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Chapter 29: Ransom, Part 9
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The Master's Child Chapter 30: Ransom, Part 10
CharlotteThey could have given me a blanket...Not even a bucket...Sheer indifference?No...This isn't straightforward callousness...It's planned...Calculated...Why?To humiliate me?Perhaps...The camera...Is it only a spy?Or more???I'm supposed to be frightened...They want a show...Scared woman...Helpless... Panicking...Fuck them......I'm not scared...I'm not scared.........Then I gasp as, from the inside, Cara kicks and my stomach rebels.*****JamesThree more days.No word.No progress.No ransom demand.Why?I'm exhausted. Michael, Richard and Beth too. As for Mitch, she's run out of tears, I think. But strain has etched lines which frame her mouth and eyes.Beth serves food, pressing a mug of soup into Mitch's hand. Then sitting by Michael, resting her head on his shoulder, she strokes the back of his hand.It's late, but none of us really sleeps. A bed has no appeal. Better to be togeth
The Master's Child Chapter 31: Ransom, Part 11
CharlotteI've got to pee...The camera...But nature can't be resisted...Squatting awkwardly, one hand against the wall to prop myself, I relieve myself towards the drain and hope for the best.On the camera above me, beside the flashing red indicator light, a second green indicator light flickers on.****MichaelWearing clean fresh jogging pants and top, Klempner, smelling somewhat sweeter, sits by James, ignoring me as I circle the room spraying air-freshener and lighting scented candles."So, tell me what I'm looking at.""Better if I show you." James clicks through to the security video footage.Klempner waves across the screen at the bland view of a corridor. "Give me some context. Where is this? And when?""It's the hospital where Charlotte has been getting her prenatal care for the last several months. And it's from five days ago when I took her there for a check-up."Klempner nods, tugging at his lower lip as he watches the scene unfold. As the need
The Master's Child Chapter 32: Ransom, Part 12
RichardIn the hallway, I hover before tapping into my contacts, considering what to say. I don't wish to lie to Will, either as my friend or as Commissioner of Police.And the phone vibes in my hand... Will's avatar flashes up."Will, I was about to call you...""Hello, Richard. What about?""I want to request copies of the hospital camera data going back for at least the last month. We'd like to go over it between us.""You beat me to it, Richard. In fact, that's why I was calling you. Let James and Michael know to check their messages. I've just had the lab send exactly that across. How are things over there? How are they bearing up?""Not good. James especially. He knows it wasn't his fault but...""Yeah... it goes that way. Misplaced guilt. He's going to have to deal with that. And Mitch?""She's shattered, as you can imagine. But with all of them, being able to go over the video footage gives them something useful to contribute.""'Course it does." In the back
The Master's Child Chapter 33: Ransom, Part 13
JamesThe front door opens and Klempner breezes in. A newspaper tucked under one arm, a couple of sports bags swing heavily over his shoulder, and he has a carry case in one hand."I was beginning to wonder if you were coming back.""As I said, I needed to check up on a few things. And to do some research. Get up to speed with what's happening out there. I went out early so the day would be ahead of us. You heard anything new?""No, nothing."He saunters into the dining room where Michael looks up from at his laptop. Klempner sets the bags down on the table where they settle with a metallic clinking. Shifting my laptop along the top, then Beth's, he makes a space, then unzipping a bag, starts methodically to unpack it.Guns, ammunition, knives...Michael leaves his laptops, moving silently across to watch the performance as the armoury grows.I eye the growing arsenal. "I thought you went out for research?""That's right." Klempner wears the happy smile of a small
The Master's Child Chapter 34: Ransom, Part 14
RichardThe waiter serves our meals and I wait until he is out of earshot before I speak. "Has anything turned up on how they got her away?"Will looks blue, shaking his head. "The 'ambulance' made its way out of the hospital grounds in the normal way. We have it on the traffic-cams going through the City. With the siren blaring, the traffic simply parted to let it through. We have them entering a car park and we found the vehicle abandoned there." He heaves air. "And of course, who would interfere with medics with an ambulance and a woman on a stretcher?"He fills two tumblers from a bottle of mineral water. "So, what's this matter so urgent that at a time like this, you leave Beth at home by herself?""She's not by herself. Michael and Mitch are both keeping an eye on her. Or she on them maybe...""Nonetheless...""Will, I have a hypothetical question for you."He arches a brow. His face neutral, "Go on.""Hypothetically, if a Chief of Police became aware of the pres
The Master's Child Chapter 35: Ransom, Part 15
KlempnerMitch...The alarm in her eyes from when she first saw me has faded, replaced by a kind of watchfulness. She's listening to the others, paying attention to Alexanders, Summerford, Haswell and his woman; their comments on the hospital footage...... but all the while, she has half an eye on me.As though I were a dog that might bite.I'm here to bite...But not you...Not you.How can so much time have passed, and you've changed so little?Still so beautiful.Even despite the redness around your eyes, where you've been spilling your tears...Jenny.Mitch's daughter.My daughter.Our daughter.Regret wells inside, suffocating me. Almost disabling me.Enough!Time to think.Time to act.I return my attention to my screen.*****MichaelKirstie sits bolt upright, aiming a forefinger at her screen. "That's him! That's the man who was asking about Charlotte."All heads jerk up. We rise as one, clustering behind her."You're sure?" asks
The Master's Child Chapter 36: Ransom, Part 16
CharlotteMy back hurts...Michael... his hands, soothing away the ache... Calming me...I've been so bad-tempered recently...So awful to him... Them...I'm sorry.I'm so sorry...I wish you were here. I want to tell you I'm sorry...Master...My Master...The softness in your eyes when I kneel for you, the velvet kiss of the falls trailing over my skin...The bite of the lash...With you... I fly....*****MichaelBeth pops her head up. "James, how do I zoom in here?""It's a touch screen. Just scissor it out."He watches as she zooms, peering in on the screen, then replays..."Beth, what are you looking at?""I think I might have something."She sheers off as Klempner abandons his laptop, striding over to sit by her. "Show me."His eyes slide sidelong. "Mrs Haswell, I realise you don't care for me, but we have to work together in this, and I haven't come here to eat you. I believe you and Jenny are close, so please remember I'm here on her b
The Master's Child Chapter 37: Ransom, Part 17
CharlotteOn my Spartan 'bed', lying on my side, I hum to myself...Somewhere... over the rainbow...... Skies are blue...... and the dreams that you dream about...Gradually... I realise... my thighs are warm...??Oh, God...My waters...My waters are breaking...And as I strain to look, to see beyond the expanse of my own stomach, liquid, faintly yellow, streaked with red, trickles from between my legs, across the cardboard and the concrete floor and to the drain...*****JamesI close the door behind us, "You and Michael are going to have to come to terms at some point.""I daresay, but now's not the time. I'll drive." Klempner regards me as I take the passenger seat. "Think you can keep that limp under control?""I'll do my best."He sits, hands on the wheel, staring into space for a moment, then clicks his tongue. "Don't worry about it. We can make it work for us. When we get there, let me do the talking. You stay quiet and practice that 'Bad B
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The Master's Child Chapter 193: Natale, Part 31
It's cold outside, but Klempner sits on the low terrace wall wearing no more than a thin pullover."Want one of these?" I proffer a coffee, heavily laced with whiskey, topped with thick cream.He startles, but then, "Thank you, James." He doesn't smile. His eyes are soft with melancholy as he stares down, watching October mist curling over the lake."Will you visit the grave?""Yes." The single word isn't followed by any others."When will you go?""Sooner rather than later." He breathes steam and fragrant alcohol. "I'm making arrangements now. The Canadian winter arrives early and in force. It'll be under six feet of snow there very soon, and for the next several months.""Would you mind some company?"He twists to face me. "You want to come?""I'd like to pay my respects to the brave woman for whom my daughter is named."He blinks, nodding as he casts his gaze down. "Thank you, James. I appreciate that.""Charlotte wants to go as well."And now he smiles. I
The Master's Child Chapter 192: Natale, Part 30
JamesFamily...All gathered together around the breakfast table: Michael to the left of Charlotte, I'm to her right, bouncing Cara on my knee while Charlotte takes a break to get some food down her throat. Beyond Michael, Beth feeds Adam, Richard flanking them.Klempner and Mitch sit side by side. She's turned discreetly away, feeding Vicky. Larry watches, still wearing that slightly spaced-out expression...Man-in-shock?For all the right reasons...Charlotte is very quiet. She eats, but her gaze sweeps the table and back again.Once she had nothing...Briefly, her eyes lock with her father's. He cocks his head, eyes full of question, but then her gaze moves on.What's he thinking?It's not hard to figure. Right from the time Klempner arrived back with us, although he's clearly content to be here, he's had an air of... waiting...The Rat-Tat! of the front door rattles down the hall.Michael pushes his chair back. "I'll go." A half-eaten slice of toast in one h
The Master's Child Chapter 191: Natale, Part 29
RichardMy intercom buzzes. "Yes, Francis?""I have the police commissioner on for you, Mr Haswell. He... doesn't sound very happy."I can guess what this is going to be about. I've been waiting for it. "Thanks for the warning, Francis. Put him through please..." The line clicks and reconnects. "Richard?""Good morning, Will. What can I do for you?""I think you can guess why I'm calling you. I'm hearing rumours I don't like. Disturbing rumours.""I believe, Will, that I know which rumours you mean. I've been wanting to discuss them with you. Perhaps you would like to meet for lunch to discuss the matter? Somewhere quiet? ""And away from the office? Yes, I think so."*****The waiter sets a plate in front of each of us, steak in pepper sauce for Will, a prawn souffle for me. He tops up the glasses of Cabernet. "Is there anything else, sir?""No, thank you. That's perfect." I wait until he is out of earshot before I speak. "So, Will...These disturbing rumours?
The Master's Child Chapter 190: Natale, Part 28
KlempnerThe view is restful. Living in Mitch's small apartment, hidden away from the world, does...... I suppose...... constitute 'domestic bliss'. But that's at night. For much of the day, we spend our time in the main family home of Jenny's Triad. The women chatter and gossip. The men alternate between business and banter. One or other of the babies always needs attention...It's exhausting.But when it comes to it, that's not the root of my problem.Retreating from noise and activity and 'family-fun' to the sanctuary of the terrace, I let the view wash away the anxiety gnawing at the back of my mind.It's always the waiting...Give me action and some lunatic with a gun every time...Stay calm...Mist curls over the lake far below. On the slopes close by, every blade of grass is etched with a rime of frost that will thaw to dew when the sun crests the mountain. Further down, the individual blades meld into a smooth sheet of silver that merge into haze and wa
The Master's Child Chapter 189: Natale, Part 27
Two coffeepots later, we've run out of croissants and moved onto toasted muffins. James slices one in two, dropping the halves into the toaster. He pauses, "Another one, Beth?"She's sitting up against the headboard, next to Charlotte, the two propped up against each other, eating from a shared plate. Beth slathers butter and blackberry jam onto what she has. "Thanks, but I'm fine with this, James. I'll not eat again 'til suppertime.""Charlotte?""Mmmm..." She nods, mumbling through a mouthful, wiping a smear of melted butter from the corner of her mouth. She swallows, then holds up half a muffin - minus two bites. "What is it about muffins and bad weather? I always want more of them."James rolls a look at her, then to me, shaking his head...A wise man says nothing...Richard sucks jam from his fingers, lips smacking. "On a complete change of subject... Elizabeth and I were talking..." Beth falls still, her shoulders slumping... "... Please don't take this the wrong way,
The Master's Child Chapter 188: Natale, Part 26
MichaelIt's dark...What woke me?Somewhere down and beside me, the sound of whining. "Scruffy? You need to go out, boy?"At this hour?What the hell time is it?I'm snug and comfortable, draped with a thick duvet. Charlotte, warm and fragrant, sleeps tucked in beside me. Through the curtains, it's pitch-black.Scruffy whines again, this time scratching at the bed.Wonder if he's eaten something he shouldn't?Stretching an arm blindly out beyond the cosy comfort of the blankets, I pat across the side-table, hunting for the light switch. When I find it, as it turns out, it's not Scruffy's habit of eating every bit of rubbish he comes across that is at fault. The clock tells me it's half past seven and my rag-tag mongrel is making a perfectly reasonable request to be let out to relieve the pressures of the night.But outside, there's no sign of daylight and, joys of joys, rain lashes against the window.Goodbye to summer...Scruffy's whining ups by half an octave
The Master's Child Chapter 187: Natale, Part 25
JamesAn orderly tries to block the way, arms outstretched in front of the door. "Sir, you can't..."Klempner simply brushes by him.From beyond, Mitch's voice. "Let him in..."The orderly spins, mouth open. "What? All of them?""Yes!!!! Ah... Fuccckkkk...."The monk's feet skid uselessly over the polished floor as he tries to resist his inexorable forward journey into the delivery room. His voice rises to a wail. "But I'm not a priest. I can't do this." Klempner growls, "I don't care if you're a priest, a rabbi, an imam, or if you ran the Bring-and-Buy at the church garden party. The lady here wants our child born in wedlock. You're going to marry us."Klempner turns his attention to Mitch, lying on her back on the delivery table, yelling her way through another contraction. She flings out an arm, grabbing at his wrist. He winces, but lays his other hand on top. "We'll just let this one pass..."The midwife, checking a bleeping monitor, flashes a look at Mitch. "Yo
The Master's Child Chapter 186: Natale, Part 24
RichardMy mobile bleeps: James.Landed. at airport now. home approx 90 mins. Tell Mitch he's keenElizabeth grins at me as I tap in the reply.don't go home. come city hospital. Mitch in labourThere's a short pause...Elizabeth holds up her hand, counting down silent fingers: Five... Four... Three... Two...... and my mobile bleeps again.When M go into labour?3 hrs doc and midwife say early but all normal all goodWith you ASAP K got taxi flying on wings of fire*****The corridor is painted the required institutional off-white, scraped black in long stripes at trolley-bed height. The lighting is the compulsory harsh fluorescent white. One strip blinks on and off. Signs point off down apparently identical corridors: Intensive Care... Reception... A & E... Chapel and Prayer Room... Radiology... Cardiology... Breast Screening...How many ways is it possible to be sick?Footsteps echo along the corridor; marching footsteps, almost stampeding footsteps.A
The Master's Child Chapter 185: Natale, Part 23
KlempnerAt last, I get some privacy with her. James ushers out Jenny, protesting all the way. Michael leaves too, turning as he exits to give me a kind of approving nod.Haswell poured glasses of champagne, passing them around at their side of the screen, although I did notice that he poured for Mitch from a different bottle. The top of the flute is just in view, spitting the odd bubble over the rim."Are you alone now?"She looks sidelong, off-screen. "Yes, they've gone.""What's Kirstie doing there?""I'm fitting her for her wedding dress. They've set the date for Christmas, remember.""I didn't know that.""Oh... no... Of course you wouldn't." She takes a sip of her bubbly, looking away. "It's been so long. They said you were dead. The police said there was a body.""There was, but not mine."She peers into the screen, searching my face. "How are you? What happened?""I'll tell you sometime, but not now. What's important, is how you are and..." I nod down, bel
