He threw the duffle bag in the trunk and sat in the driver’s seat.

The car started first go. Thank you friend. He drove out and paused before entering the road and then looked to his left. His heart froze as a police car drove up the other side of the road. They looked at him closely. He gave them a nod and focused on not breaking any road rules. The police car on-board computer would be checking his number plate. The car was registered in a good citizen’s name and he hoped the person had stayed a good citizen.

He must have, because the police car drove on.

Toby turned left and headed to the major roads. Plenty of police cars and police walking the streets, even at this early hour. Why are there so many police out and about? He laughed. He would drive out of the city, maybe up to the hinterland. His task was still incomplete only now it was more challenging, more exciting. Now he’d have to work out a new plan, to get around the obstacles. Obstacles were fun. The gods were probably putting them there to test him.

He wouldn’t fail his gods and fulfil the sacrifice requested. He sensed glory waited for him.

<°)))><

It was early morning. Ruby sat on a bench overlooking the large garden at the new hopefully safe house. The sun was slowly encroaching on the shadows of the trees and shrubs. She had a rug over her legs. It would be warmer inside but being outside brought her more peace. She already missed the river. Zoe was inside, lying down. The events had hit her hard, and she’d taken one of Ruby’s tablets. Maybe she should go and lie down. She probably needed the sleep.

Ruby was surprised at how well she was handling things, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. It was practice. Too much practice. The deaths of T1 and T2 had brought back the feelings she’d had when her mother passed away. It was sudden and she’d never really gotten over it. It still lay below the surface but she wouldn’t let it bubble over. And again death had suddenly come upon her.

She sniffed then sobbed then cried.

Who was the monster who had done this? He wasn’t of a right mind. They’d catch him soon, and then it would all be over. The thought gave her strength. She knew there would be no logic to what he was doing. Just someone who had their wires completely twisted. But it was evil and she wanted to know what evil was. Where did it stem from? Her tears slowed. She dabbed her eyes with a tissue and thought of Shoana. Where was she, and what she was up to? Had she got over her guilt? Ruby picked up her phone to call, but it was too early. She opened up the location app to see where she was. Strange, Shoana was up and about. Normally, Sunday was her big sleep in. It was Sunday, wasn’t it? But it looked like Shoana was going for a drive.

A movement in the yard caught her attention. There was a bird on a shrub with red trumpet-like flowers. The bird was sticking its beak in the trumpet and feeding. Another bird came and joined it. Not a care in the world. Oh, to be a bird.

A car pulled up behind the shrubbery. Doors closed and the shadows of people moved through the bushes. Jack and Catherine came into view. Ruby stared at Jack as he walked up the path. He looked tired. Yes, he’d been up all night.

“You two haven’t been to bed yet?” Ruby asked.

“Do we look that bad?” Catherine asked.

“Yep.”

“Thanks, Ruby.” Jack said. “We just wanted to check up on you on our way home.” He found a seat next to Ruby. “You doing okay?”

“I’m okay. Couldn’t sleep, so decided to sit out here.” Ruby pointed to the garden. “That bird has been entertaining me.”

“Noisy Miner they’re called. And believe me, the name is appropriate because they make a racket, especially when they have a family get-together,” Catherine said.

Jack was watching Catherine, a look of mini-awe on his face.

He rubbed his chin. “Ruby, you up for a couple of questions?”

“Should be okay.”

“One of the police officers mentioned you raised the alarm. Were you out of bed or something?”

Ruby had forgotten about the voice. She hesitated. “I heard a voice, Jack.”

“Someone outside?”

“No. Someone in my room. It woke me up.”

“I’ve heard that before, Ruby,” Catherine said. “They call it auditory hallucinations. My understanding is they can follow a traumatic experience—sort of a protective mechanism.”

Ruby hugged herself. “That’s sad. I thought it might be an angel.”

“Well, it could be that, too,” Catherine said.

Jack’s phone rang. He stood up and headed towards the garden to take the call. Ruby watched him, noticed the urgency that came over him. He closed off the call.

“Hey, Ruby. A short visit it is. We’ve got an urgent call to attend to. We’ll come back and see you soon.”

“Is it to do with what’s happened?”

Jack looked at Ruby. His grey-blue eyes gave away little detail. “Yes. It’s a good lead.”

Jack and Catherine rushed off.

God, are you there? Please protect and help them.

She rubbed her arms along her sides. You were an angel, weren’t you? Not a hallucination. And I do thank you.

49 – A creepy battleaxe house

JACK REGRETTED having to rush off. 

“What’s the lead, Jack?”

“An officer on foot patrol had a resident come up to him, complaining that someone had used her cat for target practice, and put an arrow in it. The resident pointed out the house where she believed the villain lived.”

“A crossbow arrow, of course?”

“They called it an arrow-like bolt.”

Jack had the car started and in motion before Catherine’s door was even closed. He drove fast. He needed some priority travel so the unmarked vehicle’s flashing warning lights and siren were turned on. Not that flashing lights and sirens cleared a path—far from it. But Jack was in a hurry, and had even less patience than usual for drivers trapped in their own worlds.

Jack knew Cath didn’t enjoy his driving, especially not his emergency driving. Her legs were straight and tight, as if reaching for an imaginary brake pedal. She gripped the edge of the seat as he manoeuvred around a large truck—the driver doing everything possible to help him out. Jack gave him a thank you wave as he passed. The car hit the gutter, but he righted the car soon after.

“Relax, Cath. Remember, I passed the police pursuit driving course with flying colours.”

“More concerned about when you last did the refresher course.”

“Funny.” Jack slowed to approach a set of traffic lights.

They drove past the elevated parkland they’d seen from the safe house on the other side of the river, past modern architect-designed houses. Every now and again, a house appeared that was out of place, from another time period. Jack felt a touch of envy—the owners of such properties were sitting on a gold mine. They saw the police officer waiting near the curb, waving to them. Jack looked at the neglected letterbox marking access to a narrow driveway—but where was the house?

Catherine must have sensed his confusion. ‘‘It’s a battleaxe block, Jack. A house behind another.” 

Jack nodded as he turned into the driveway. “Everything seems to have a medieval feel about it. Battleaxe. What sort of name is that for a block of land?”

Jack had encountered these types of blocks before, but never a house so well concealed. He hadn’t encountered the word battleaxe before either, at least, not in relation to property.