Missing Years ( Part 24 )

DCI Spencer was back at the station, it was just past midnight, he did something that was out of character for him, he went to the top draw of his desk and found a bottle of Bells Whiskey; he poured himself a tumbler full.

As the harsh sharp taste hit his throat he started to relax, it had been one hell of a day.

Ray Samuels had spoken to the media; he was now some kind of national treasure, a saviour of all mankind, what the fuck was that all about? He was also talking about going even further with his “peaceful protests” about the way the world was being run. Then there was Swan, he had become a nasty piece of work, more powerful than he had first seemed, he was up to something, something very bad, something criminal.

Spencer had always been a good copper, not always popular, but a decent copper, done his time on the beat, then in the murder squad for a few years, climbed the ladder, he’d joined the force all those years ago to help people, not hurt or destroy them, that wasn’t the way it should be. He wasn’t comfortable with what Swan was doing, maybe he should do something, it was a big ask of course, Swan reported to bloody Ministers for Christ’s sake, he wouldn’t take too kindly to some lowly DCI sticking his nose in. He would have to think long and hard before he made any decisions.

He sat back in his chair and finished the tumbler, then poured himself another, hoping that these bad thoughts might go away.

Stacey Samuels needed to pee, she needed to pee badly. Too many cups of tea during the day had made her wake up at 1.00am and get out of bed and walk towards the bathroom.

As she walked past her Mums bedroom she noticed that the door was open, this was out of the ordinary, Mum had always closed her door when she went to bed, it had become like a ritual, she said it was the only place she could really be alone. Stacey looked in, her Mum was in the bed, no Jim tonight, he was away on business, she walked towards the bed. Her Mum was very still, peaceful.

“Mum, you OK, Mum?

There was no answer.

“Mum, Mum, wake up, you OK?”

Still no answer. She started to shake her mum by the shoulder. Laura didn’t respond.

“Mum, mum, please wake up, please Mum, please!”

She ran into her own room found her mobile and dialled 999.

Swan took the call on his mobile. A voice on the other end said carefully.

“It’s done Sir”

Swan hung up the phone and sat down.

He didn’t know why, but he seemed to have become angrier over the past few days, it was as if he didn’t care anymore, he just knew what he had to do. Laura was the first step, the first step in making that bloody Samuels man see sense. The people above him had in a roundabout way told him that he needed to stop Samuels at any cost. They of course hadn’t been specific, they never were, but he knew what they meant. There was also this smell wherever he went, a damp smell, he couldn’t find out the cause of it but it seemed to be always around him. Still, first step done. That’ll teach Samuels to cross him!

Stacey was shaking, she was at her Mums side still begging her to wake up, she was holding her Mums hand, it was still warm but she couldn’t feel a pulse, she heard a noise downstairs.

“Up here, please quickly, it’s my Mum she’s not breathing”

She heard footsteps on the stairs and then a familiar voice.

“It’s OK Stacey it’s me Ray”

Ray entered the bedroom and ran over to where Stacey and Laura were.

“How did you know, how?”

“I just knew darling, now leave me with your Mum for a few minutes will you, close the door”

“The ambulance is on its way Ray, they’ll be here in a minute, I think she’s gone, I think she’s gone!”

Stacey started to cry, the tears were uncontrollable. Ray held her close, then looked at her with a deep stare.

“Stacey, listen to me, leave me and your Mum for a few minutes, please. Now go, please!”

Stacey did as she was told and left the room and closed the door behind her.

Ray knelt beside Laura, held her right hand and put his other hand on her forehead. He spoke softly.

“Lord, freely you take and freely you give, please give back this innocent for she hath done no wrong”

A few seconds passed and Ray suddenly felt new warmth to Laura’s hand, he could hear her breathing again, she was unconscious but she was alive.

Ray heard noises outside the bedroom; Stacey came in followed by two paramedics.

“It’s OK Sir, we’ll take it from here”

Ray stood up and Stacey ran to him, they embraced.

“She’s OK Stacey, she’s OK”

“But I thought she had gone Ray, I thought we’d lost her?”

“Just for a short while but she’s back now, she’ll be fine”

Laura was taken into the ambulance, still unconscious but breathing unaided, Stacey went with her in the ambulance to the hospital. Ray stayed behind, he said there was something he had to do and then he would follow on.

He picked up the telephone in the hallway and dialled a number that he read from a business card.

A man answered. Ray spoke very slowly.

“For every life that comes back one has to be taken, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, goodbye Commander"

He hung up the phone.

Fifty miles away, Commander Swan also put down the phone, slightly confused. It was then that he felt the sudden pain in his left arm, it travelled along his arm and in to his chest, it felt like he was being pinned down by a tremendous weight that was caving in his chest. He started to fall; he was dead before he hit the floor!