towards the lift Lacey called after them. “Wait a minute. I haven’t finished with you two yet!”
Annie turned. “14 Samuelson Road, Ravensbridge. If you want to speak with us further that’s where we’ll be.” She punched the lift button and the doors opened instantly. She pushed Carter inside and hit the button for the ground floor. The doors slid shut and the car started to descend. “Just like old times,” she said. “Sometimes I miss Kansas.”
Carter smiled at her. “You know, I think you really do.”
“Well it’s going to be an interesting ride home. I’ll drive. You can tell me what you saw in Henry’s mind.”
“Do you really want to know?”
“You betcha,” she said.
Chapter Seven
“Come on then,” Annie said. “Tell me why you’re still here. What changed your mind?”
“I spent the night tossing and turning, thinking mostly about Susan Grant and her horrible suicide.”
“And what conclusion did you come up with?” She signaled to turn and pulled out of the hospital car park and onto the main road.
“Maybe I was too hasty. I was angry with you for inviting me here on an ulterior motive. We’ve always been straight with each other…even when it hurt.”
She changed gear. “I know. It was stupid of me. I regretted it as soon as you arrived, but by then it was too late. Am I forgiven now?”
“Of course.”
“But if I’d told you I wanted you to investigate some suspicious deaths, would you still have come?”
“I doubt it. I meant what I said about being burnt out. The last few years have been hell, and I do feel I need to rest up and recharge my batteries.”
Annie was silent for a moment, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. Finally she said, “What I saw in that hospital room was not a man yearning for rest and relaxation. Admit it, Rob, what you do is a intrinsic part of who you are. I recognized that years ago. If you weren’t involved in something weird you’d be climbing the walls.”
He smiled ruefully. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
“I know I’m right.” She signaled again and turned onto a smaller road that took them across country, away from the main drag. “So tell me what you saw in Henry Norton’s mind.”
“It wasn’t pleasant.”
“The way you recoiled away from him, I hardly thought it was. So tell me.”
Carter sighed and recounted what he saw—the curtains, the corridors, Norton crouched naked in the corner of the chamber and the woman.
“And you think it was the same woman that attacked him on the towpath.”
“No doubt about it.” He lit a cigarette and opened the window to let the smoke out. “I suspect it was a demon of some kind. I’ve encountered similar before.” He flicked ash into the slipstream. “A lesser demon, I think, but vicious nonetheless.”
“Does it have a name, this demon?”
He shook his head. “Not that I’m aware.”
“Why did it attack Henry?”
“I don’t know, but I suspect it was being directed.”
“Directed?”
“These lesser demons are, on the whole, pretty mindless, and fairly easy to control if you know the right summoning spells.”
“Hired muscle then.”
Carter laughed. “I suppose it was, yes, though I’ve never regarded them quite that way.”
“So you think there was someone else out to get Henry. Someone who summoned a demon to do their dirty work for them.”
“It’s likely. Years ago the department was investigating a case and came across a man, a thoroughly evil bastard called Edward Mangan, who could summon these lesser demons and use them to do his bidding. He was a businessman and he used the demons to eradicate his business rivals. He killed three people like that.”
“How did you stop him?”
“We didn’t. He was over-confident and he lost control of them. The demons ripped him to shreds.”
“Christ! You make it sound so mundane. Just another day at the office.”
“A lot of the time that’s just what it’s like. Once you get
Annie turned. “14 Samuelson Road, Ravensbridge. If you want to speak with us further that’s where we’ll be.” She punched the lift button and the doors opened instantly. She pushed Carter inside and hit the button for the ground floor. The doors slid shut and the car started to descend. “Just like old times,” she said. “Sometimes I miss Kansas.”
Carter smiled at her. “You know, I think you really do.”
“Well it’s going to be an interesting ride home. I’ll drive. You can tell me what you saw in Henry’s mind.”
“Do you really want to know?”
“You betcha,” she said.
Chapter Seven
“Come on then,” Annie said. “Tell me why you’re still here. What changed your mind?”
“I spent the night tossing and turning, thinking mostly about Susan Grant and her horrible suicide.”
“And what conclusion did you come up with?” She signaled to turn and pulled out of the hospital car park and onto the main road.
“Maybe I was too hasty. I was angry with you for inviting me here on an ulterior motive. We’ve always been straight with each other…even when it hurt.”
She changed gear. “I know. It was stupid of me. I regretted it as soon as you arrived, but by then it was too late. Am I forgiven now?”
“Of course.”
“But if I’d told you I wanted you to investigate some suspicious deaths, would you still have come?”
“I doubt it. I meant what I said about being burnt out. The last few years have been hell, and I do feel I need to rest up and recharge my batteries.”
Annie was silent for a moment, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. Finally she said, “What I saw in that hospital room was not a man yearning for rest and relaxation. Admit it, Rob, what you do is a intrinsic part of who you are. I recognized that years ago. If you weren’t involved in something weird you’d be climbing the walls.”
He smiled ruefully. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
“I know I’m right.” She signaled again and turned onto a smaller road that took them across country, away from the main drag. “So tell me what you saw in Henry Norton’s mind.”
“It wasn’t pleasant.”
“The way you recoiled away from him, I hardly thought it was. So tell me.”
Carter sighed and recounted what he saw—the curtains, the corridors, Norton crouched naked in the corner of the chamber and the woman.
“And you think it was the same woman that attacked him on the towpath.”
“No doubt about it.” He lit a cigarette and opened the window to let the smoke out. “I suspect it was a demon of some kind. I’ve encountered similar before.” He flicked ash into the slipstream. “A lesser demon, I think, but vicious nonetheless.”
“Does it have a name, this demon?”
He shook his head. “Not that I’m aware.”
“Why did it attack Henry?”
“I don’t know, but I suspect it was being directed.”
“Directed?”
“These lesser demons are, on the whole, pretty mindless, and fairly easy to control if you know the right summoning spells.”
“Hired muscle then.”
Carter laughed. “I suppose it was, yes, though I’ve never regarded them quite that way.”
“So you think there was someone else out to get Henry. Someone who summoned a demon to do their dirty work for them.”
“It’s likely. Years ago the department was investigating a case and came across a man, a thoroughly evil bastard called Edward Mangan, who could summon these lesser demons and use them to do his bidding. He was a businessman and he used the demons to eradicate his business rivals. He killed three people like that.”
“How did you stop him?”
“We didn’t. He was over-confident and he lost control of them. The demons ripped him to shreds.”
“Christ! You make it sound so mundane. Just another day at the office.”
“A lot of the time that’s just what it’s like. Once you get
Similar Books
