Brittle Midnight Read online

  ‘You’re not coming in.’ The two werewolves at the barricade to the northern community were stony-faced and adamant.

  I threw up my hands, my furious movement a complete contrast to the wolves’ stoic facades. ‘What?’

  ‘Boss’s orders.’

  ‘You mean Monroe,’ I spat. The fucking idiot. ‘Look,’ I said, trying to calm myself, ‘he thinks that the magic means he can’t control himself. That his wolf might emerge at any second and attack me. That you are the same.’ I put my hands on my hips. ‘Do you feel like that?’ I demanded. ‘Do you feel like you’re about to turn rogue despite your best intentions?’

  ‘You can yell all you want,’ the first werewolf said implacably. ‘We’re only following orders.’

  ‘Get him here,’ I said through gritted teeth. ‘Let me talk to Monroe.’

  She crossed her arms. ‘He’s gone out.’

  What the hell? ‘Gone where?’

  ‘Dunno. It doesn’t matter. Unless I hear directly from him, you’re not coming in.’

  This was unbelievable.

  ‘Then let me in,’ Anna said.

  ‘Nope. You’re human. We can’t do it. No humans are to be given access under any circumstances.’

  I drew in a ragged breath. ‘Monroe thinks he’s protecting everyone by doing this.. Instead, while we’re out here twiddling our thumbs, someone else could be dying.’

  Anna was a great deal calmer than I was. ‘Lizzy’s not human. Neither is Julie. We can go back to the south and get one of them. They can speak to Maggie for us.’

  ‘No.’ I folded my arms. ‘It’ll take too long. Our killer therapist is already escalating. We can’t afford to waste any more time.’

  The werewolves appeared unperturbed. ‘You should leave this place,’ the second one said.

  I hissed under my breath and spun away, but I wasn’t leaving. Not until I’d spoken to Maggie. Magic prickled under my skin. If that was what it was going to take, then so be it.

  ‘Charley.’ Anna sounded nervous.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ I told her. ‘Everything will be fine.’ I turned slowly to face the werewolves again. Just beyond them, hovering in the lowlight of the oncoming dusk, was Theo. There was a smirk on his face, suggesting he knew exactly what I was planning. If he got in my way, he’d suffer the consequences as well.

  ‘Charley,’ Anna persisted. ‘Two wrongs don’t make a right. I really don’t think this is a good idea.’

  For the first time, the wolves appeared less than confident. Good.

  ‘I’m not really human,’ I called out to them. ‘Not any more. None of us are.’ I gazed down at my fingers and wiggled them. ‘Magic can be used for good,’ I said, ‘or for absolute evil. And sometimes for what lies in between.’ I flicked my wrists, spiralling out two gentle plumes of smoky-green magic.

  The first wolf ducked, hoping the barricade would save her. The second wolf faced it head on, his teeth bared. He started to shift but he was no Monroe. By the time he’d sprouted fur, the magic had reached him and was swirling round his body and binding him tight. There was a choked cry from the other barricade and I knew the same was happening to his colleague. Huh. It wasn’t exactly what I was going for, but it worked all the same.

  ‘You can stay out here if you want,’ I said to Anna.

  ‘I can’t,’ she muttered. ‘I have to stay with you, if only to save you from yourself.’

  I considered her words. ‘I’m not the one being obstructive here,’ I pointed out.

  ‘If you say so,’ she replied. ‘How would you feel if someone did that to any of our people?’

  Hmmm. I ignored the guilty stab and offered a blithe shrug. ‘You reap what you sow. I’m not the one who separated our communities, and I’m not the one who’s causing problems now.’

  ‘That’s a matter of perspective,’ Theo said from the opposite side of the barrier.

  I looked at him. ‘Do you want to try and stop me too?’ I asked. ‘Because I’m hunting down a killer so I have no qualms about wrapping you up like a Christmas present, just like them.’

  He smiled. ‘I’m fine as I am, thank you.’ He glanced at the two fallen werewolves. ‘But you know what I will do?’ he said softly. ‘I’ll stand here and keep guard for the wolves while they’re incapacitated. After all, we all live in this community and there is a killer on the loose.’

  I watched him. He might have been amused by the situation but there wasn’t a trace of guile in his expression. ‘You’re a good man,’ I said finally.

  ‘Remember to tell Monroe and Julian that when all this is over,’ he murmured.

  ‘Done,’ I promised.

  I paid scant attention to the furious glares emanating from the magically trussed-up wolves. That’s what you got when you messed with the enchantress.

  Anna and I scooted past the barricade. I avoided the temptation to stroll down the street as if I were starring in an old Western film and made the sensible decision to stick to the shadows along the edge of the buildings. It wasn’t worth garnering unwanted attention if we could help it. We trotted past the makeshift shops and the scattered bars, including the Blood and Bones, and headed across the square. I hoped that Maggie was still being kept there, or there might be problems.

  Tripping up the steps and pushing open the door, I pulled back my shoulders and acted for all the world like I was supposed to be there. I had permission; I was allowed. There were a few people scattered around but none of them paid Anna or me any attention. In fact, we made it all the way to the room where Maggie was being kept before we were challenged.

  ‘I’ve got this,’ Anna said to me when a pair of green eyes narrowed in our direction and Felicity, the unyielding werewolf, started forward. ‘Besides,’ she added, ‘I can’t let you have all the fun.’

  I grinned.

  ‘I’m Anna Jones,’ she said, striding forward with her hand outstretched. ‘I’m investigating the killings from the southern side and I have a few questions for Maggie.’

  ‘You’re not supposed to be here,’ Felicity snapped. ‘Do you think I’m stupid just because I’m a wolf? The order went out hours ago and it’s not been rescinded. Whoever you are and why ever you’re here, you’re in the wrong place.’ She pointed at me. ‘She is most definitely not supposed to be here.’

  ‘I’m a police officer,’ Anna began.

  ‘Not here you’re not.’ Felicity crossed her arms. ‘Not now. But if you want to talk to Maggie, go ahead. But don’t hurt her. She’s been through enough as it is.’

  My mouth dropped open and Felicity gave a short, unfriendly laugh. ‘Do you know why humans aren’t allowed here any more?’ she asked. ‘It’s because there’s a chance that the rest of us supernatural beings won’t be able to control ourselves. That we’ll let the magic get the better of us and we’ll attack or even kill you without provocation.’

  ‘It’s just a theory,’ I managed, still unsure what was really going on inside Felicity’s head.

  ‘And a stupid one at that,’ she snorted. ‘Magic won’t overpower me. It won’t change who I am. Nothing will force me into shifting and attacking you. If I do that, it’s because I choose to do it. I don’t like vampires. I think they’re vicious, nasty creatures who don’t belong here, but that doesn’t mean I’ll hurt any of them. I’m not a monster and I can control my own urges. Besides,’ she added, ‘you’re the enchantress. If you want to protect yourself, I’m sure you’re more than capable.’

  I frowned. ‘I thought wolves always followed orders and maintained the hierarchy, no matter what.’

  ‘Maybe more than one thing around here is changing,’ she said with a crooked smile She turned on her heel and started walking away. ‘I’ve not seen you. I don’t know where you are.’

  Well, well, well. I watched her go before exchanging a baffled glance with Anna then opening the door into Maggie’s cell. I could only pray that we were going to get some answers.

  Maggie was still chained up but she app
eared considerably healthier than before. There was a glow to her cheeks and her thick dark hair looked shiny, giving the impression that she’d taken a long shower with some expensive conditioner. When she clocked Anna and me, she seemed surprised but not overly dismayed. That was a good start.

  ‘Hey,’ I said softly. ‘Remember me?’

  ‘I’m not likely to forget.’ She glanced behind me, no doubt expecting Monroe or Julian to stride in after us. When it was clear we were alone, I could tell her interest – and her trepidation – was piqued. ‘What can I do for you?’

  Softly, softly, Charley. ‘Have you been treated well?’

  She shrugged, making her chains rattle. ‘I can’t complain.’

  ‘Are the restraints necessary?’ Anna enquired.

  ‘Don’t ask me,’ Maggie said. ‘I only work here.’ She curved her mouth into a smile as if she were merely telling a light-hearted, albeit not very funny, joke. When we didn’t chuckle, her smile disappeared and she sighed. ‘I can’t be trusted. I can’t even trust myself.’

  I stepped close to her then sat down cross-legged and within her reach. Not only did it bring me down to her level, it also indicated a level of trust on my part. I didn’t think Maggie would attack me and I was willing to prove it.

  ‘I’m DI Jones,’ Anna said. I turned my head to look at her and she shrugged. ‘I’ve given myself a promotion. I think I’m entitled.’

  I wasn’t about to argue. ‘Why stop at Detective Inspector? Why not go for Commissioner?’

  ‘Too much paperwork,’ she said, without a trace of irony. ‘Now, Maggie, we would like to ask you a few questions, if you’re willing.’

  Maggie’s eyes shifted between the two of us. ‘Sure. I’ve gone over it several times, though. I’m not sure there’s anything new I can tell you.’

  ‘It’s not the incident itself that we’re interested in,’ Anna said. ‘It’s what was happening before.’ She paused. ‘With you and your state of mind.’

  For the first time Maggie looked faintly nervous. ‘Oh yes?’

  Anna pressed ahead. ‘How have you been finding the aftermath of the apocalypse?’

  Maggie shifted uneasily. ‘It’s great,’ she said unconvincingly. ‘I have a lot more strength than I used to. My wolf responds to the magic in the air. She likes it.’

  I found it interesting that she separated herself from her werewolf form. I’d not heard Monroe do that.

  ‘Mmm-hmm.’ Anna nodded. ‘So everything’s hunky-dory? Couldn’t be better?’

  Maggie’s tongue darted out to wet her lips. ‘Yes.’

  Anna didn’t say anything. Neither did I. The silence stretched out until I could almost see the prickles of discomfort across Maggie’s skin.

  ‘Well,’ she said eventually, ‘it’s not perfect. I mean, nothing ever is, right?’

  I leaned back and rested my weight on my hands.

  Maggie swallowed. ‘I’d never been to Manchester before the apocalypse. I’d never spent much time in a city. Our pack is from the countryside. We lived near a forest and hills and…’ She looked away. ‘Not buildings and roads. I know the city here is virtually empty but it’s still different.’ Her hand went to her throat. ‘Sometimes it can be quite constricting.’

  ‘Did you talk to anyone about how you were feeling? I understand that wolf packs can be quite close knit.’

  ‘They are. Of course they are. My pack is my family – they mean everything to me.’ Her voice was so fervent that I couldn’t help wondering who she was trying to convince. She seemed to realise that herself because her body sank slightly. ‘But it’s not always good to show weakness. We have to be strong. There are a lot of nasty creatures out there. If we don’t put on a strong front, they could take advantage.’

  I suspected she was talking about the vampires within the barricades of Monroe’s north rather than the magical beasties who lived outside its limits.

  ‘So,’ I probed, ‘you didn’t talk to anyone in your pack about feeling a bit … claustrophobic?’

  ‘It wasn’t claustrophobia.’ She glared, although it seemed to be directed at herself rather than at me. ‘The magic makes us strong but it’s also an unknown quantity. What if we come to rely on it too much and then it vanishes? What if there’s another magical surge and it overtakes us? We have a balance right now but things might not stay that way.’

  ‘There’s a lot to worry about,’ I said quietly.

  ‘Yeah.’ Her head dropped. ‘I wasn’t feeling right. I couldn’t sleep.’ She touched her temples. ‘I’ve been getting headaches. I’ve been…’ she struggled for the right words ‘…just not right.’

  I wanted to hug her, and I probably would have if Anna hadn’t spoken up. There was a reason why she was the professional and I was the amateur. ‘It must be really hard. Is there anyone else you’ve been able to talk to? Maybe not in your pack. Maybe you found someone outside your pack. Someone who’s not a werewolf.’

  Maggie’s expression changed almost imperceptibly. It wasn’t much, merely a faint tightening around the corners of her mouth, but it was enough. I knew we had her and I knew we were on the right track.

  Anna knew it too. ‘Maggie?’ she asked gently. ‘Was there someone you found to talk to?’

  Maggie balled up her fists and her knuckles whitened. ‘I’m not ashamed of it,’ she declared defiantly. ‘I’m not ashamed of going to therapy. It’s better to talk things through, to get help when you need it. It takes a strong person to ask for help. It’s not a weakness.’

  I did my best to batten down my exultation at her admission. ‘No,’ I said. ‘Asking for help is not a weakness. Going to therapy is a good idea.’

  Maggie blinked. Perhaps she’d expected us to laugh at her.

  This was what we’d come to. By focusing on physical rather than emotional survival, we’d allowed this to happen. We’d allowed this bastard of a counsellor to sneak in and destroy our house of cards. We should have known better. All of us.

  ‘Maggie,’ Anna said, ‘who was the therapist you saw? Who did you talk to?’

  ‘A human guy,’ she muttered. ‘I didn’t want someone who lived here and I found a human guy who had a lot of experience. He was nice. Gentle. We met at an abandoned café in the city centre, not far from the Travotel.’

  My bubble burst. We weren’t looking for a man. The bogles had been certain that Craig Featherstone’s companion was female. This couldn’t be another dead end, it just couldn’t be. Unfortunately it seemed that it was.

  ‘He knew what he was doing,’ Maggie said, registering my expression. ‘He was great at hypnotherapy!’

  I stopped breathing. Anna knelt down beside me and fixed her eyes on Maggie. ‘This is important,’ she said. ‘Who is he? What’s his name?’

  ‘I don’t know his last name,’ she said. ‘I just called him Albert.’

  ‘White hair? Bushy eyebrows?’

  Maggie nodded.

  ‘He’s quite old,’ Anna said, half to herself and half to me. ‘He won’t have a lot of physical strength. He’d need help if he wanted to actually hurt someone. Or kill them.’

  ‘What?’ Maggie squeaked.

  I exchanged a look with Anna. ‘Sometimes,’ I said quietly, ‘he wears a kilt which, in the darkness, could be mistaken for a skirt. He could be mistaken for a woman.’ Then I thought of something else and I could have slapped myself. ‘He was there.’ I swore. ‘When I told Julie about Nimue the mermaid, Albert was there too.’ I slammed my hand onto the floor.

  ‘I think,’ Anna said, ‘we’ve found our guy.’

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Albert was just one man – and a man in his seventies, at that. For all the power that he’d wielded over others, he wouldn’t be a physical match for Anna or me. All the same, we approached the café where he held his sessions stealthily. Although it was in a central location, it was tucked away down one of the side streets where there was less chance of any passers-by growing too curious.

  It both
ered me that the café’s door openly displayed a poster that included the outline of a man with a swirl for a brain. I might not have passed directly in front of it but I’d been in the vicinity of this place on more than one occasion in the last few days.

  Anna produced a baton and a set of handcuffs. ‘You should let me handle this,’ she advised. ‘Unless he tries any freaky magic hypnotherapy stuff. Then you can let rip with your own powers.’

  Somehow I doubted that Albert worked like that. I reckoned his clients were in a relaxed state and entirely willing to be hypnotised. He’d need a calm and therapeutic atmosphere in which to start; it wouldn’t be something he’d spring upon the unsuspecting. Then again, who knew what people were capable of these days?

  I nodded agreement. With any luck, we’d bring to Albert to his knees with a minimum of fuss. I knew that Monroe would be jealous I’d done this without him, but that was his fault for trying to shut me out.

  Anna reached for the door handle. I drew in a deep breath. A moment later, she shoved open the door and started yelling, ‘Police! Nobody move!’

  It wasn’t so long since Manchester had been turned on its head that we’d forgotten all our old habits. If Albert – and indeed anyone else – had been inside, they would have either frozen or made a run for it. When we burst in, however, nothing happened and nobody moved because nobody was there.

  Anna sprang towards the back, checking both the kitchen and the small toilet. She came out shaking her head. I let out an inarticulate yell of frustration and kicked at a coffee table, sending the books on top of it onto the floor. Then I sat down on an overly-squishy sofa and was almost swallowed up by the cushions.

  ‘He’s probably at home,’ Anna said. ‘It’ll be easier to nab him in the south than it would be here. He’ll have nowhere to run to, and our own community will back us up.’

  ‘Yeah.’ I scratched my nose. Anna was right. ‘I just wanted to get him here and now, you know? To maybe even catch him in the act.’ I struggled to sit up again and gazed round the room. Inspirational posters covered the walls. There was the heady yet calming scent of lavender. This was a space designed to put someone at ease. It was the sort of space you’d want to go to if you opted for therapy. That made me all the more angry. ‘He’s supposed to be helping people,’ I ground out.