by steve higgs
As I shivered in the cold, one of them started to help me by unzipping my dress at the back. ‘Good thing Chief Inspector Quinn was here to rescue you,’ she commented as her colleague slipped an oversize police jacket around my shoulders. With the jacket in place, I peeled off my dress, doing my best to keep as little skin exposed to the cold as possible.
I wanted to tell them that the chief inspector hadn’t rescued me, but of course, he had. Right at the end, his efforts had saved the day. How much credit I would get was yet to be seen, though I suspected it would be very little. I wasn’t even getting paid.
Above the background noise of engines and chatter by the riverbank, the sound of a tuned German engine announced that Tempest was about to arrive. The sound cut out a hundred metres short, doubtless stopped by a police officer as they temporarily closed the road to deal with the incident.
He found his way through on foot a few minutes later, spotting me easily as I rested in the back of a warm police car. ‘Hi, Jane,’ he waved through the car’s window.
Slowly, because my limbs felt heavy and sluggish, I opened the door. Cold air flooded in. ‘Hi, Tempest. I closed the case.’
‘So, I heard. Are you okay?’
‘Sure,’ I answered with a shrug. ‘Mostly I am cold and tired.’ I didn’t mention the cuts and bruises, they would heal soon enough.
He nodded his understanding. ‘It’s a bit cold out here, shuffle over and I’ll get in.’ I did that, making room for him to get in and close the door so the warmth could return. ‘I feel like I have missed something.’ Tempest was hanging his head guiltily as if he believed my situation this evening was due to an omission on his part. ‘You could have been hurt or killed,’ he added with an angry huff at himself.
‘It’s okay, Tempest. None of those things happened. I accidentally triggered the attack when I got involved. Jennifer’s accomplice is a police officer, she knew about me from the very first visit to the police station. She’s the one that tried to kill me by setting fire to Karen Gilbert’s house. I thought it was the Sandman, but it was her.’ I spent the next ten minutes telling him about waking up in their lock-up and the ride in the car and being rescued by Sir Arthur.
‘I knew there was something about him,’ laughed Tempest when I got to that bit. ‘What a crazy old man. I wonder if he will give up the ogre thing now.’
I doubted it, but who could tell. I finished the story with my fight with Jennifer and the chief inspector’s last moment save.
Tempest said, ‘I want you to take a couple of days. Come back when you are ready. I am going to speak with the police, make sure they have everything they need from you for now. They will want a statement I expect.’
‘Yes, they did say that.’ With nothing left to say and the flashing lights of an ambulance now making its way through the police cordon, Tempest opened the door and went to do Tempest things.
The ambulance appeared as yet more cops showed up, the paramedics first task was to deal with the still unconscious Jennifer. The blow to her head had split the skin on her scalp but once they had assessed that her condition wasn’t life-threatening, one of them quickly turned his attention to me. Still sitting in the back of the police car, he checked me over and assessed me. I had three nasty cuts, one to my left arm where the blade had cut down to my tricep muscle and two on my right leg from my failed attempts to kick her away. Apart from bruises and a dance with hypothermia, I was going to be fine, he assured me. Instant gluey stitch things went on the cuts to close them and I was packed into an ambulance where it was warm and dry. Sir Arthur was already in there.
‘Lady Jane!’ he hallooed me raucously. ‘I understand you were victorious in your quest. Well, done, dear lady.’
‘Thank you, Sir Arthur.’ I patted his hand across the center divide of the ambulance. ‘I could not have done it without your help.’
‘Nonsense, dear girl. You would have found a way to overcome, I’m sure.’
‘I would have been killed by Michelle at the river,’ I argued. ‘You rescued me there and then got me here. How could I have arrived here without you? I don’t even own a car.’
Instantly he replied, ‘Then I must insist you take the Aston.’
I thought for a moment that he was joking. He wasn’t of course, but I couldn’t accept it. So, as the ambulance pulled away from the spot by the river, we took to arguing about my need for a worthy steed to carry me on future quests.
I kept saying no and coming up with reasons why I couldn’t take his car, even though he had many more cars in his garage. In the end, from fatigued as much as anything, I gave in.
‘Wonderful!’ he exclaimed, sounding overcome with joy at the prospect of giving up his toy. ‘I shall have it repaired and valeted and delivered to your place of work.’ Satisfied, he settled his head back onto the raised portion of his stretcher and fell promptly asleep.
The paramedic in the back with us, who had until then been quietly monitoring Sir Arthur’s drip and both out vitals, said, ‘What was all that about? Was he trying to give you a car?’
‘Yes. An Aston Martin. It’s too much though. It’s fancier even than my boss’s car.’
‘What does your boss drive?’ she asked as she made a note on a tablet.
‘A gorgeous red Porsche.’ The woman was just making idle chitchat to keep my mind off my injuries, but she looked up sharply when I described Tempest’s car.
‘You work for Tempest Michaels. Don’t you? I thought you looked familiar. I’m Alice, Jagjit’s wife. I was just with Tempest in France.’
‘Oh, my word.’ The funny coincidence gave us something to chat about for the next few minutes as the ambulance swept through the quiet nighttime countryside on its way to Maidstone Hospital. I was tired and sore and the last few days had been some of the weirdest in my life. Yet I was also exhilarated by the adventure and I knew that I no longer had any option: I was going to be an investigator from now on.
Epilogue
Two days later life was getting back to normal. Tempest had told me I could stay off work if I needed to and should return when I felt ready. I craved the routine of going to work though, I wanted something to do. So, after convalescing for Tuesday and Wednesday to make sure I was over the minor case of hyperthermia, I made my way to work.
I had to take the bus, which was fine; it stopped just along the road from Gran’s house and delivered me to Rochester High Street. I was going to need to buy a car soon though. Despite Sir Arthur’s promise to give me his car, I doubted he meant it, but I could take Tempest up on his offer of an interest-free loan and buy myself something sensible.
Because I took the bus, I approached the office from the front instead of the back for the first time ever. The lights were on but I was later arriving than usual, again because of the bus, so Tempest and Amanda were already in.
Neither was visible though when I pushed through the front door to the warm space inside. There was still a faintly detectable odour of fishiness though I questioned if I could detect it only because I knew it was there.
‘Hello?’ I called out. Both their office doors were open, but the office itself was eerily quiet. I unwound my scarf and hung it on the coat stand as I moved through the office space, passing the couches arranged for visitors and onwards to the offices at the back. Glancing inside, I could see they were indeed not there, but I could see movement outside in the darkness of the carpark.
I pushed open the door that led to the corridor to the back door. Just then, the back door opened and my colleagues came through it, talking animatedly in excited tones.
When they saw me, Amanda said, ‘There she is. You lucky girl.’
‘Hi guys. What’s going on?’ I asked.
Tempest smiled a wide smile and held up his right hand, from which he then released a car key and fob so it dangled. ‘That’s quite the car you have out there. Sorry, we couldn’t resist going for a look.’
Seeing my confused face, Amanda said, ‘Didn’t you know it
was coming? A man dropped it off a few minutes ago.’
‘It’s a gift from Sir Arthur apparently. The man said you would know what that meant,’ added Tempest.
He handed me the key and I found my hands were shaking when I took it. The fob bore an Aston Martin insignia. Letting my feet drag me onward to the backdoor, I pushed it open, and there before me was the dark grey, sleek, expensive car. Tempest and Amanda followed me back out.
Standing next to me as I stared at it, Tempest asked, ‘What do you think?’
I gulped. ‘It’s beautiful.’ The others nodded at my murmured comment. ‘There’s a few things about it that you don’t know though.’ In response to their raised eyebrows, I opened the car and proceeded to show them the switches and buttons hidden inside the panels of the cab. When I hit the button marked machine guns, two panels slid open on the bonnet and two machine guns sprang into view.’
‘Whoa!’ Amanda’s surprise was shared with Tempest who whistled appreciatively.
From outside in the dark, I could see into the light office right in front of the parked cars, so I saw the front door open and knew it was time to stop marveling at my new toy. My brain was telling me I couldn’t accept such a gift, but my heart certainly wanted to and I doubted Sir Arthur would take no for an answer.
The person coming through the front door was the postman, coming in rather than pushing his delivery through the letter box because he had a parcel as well. He was on his way back out the door as we arrived back in the warm office. He shot us all a wave and was gone.
Tempest and Amanda filtered into their offices to get on with whatever work they had and I went to my desk. The parcel was a box about nine inches square and wrapped in brown paper. It was addressed to me.
I tore it open with my nails and lifted the lid to find an old vinyl record inside. As I reached in for it, I realised I had never held one before. It was a single; a record containing one song and not an album, I knew that much from watching TV but as I picked it up to inspect it, my blood froze.
The record had a paper cover with a hole in the middle to reveal the center of the record itself. There I found the title: Mr Sandman by the Chordettes.
Feeling the world spin beneath my feet, I put a hand out to steady myself, leaning forward to dip my head as a case of the whirlies gripped me. With a gasp for air, I opened my eyes and spotted writing on the base of the box. The record had obscured it but now I could see what was written: I’m going to sing you to sleep.
The End
Hi there,
I’m afraid that ends this particular story though there is more to come in this series yet. Tempest, Amanda, Jane, and the crew will return in Lord Hale’s Monster. You can read an extract from that if you click over to the next page.
There is a FREE book on offer which you may have already found. Under a Blue Moon is the origin story to the Blue Moon Investigation Agency universe. You can find that on Amazon but there is another FREE story – Zombie Granny, which you can only get from me by signing up to my Newsletter.
It’s a fun story and it sits neatly between book 3 – Amanda Harper Paranormal Detective and book 4 – The Klowns of Kent. If you want it, you need only ask. Please click the link below and tell me where to send it. Here’s the link:
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Blue Moon Investigations
Paranormal Nonsense
The Phantom of Barker Mill
Amanda Harper Paranormal Detective
The Klowns of Kent
Dead Pirates of Cawsand
In the Doodoo With Voodoo
The Witches of East Malling
Crop Circles, Cows and Crazy Aliens
Whispers in the Rigging
Bloodlust Blonde – a short story
Paws of the Yeti
Under a Blue Moon – an Origin Story
Night Work
Lord Hale’s Monster
Extract from Lord Hale’s Monster
I sent Patience a text message saying I would meet her downstairs and hope things had gone according to plan with Big Ben, then realised she wouldn’t get it only when it failed to send. I had a tiny clutch bag that would carry a phone and a lipstick and nothing else unless it was very small, but there seemed little point in carrying my phone it I couldn’t use it. I threw it in at the last moment anyway and stood up ready to go.
‘Shall we?’ asked Tempest. Like a typical man, getting ready had taken him about five minutes, three of which was trying to tie his bow tie. His short hair dried in minutes and needed only the gentlest persuasion to form a suitable style. For the last half an hour, while I had scrubbed and tidied and crimped and worked my way through the two dozen stages I required for a night in a ball gown, he had sat quietly reading a book.
Finally ready to go, he offered me his arm so I could hook a hand into his elbow, then we locked up and knocked for his parents. There was no answer from them. ‘I guess they went down already,’ he said. ‘Let’s go find them.’
It was easy to find them thankfully. Though I had been concerned we might roam the enormous house aimlessly looking for the other guests, we were drawn by noise and light. Most of the passageways were not lit, so we followed the ones that were, the sound of conversation growing louder ahead of us giving reason for confidence until we found an open door and heard a roar of laughter. Someone was telling a funny tale.
The person, it turned out, was Tempest’s dad. He had the room’s attention as he regaled them with a story. Tempest’s mum had a grumpy look on her face and the look of someone that wanted her husband to stop talking. He was clearly winding up for the big finish when we walked in. ‘…and then he said, I bet you can get twice that for it in Bangkok!’
I had no idea what story he had told but everyone in the room was laughing. Everyone except Tempest’s mum and Tempest himself, that is, probably because they had heard the story a dozen or more times before. I spotted Frank just as he spotted us, but other than Tempest’s parents, I didn’t recognise anyone else in the room.
Frank was crossing the room to greet us, he seemed in fine mood, a broad grin on his face. ‘Hello, Amanda. Good evening, Tempest.’ He shook Tempest’s hand and kissed my cheek.
‘Where’s Dr Parrish?’ Tempest asked.
‘He just stepped out. He’ll be back soon.’
‘Tempest Michaels,’ a woman’s voice called across the room.
Our heads swung in her direction just as a petite African woman detached herself from a small group to come our way. Tempest clearly knew her from somewhere.
They embraced briefly, a quick air-kiss, then he turned to me. ‘This is Georgina. I met her in Cornwall in October when I was trying to work out what the pirates were.’
‘Pleased to meet you,’ I said as she shook my hand. ‘Are you connected with the paranormal?’
Tempest answered for her. ‘Georgina hails from the scientific discovery end of the paranormal.’
‘I have some of my colleagues with me actually.’ She turned to welcome three men who were coming across the room to join her. All three had beards and were in their fifties or sixties. ‘I would like to introduce professors Wiseman, Larkin and Pope.’
More hands were shaken as Tempest and I met the three men and then Dr Lyndon Parrish rejoined the room. It was all very amiable even though we sat in distinctly different camps on the belief system.
Of Lord Hale, the eccentric, enigmatic host, there was no sign, until just before eight o’clock when he was announced by Travis. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, your host, Lord Hale.’ A polite smattering of applause rippled around the room even as Lord Hale waved for it to stop.
‘I want to thank you all for coming. In a few short hours, the clock will strike midnight and it will be my eightieth birthday. I do not expect to survive the day and have know for most of my life that it would be the day on which I would die. The legend of my family is one that stretches back centuries but I do not know what event, what treachery or evil was perpetrated
to have caused such a curse to befall my family. That is why I have asked you all here tonight. When the monster strikes, when it comes for me, it is my hope that the greatest minds in the paranormal community will be able to prevent the beast from dragging me to my doom. My hope is that between you, you will be able to isolate the monster, or determine what motivates is so that the curse can be undone.’
As if on cue, lighting flashed across the window behind him. Then a gong sounded, and Travis appeared from a dark shadow by the doorway. ‘Dinner is served, sir.’
‘Patience and Big Ben aren’t here yet,’ I hissed at Tempest. He just shrugged. I guess he was right in that there wasn’t much we could do about it. They appeared as we got to the door though, Big Ben still tying his bow tie and looking flustered for a change.
Patience winked at me. She had been having a good time then. She snuck in next to me as the guests all filed after Lord Hale and Travis. ‘Girl, I need some food. I am starving. I worked up such an appetite.’
‘How did he take it?’
‘Girl, listen to you getting all personal about my sex life. Well, don’t you worry, sugar, because I got all kinds of details to share with you.’
‘No, I mean, how did he take the surprise that you were here. Tempest basically lied to him about the whole thing.’ I had no desire to hear what patience got up to with Big Ben. I suspected it would scare me.
‘Well, you know Big Ben; he comes around pretty quick when there’s some action to be had. I was on the bed waiting for him, so when he came in, I let him know what was on offer and that was that. He just kinda shrugged and said he was going to kill Tempest later.’
‘Are you feeling better about being here now?’ I asked as we filed into the dining hall. It was a huge vaulted room with a long table running down the entire length of it. Thirty seats were set up, fifteen along each side with one at the very end for Lord Hale. There was some shuffling around for people to find their seats as each place had a little name card next to it. Our first course, which appeared to be a cold ham hock salad was already served and there were platters of fresh bread and bottles of wine on the table.