by Aj Estelliam
I laughed at that. ‘Always.’
‘Come on,’ she encouraged. ‘Let’s go back to bed.’
I had never, in my life, had a better offer than that.
Chapter 20
Many hours later, we still lay in bed in each other’s arms. We had discovered all there was to know about each other many, many times and now felt more than comfortable lying naked together.
Being with Jess had been a revelation for me. I had enjoyed sex before but never to this extent and had never succumbed with such wilful abandon. It was blissful.
‘I could get used to this,’ I commented, as I lay in her arms.
‘Please do…I don’t want this to end.’
‘Me neither,’ I replied, and we both went silent then.
After a few moments of quiet, I voiced the thought she was thinking.
‘Will it have to end, Jess?’
‘I hope not,’ she replied. ‘I don’t want it to, obviously, but we have the difficulty of living in opposite ends of the country.’
‘That is ever so slightly awkward,’ I replied quietly.
‘But let’s not let that ruin the here and now. We have limited time here, alone, together…let’s make the most of it.’
‘I agree…and I’m guessing you’re suggesting what I hope you’re suggesting?’ I murmured.
‘Yeah…it’d be a nice wake-up call,’ she smiled.
I moved into Jess’ arms and sighed as she began kissing me.
It was another hour before we got up. I felt like I was on cloud nine as we ate breakfast together in companionable quiet.
After we had eaten, we went to the sofas and sat down together.
‘This is nice,’ I said as we cuddled up together.
‘Yeah! What a strange turn of events!’ she commented.
‘I never thought I would come away and meet someone. I came away to get away from everyone I could!’
‘Are you glad you met me?’ she asked, ‘even though it’s in circumstances no-one would ever want to be in?’
I sighed. ‘Jess, I’ve been waiting all my life to meet someone like you. I just don’t want anything to stand between us-like this case…or distance…’
‘We have free will, Alex. We can make our destiny. We don’t have to let anything or anyone keep us apart.’
‘No-one,’ I repeated and then froze as an image flashed before my eyes.
I saw Jess; and she lay on the ground unmoving in the snow. Her eyes were glassy and I gasped, sure she was dead. As I bent beside her sobbing, I felt her heart against my ear. She was still alive! I sat up and yelled her name, begging her to wake up. Before she could react, a hammer blow landed on the back on my head and I fell to the snow; unconscious.
I gasped and stared at Jess.
‘What is it?’ she asked, clearly used to me and my strange moments by now.
‘We’re in danger,’ I told her bluntly.
‘What? We’re safe, Alex. We’re in a safe house! I’m here to protect you-and also there are more police outside ready to help if anything was to happen.’
‘No, you don’t understand. I had a vision…it was you and you were hurt. I thought you were dead! It was awful, Jess.’
‘Why would he want to hurt me?’ she asked. ‘Don’t worry…I can look after myself.’
‘Please take this seriously, Jess. Everything I have seen has come to fruition. You’d be a fool to ignore this.’
‘I won’t ignore it-I just think keep it in perspective. How could he even get to me?’ I asked her.
I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling very afraid. ‘I don’t know…will you call Captain Withers?’ I requested.
‘Why? To tell him that? No, Alex…’
‘Jess! You’re only saying that because this is about you! If I had had a vision about anyone else you’d be straight on the phone!’
‘Well this is different.’
‘No, it’s not,’ she stated.
‘Jess!’ I exclaimed, ready to argue my point. I quickly stopped when a new voice invaded my conscious. ‘Actually…it doesn’t matter,’ I told her.
She frowned looking confused and I got to my feet. I was at the door before the knock sounded. I opened it straight away and smiled at our visitor.
‘Morning Captain,’ I smiled.
‘Good morning, Alex. How are things?’
‘Not great…will you come in?’ I said, opening the door wider. He walked in towards the lounge and when I looked Jess’ way, she was frowning deeply.
‘So, that was all you saw,’ he asked.
I nodded. I had just talked the Captain through the vision I had seen of Jess, lying motionless in the snow.
‘You think she’s in danger?’
‘I do, yes…I don’t think she’s dead in the vision but I think she’s close,’ I said bluntly.
‘And still no clue as to who the perpetrator is?’ he asked.
I shook my head. ‘No…I wish I did.’
‘Is there anything you can do to bring on more visions? More thoughts?’ he asked. ‘We need to figure out a way of stopping all of this happening before it actually does.’
‘That was my idea…so how do I find out more information?’
‘I don’t know,’ Captain Withers replied, ‘is there any certain times when the thoughts and visions come?’
‘Well, no…I mean some have been in dreams, some have been when I’ve touched someone and some just come out of thin air.’
‘So, with no clear rhyme or reason?’
I nodded. ‘That’s right…’
‘Well, try all of the ones you’ve just mentioned…and I would try relaxation, meditation-that kind of thing. It will help-I’m sure.’
My eyebrows rose. I hadn’t expected the Captain to be so new age in his thinking. ‘Okay…’
‘No time like the present…try something,’ he said.
‘I…well, the vision is about you, Jess. Can I put my hand on yours?’ I asked her.
‘I don’t…’ she began.
‘JJ!’ the Captain interrupted. ‘Let the woman help you! I will not have you lying motionless on the snow! You’re like a daughter to me!’ he exploded.
The room went silent after his roar. Jess stared at him in stunned surprise, clearly shocked by what he had said. Her thoughts went into overdrive and they were all centred on Captain Withers-who she respected immensely. It touched her to the core that he thought of her in that way.
He cleared his throat and lifted his gaze to Jess once more. ‘I will not have you jeopardised, JJ. You’re officially off duty. I’m putting in two more officers to cover you both until this thing is over.’
‘I want to be here for Alex, Captain!’
‘And you will be…just not in an official capacity. We now need to protect you both.’
‘I don’t want to be babysat,’ she growled.
‘Sorry, but those are your orders, Detective Love. You’ll accept them or be taken of duty completely.’
‘Is that a threat?’ she asked angrily.
‘It’s an order. You know I want you safe, Jess,’ he said, using her first name for the first time that I had heard.
I saw her defeat as she gave him a long look of acceptance.
‘You’ll thank me in the long run…’
‘Will I?’ she murmured sadly.
He met her eyes but said nothing more. I felt a moment pass between them. It was unvoiced but their thoughts said it all. I swallowed against the emotion in the air. It was very moving.
‘I’ll get on the phone…start sorting cover for the two of you.’
Jess sat back against her seat with a sigh and I looked over at her. ‘Sorry,’ I said softly, ‘but it’s for the best.’
She glanced at me but I could see she was upset. Although she trusted my instincts and thoughts, she didn’t believe she was in real danger. She felt somewhat invincible. I knew she wasn’t.
An hour later, we all sat waiting for more police to come and keep us safe i
n the house. I sat quietly, listening for thoughts and visions about what was coming. The trouble was, I was doing very well. Nothing much came to mind.
‘Alex?’
I turned at the Captain’s voice.
‘Are you okay?’
I nodded slowly.
‘Do you need us to contact anyone-in case you end up being in Scotland longer than first expected?’ he asked.
‘I…well my parents…but I can phone them, right?’ I questioned.
‘No. I’m sorry but we must keep you isolated now-both to protect you and to ensure you’re not passing on information to anyone outside of here.’
I gaped at him. ‘You can’t still suspect me?’
‘No…not at all. But others will.’
‘Why?’ I asked aghast.
‘Because people won’t understand it. People won’t understand what you can do. They’ll want to discredit you and call you into question.’
I stared at him. He was right. I’d never be credible again.
‘I’m sorry, Alex. We’ll keep as much of this out of the public eye as possible.’
‘I want all of it kept out of the public eye! No-one needs to know my part in any of this, surely?’
‘Well, we have to question you…your contribution goes down as a matter of public matter.’
‘I don’t want it to!’
He gave me a look as if to say it was out of his hands.
‘Please, Captain. You must protect me as much as possible. How will ever return to a normal life if I’m put in the press as some kind of kook?’
‘We’ll protect you as much as possible.’
I sighed. ‘But when I return home? How on earth…’ I trailed off.
‘Look, Alex-don’t think about that. It all will depend how this case ends if I’m honest. We need a positive ending now-without any more people dying! The worse it gets, the worse it’ll be for all of us at the end.’
I frowned at that and pictured Jess lying in the snow. I knew she wasn’t dead in the scene but I didn’t know what followed the tragic image. ‘I don’t know how to help this along.’
‘You just need to try all the things I suggested,’ he murmured.
I nodded. ‘Can I go and spend some time alone?’ I asked.
‘Not really,’ Jess replied. ‘You need to be where we can see you.’
‘I need to think though. I can’t do that with all of you constantly wittering on in your heads.’
They both frowned at me.
‘I don’t suppose it would hurt if you were upstairs in the bedroom,’ the Captain said then, glancing towards Jess.
She rolled her eyes and sat back against the sofa. I got up and disappeared before he changed his mind.
I lay on the bed upstairs thinking. It had been an awful few days and so much had happened. The trouble was, I hadn’t had the time and the freedom to stop, think things through and try to make sense of it all.
I lay there quietly, waiting for anything to come. When it did, it wasn’t what I expected.
I was crouched in the shadows…hiding in the darkness. The forest was mine and I knew every inch of my surroundings. Without a sound, I turned and made my way back stealthily to my hole underground. It was an old war bunker, and perfectly kitted out for me to base myself in.
I climbed back inside my hidden home and took off my coat. I then walked to the desk and sat down. The scrapbook before me held such anger for me. I turned the first page, and struggled to reign in my temper. I flicked the pages, one by one-looking at the photos which were clear in my mind’s eye all the time. I stared down and took in the girl. Page after page I turned…the same smiling face, the same eyes; crystal clear green, with flecks of brown. Jess.
I came too with a start and bolted down the stairs. My thundering footsteps alarmed the police who all drew their guns with fright.
‘Hold your fire!’ Captain Withers instructed immediately, seeing my stricken face.
‘Alex?’ Jess asked, looking concerned.
I felt dizzy and like I was going to faint all of a sudden.
‘What’s the matter?’ she asked. ‘What have you seen now?’
‘I know more…’ I told them, shakily.
‘Sit down…tell us what you saw.’
I did as she asked and sat down on the sofa. I took a deep breath and looked up to meet Jess’ unmistakably unique eyes. ‘I saw you, Jess.’
She looked at me expectantly, waiting for more. ‘Yeah? And?’
‘It’s you, Jess,’ I told her, as shivers ran down my arms and made me tremble. ‘This is all about you.’
Chapter 21
Jess stared at me for long moments, looking confused. It wasn’t her who spoke first, it was the Captain.
‘You think this is about JJ? In what way?’ he asked.
I huffed out a frustrated breath. ‘I don’t ‘think’ it’s about Jess. I know it’s about her. I’ve seen it!’
‘Okay, well tell us…what did you see.’
‘He’s hiding in the woods,’ I began, meeting their eyes and flicking back and forth between the two of them. ‘He has this sort of bunker down there.’
‘Like where the girls were kept?’ Captain Withers asked.
I shook my head. ‘No. That was more of a man-made hole in the ground. This is more like a world war two bunker which was abandoned and unused. He’s kitted it out for his purposes.’
‘Which are?’ Jess asked.
‘To hide in while he kills.’
They both stared at me for a long moment.
‘What has this got to do with me then?’ Jess asked.
‘He’s fixated on you,’ I told her.
She frowned. ‘What?’
Disbelief filled her gaze.
‘I can see him looking at pictures of you…pages and pages of pictures…all you…I can tell it’s you-it’s your eyes which make it clear.’
‘So, he’s been taking pictures of Jess?’ Captain Withers asked.
I shook my head.
‘How the hell we would he have pictures of me then?’ she asked.
I took a deep breath. This was the bit where I knew all hell was about to break loose. ‘Because you know him…’
‘What? I know him? Who? I don’t know anyone in Scotland…I only have my work…my colleagues…’
I shook my head. ‘No, Jess…not from now…from before…back then,’ I told her sadly. ‘Jess, I think it’s Jamie,’ I said quietly, naming her brother.
Jess reeled. I saw her physically recoil from me.
‘Who in the crapping hell is Jamie? And why don’t I know about this?’ Captain Withers asked angrily.
‘Jamie is Jess’ brother,’ I told him, ignoring the daggers Jess was shooting my way.
‘You have a brother?’ he asked. ‘I thought you had no family left.’
‘I don’t,’ she replied crossly and then glared at me. ‘You’re telling me Jamie is responsible for all of this that’s happened…and that he’s doing it because of me?’
‘Sort of,’ I told her. ‘I think he likes hurting women…he likes the control. He chose here to get your attention, I think. He intends you to be his last victim…’
‘Last?’ she questioned.
I nodded. ‘He thinks of killing you and punishing you for what you did…but then he intends to die too. He wants to kill himself before he’s caught.’
‘What I did before?’ she exclaimed. ‘What did I do?’
‘He blames you for his father’s death…’
She frowned. ‘I didn’t kill him intentionally!’
‘Okay, whoa there…you all need to slow the hell down,’ Captain Withers interrupted loudly. ‘Back to the beginning of this story…now,’ he ordered.
Jess squared her shoulders and began retelling the story about what happened with her dad. I listened but was also trying to picture the face of the man who was committing these sins so that I could face him when the time came. If I closed my eyes I could see his face in shadows…bu
t the moonlight shone on one aspect-his eyes. They were the same as Jess’; clear green with the small flecks of brown in. I knew I would know him when we found him.
Jess was finishing her story and when she did, they both turned to me.
‘So, what I don’t understand is-why would he be coming after Jess? Why would he blame her if they were both his victims?’ Captain Withers asked.
I shrugged. ‘I only know so much…I can feel his hate and his anger towards Jess but his thoughts are kind of erratic. I guess if you’re on a path of kidnapping and murdering, you’re not exactly going to be thinking clearly but it’s hard to make sense of all his thoughts.’
‘Do you think you can find him?’ he asked next.
I nodded. ‘Yes. I can picture the location in my head…he walks the forest all the time and I can see him going back…’
‘Okay…is he there now?’
‘I don’t know! I’m not literally a psychic, Captain Withers!’
‘I’d say you’re bordering on it!’ he replied, with a humourless chuckle.
‘Well, I’m not. I don’t know…we’d have to go and find out.’
He frowned. ‘We need to think this through. Plan strategically. Come on…let’s go to the station. Get coats and boots though…we may be heading out there soon.’
I got to my feet and went to put on my shoes. I then headed for the stairs and hurried up to get my bag.
I didn’t notice Jess had followed until I turned around in surprise. ‘Oh my God! Jess you scared me!’
‘Sorry,’ she said, her expression grim.
I looked up at her and could hear the million thoughts rushing through her head and making her sick with anxiety. ‘I’m so sorry it’s turned out like this…’
She shook her head. ‘It’s out of our control…I just…’
‘What?’
‘Well, if anything happens…or if this is the last chance we get to be alone… I just wanted to say…’ she trailed off.
I reached for her hands with my own. ‘Jess…this isn’t the end for us. I’ve seen us in the future…we’re together, we’re happy and we live together. This isn’t the end.’