Weeping Lily - 5. Chapter 5

Sergeant Davis was at the Bradford Clinic at seven the next morning. The techies had left, taking a stack of paperwork and computer access codes with them. He was slightly disappointed as he had hoped to speak with them.

The manager was not pleased to see him.

“A person could get the feeling we are being made the subject of a witchunt here. We have been nothing but co operative with you. Why are you harassing me?”

“It is nothing personal Ms Becker. You are currently helping us with our enquiries for which we are extremely grateful.”

“Where are your enquiries taking you today, Sergeant Davis? I suppose it would be too much to ask that my clinic is not disrupted, if not thrown into complete chaos, by your ‘discrete investigation’.”

“Rest assured my enquiries today will be very discrete. In fact I will only be imposing on you for a few minutes. I just need to have a quick word with one of your employees, Miss Finchley.”

“Miss Finchley? Bella? What has she got to do with this? Why would you want to speak with her?”

“That’s confidential Ma’am. Is Miss Finchley here?”

“Yes, yes she is. I’ll call her, you can use my office.”

Anabelle Fincley came as something of a surprise. She was wealthy, that was clear, despite the neat uniform. Everything from the shoes to the hair style was designer. What was surprising was that, in the middle of all the obvious indications of wealth and privilege she was so... ordinary.

“Can I help you? Ms Becker said you wanted to speak to me.”

“Sergeant Davis, CID Ma’am.” He showed her his identification which she scarcely glanced at. “I need to ask you some questions about Saturday night.”

“Yes, I thought you might.”

“You did?”

“A high profile personality goes missing hours after I was talking to him at a bar... I wouldn’t have had any confidence in you at all if you had not come to speak to me.”

“If you were so sure we would want to talk to you why didn’t you come forward and volunteer the information?”

“Because, as incredible as it might sound, I didn’t know anything about it until today.”

“You’re right. It does sound incredible.”

“On Saturday night, after I left the club I went straight to a friend’s house. She was having a birthday party and everyone wanted to know about meeting the group. They all know I am crazy about them, especially Jayden and I was...” She shrugged and smiled, practically glowing.

“I stayed over with her and helped her clean up after the party, there was quite a mess. I came straight to work from there. By the end of the shift I was exhausted. I got home about 9pm and went straight to bed. It wasn’t until I saw the news this morning that I found out what happened to Jayden. I couldn’t believe it. I mean that I had been speaking to him just before he disappeared.”

“What time did you leave the club on Saturday?”

“I don’t know. It must have been some time before one.”

“What time did you get to your friend’s party?”

“Just before one.”

“You are very certain about the time.”

“Yes I am. My friend knew how important it was to me to meet Jayden and she postponed singing Happy Birthday with the cake and stuff for an hour so that I could go to the club and meet the group first.”

“And she will vouch for this?”

“And everyone else who was there.”

“How did you get from the club to the party?”

“I walked, it’s just around the corner, about 5 minutes walk.”

“When you left the club did you see anything suspicious?”

“No, nothing unusual at all... well, apart from the crowds of people outside.”

“And what about Jayden? When you spoke to him, how did he seem?”

“Seem?”

“Was he excited, depressed? Did he look as though he had been taking drugs? Was he drunk?”

“He was amazing, incredible, awesome. I was completely star struck. I can’t tell you what he said, what I said... I can tell you how his eyes looked like pools of melted bronze, how his hair shone like silk, how his lips...”

“Okay, I think I get the message. Where was Jayden when you left him?”

“Sitting by the bar.”

“Was anyone with him?”

“No.”

“Alright. Thank you for your time Ms Finchley. It you wouldn’t mind writing down the names and addresses of everyone who was at the party.”

“I don’t know everyone, but I’ll do the best I can. Caroline, the friend whose party it was, can fill you in on the rest.”

“Thank you. You have been very helpful.”

Walking back to the office Sergeant Davies telephoned and made arrangements to go and speak to Caroline and the others on the list. By ten thirty he was sitting, sipping coffee and staring at the paperwork, photographs and charts strewn across his desk.

Something didn’t add up, it just wasn’t right. Something was nagging at him and it had something to do with that girl, he was sure of it. There was no reason to think this, other than his gut feeling. He had gone a long way on trusting his gut and right now it was screaming at him.

He went over the facts. The band arrived at about 12.20 and got settled in the booth. At about 12.45 Jayden went to the bar. One of the bar staff remembered him talking to a woman. He remembered it particularly because the rest of the group were being served at the table. Some time before one Jayden was back in the booth accompanied by a woman whom he introduced to the rest of the group as Siona. At 1.30 he left with this woman, by which time Ms Finchley, if her story checked out, was singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her friend.

The barman was not able to identify the woman Jayden was speaking to at the bar, one way or the other. It was a busy night and he was new.

It was that window of 15 minutes that bothered him. Anabelle, at her own admission, had a conversation with Jayden and he bought her a drink. That didn’t leave much time for him to meet someone else and get to know them well enough to take her back to meet his friends, and the barman only saw one woman. It didn’t add up. It didn’t make sense. He picked up the phone and made a few calls then strode from the office.

D.I. Blake was on the telephone when he walked in but hung up almost immediately and, without preamble demanded

“What have you got on the girl?”

“Anabelle?”

“Whatever her name is.”

“Not much more than a gut feeling. Her story checks out, at least her friends are confirming she was at the party before one, half and hour before Jayden left the club.”

“Do you think they’re lying?”

“Could be but I’ve got my best officers on them and they’re not cracking.”

“Get them in to the station and put pressure on them.”

“Any particular reason why?”

“The techies have unearthed some interesting information from the clinic records.”

“How interesting?”

“It seems there have been some unauthorised purchases over the last couple of months. It hasn’t been picked up because the clinic hasn’t actually paid for any of it. The techies are working on tracing the source of the payments and confirming a delivery address.”

“What kind of purchases?”

“A worrying kind.”

Blake handed over the list and Davis whistled. “Fuck. I think I had better pay another visit to the clinic and have a word with Ms Finchley.”

“I’ll work on the friends. Be careful Doug. It doesn’t look as though she’s planning to kill him... at least not for a while... don’t give her any reason to change her mind. I’ve checked it out and that last item on the list is... well let’s just say we really don’t want to give her a reason to use it.”

“Yessir.”

Ms Becker was even less pleased to see him than before. “I hope you are not going to make a habit of this Mr Davis, or I might start thinking we are being subjected to police harassment.”

“Ms Becker, a young man is missing, a young man with a brilliant future, a lot to give to the world. We have reason to believe that someone connected with your clinic is involved in his disappearance. His life might be at risk and I have no time to play games.”

“You mean Bella?” She laughed aloud. “You have the wrong person Sgt Davis. Bella would never do something like that, she wouldn’t be capable.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“ She’s so... so ordinary.”

“Are you aware that someone has been buying medical equipment and drugs through the clinic?”

“What?”

He sat down and hand the papers over the desk. Ms Becker read and re read them, her face going paler each time.

“I don’t understand.”

“Would Bella have access to the supplies? Would she have had the means to order supplies, pay for them and have them delivered somewhere else?”

“She might have. With her mother’s help, certainly.”

“Of course. Her mother works here too. She’s a nurse isn’t she?”

“She is but we have been short staffed and they have both been helping out with the admin off and on for weeks.”

“Can you confirm that none of the purchases on the list were official, made on behalf of the clinic?”

“Yes I can. Although some of the drugs are used here. I will check but I suspect I will find they are surplus, not inventoried. We certainly never ordered a bed and if we had it wouldn’t have been one of these.”

“Why not?”

“It’s meant for a different kind of facility. It has restraints. We would never restrain our patients here, we would never need to.” She continued staring at the papers. “Some of these drugs are... they are...”

“Yes, they are, and they could not have been obtained other than through a medical establishment.”

“Are you suggesting...?”

“I’m suggesting that if what I think has happened is correct there is a young man out there who is in very serious trouble... right now. I am suggesting that if anything should happen to that particular young man because of drugs that were purchased through this clinic, whether officially or not, there is going to be another, extremely in depth investigation which your investors are not going to like at all. I am suggesting that I have another word with Ms Finchley.”

“You can't, not now. I mean, she’s not here. She was very upset by your visit this morning. She’s like that, highly strung. We sent her home.”

“I need an address.”

“I... don’t know if I can... it’s confidential.”

“I understand that, and I could get a warrant. However I would suggest that you bear in mind that, if I am right, you didn’t just send Anabelle home this morning, you sent her straight back to Jayden knowing that we are on to her. As I have already pointed out that if anything should happen to him as a result of drugs purchased through this clinic then, not only will there be an investigation but I can personally give you my word that I WILL hold you responsible.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Neither is what’s happening to Jayden McConnell.”

“Alright, you win. I can’t bear to think of that poor boy... okay, here.” She wrote down an address and slid it across the table “Although I still don’t think Anabelle had anything to do with this.

“I’ll keep you informed.”

**************

Every time Jayden woke up it was harder, he held onto the darkness with more desperation. He lay for a while, his eyes closed, listening to the sound of his heart beating. He was acutely uncomfortable, his wrists and ankles chafed and sore from the straps and his chest sweaty and itching from the restraint there. His whole body ached and his arm was almost unbearable, but he still didn’t move, didn’t open his eyes because the discomfort in his body was nothing compared to the growing ache in his heart and he knew that when he opened his eyes he would have to deal with it.

Gradually the pain grew to a level where he could no longer ignore it and he opened his eyes with a groan.

Jayden was surprised to find that he was alone. The sun was streaming through the window, finding cracks in the heavy drapes and he was uncomfortably hot. Kicking at the duvet he finally managed to get it to slide down to his wait, baring his chest to the cool air. He closed his eyes again for a moment sighing with relief.

When he opened his eyes again the first thing he saw was the blood. It was dry now, caked and dark, all over his side, the bed below and soaking through the dressing on his arm. His stomach lurched and he retched. If there had been anything in there he would have been sick.

He closed his eyes again, his head spinning. Unbelievably he had almost forgotten. The thing uppermost in his mind had been the past, the pain that had been reawaken from what had happened to him then and, as crazy as it sounds, that pain had been so acute it had made him forget the present, forget his situation, the danger he was in... and now he remembered.

A wave of weakness swept over him, of helplessness, hopelessness. Tears sprang to his eyes and rolled down hot cheeks. He blinked them away and shook his head impatiently. He wasn’t a coward, he wasn't a quitter. Time after time he had found himself in situations where he had felt hopeless and helpless and every time he had held onto the knowledge that he was strong, that underneath the softness, behind the angel face was a core of steel.

The steel was hot now, burning liquid metal, that seared him, flaming behind his eyes turning his tears to lava. Everything was hot, flaming, burning hot and it seemed to focus on his stomach, tearing upwards, burning his throat with acid which suddenly choked him as he vomited bile.

Still choking he shivered and tried to sit more upright but was prevented by the strap across his chest. He began to panic and to struggle which only made matters worse.

The door opened and Bells entered. She was wearing and old fashioned apron over an elegant ballgown. Taking in the situation in an instant she hurried to his side and, using a control at the side of the bed, raised it so he was sitting completely upright, then she grabbed the duvet and gently wiped his face.

“I didn’t think you would be awake just yet, or I would have been here with you. I have been very busy. I decided not to wait until tonight. I have a surprise for you.”

“Surprise?” He couldn’t summon the energy to feign interest.

“Yes. You’ll see. He watched her as she picked up a filled syringe from the table. He noticed that the box had gone.”

“I don’t want to disappoint you but that’s hardly a surprise.”

“I’m going to let you go Jayden.” She shook her head when the wild hope flared. “No, I mean I am going to release you from the bed. But I can’t take any chances. I have to make sure you won’t escape. I have to make you too weak to fight me.”

“Oh wow, now I’m excited.”

“Jayden, don’t mock me. I’ve realised something. We need to be together, properly together, not like this. This isn’t right. After what you’ve been through this must be hell for you and I never wanted that. I’m going to make it better not worse. I need to show you how much I care.”

She held up the syringe and tapped it gently. “This will be the last, I promise. No more drugs, no more pain, no more... just us, just the two of us... forever.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I know, but you will. After tonight it won’t matter, nothing will matter. I promise I won’t hurt you again. Nothing will ever hurt you again.”

“But...”

“Ssh now, relax and it won’t hurt.”

There was something strange in her voice, something that disquieted him but he had little time to ponder because the injection was unusually painful, bringing stinging tears to his eyes, and almost immediately afterwards she started to release the straps. It felt amazingly good to be free and he forgot everything else.

“Come on. I’ll need to help you. I have clothes laid out, the shower’s running.”

“No... please... just let me rest.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to rest later. I’ve made dinner.”

“Dinner?”

“I appreciate you may not be very hungry but I have some really nice stuff, a film, a very comfortable sofa and some extremely expensive wine which will probably taste vile but hey...”

“Why?”

“You’ll find out. Come on.”

Nausea swept him again as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Steady. You are going to be alright but you’ll feel weird and shaky and weak. I’m sorry about that. It would have been better if I hadn’t had to give you those drugs but I couldn’t take any chances. You are stronger than you look and I don’t want there to be any risk of you running out on me now.”

Jayden couldn’t speak, he had to concentrate on keeping his stomach and body under control. It was only a few steps across the landing but Jayden stumbled and almost fell with each of them. Both he and Bella were exhausted by the time they reached the bathroom. The shower was running and when she opened the door the room filled with steam.

“Do you think you can manage in there on your own?”

Jayden thought about it carefully, he had to think carefully because his thoughts were slippery as fish. In the end he shrugged. How should he know?

Stepping under the warm water was like tasting heaven. The touch of the fine droplets on his hot skin, his sore body was like the stroking of an angel, or a mother’s touch. His head was pounding and he felt nauseous and light headed. He was exhausted and frightened and sick but for a moment it all faded away. He lifted his face to the spray glorying at the water’s touch... and suddenly found he was sitting on the floor without having any idea how he got there.

“Oh shit. Maybe I should have thought this through a bit more.”

After the shower Bella helped him into the bedroom where a dress suit was laid out on the bed. He tried hard to get dressed but things like buttons and zips were entirely beyond him and it pretty much ended up with Bella dressing him while he lay and stared at the ceiling thinking and feeling nothing.

In the end she abandoned everything save trousers and shirt. She didn’t even bother about shoes.

“I am so glad I decided to bring everything up here. I would never have got you down the stairs. I am not feeling at my best myself right now.”

They were standing outside a door and when she opened it Jayden was astonished. The room was large and high ceilinged. It was not a bedroom but some kind of sitting room with a large leather sofa and TV set. The wooden floor was strewn with rose petals and the air was heavy with the scented smoke of incense. A low table near the sofa contained a selection of finger foods, and candles all about the room were the only lighting as no sunlight was finding it's way through the heavy velvet drapes.

“Do you like it?”

“Like it?”

“I worked hard to make it nice for you.”

“Why?”

“Because... because...” Bella ducked out from under his arm and let him slide down onto the sofa. She sat down besides him and stroked the hair out of his face. It was still damp from the shower. “Because I love you.”

“Bella... stop, this isn’t love.”

“Hush now, don’t spoil it.”

Getting up Bella switched on the television and put on a film which played out in the background. Jayden had no idea what it was and didn’t care.

“Are you hungry?”

He shook his head. Was she crazy? His stomach was playing an evil game with his head as to which could cause him the most discomfort.

“You can manage something. Look, I went to all this trouble. Food will help settle your stomach. I know you’re feeling sick but you’ll feel better soon. Soon all the pain will be gone.”

She insisted on feeding him, titbits and morsels. Fresh strawberries, open sandwiches, all sorts of good things which tasted like ash and cardboard. After an initial period of rebellion his stomach did settle.

Eventually Bella poured them each a glass of red wine and settled back on the sofa, curled in to his side.

“There is nowhere I would rather be than here.”

“I wish I could say the same.”

“Don’t spoil it Jayden, not tonight. Tonight just behave yourself, just go with it.” Her voice sounded different; strange, distant, wistful. “I wish you could have learned to trust me. I only ever wanted to help you, to get to know you. I wanted to know the darkness in your soul and I was so sure that it would bind us together. I was so sure you would come to love me. But I had no way of knowing how dark that darkness really is. I can’t handle it, what happened to you; at least I don’t know how to help you handle it.

“I have my own issues, not as bad as yours but still.... still I have my pain and I’m soooo tired of it. Are you tired Jayden?”

“Yes. Yes, I am tired, tired to the core. I... I... just want to go home.”

“Home? Yes, me too. I want to go home.”

“You are home.”

“This is a house, not a home.”

“Where is your home?”

“I don’t have a home Jayden. Father sold the nearest thing I had to it and now... Now I have nothing... only... only... with you I feel at home. My home is you now.”

“Bella, you know this won’t last. It can’t. It will have to end soon.”

“Yes. I know that... and it will. It will end soon, very soon.”

She sighed and nestled into his shoulder, turning her head to stare up at him. Her eyes were strange. Was she drunk? Had she been drinking? Did that mean anything? Did it give him a chance?

“Let me go Bella. You know it will happen sooner or later and it will be so much better if you do it yourself.”

“I already have Jayden. You don’t realise it yet but you have been released.”

“Not being tied to the bed is not exactly what I was talking about.”

Bella’s eyes were distant but they glowed with an inner fire. “Touch me Jayden. Just once. Please... just once.”

“Bella...”

“I don’t mean like that. Just hold me, touch me. Make me feel alive, just for a moment, just one moment.”

“I...”

“Please Jayden.”

He stared at her for a moment, at the pleading eyes then lifted a hand that was as heavy as lead to stroke the side of her face. She closed her eyes and sighed, a beatific smile on her face. She reached out to capture the hand, turning her head to kiss it.

Jayden knew he should pull away but something was happening. His head, which had not been clear since the moment he had first opened his eyes here, was filling with cotton wool. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t see properly. He blinked, trying to clear his eyes, and when he opened them Bella was staring at him. It was clear now that there was something wrong with her, she looked as drugged as he was.

“What’s... going on?”

“Why do you think there’s something going on?”

“Why? Look at you... you can... you can barely speak. What have you done?”

“I’m just...” she closed her eyes then opened them again. “We were meant to be together Jayden. I am so sure of that. I love you so much and it hurts to know that you are in so much pain. I wanted to take the pain away. I wanted it so much and then I realised exactly what to do. This world doesn’t deserve you. It has treated you so badly, hurt you so much. This way is perfect... no more pain, not for either of us. We’ll be free. We’ll be together... forever.”

As she spoke Jayden’s heart began to pound, fear bringing the taste of metal to his mouth and instantly cleared his head.

“What have you done?”

“Sssh. It’s alright. We’re together... forever. It won’t be long now. I can feel it, rising like a tide. It won’t hurt, I promise. Just... just like... like going to sleep... and then... and then... no more pain... ever.”

“You poisoned us.” She didn’t respond other than with a smile. “No. No I... I can’t... I won’t.”

“Don’t fight it Jayden. You can’t fight it. Don’t waste your last moments in pointless struggle. Give in to it, welcome it. Just think... no more pain.”

“No!” With rapidly draining strength he pushed her away from him and she didn’t resist. She was already drifting, her eyes half closed, a smile on her face.

It was the hardest thing he had ever done, getting up off the sofa, but he managed it. He even managed two steps across the room before he fell and lay, his cheek pressed against the floor, crushing the petals and releasing the smell of roses. There was no strength left, no energy to move.

His life didn’t flash in front of his eyes, it didn’t even saunter or limp. When he closed his eyes for the last time he wasn’t thinking of the past at all. He was thinking of the present, of his friends, wondering if they were thinking of him, if they would cry for him... knowing they would, knowing they loved him, that they would mourn him, knowing that Cal would mourn and, thinking of Cal a single tear ran from the corner of his eye but he wasn't aware of it, he wasn’t aware of anything any more.