by Stacey Mewse
The receptionist opened her mouth to reply but was cut off and Audra continued, her voice ringing with anger. ‘Now would you like to take me to them or shall I wait for you to bring one of them to me?’
The woman on the far side of the counter battled with this for a moment before quickly rising to her feet and opening the door to the rest of the station for the solicitor to go through. ‘I’ll take you to them, if you’d like to follow me Miss Accorsi?’
Audra nodded and followed her through the doorway in silence, not wanting to waste another breath on the idiot before her. That was how she saw the situation at least.
She was led to a room full of desks and taken to the back where Truman and Jaunt both sat around a tabletop covered in pictures, scribbles and typed notes. As the pair approached they both looked up and their expressions changed from concentration to agitation.
‘I’m afraid we simply don’t have time for this at the moment Miss Accorsi’ Truman flatly stated.
Audra scowled and deliberately pulled out a seat, which she sat in smoothly and elegantly. ‘I’m afraid you simply cannot turn me away Mr. Truman, we have a little to discuss before I can be on my way.’
Truman returned her scowl with an even deeper one. ‘If you’re quick.’
Audra nodded in response. ‘Time is important, I understand that, I shall be as brief as I can.’
Both detectives watched her, waiting for her to continue. ‘I simply require to know how long you expect to detain my client. Your receptionist…’ Here she gestured to the woman who was rapidly retreating across the room back to her post. ‘She informs me that you wish to keep him for 48 hours, you both know as well as I do that you cannot do that without solid evidence of his involvement, which you do not have.’
Jaunt opened her mouth to protest and was cut short; Audra was enjoying the power the act gave her while she had the chance. She continued with no change to her tone of voice, comfortable that her information was correct. ‘Everything you have is circumstantial and that is not nearly good enough to warrant his detaining for any longer than until the end of the day, you both know that.’
Jaunt put down the papers she had been clutching and glanced at Truman before responding. ‘He cannot be released so soon, with all the media attention the public –’
Audra cut her off again. ‘The public have no idea who he is. There were no shots taken of him yesterday and all the information the public have is that a man was arrested. He could be anyone on his departure, nobody has any way of knowing he is the suspect you arrested. There is simply no good reason to keep him in any longer. I’d like him to be released on bail today with a return date next week, which should give you ample time to study the medical tests.’
Jaunt sighed exasperatedly, glowering at Truman as though this was his doing and not the woman before them. ‘We shall call you later today to inform you of what is going on Miss Accorsi, your concerns will be taken into account.’
Audra stood and nodded curtly. ‘They are not concerns inspector Jaunt, I am simply following the law.’
With that she turned and strutted away, feeling thoroughly official and pleased with her little put down. She could smell the inspector’s anger, and knew without turning that the look on her face was a picture. They had no choice but to let him go. Things were coming up roses!
She exited the room feeling triumphant and thanked the receptionist on her way out. Swinging open the entrance door to the station and stepping out into the sunshine with a smile beginning to form on her lips. Things definitely seemed to be going to plan. She crossed the car park and stepped into one of the packs many cars, a smart looking little black convertible number, which suited her character perfectly. Firing up the engine she sped out of the parking lot and shot down the road, donning a pair on sunglasses against the glare of the morning sunshine… It was going to be a beautiful day. Things were looking good for her promotion if everything carried on as it was going; bugger worrying about Varulv… She was on her way to moving up the ranks and she loved that feeling!
She hummed a tune to herself as she drove the country lanes back to her home at the pack’s country estate, something that her father had sung to her when she was small and tucked up in bed. Soon she’d be replacing him, and wouldn’t that be a blissful feeling… Finally having the pack as her own! Not that he had any idea of her intentions she was sure. First she had to aim for beta, then with more power under her belt she could begin to sew the seeds of dissent; and eventually take the helm and finally have her say over the other pack members who had for so many years bullied her. She couldn’t wait to overthrow Eve; she even had a vague idea of a plan forming for how she’d get rid of her… All in good time however… One step at a time to begin with was the way forward, she had to keep reminding herself of that. This little escapade would certainly raise her in her father’s estimations though, which was a fabulous place to start. Her smile broadened as she contemplated a future where she had the power in the pack; but she had to wipe it from her face as she pulled up outside the pack house. She was supposed to look concerned after all.
Practically hopping out of the car she was so pleased with herself, she hurried to the door and let herself in. Making her way straight to the main hall and ringing the old servants bells, which had their chords hung along the wall near the head of the table. For a moment nothing happened and all she could hear was the ringing of the bells; and then in a sudden flurry of noisy footsteps began making their way towards her from all over the enormous country house.
First to enter the room was Eve, who supported Audra’s father with one arm, leading him to his seat and then quickly scurrying back to the door. She stuck her dreadlocked head back out through the doorway and called loudly to the others that they were not needed and could return to what they were doing. Then, closing the door carefully behind her she made her way to Alfred and took her place at his side.
Audra chose to remain standing and only addressed the pair when they had both settled back into their seats and were looking expectantly at her.
With her hands clasped together in front of her hanging loosely against her belly, she took a deep breath and then began. ‘All seems to be going well so far, as we knew would be the case the police have found no evidence of Hunter participating in the young woman’s murder. He has been questioned again this morning and has delivered the story we have chosen for him flawlessly, and then gone on to have medical tests performed. Did we manage to get that sorted out?’
Eve nodded ‘Matthew deposited some samples in the exam room toilet to be collected by him early this morning, we trust he will have noticed them, he couldn’t be careless enough not to.’
Audra’s expression contorted into one of confusion. ‘Matthew?’
Eve nodded again ‘yes, the young man who stumbled across Isabelle half way through a change in the woods a few years back. He helped her set a broken foot she had caught in a snare laid by a poacher, and they have met regularly ever since. You must know of him?’ She snorted the word ‘must’ knowing full well that Audra was so self absorbed that she wouldn’t have the slightest idea what she was talking about. ‘They have expressed a desire to marry to your father recently and he felt that this would be a good way to test his loyalty. Seeing as he works as a cleaner at the station he was the perfect candidate for the job.’
Audra rolled her eyes. ‘Oh yes, the human limpet, I remember now… Please tell me you’re not going to allow a human being to join the pack father…?’
Alfred scowled deeply at his daughter. ‘That is hardly the issue to be discussed at present Audra, your lack of focus astounds me on occasion.’
Audra took her telling off with as much dignity as she could muster, though a slight blush tinted her cheeks, betraying her annoyance. ‘Back to the subject at hand then… He cannot be kept indefinitely, and due to lack of evidence they should be releasing him on bail soon, the conditions are the main thing we have to worry about as if he is stuck in the area a
nd Varulv attempts to escape he will have every opportunity to make a good getaway. We need Hunter to shock him into momentary weakness.’
Alfred and Eve nodded in unison, Alfred speaking for both of them. ‘If it comes to it we will have to send other pack members after him until Hunter is in a position to make chase. I was contemplating that if you did well with this task you might like to go, perhaps with Tobias as to aid you? Though we have had no mention from any other packs of sightings of Varulv, so we are assuming that he is still in the area and enjoying toying with us…’
Audra beamed at being offered another important task to undertake, her face quickly falling at the idea that Varulv could still be in the area. ‘Do you think he knows?’ She asked quietly.
Alfred shook his head. ‘About Hunter? No, I do not think he knows anything more than that he’s causing trouble for other decent members of his kind, and that he loves it.’
Audra did not know how best to respond to that, and so she looked to Eve and with a smirk revealed the information that Hunter had not been able to resist the animal urge to change shape over night. Eve looked disappointed but quickly put Audra in her place with a sharp comment. ‘Well do you think you would have been able to hold in a change after losing your only friend to the same monster who murdered your parents Audra? I had said I hoped he would be able to resist, not that I expected that would be the case.’
Audra’s lip curled involuntarily. ‘I just thought you might like to know.’
Eve quipped back quickly ‘Well thank you for being so considerate. Now what happens next?’
Audra half shrugged ‘I’m not 100% certain. I know that the medical tests are being rushed through and that they do not wish to question him again until the results are back. So I pressed for him to be released on bail and I will be getting a phone call later today regarding his time of release. He’ll have to go back in around a week to be re-questioned but I suppose that gives you time to plan.’
Alfred nodded. ‘Well then I suppose we wait. How does one of you fancy leading an old man to the kitchen and putting on a pot of tea in the meantime? Seeing as there is little else that can be done now.’
Eve smiled at the old man next to her and held out an arm for him to pull himself up with. ‘I’ll take you up on that one Alfred, Audra can find Tobias and discuss what they plan to do if Varulv begins to move on.’
Audra nodded enthusiastically and made her way to the door, not looking back at the other two weres as she scurried into the hall and began her search for the male beta. Things were definitely looking up!
Chapter 19
In his cell Hunter found himself desperate to drift into sleep but was having no luck. His brain was working at a thousand miles an hour and he could not quiet the whirlwind of thoughts that swept across his mind. He had no idea how long he laid there in silence, but he guessed that a fair amount of time must have passed as he worried and remembered; as outside the daylight was starting to fade.
He couldn’t stop his mind from wandering back to the memory of Lucy lying on the cold barn floor. The image of her lying there, cold and beyond help would stay with him forever. She had looked so pale, so unlike herself, and yet somehow she had looked more real that she ever had before. Whilst he had been crying over her, cradling her on his lap her eyes had looked so ready to spring back open. Her slightly parted blue-tinged lips had looked ready to speak or breathe… And he remembered their chaste kisses, and a tear rolled down his cheek. He may not have loved her in the way she had him, but as a friend she was all he really had, and he deeply regretted making her feel unwanted. If he could have turned back time he would have done things differently; he would have let her do whatever she wanted with him…
It was then that his wolf chose to chime in with a single intrusive word it quietly insisted ‘Eve’.
Hunter shook his head, he knew full well what it meant and he hated it all the more for its insistence. ‘No.’ He muttered quietly to himself. ‘You cannot have your own way with everything.’
The wolf in him disagreed ‘you want her too human half’.
Hunter opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing at his face roughly with his palms. He did not want her, she was a beta and presumably taken for a start… Even as the thought crossed his mind it seemed like a feeble excuse. If he had truly not wanted her, his mind would have insisted ‘she’s not attractive’, or ‘she’s not my type’ … Not ‘she’s taken’. Which incidentally was something he didn’t even know for certain.
Then Pictures of Lucy flashed across his mind anew, memories of her alive and laughing and then flashes of her as he had last seen her. Suddenly he remembered one of the officers at the scene mentioning stitching and shuddered. Slumping forward he cradled his head in his hands and cried, his emotions playing havoc with his addled mind. He was disgusted with himself, distraught, angry and regretful in equal measure. He wished he could go back and change things… He wished he could have gotten there in time…
Sadness was all at once replaced by rage, his hands began to shake and he thumped his curled fists against his thighs. He wanted to be out of the cell, to be free and able to track the monster who had done such unspeakable things to everyone he had ever loved… For he had loved Lucy as a friend. He wanted to pay back the favour, and found his mind full of gruesome imaginings. Images flashed through his brain of him doing unspeakable, torturous things to the monster. Those thoughts filled him with a strange kind of contentment. Both sides of him needed revenge; there would be no closure without it.
Standing up suddenly he paced the room and growled and raged to himself, the sounds coming from his mouth nowhere near to being human. Had anyone seen him they would have thought him utterly mad, it would have destroyed his case. But as it was he was left alone with his thoughts, a deliberate action by the police to torture guilty minds. Only he was not guilty, though he had horrific plans to be.
*****
Out in the main office where dozens of officers and detectives milled about their desks, the atmosphere was charged and tense. Bobbies scuttled about in and out of the room, going about their daily business, but all of them glancing at Jaunt and Truman who had taken up the rear of the room with their evidence and an enormous board covered in pins and notes. They were being left well alone by the other staff in the station, no one dared to bother them; though all were desperate to be involved in their investigation. There were quiet murmurings of bitterness floating about; in the staff room away from the pair many voiced their disappointment at being shut out from such a high profile case… But it had been made clear to all that the two detectives wanted it to themselves, as a glorious retirement case; for they were both nearing that time in their careers.
The pair had not moved since Audra’s departure earlier in the day, except to alter their board and shuffle through notes and pictures of crime scenes. They had made themselves a pot of coffee and were having it refilled whenever they found it drained by the receptionist. Enough caffeine was in them to keep a man up for days; which was what they aimed for if need be. Neither would rest until the case was solved.
Both detectives had scowls etched into their age-weathered faces. Partly out of concentration and fading eyesight, and partly out of anger at how little evidence they had against the man who had been arrested. They had worked tirelessly on the case since his arrival and it was beginning to become abundantly clear to them that they had almost nothing to tie him to the murder. Both detectives were inwardly livid at that; the excitement at having potentially caught the perpetrator of some of the most gruesome crimes in British history by then entirely faded.
Jaunt looked up blankly from her work and grabbed at her coffee mug, taking a quick sip of the cold liquid before pulling a disgusted face and returning the cup to the table. She sighed loudly and let the photograph she had been studying fall from her hand to the desk, they were getting nowhere and it was beginning to irk her.
‘Are we flogging a dead horse here Truman?’ She asked exasperat
edly.
Truman looked up from the report he had been filing and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘I think perhaps it might be heading that way…’
Jaunt grabbed the coffee pot and waved it agitatedly in the air ‘Could somebody get us a refill?!’ She shouted into the office, bringing the receptionist scurrying to do her bidding.
Truman looked ruefully into the depths of his own empty cup and nodded slowly in appreciation of her order. ‘I’m not sure what more we can do here’ He admitted.
Jaunt scowled ‘there must be something, we can’t just give up now, the circumstantial evidence is overwhelmingly in favour of his being the culprit.’
‘Circumstantial is all we have though isn’t it, and we all know that’s not enough.’
‘We must be missing something.’ Jaunt insisted ‘there’s no logical reason for him to have been in that barn, none at all.’
‘Well we have his story, and to be honest where is there logic in this job? You can’t find logic in the vast majority of criminal behaviour, or human behaviour in general. I think we are flogging the proverbial deceased equine here Jaunt.’