own terms. He had built his fortune through brains and balls and no small amount of either. He knew that he could not run. His primal brain would simply not allow him to run from his home, his business, and his town. If Trotter wanted a reckoning, then by God he would get one. Perhaps the freak had not fully learnt his lesson. Perhaps it was time for a refresher course in just who the hell Adrian Todd was.
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“So it was you that got a young Arnold Trotter interested in magic?” Tommy asked.
“Yes,” Jeremiah answered. “It was the one thing that brought him out of his shell. He was such a reclusive child. I tried everything that I could think of to connect with him. Sports, literature, music, poetry, nothing clicked. Then one day he saw me practicing a card trick that I was trying to master. I always had an interest in the art. I used to do a few shows around the old folks’ homes from time to time.”
“Were you any good?” PJ asked.
“Not really,” Jeremiah chuckled. “But I had enthusiasm at least. I always thought that magic would have been frowned upon by kids back then. I thought that it would have been seen as lame, but Arnold seemed fascinated.”
“Maybe it was the idea of being taken away from his own reality?” Tommy wondered.
“That’s what I always thought to be honest.” Jeremiah agreed. “He took to it with an intensity that I had never seen in him before. His appetite was voracious. Soon I started taking him out around the nursing homes as an assistant.”
“Did you ever see any signs of…, you know?” Ally asked delicately.
Jeremiah seemed to think hard for a few moments. “Honestly no. He was quiet and kind of shy especially around new people. But he never showed me any outward signs of aggressive behavior. He was just always a good boy.” He said simply.
“Did you keep in touch after he left school?” Tommy asked.
“Some,” Jeremiah answered. “But not as much as I would have liked. I had hoped that he would go off to college and start a new life far away from here. But by then all he would talk about was magic and his act. Over the next few years he became an oddity around town. He had a strange high pitched voice that people found odd. Not to mention the fact that he started wearing his costume on a daily basis.”
“What about Mary Todd?” Ally asked.
“When he told me that he was seeing someone I thought great, perhaps she would settle him down some. But when I met her she seemed even stranger than he was. I suspected that she was on something when he brought her out here. But he seemed happy and who was I to tell him otherwise? She became his assistant and they started working children’s birthday parties.”
“If he was so weird how did they get bookings?” PJ asked pertinently.
“I guess what seems strange to us, is what seems magical to kids,” Jeremiah suggested.
“Did you know who her father was back then?” Tommy posed.
“Did he know?” Ally added.
“Yes and yes,” Jeremiah answered. “Arnold told me once that some of Adrian’s boys had paid him a visit and
roughed him up some. He was told to stay away from her and I wish to God that he’d listened if I’m being honest. I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, but she was gaining somewhat of a reputation around town by this point. A loose woman, my dear old mother would have called her.”
“At the trial the motive was put forward as her infidelity. But no-one seems to have any mention of just who the man was,” Tommy said.
“I can’t help you there,” Jeremiah replied. “Word was that half the men in town were seeing her in one capacity or another. But that could have just been the small town jungle drums talking.”
“Do you think he did it?” Tommy asked the question that the three of them were thinking.
Jeremiah sat and thought hard. His face crinkled in concentration. “No I don’t.” He said finally.
“What about now?” Tommy asked the other question that was on all their minds.
“Honestly I couldn’t say. I have no idea what being locked away in prison would do to an innocent man, let alone a troubled boy like Arnold. I tried to visit him in prison but he would never see me. I heard about the assault that he suffered and that he was transferred to the secure wing at the Blackwater Heights hospital soon after.”
Tommy noticed that the old man was perilously close to tears.
“This town and Adrian Todd took a harmless boy who was a little odd, and hollowed him out until there was nothing left.” Jeremiah spat. “And perhaps if he is back then some people are going to get what they deserve.”
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Dixon was taking a walk through the fields. The lush green foliage represented their profit margin for the season. He often enjoyed these quiet spells alone and away from the noise and commotion of the business. The afternoon was passing by slowly under the warm summer sun. The crows sat on their perches and cawed occasionally to each other as the world passed beneath their beady eyes. No matter what hive of activity went on during the harvest, the crows always sat and watched impartially.
Dixon detoured around the field and headed for the stream. The woodland encroached into the fields here and the canopy lent much needed shade. This was the one place where Dixon would feel calm and free from the troubles of his day. He knew that the others would feel the cold stab of fear at being alone in such a secluded situation, but he was different. He could feel his heart rate quicken and his pulse race with anticipation. He had a snub nosed 38 in a shoulder holster under his jacket. He also had a 22 strapped to his left ankle and a switchblade strapped to his right. He was desperate for Trotter to make a move on him. He knew that it was a childish notion, but he wanted to be the hero. He wanted to face down the man that was terrifying them, or more importantly terrifying Ally. He wanted to be able to strike the fear from her heart and save the day. Tommy was all talk. He could talk all day long and accomplish nothing. Dixon was a doer and not a talker.
He strode as casually as he could muster into the shadowy woods and sat on a fallen tree trunk. He tried to exude a vulnerability that he was sure did not come naturally to him. Maybe if Trotter made his move then he could end this today. Only in his wildest fantasies could he picture Ally falling into his arms again. He had never been under any illusions as to their marriage. Even when he had taken her in the middle of dark and hot nights he had never been entirely sure that it was his face that she was picturing. He had loved her in his own way which wasn’t easy. Maybe he hadn’t had the words that Tommy possessed to tell her so, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t feel them. His size and attitude had always attracted a certain kind of woman. His job only confirmed his bad boy image and for a while he had reveled in it. But eventually he had come to desire a kinder, gentler touch; to connect with a tender soul that didn’t reek of damage and demands of cruelty. Ally had been the one clean thing in his life. Despite her substance abuse and self-esteem issues she had been unsoiled to him. He had worked diligently to retrieve the fragile flower only to see her leave when his job was done. He knew that she cared for him and probably loved him in a way, but loving someone and being in love with them were worlds apart.
He sat and waited and prayed for death to come for him. He would face Trotter and his bag of tricks and perhaps teach him a new one or two. His face broke in a cruel smile at the thought and his mind was full of hope.
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“Well now that was a big waste of time!” PJ moaned from the backseat as they drove away from Jeremiah’s house.
“Well you don’t know until you try,” Ally said with an upbeat song in her voice. “It beats sitting and waiting at least.”
“Yeah but all we learned was that we are all probably more guilty than we thought,” Tommy said, his tone heavy with depression.
He had hoped that they would learn of the dark and disturbing past of one Arnold Trotter. But all they’d found was a sad and lonely boy and the one man who had bothered to take an interest. Trotter’s childhood seemed far from perfect, but it was some distance from the abuse ridden fertilizer that would have produced a monster. It seemed that only after Trotter was sent to prison that his humanity was stripped from his bones. Maybe Jeremiah was right. Maybe they were all to blame and they were all going to get what they deserved.
He tried to think if he had any of his prescriptions in the SUV. He hadn’t felt the need for any additional mood alterations since he’d been back in town, but now he could do with a little pick me up; just a little Amitriptyline Hydrochloride, or Zoloft or Paxil to take the edge off. It was a lot to take to know that he and the others had almost certainly been responsible for their own pain and suffering, not to mention Arnold Trotter’s.
He had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after months of therapy at his mother’s request. Years later as a grown man he had returned to therapy as he was still struggling with symptoms linked to that afternoon. He knew that he was in danger of starting to relapse, especially as the days grew closer to his birthday and the anniversary. He was having trouble sleeping as the nightmares were back again. He was moody and distant at work. He could be short tempered and aggressive. He was feeling detached from his life and those around him. He had reluctantly gone back into therapy and had hoped that returning to Denver Mills could finally exorcise the ghosts of the past, only to find that that the ghosts had returned with him.
“Look I’ve got to at least show my face at the diner today,” Ally spoke into the silence that had developed in the car.
“I’ll drop you back,” Tommy replied as though from some distance.
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Ten minutes later Ally stood at the side of the road as Tommy drove away with PJ now ensconced in the passenger seat. Tommy’s moods were a mystery to her; one minute he was friendly and open, the next he was sullen and withdrawn. She didn’t know just what answers he had expected to find at Jeremiah Hogan’s place, but the ones that they had found were certainly not pleasing for him.
She wandered in slowly through the diner doors and smiled warmly at some of the familiar faces in booths. She had expected the town to be buzzing with fresh faces by now. A small town decimated by three theatrically themed murders and one fatal car accident should have been national news by now. And yet not a word had seemingly seeped out beyond the town’s borders. She knew like everyone else that Adrian Todd held Denver Mills in the palm of his tightly coiled fist, but surely there were limits to even his control?
Doris Mayhew grabbed her arm gently as she passed by the booth. Doris was one of the oldest members of the community and also one of the sharpest.
“What can I do for you Doris?” Ally whispered as she leant down to the table.
“I see that you’ve found yourself a new beau my dear,” Doris chuckled through the sort of pristine white teeth that are only found in a glass on the bedside table at night.
“Really Doris, I don’t know what you mean,” Ally grinned back.
“He’s quite the handsome young man.”
“I’m sure that he would get quite the giggle if he
heard you referring to him as a young man Doris,” Ally smiled.
“When you get to my age dear, even Moses would seem like a young man,” Doris replied before digging back into her oatmeal.
Ally left the elderly woman to her lunch. For as long as she’d had the diner Doris had been coming in and never ordering anything other than the oatmeal regardless of the time of day.
She lifted the counter top and went through into the kitchen beyond. Her cheeks were blushing involuntarily and she couldn’t help but feel like a kid again. She knew that the circumstances that had brought Tommy back into her life were not exactly the best. He had only returned to town to tend to his father’s estate and he was only staying because there might be a madman on the loose. Still she thought, things would surely be a lot worse if he hadn’t stuck around.
“What are you grinning about?” Daisy her lunch cook asked as she walked into the kitchen.
“I wasn’t and never you mind,” Ally grinned. “How was the lunchtime rush?”
“Oh you know, same old same old,” Daisy replied.
Daisy was a large rotund woman of infinite life and seemingly happiness. Ally could never remember the cook wearing anything other than a sunny disposition. She was around her early 40’s and had never married. It wasn’t for the lack of offers as her cooking attracted most of Ally’s customers. It was a subject that she had thought about broaching several times when it was just the two of them after cashing up and sharing a coffee and a natter. It just never seemed appropriate. Whatever Daisy’s private life was, it was private.
There were three employees at the diner overall. Daisy was the main cook, whilst Susie Hawkins cleaned tables and helped in the kitchen when they were busy. Susie was a shy young girl, fresh out of school and no cause in life other than to look after her mother who was housebound through dementia. There was some aid through social services during the day, but Susie was already as housebound as her mother by evening. The other member of staff was Courtney King. Courtney was a year or so older than Susie, but she was infinitely more aged. Courtney considered herself the town’s beauty queen due to once winning a pageant when she was 16. She was currently engaged to one of the town’s deputies Freddie Burns. When she had first started at the diner Ally had detected a soft centre in the young girl, however over time she had become increasingly sullen and unhelpful. Her engagement to the Burns boy had made her arrogant and unpleasant. Burns was a town bully with a badge and potentially a gun. He had been the sort who was once a big deal in school and had never surrendered his adolescence.