His mother hid Bert away from visitors, producing Callum for their adoration. But the benefit of having a ‘sickly child’ gave Grace the excuse she needed to stay cocooned in her three-bedroom home. She ventured only to church on a Sunday, her lips moving in silent prayer as she drove the three miles into town for the nine o’clock sermon. Praying distracted her anxious mind from open spaces, and the rosary beads swinging from the mirror of their Ford car amused Callum as he accompanied her on these visits. Bert knew all this because of the cards. These dips into the past gave him answers to questions that swarmed in his mind. And it made him feel better about what happened with mother.
Bert pushed aside the thoughts. Throwing the cushions off the bed, he slid between the sheets, reaching for the well-thumbed newspaper on the bedside table. He smiled as he re-read the headlines on the second page. ‘Celebrity Psychic’s Tragic Fiancée Crash’. Bert picked up his glasses and scanned through the article again. The young blonde woman smiled at him from the page.
A TV reality star bride to be was involved in a one-car crash on the M25 on Thursday evening when the victim’s car, 23-year-old Felicity Baron, veered off the M25 and plummeted down an embankment. After leaving the road, the vehicle dropped approximately 30ft down a steep slope and crashed into some trees on the border of a woodland reservation.
Baron, star of The Beauty Salon, was on her way to Brighton with friends to celebrate her hen party when the accident occurred. While it is believed the members of her group had been drinking, friends report that Baron had been sober when her car veered out of control. She received a head injury and was airlifted to hospital where she later died. The other four passengers escaped with minor injuries.
The accident happened one week before Baron’s planned wedding to celebrity psychic Christian Bowes. In a further twist, her stunned friends stated that Baron had been upset that morning after receiving a tarot card reading from an unknown man predicting her death.
Police say excessive speed may have been a factor in the crash. Investigators are yet to determine if faulty mechanics played a role.
‘If you go down to the woods tonight you’re in for a big surprise,’ Bert sang, dropping the paper. A guttural laugh rose from the pit of his stomach, as a sense of accomplishment surged through him. He did it again. He chuckled as he fell asleep. He couldn’t wait to give another prediction, and with the help of the cards, he had just the person in mind.
Chapter Seven
A two-bar heater warmed Jennifer’s trouser legs as she sat in her sergeant’s office. The smell of freshly brewed coffee was a welcome one, and bleary eyed from a lack of sleep, Jennifer was on her second cup.
Claire took a sip of her sugarless brew. The ‘World’s Okayest Boss’ mug was a secret Santa present she had received at Christmas, and it never failed to put a smile on her face. She turned to Jennifer, her fingers teasing her mop of hair. A tangle of curls, it suited her quirky personality. ‘I need to discuss your tarot card man. I’ve been hoping to speak to Ethan but he’s been called away to another meeting.’
Jennifer felt the coffee travel to the pit of her stomach, and relaxed into the worn leather swivel chair. ‘The DI told me to close the case. But I felt it tied in with Christian Bowe’s cousin, so I’m running it as a joint investigation unless I’m told otherwise.’
Claire nodded. ‘Good. Have you got found him yet?’
‘I’ve contacted The Rivers, but they’re running on skeleton staff due to some flu bug, and it’s taking some time to get the information.’
‘Then I need you to chase them up. I take it you haven’t seen the news.’
Jennifer’s grip tightened on the armrests of the chair. ‘No, why?’
‘The next time you speak to Christian Bowes you might want to handle him sensitively …’ Claire said, pausing as Jennifer hastily interrupted her.
‘I’m not treating him any differently just because he’s a celebrity.’
The phone emitted a shrill ring. Silencing the call, Claire turned back around. ‘It’s nothing to do with that. It’s his fiancée. She crashed her car yesterday. She’s dead.’
‘Oh,’ Jennifer said, suddenly at a loss for words. Her forehead creased in a frown as she tried to comprehend the news. ‘Was it an accident?’
‘Forensics are examining the car. But get this. Her friends stated she was read her fortune by an old man when they stopped off for a drink.’
‘And you think it’s the same man that prophesied Alan Price’s death?’
‘It’s too much of a coincidence not to be. Lexton CID have got a hold of the case and are refusing to relinquish it to us as it’s on their patch …’
‘But … No, they can’t …’ Jennifer said, the words tumbling out of her mouth.
Claire ignored her protest and carried on. ‘We’ve come to a compromise and it’s been agreed you can work together on the case. Obviously if there is any paranormal element you keep that information within our team. It’s very early days, but if Christian Bowe’s cousin is responsible then you need to liaise with them so they can effect an arrest early doors.’
Jennifer felt like she was twelve years old again, back at school being cheated out of an award by Sydney Jenkins, the headmaster’s son. ‘But it’s my case. I don’t want to hand it over.’
‘You have no choice. If this turns out to be a murder, we won’t have the manpower to investigate it by ourselves. Does it matter who does the nicking as long as the case is solved?’
It did to Jennifer. It mattered a lot. Dark thoughts clambered over each other, bumping shoulders as she figured out her next move. The Raven. The words clicked in her mind, slotting in like a piece of the puzzle with so many more pieces to find. The clipping with the black feather and the dead raven at her door: Christian’s cousin was goading her into action. The afterglow of her coffee dissipated into thin air, and Jennifer licked her lips, keeping a lid on the simmering frustration within. She felt let down by her sergeant, who should have fought harder to keep the case.
‘You’re right,’ Jennifer lied. She would attend briefing and do as she was told. But if the Raven wanted her, then he would get her – and nothing would stand in her way.
[#]
Given the mood she was in, Jennifer preferred to spend her shift with Will than some idiot from Lexton MIT. Her opinions of Lexton’s Murder Investigation Team were forged from rumours and entirely justified in her mind. She abhorred bullying, and up until recently, the sharks in the MIT had made a meal out of anyone who deviated from the norm. Her sergeant was a prime example, and the memory of their treatment was most likely the reason for her backing down on the case. Claire had reported the team for bullying when she worked there as a DC, and being offered the role of sergeant over Operation Moonlight must have seemed like a good way of shutting her up. Her words rang in Jennifer’s ears as she entered the office. We have to integrate well with the other teams if we’ve any hope of surviving. Don’t rock the boat. The words sent a shiver down Jennifer’s spine. Their team was new, she had never considered they could be disbanded. But like every team, they had to produce results to justify their existence.
Heads popped up from computers like meerkats in the gloomy office, and Jennifer scanned the room to see an overweight thirty-something man click his fingers in her direction. The office was half the size of theirs but appeared to have double the amount of officers. Overstuffed bins, dirty cups, and the stale aroma of body odour hung in the room. She was not going to outstay her welcome.