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Bert swung his head as Je
‘What … what are you doing here?’ he stammered, holding Tinker mid-air by the collar. The helpless dog twisted under his grasp, his eyes bulging as he fought for breath.
Bert was so stu
Tinker wriggled free, finding a second wind as he bumbled down the stairs.
‘Stand back!’ Je
Bert screamed as he rolled around the cold concrete clutching his leg. Je
‘You can’t stop the prophecy,’ Bert screamed, the words delivered in a maddening howl. The words had just left his lips when the rapid burst of a police siren pierced the air.
‘Me dog!’ George panted, as another roll of thunder boomed. ‘They’ll run over Tinker!’ Stumbling towards the stairs, George called for his terrier as the siren grew louder, and as if in slow motion, Je
But George wasn’t listening, and flailing both arms, his feet tangled in the long black material of the cassock as he went tumbling down the steps. Je
Chapter Fifty
Je
‘I know it’s sad, but you didn’t really know George. You’re best off forgetting about him.’
‘That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it? He’s barely cold,’ Je
‘If you knew the truth …’ Claire paused, signalling at Je
Je
Claire sat on the edge of her desk, which was littered with overtime sheets and folders full of appraisals waiting to be completed. ‘Did you know he used to be a priest?’
Je
‘I expect so. Father Butler served as a parish priest in Ireland for over twenty years until he left.’
Je
‘You might feel differently when you hear his history. When he was thirty, he got a seventeen-year-old girl pregnant.’
Je
‘That’s not all. He arranged a secret abortion without the knowledge of her parents. It’s outlawed in Ireland, so he would have had to pull out some stops.’
‘That’s awful … but it was a long time ago, wasn’t it?’
Claire nodded. ‘And he’s been paying for it ever since. It’s why he chose to be homeless. George’s loaded, but his guilt consumed him. He told me his story a while ago, and I promised to keep it to myself.’
‘To think …’ Je
‘It’s a mind fuck all right. On one hand I feel sorry for him, spending all those years on the street, but then I think of what he did and he repulses me.’
Je
‘I think Bert wanted to make it look like George killed himself due to his guilt. That’s probably why he dressed him up in the cassock,’ Claire said, picking up her paperwork and throwing it down again.
Je
‘No, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was a member. But without Bert’s testimony, who knows?’
Je
‘My mum’s keeping an eye on him at mine. Not many people want an old dog that howls for his master every night.’
Je
Claire nodded, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes. ‘As my old mum would say, “There’s nowt so queer as folk.”’
After five hours in custody, force medical examiners and the mental health team agreed Bert was unfit for interview. He had been taken back to The Rivers for assessment, but it was unlikely he would ever be released. Je
Arrests from The Reborners’ raid had gained little information, other than a cult being led by a supreme leader whose name was known to very few. As far as Je
She checked her phone. A whole day had passed and Will had not called. She turned over in her bed, knowing she wouldn’t sleep without finding out how things had gone with his parents. Putting the phone to her ear, she groaned as the robotic tones of his automatic voicemail played out. She hated leaving messages due to her tendency to waffle, so she terminated the call before she could be tempted to ask why the hell he hadn’t rung. As long as he’s not having second thoughts about divorcing his wife. Je
It started much like many of her other nightmares, feeling lost in the darkness, alone and confused. Then she heard it. In a bleak confined space, an anguished moan. A clotted head wound, and beneath, a pool of congealed blood. Je
[#]
Morning light came to rest on Je