Spiritwalker

by Siobhan Corcoran

  They flew down the road for what seemed like an eternity without seeing any other vehicle in front of them. Then just as they were about to lose heart Anna spotted the van ahead, she sped up close to it just to make sure it was the right one. It was. She sped up more drawing alongside it honking her horn and flashing her lights, she wasn't able to get a good look at the driver. Lights from an oncoming car forced her to pull back in behind the van. The driver of the van sped up trying to out-run them but Anna was in no mood to let this happen she kept honking and flashing her lights. She ordered Andrew to phone the police and let them know what was happening, it was Eva who pulled out her phone from her jacket pocket. Andrew had forgotten his in the excitement. The message Eva was giving to the operator sounded garbled to Anna and she hoped Eva could make them understand the urgency, they were going to need all the help they could get. Anna once more tried to out manoeuvre the van but the driver was quick and swerved to the right to avoid her overtaking him. Then the driver of the van braked suddenly, the van screamed to a halt as the wheels locked. Anna reacted, turning the steering wheel sharply to the right to avoid a collision. She braked hard, the car fish-tailed out of control and slammed into the barrier on the other side of the road.

  It took them a moment to realise that they were still in one piece. Eva was the first to react, she forced the air-bag away from her face, unclipped the seat belt and pushed open her door, she stumbled out heading back towards the van. It was stopped sideways across the road, the driver’s door was open. Without a thought for her own safety she rushed to the back doors and fumbled to open them. Andrew caught up to her, he saw his wife battering the van with her fists. He tried the handle, nothing happened. It was locked. Thinking, he ran to the driver’s door the keys were still in the ignition, he tore them out and rushed back, he inserted the key in the lock and turned it, it opened. He threw open the doors. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness within, then he saw her, half covered by a blanket. Oh god no, he thought as he leapt into the back of the van, she wasn't moving. He was aware of Eva calling out Sassy’s name and sobbing. He grabbed hold of his daughter and heard her moan, relief flooded through him. “She's alive” he wept, as much to himself as to his wife. He carefully took her from the van and held her in his arms, she began to stir. In the distance they could hear sirens. Within minutes the police arrived and an ambulance was summoned. Eva and Andrew jumped into the back of the ambulance with their daughter, leaving Anna to deal with the police.

  Chapter seven

  He braked suddenly, the van screeched to a halt. He didn't have air-bags to worry about so he was able to scramble out quickly. He saw the other car come to a sudden stop about fifty yards away on the other side of the road. He didn't stop to check his passenger, he had to get out of there as quick as he could. He vaulted over the safety rail running along the side of the road and headed off through the fields. He knew the police wouldn't be far behind and he had to put as much distance between him and them as he could. He stopped to take a breath, he could hear the sirens in the distance and moved off again. How had they known? How had they discovered that the girl was missing? He had thought at first when the car had barrelled up behind him horn blaring and lights flashing that it was just kids out for a joy-ride. Then “She” had pulled up beside him trying to ram him, he had recognised her and the car. He had been watching the house that afternoon for a chance to get to the girl. His curiosity had been peaked when he had seen her arrive, he had sensed something different about her. Now here she was, the crazy bitch was trying to run him off the road. It was bothering him as he ran along, how had they known? Had she been watching him? She couldn't have been he would have spotted her. He was certain that the girl was alone, that she hadn't been followed.

  He was livid, after all his planning, he had lost his prize, he had promised Jane that he would bring her and now he couldn't. Anger was building up inside him as he legged it through the fields. He was glad he had used a stolen van, at least it couldn't be traced back to him. He hoped he had left nothing behind in his haste to escape, he had been careful to always wear gloves, he didn't think he had left any clues for them. He went over and over it in his head, Sassy had been the perfect choice, her parents didn't care about her, they didn't even know that she had a boyfriend in the village, they didn't know that she sneaked out every weekend to meet him. If she wasn't careful she would turn into a slut. He knew that he and Jane would be able to look after her, teach her the proper way to behave, after all she was still young. Maybe someday he and Jane could have a baby of their own. He knew that women always preferred their own children to other people’s. Jane's own daughters were too old, but Sassy, he had seen how Jane adored her always taking her shopping and buying her things, yes she would make the perfect daughter.

  As he journeyed along, he thought of Natalie, she had been the one before Jane. How unworthy she had turned out to be. He had loved her, thought she was the one, he had found the perfect daughter for them, but she had been angry, even tried to make him release the girl. Now when he thought about it he understood. The girl had been a stray, a runaway, he had found her in the slums of London sleeping rough. He had brought her to Natalie but she had gone berserk, told him that she could never love someone who wasn't her own daughter. Yes he thought, he could understand that now. He still felt sorry for his reaction when she had flown at him and tried to escape. She had lunged at him with a piece of broken mirror, cut a deep gash in his face. She had nearly escaped too, if it hadn't been for his dog, Shona, his faithful German Sheppard, she had stopped Natalie, barred her way growling and snarling at her. He remembered the ferocious anger he had felt when he had recaptured her. He had crashed his fist into her face, as she fell he had put his hands around her neck and just started squeezing. She had opened her eyes, was gasping for breath, she had tried to fight him scrawling him with her nails. He had barely noticed, he marvelled at the strength in his fingers as he had squeezed and squeezed. He felt all powerful, her face had started to turn purple as she struggled for breath. As she gasped her last gasp her eyes focused on his, he thought he saw his old Natalie return. He released her but it was too late she just flopped to the floor like a rag doll.

  The girl was huddled in the corner, she was screaming and screaming, he roared at her to shut up, she was spoiling the moment. He had felt the last ghost of life slip from Natalie. It felt so breathtakingly wonderful, he felt dizzy with power, like a god almost. He had never felt anything like it before or since. He realised he had an enormous erection, painfully big. He carefully lifted Natalie up and laid her on the bed and satisfied himself. She was so warm and yielding. What a pity it was to be only once. When he finally erupted it was like a thousand fire-works going off in his head. The earth had moved for him that day. The melancholy that followed was almost maddening. He had to bury her body, he had hated to part with her, she had been so perfect in the end.

  The girl he injected with a fatal dose of heroin, he brought her back to the slums, where she had come from. Strange he thought “I didn't even know her name”. She became just another addict dead after over-dosing. He had thought that he would never love anyone like Natalie again, but now he had Jane and he meant to hold on to her. No one was going to come between them.

  He stopped running, up ahead he could see a light. It was a house, he would be able to get transport. Silently he crept closer, he was at the back of the house. He peered in the kitchen window. There was an old man sitting in an armchair, drinking what looked like whiskey from a glass and chuckling to himself at something funny on the box. There was no one else to be seen. He seemed to be living alone, the house didn't seem to have that wifely tidiness about it. He turned away from the window, the man had to have some sort of car. He found it. It was under a make shift structure that served as a car-port. A zinc roof held up by a wall at one end and it had two tall timber posts at the other. The car would do nicely. It was an old Peugeot, red in colour. He wouldn't get a second glanc
e driving that. He walked back to the house, double checked that the old man was still alone. Satisfied, he knocked on the back-door. The old man was surprised to be disturbed at that time of night. Cautiously he walked to the door and shouted through it.

  “Who's there?”

  “Police” Was the reply he got. “There has been a robbery at your neighbour’s down the road. I was told to come and check on you.”

  “Show me some identification.” The old man said as he slid the bolt back and opened the door a fraction.

  That was all the he needed. He burst open the door, rushing at it with all his force. The old man was stunned, he fell back and hit his head on the floor. Quick as a flash he was on top of him. His hands crushing the old man's scrawny neck. No fight in this one he thought as he pressed harder. The life drained from the old man, like tepid tea. He was disappointed when he finally let go of his victim. No feeling of exhilaration filled him like it had with Natalie. He didn’t feel anything. It was just another tiresome chore that had to be done.

  He had no difficulty locating the car keys. They were on a hook by the backdoor. He drove off out of the yard. Leaving the back door open and the old man lying dead in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor.

  Chapter eight

  Anna was sitting in the back of the police car. A young policewoman seated beside her taking notes, meanwhile her partner was outside updating headquarters on his portable radio. Anna was glad of the warmth of the car, she had left the house in a rush still only wearing her pyjamas. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had been warm and wrapped up in her own bed. The young PC had turned the engine on. The air conditioning was turned on high, keeping the cold night air at bay.

  “I'm afraid we can't leave the scene until back-up arrives.” PC Lane explained to Anna. “If you wouldn't mind going over what happened once more.” She was almost apologetic for keeping Anna there. She flicked back through a few pages of her notebook and re-read them. “You said that you saw a man abduct Sassy Westhall and force her into his van. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, he crept up behind and grabbed her, she didn't stand a chance. He just threw her into the back of the van and drove off.” Anna explained.

  “Why didn't you call out to her, or try to prevent him?”

  “I was too far away and she didn't hear me.”

  “Why didn't you call the police right away?”

  “I didn't think, I just wanted to get Sassy back before he was able to get away. I alerted her parents and we went after them.”

  “Can you describe this man?”

  “No, I didn't get a good look at him. All I know is he was a good bit taller than Sassy, maybe a five or six inches. And he seemed to be somewhere in his thirties or forties. I'm only basing that on the way he walked and moved though. I can't say for sure.”

  “Have you ever seen this man before?”

  “No, I only got here today, this the evening, I didn't recognise him.”

  “How long are you going to be staying with them?”

  “I don't know, look I might as well tell you. I was hired by the Westhall's to investigate the disappearance of Mrs Westhall's sister. Inspector Morley is dealing with the case. As a matter of fact he called out earlier today to investigate a burglary.”

  “I see.” PC Lane said frowning. It was obvious to Anna that this PC wasn't long at her job and totally out of her depth. “Do you think all these events are connected then?”

  “Yes I do. Well unless the Kent countryside is normally crawling with kidnappers, child abductors and burglars, I would think it’s a fair bet.” Anna said wearily. She didn't want to be rude to the PC but was finding it difficult not to. They had been over and over everything twice already. She had even been breathalysed.

  PC Lane looked relieved when the long awaited forensics team pulled up followed by an unmarked car with two plain-clothes detectives in it. She stepped out of the car and headed over to them.

  After a lot of gesturing and conversation which Anna couldn't make out, one of the detectives came over to her and sat into the car. He introduced himself as DS Waters.

  “Miss Cotter, PC Lane informs me that you were the driver of that car.” He said pointing to Anna's car.

  “Yes, I was.”

  “She also told me that you refused to have an ambulance called.”

  “Yes I feel fine, much better than the car looks at any rate.” She smiled tiredly at him.

  “I'm going to the hospital. I need to interview The Westhall's and their daughter. My colleague is going to sort out matters here. I really think you should get checked out too. Can I offer you a lift?”

  “I suppose I should.” Anna said. “I need to see how Sassy is. I hope she’s okay” Tired as she was she knew she should go to the hospital. She knew it wasn't just out of the goodness of his heart that he suggested taking her. It would suit him to have all of them in the same place for questioning.

  Anna followed DS Waters to his car and they drove off to Canterbury. Conversation was at a minimum, which suited Anna. She wasn't in the mood to re-hash everything again.

  At the hospital Anna was examined by Dr. Patel, a pleasant Indian man who continually shook his head as she told him of the events that led to her being in need of his professional services.

  “Young English women should not be going around the countryside chasing criminals and crashing cars.” He admonished her as he gave her a clean bill of health.

  Anna didn't bother to educate him that she was in fact Irish. She didn't think this information would alter his outlook on young women.

  Leaving the A&E she headed off in search of The Westhall's. The receptionist told her that Sassy was admitted to the children's ward and asked her if she was a relative. Anna lied and told her she was. She was given directions to the ward and headed off. She bumped into DS Waters, he was carrying a steaming hot cup of coffee.

  “Miss Cotter. How are you? No problems I hope? Can I get you a coffee?” He said taking a sip of the steaming liquid.

  “Fine. No and yes please.” Anna answered. A cup of coffee sounded good to her and since she had left her purse in her room she hadn't the finances to purchase one herself.

  After buying the coffee DS Waters showed her into the relative’s waiting room and explained to her that he was waiting to interview the Westhall's. They were still at their daughter's side.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Anna asked anxiously

  “I think so, the doctors think that her abductor gave her something to knock her out. She is coming around fine now. She doesn't seem to have any other injuries.” I've been told I can't interview her until the morning, her parents are still in with the doctors. They promised to talk to me as soon as she gets the all clear.

  It was a further twenty minutes before the Westhall's made an appearance. They both looked exhausted but relieved. They greeted Anna and sat down close together facing DS Waters. He in turn took out his notebook, he had questioned Anna while he was waiting for them. She once again answered all the questions as truthfully as she could. She deliberately omitted to tell him how she had actually discovered that Sassy was being abducted. She felt sure that sooner or later someone was going to ask that awkward question and she had no idea how she would answer it. No matter how she put it she knew it was going to sound unbelievable.

  Eva and Andrew corroborated everything that Anna had said. DS Waters went over Jane's disappearance and the burglary. When he was finally satisfied that there wasn't anything else to be gained by going over it again he told them he would be back in the morning to interview Sassy and he left. He told them that they could expect Inspector Morley to want to interview them in the morning too.

  It was almost four in the morning when they were finally able to relax and discuss the night’s happenings. Eva and Andrew thanked Anna over and over for saving their daughter' life.

  “God alone knows what he would have done to her if you hadn't discovered it.” Eva said

  “Where on
earth did you learn to drive like that?” Andrew asked. “Michael Schumacher couldn't have done a better job.” he joked.

  “Oh god I almost forgot about the car” Anna groaned. “It’s a hire, I hope the insurance covers the damage.”

  “Don't worry about it” Andrew said. “I'll cover any expenses. It’s the least we can do”

  “Andrew, We'd better send Anna home, there's no point in us all sitting here, now that we know Sassy is not in any danger.” Eva said “You should go home too, I'll stay with her.”

  Andrew reluctantly agreed to go home, but only after his wife promised to phone it there was any change. They ordered a taxi, it wasn't long before they were headed home.

  Anna was grateful to fall into her bed and was asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.

  Chapter nine

  Inspector Morley woke to the sound of his phone shrilling on its perch. He looked at the digital clock- radio on the bedside table. It was barely five O clock. The voice at the other end identified himself as DS Waters. He sat bolt upright in the bed as he listened intently to the account that was given to him regarding the near abduction of Sassy Westhall. He assured DS Waters that he would meet him at the station within the hour. Replacing the receiver he wondered if there was more to Jane Turners disappearance than he had thought at first. Judging by the recent events it certainly seemed that there was. He hadn't been happy with the opinion of his Super that she had left of her own free will, but he had to agree that since she had done it before it was likely that she had again. That and the fact that he had used a lot of time and resources on that case and turned up nothing, had led to his Super to order him to put it on the “back-boiler” and concentrate on his ever increasing work load which was piling up. He washed and dressed quickly and was walking into the near-deserted police station an hour later.