He stretched out in the chair, knowing it would be another hour before Declan and Charlie arrived. He listened as a hospital trolley passed the door, the wheels spinning. It was then that he heard a low voice call his name. At first, he thought he had imagined it, until the voice called again, and he knew Kate was awake.
Addy
ADRENALIN PUSHED ADDY FORWARD. HE WAS thinking about Chloë and Sarah, how weak they both were. He thought about Aoife, and Donal too, and how the boy placed so much faith in him. When he finally got out on to solid ground, his first mission was to get to the church. Something told him that now every second counted.
Before reaching the church grounds, he saw the boat pull into the shore, carrying more supplies. Even from a distance, he recognised Stephen. His return meant trouble. He hoped Donal had done as he’d told him, and that he was safe, even though nothing and nowhere on the island felt safe.
At the entrance to the church grounds, he saw numerous old gravestones. They looked like twisted rocks being swallowed by the earth. The front door was blocked by wooden planks, but Donal had said that the bottom ones were loose. All he had to do was pull them back and push the door in.
The interior was smaller than he’d expected, with rotten wooden pews. The smell of damp hit his nostrils. He saw cracks in the whitewashed wall, some laden with moss, and parts of the plasterwork had broken off in large chunks, leaving gaping holes, like decaying skin. The wooden beams in the ceiling looked suspect too, as if at any moment one might fall. At the top end of the church, there was an altar with a table made of black marble. When he got closer, he saw it was covered with slime and muck. He jumped backwards as something furry scurried past his ankles. He thought it was a rat, but it was a fox escaping through a hole underneath the church wall.
Donal had told him to go as high in the spire as he could, and even before he started the climb, his heart was pounding. Near the top, his hands were shaking. He took out his mobile phone. The battery was about to die, but he needed to call Adam. His father would know what to do. The phone bleeped: only four per cent of battery left. Shit, he thought, but he could see two signal bars. A series of text messages came in, first from his mother, then Adam, and then his mother again. He didn’t bother reading any of them. Instead he pressed the dial button, listening as it rang out, once, twice, three times. ‘Come on! Bloody answer!’ But the call kept ringing, finally going to voicemail. Two seconds later, the phone was dead, and it was only then he realised something or someone was moving around outside. Could he have been followed? He had to be careful. Remain calm. He couldn’t fuck up now.
Listening again, he heard the wind whizzing around the church spire. Maybe he’d been mistaken. He swallowed hard, counting to ten, wanting to make sure the coast was clear before he punched the four zeros into Sarah’s phone. It took him a while to find her contacts. He scrolled to favourites, looking for anyone called John, worrying that there might be more than one, but breathing a sigh of relief when he found the number he needed. Before phoning, he heard footsteps, the crunch of twigs underfoot, and people mumbling. Shit. He couldn’t stop now, even if the others were close by. He dialled the number, knowing he was running out of time.
‘Hello,’ a man’s voice answered.
‘Are you Sarah’s husband?’ Addy kept his voice low.
‘Who is this?’
‘You don’t know me, but I know Sarah.’ The words fumbled out as fast as he could say them. ‘You have to listen to me. Her life is in danger. Things are not right here. There was a fire. Sarah and some others have been drugged. You need to get help. Something is going to happen, something big.’ He drew a breath and, for the first time, acknowledged what had been in his head all along: ‘People could die.’
‘Who is this?’ John Sinclair sounded suspicious, fearful.
‘Addy, my name’s Addy. You have to phone my father, Adam O’Connor, tell him what I’ve told you.’
‘The detective?’
The footsteps were getting closer. Addy didn’t have much longer.
‘Tell him people are in danger. There’s a cult here on the island, led by a guy called Saka.’
‘Where are you?’ John Sinclair yelled down the phone, registering the name, Saka, the name he had come to hate.
‘The island’s called Colton, off the south-west coast.’
Addy heard the church door being kicked in. ‘They’re about to take me. Tell my dad, there’s children here and we’re running out of time.’
Special Detective Unit,
Harcourt Street
LEE HAD NO IDEA WHAT MALCOLM MADDEN WOULD tell them next, but he had been long enough in the game to read body language. The man’s mood had changed since he’d arrived. Initially he had been cagey about answering questions, but now it seemed to bring him some kind of relief to get the information off his chest.
‘I knew the moment I saw Jessica who she was. The family resemblance was extraordinary.’
‘What do you mean by the family resemblance?’
‘To Valentine and then, by extension, to Kate.’
‘You’re saying Jessica was related to Kate and Valentine Pearson?’
‘Yes. That’s why the money passed hands. Sharon Baxter claimed Valentine was Jessica’s father. He didn’t believe her. He’d slept with her, all right, during one of her normal phases.’
‘Normal phases?’
‘She suffered from bipolar disorder.’
Fitzsimons nodded at Lee, confirming what he’d told O’Connor.
Malcolm kept talking: ‘Valentine didn’t know that at the time. To be honest, I don’t think it was even a fling, more like a one-night stand. She wasn’t of the same social standing as him, but very attractive. There was no denying that.’
‘Valentine thought the mother was lying?’
‘Yes. He was in denial, wanting to believe his version of the truth. He could have insisted on a paternity test, but he didn’t.’
‘And this happened in 1988?’
‘Yes.’
‘When Jessica was a minor?’
‘Correct.’
‘Why wait so long to pay the money? Why didn’t it happen directly after the girl’s birth, or even before?’
‘I don’t know.’
Lee’s mind was doing somersaults, even though, outwardly, no one would have guessed. ‘Malcolm, can I share something with you?’
‘What?’
‘Kate had a theory about you.’
‘What kind of theory?’
‘She thought that your having been marginalised from the group all those years ago had in some way undermined you.’
‘I can’t say I was happy about it.’
‘What do you know about cults?’
‘Cults?’
‘I’m not in the habit of repeating myself, Malcolm. You heard me the first time. What kind of people form them?’
‘Usually they have narcissistic qualities. A desire for power, money and other rewards is high within this personality type, and manipulation of others becomes a means of feeding their low self-worth.’
‘Do you have low self-worth?’
‘No.’
‘Does Jessica Baxter?’
‘Yes, but I hardly think … I mean, she was a victim in all this.’
‘A victim, who, as a girl, you knew was being abused.’
‘I’ve already told you my views. It was wrong of me, but I wasn’t the worst.’
‘What about Valentine?’
‘What about him?’
‘Did he know Jessica was abused by his educationally minded pals?’
The Game Changer
CENTRE OF LIGHTNESS
20 Steps to Self-enlightenment Programme
The shock and uncertainty in the intervening hours since the fire has left members looking for guidance. Leave people out on a limb for long enough, and they’ll be drawn to those with answers.
Stephen is back. He will deliver the death speech. The Game Changer is required e
lsewhere.
At some point, people will want to attribute blame, and the finger will be pointed at Saka. Poor, stupid Clarence: he loved getting a new name, such grandiose ideals.
The senior members will supervise the initial suicide watch. After that, dissenters will be separated from the group and corralled into the main hall for further guidance. Sufficient quantities of carbon monoxide will be administered when the doors are locked, and others, including Stephen, will ensure that Saka’s instructions are carried out to the letter. The final deaths will be those in the infirmary, quickly followed by the senior members and leaders, who will be the last of the self-administered suicides. They will remain until the very end, a reward for having reached the twentieth step.
I hate them all, every last one of them. None of them has suffered like me. None of them could ever dream of understanding, or coming close to, my power.
Power is a strange thing. The less power other people have, the more you possess. The final death speech will be simple.
(Page 1 of 3)
CENTRE OF LIGHTNESS
20 Steps to Self-enlightenment Programme
DEATH SPEECH
The pivotal moment of transition is close at hand. Saka understands his family like a loving father. We started this journey looking for enlightenment, seeking truth. We have gained strength together, individually and as a group, despite and because of what we have suffered.
Others have doubted us, but we see beyond their ignorance and bias. There may still be doubters among you, too, those who are not ready to transcend, but believe this: this truth is our destiny.
The fire was the sign Saka was waiting for. Self-realisation forms our new consciousness. It isn’t a flash of insight, or a concept that comes from books or the words of wise men. Self-realisation is not inside your head, a muscular component of your mind. It goes further than that and we have to go further than that to find it.
We have dismissed so many lies, which others have tried to impose on us. Spiritual awakening is bigger than any of their illusions. Anything that isn’t about that, you must discard.
Infinity and infinite truth are near. Your moments of blackest despair will soon be gone. You will no longer wear the lenses of other people’s stupidity.
(Page 2 of 3)
CENTRE OF LIGHTNESS
20 Steps to Self-enlightenment Programme
You see things as they really are and that life as we know it has no meaning. The truth is in the destruction of that life.
Your freedom is an existence beyond the shackles of earthly bonds. Like the insects that crawled along the ground, and who ultimately grew wings, take your new form.
As your leader, when you hear this, I will already have gone on this adventure. If you love me, you too will follow.
Life is self-limiting. I wait for you now. Our shared and greater reality can no longer be denied.
SAKA
Final Notes
The instructions given to Stephen and the others are clear. After the reading of the speech in the main hall, there will be a period of adjustment, and an opportunity to visit Saka in death. This will be followed by communal reflection, before the division of people into two groupings. Those who wish to join Saka in death, and those who need more time to choose. Logistics are in place to ensure a swift and effective enactment.
(Page 3 of 3)
Kate
‘ADAM, IS THE BABY OKAY?’ KATE’S VOICE WAS BARELY above a whisper.
He took her hand in his, kissing it. ‘It’s early days, Kate, but so far so good. The consultant says you need plenty of rest.’
Kate closed her eyes, a mix of relief and anxiety flooding in. ‘Adam, what if something happens? What if it doesn’t work out? What if …’
‘It will work out. If that baby is as determined as the woman I’m looking at, everything will be fine.’
She attempted a smile. ‘And, how do you feel about it?’
‘Kate, I love you. I love you more than anything. If I’m being honest, I’m nervous about being a father again, but part of me already loves that baby as much as I love you. I only hope I can be a better dad this time around.’
‘What if it’s a girl? I dreamed it was a girl.’
‘Then myself and Charlie will have a battle on our hands.’ He kissed her forehead. ‘Are you in a lot of pain?’
‘My chest hurts, and it’s hard to breathe.’ She paused, closing her eyes again. ‘I remember seeing a car coming out from the side, but I can’t remember anything after that.’
‘We haven’t any details on the car yet, other than a witness hearing it pull away at speed, then seeing you at the side of the road. The consultant thinks you travelled some distance. It’s a miracle …’
‘I didn’t get to see Aoife.’ She panicked. ‘I was early for our appointment – maybe she came afterwards and thinks I didn’t turn up.’
‘I don’t know what’s up with Aoife. I rang her parents. They haven’t seen her.’
‘What about Addy?’
‘Stop worrying about that pair. Declan’s on his way here with Charlie.’
‘But—’
‘There was no point in telling him not to come. I certainly wouldn’t have listened if our roles were reversed. And there’s twenty-four-hour security on the door. Declan won’t let Charlie out of his sight.’
‘Okay, I guess.’
‘When they get here, I may have to slip out for a while. There are a few loose ends I need to look into.’
‘What kind of loose ends?’
‘The woman who gave the statements to PIU is Kevin Baxter’s sister.’
Kate scrunched her forehead, trying to take in the information. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Fisher and I interviewed Madden earlier. He’s in Harcourt Street as we speak. I’m expecting a call at any moment but, according to Madden, she made contact with him fairly recently. He says he was trying to help her but …’
‘What?’
‘Kate, I really don’t think I should be worrying you with any of this.’
‘You’ll worry me more if you don’t tell me.’
‘She’s been renting your old house from Holmes & Co. There’s another guy connected as well, a Clarence Webb. They were the ones I got the information from during the house-to-house.’
‘Where is she now? Kevin Baxter’s sister?’
‘Her name’s Jessica. We don’t know where she is.’
Kate remembered the name Pat Grant had given her. She put her hand up to her head.
‘Kate, are you all right?’
‘Was Jessica fostered, like Kevin?’
‘Yes. Their mother wasn’t well. She suffered from bipolar.’
‘When was it diagnosed?’
‘Before Jessica was born.’ He leaned closer to her. ‘Listen, Kate, I want you to stop thinking about all that now. The priority is you and the baby.’
‘I know.’ She swallowed hard.
‘And try not to talk so much.’
‘Adam, why did she want to live in my old house?’
‘That’s enough, Kate. Stop trying to find answers. Trust me, I’ll get to the bottom of this.’ He kissed her on the lips, gently, lovingly.
‘Adam, I remember something else. I saw a young man’s face behind the steering wheel. I’m not sure I’d be able to describe him. It all happened so fast.’
‘Don’t worry about that either, not now.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course I’m sure.’
His mobile rang. ‘Hold on a second,’ he said, ‘it’s Harcourt Street. I need to take this.’
Addy
ADDY HAD NOWHERE TO HIDE. THE CHURCH WAS small. They would find him in seconds, and if he had Sarah’s phone on him, that would mean trouble too. It wasn’t going to take a lot more for that door to open, especially with the number of kicks being applied. He climbed down from the spire, jumping the last bit when he was near the bottom. He hurt his ankle, but managed to push the phone into
the hole the fox had scurried through.
‘What are you up to?’ Stephen shouted, as the door crashed to the ground. His joy at catching Addy unawares was all too clear. He had two other male members with him.
‘Nothing.’
‘Finding religious inspiration?’
‘You could say that.’ Addy tried to sound calm, even though he knew Stephen wasn’t buying it.
Stephen moved closer, and Addy flinched when he saw him pull out a knife and twirl it in his hand, like before, as if he was trying to decide what to do next.
‘I saw you sneak in here.’ Stephen sniggered, placing the blade underneath Addy’s chin.
‘I’m one of you now,’ Addy answered.
‘Is that right?’ Stephen twisted the blade, drawing blood. ‘We’ll see about that, won’t we, men?’
The two other members grabbed his arms, and Addy knew there was no escape. He wasn’t sure if John Sinclair had believed him, but at least he had made the call. Now his choice was simple. Either put up a fight and lose, or hope that somehow, if he got back to the commune buildings, Donal could help him.
The Game Changer Page 34