Dead Souls Volume Three (Parts 27 to 39) Page 8

  Getting to her feet, Anna let Kate lead her out of the yard, but she glanced back at the window one more time. She felt as if her mother was up to something, as if she was keeping a secret. After everything that had happened with her father, Anna hated secrets.

  ***

  “There's not enough here,” Jennifer said once she'd finished counting the money she'd taken from the dresser. “You've only given me half.”

  “You were only half here,” Tarud replied, pulling his trousers up. He stopped for a moment to clear his throat; an old man with a chestful of curly white hairs, he'd been fit and strong once but now his body was starting to fall apart. “Besides, your new friend didn't pay an arrival fee when she came to Thaxos, so I took it out of today's payment. If you've got a problem with that, take it up with her.”

  “This isn't fair,” Jennifer said, turning to him. “We have a deal!”

  “Deals and counter-deals,” Tarud said with a smile, unable to stop staring at her bare chest. “Deals within deals, each affecting one another. New arrivals have to pay, and if they don't, I have to get the money some other way. Don't worry, next time you come to my room I'll pay you the full amount again.”

  “I swear -”

  “What are you gonna do about it?” he asked as he slipped his arms into his police uniform. “Lodge an official complaint? Who are people gonna believe? The island's only police officer, or a common whore?”

  Folding the money, Jennifer slipped it into her pocket before grabbing her shirt.

  “You know prostitution's illegal, don't you?” Tarud continued. “Be thankful that we came to this little arrangement. I could've thrown you in the cells when I found out what you were up to.”

  “The same cells where my husband died?”

  “The very same.”

  “You're a -” Stopping herself just in time, she finished getting dressed. She could tell he was watching her every move, and she wanted to get covered up as quickly as possible.

  “I'm an honorable man,” Tarud continued, limping over to the door. “I don't have to pay you at all, you know. I could just tell you to get on your knees or spread your legs whenever I want. The only reason I give you money is because of that little girl. Wouldn't want her to starve, would I? That poor fatherless thing, she needs more than a mother can provide.” He smiled. “So you see? I'm a nice guy after all.”

  “The best,” she muttered darkly.

  “Besides, I'm paying for defective merchandise.”

  She glared at him.

  “Those scars aren't exactly attractive,” he told her. “The ones on your arms I can ignore. The ones on your chest, not so much. As for the ones on your legs and -”

  “Enough,” she replied.

  His smile broadened.

  “Still not making much money with the store?” he asked. “I figured. It's not a job for a woman. You know, you should think about getting yourself a new husband. It's been long enough since Adam died, no-one would think ill of you, and you've still got your looks. They won't last forever.”

  “I can manage.”

  “No you can't.”

  “I can!”

  “Only if you whore yourself out to make a little extra on the side.” He licked his lips for a moment. “You're a woman, Jennifer, so stop trying to get by on your own. You need a husband. Maybe someone older, someone more stable. A respected figure in the community, perhaps -”

  “Go to hell,” she snapped, before heading over to the door.

  “I was only joking,” he continued, grabbing her wrist. “Do you really think I'd want to marry a whore? I get what I want from you already. Besides, if I take another wife one day, it won't be one who's already been cut to ribbons.” He turned her wrist until he could see the scars than ran through her flesh. “We never did catch the man who did this to you, did we?”

  “It wasn't a man,” she said firmly.

  “You can't still think it was -”

  “I know what I saw,” she replied, pulling her arm away from him. “You can tell me I'm mad again, you can get Doctor Lassiter to take another look at me, you can do anything that makes you feel better, but you can't convince me that I'm wrong. Even now, when I close my eyes, I see it coming through the darkness. When I'm in bed at night, I hear the sound of my own flesh being ripped open. For as long as I draw breath, I'll be reliving that attack over and over again.”

  “You make it sound as if you regret surviving,” he told her. “Would you have preferred it if I hadn't called Lassiter to save your life?”

  “Anna needs me,” she replied, opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. “She's the most important thing right now.”

  “The honorable whore,” he said with a grin. “Is that how it works, Jennifer? You can stoop low and get your hands dirty, but you never have to face what you've become, not while you can convince yourself that you're doing it for that little girl? Why don't you just admit that you were born this way? A desperate, grubby woman who can only survive by selling her body.”

  She stared at him for a moment. “Same time on Friday?” she asked finally.

  “I'll see how I feel,” he replied, pushing the door shut. Heading over to the mirror, he took a moment to adjust his collar, making sure that his police insignias were perfectly lined up. “The people of this island don't know what's good for them,” he muttered to himself. “Without me, they'd have no-one to protect them from the Le Comptes, and then where would they be? Dead, that's where.”

  With that, he saluted his reflection.

  ***

  “Asshole,” Jennifer muttered, hurrying out of the police station's side door. “I swear one day I'll -”

  Before she could finish, she slammed hard into someone who happened to be passing on the pavement. Tripping, she dropped to the ground, landing on her arm and letting out a gasp of pain.

  “Oh, I'm so sorry!” a familiar voice exclaimed. “Jennifer, are you okay?”

  Rolling onto her side, Jennifer looked up and saw Evangeline standing over her, with a bundle of parcels in her arms.

  “I'm fine,” she replied, hauling herself up. “Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going.”

  “Is something wrong?” Evangeline asked, glancing through the door for a moment. “What were you doing in there?”

  “A social visit,” Jennifer told her, while dusting herself down.

  “You're not -”

  “Stop prying!”

  “But -”

  “You know damn well what I was doing in there,” she continued. “Let's just drop it.”

  “Sorry.” Evangeline paused, clearly worried. “So I heard you've got someone staying with you. A woman who arrived on Thaxos recently?”

  “People are already gossiping, are they?”

  “You know what it's like.” She paused again. “Actually, there are some pretty wild rumors going around. The ferry-master says he didn't bring her here, which means... Well, the only way to get to Thaxos is by boat, and if she didn't come on the ferry, that means she must have come alone. Under her own steam, as it were.”

  “You can tell the town gossips not to worry,” Jennifer replied. “Kate's just staying for a short while. She needs to get a few things sorted out.”

  “She's not a spy, is she?”

  “No, she's not a spy.”

  “It's just that people are talking about the way the war's going, and there have been these suggestions that enemies might come south and try to take Thaxos so they can -”

  “She's not a spy,” Jennifer said again, more firmly this time. “For God's sake, does no-one have anything better to do with their time? Please, tell me you're not turning into one of those old crones already. You're only my age, Evangeline.”

  “She was seen going up to the Le Compte house.”

  “That's not a crime.”

  “No, but you have to admit that it's strange. There's -” Stopping suddenly, she smiled at an old man who was making his way past. She kept quiet until he was
far enough gone, and then she turned back to Jennifer. “You've got to admit, it's not exactly normal for a complete stranger to arrive on the island and then go straight to see the Le Comptes. If nothing else, it suggests she must know them somehow, and the last thing we need is more of their type here.”

  “Kate's not one of them,” Jennifer replied. “Drop by the store some time and you can see for yourself. She's just like you and me.”

  “And you're leaving Anna alone with her?”

  “Please don't start questioning my parenting decisions.”

  “I'm sorry, it's just...” Evangeline paused again. “I know it's not really any of my business, but we've been friends since school and I know what you've been through. The attack, everything that happened with Adam... It's understandable that you feel like you're alone, but please try not to make bad decisions. You shouldn't just invite this strange woman into your home, it's not safe.”

  “You're right,” Jennifer replied, “it isn't any of your business.” With that, she turned and walked away.

  “I didn't mean to upset you!” Evangeline called after her. “Jennifer, please! I'd never...” Sighing, she realized it was too late, so she turned and began to make her way back to the post office. When she reached the next corner, however, she stopped suddenly as she spotted a figure hurrying past the wall of the olive grove. She stepped back, keen not to attract Madeleine Le Compte's attention, and she held her breath until the figure had disappeared down another street.

  Making the sign of the cross on her chest, she hurried home.

  IV

  “Now just you listen to me,” Father Gregory said, marching along the aisle that ran from the main door to the altar. “If someone is in here, I want him to identify himself immediately! I won't have childish games being played in the house of the Lord!”

  Stopping by the altar, he looked around but still saw nothing.

  “I've heard you several times today,” he continued. “Edward Goodson, is it you? Are you trying to scare me? It won't work, you know. The Lord sees everything, and your parents will be informed!”

  He waited, and a moment later he heard the faintest of whispers coming from nearby. Turning, he still saw no-one.

  “Who's there?” he called out, making his way past the pews. “I demand to know who is in this church! Show yourself!”

  ***

  “I just want to know if you're coming to my wedding,” Estella said, struggling to hold back more tears. “Mother, please -”

  “Tell her to leave,” Nora snapped, turning to her husband, “and make sure she understands this time that she must never come back!”

  “Your mother is very troubled,” Tom Graves said, stepping toward Estella. “If you could perhaps give her a little more time...”

  “I've given her all the time in the world,” Estella replied desperately. “Will she talk to me tomorrow? The next day? Tell me when to come and I'll be here, but she never even looks at me!”

  “Just give her time,” he replied, lowering his voice a little. “She's trying to adjust, really, I promise, but it's not easy. She's still...” He glanced over his shoulder, as if he was checking whether they might be overheard. “You know how she is,” he continued, turning back to Estella. “It's like before, only worse.”

  “Why hasn't she left?” Nora asked, staring determinedly at the fireplace. “I can feel the evil in the room.”

  “She doesn't mean that,” Tom said calmly.

  “She does,” Estella replied, feeling a cold shiver pass through her body. “She means every word of it.”

  “Tell her not to return to this house,” Nora continued, “until she has rejected the evil of that man! Tell her she's now welcome!”

  “I love Edgar!” Estella said firmly, pushing past her father and hurrying across the room. “Why don't you understand that?”

  “Get her away from me!” Nora shrieked, rising from her armchair and making her way clumsily to the door. “I don't want her touching me!”

  “What do you think I am?” Estella asked, wiping away another tear that had begun to run down her cheek. “Mother, look at me, I'm still your daughter! I'm still the little girl you raised! Do you think I'm some kind of demon just because I'm with him now? If you'll just give Edgar a chance -”

  “Don't say that name!” she screamed, turning and covering her face with her arms. “Don't utter such loathsome things in a house of God! Not unless you want your tongue removed!”

  “Perhaps this isn't the best time,” Tom said, putting a hand on his daughter's shoulder. “I'm sure she'll come around before too long.”

  “How can you possibly believe that?” Estella asked, watching as her mother cowered by the door. “Based on what? Her infinite capacity for compassion?” She turned to him. “I'm not asking her to like Edgar, I'm not even asking her to help me in any way. All I want is for the pair of you to come to my wedding and try to be happy for me! I'm marrying the man I love, and I intend to build a family with him.” She waited for him to reply. “What about your grandchildren? When Edgar and I start our family, don't you want to see your -”

  “Demons!” Nora screeched, suddenly rushing across the room and lunging at Estella, pushing her back against the wall. “Do not allow demons into your body!”

  “That's enough,” Tom said, trying to pull his wife back. “Nora, you're -”

  “If you let his seed inside,” Nora continued, leaning closer to Estella and finally looking her in the eye, “it'll rip its way out nine months later and another of those monsters will be born on this island! That's all he wants from you, you know. He wants a womb to carry his foul, rotting child and when he's done with you, he'll leave you bleeding to death on the ground!”

  “Mother, please -”

  “And you're too stupid to realize!”

  “Come away,” Tom said, tugging gently on her arm. “This does no-one any good.”

  “He has already begun to change you,” Nora continued, reaching up and placing a shaking hand on the side of Estella's face. “Evil is slipping into the cracks of your soul and soon it will begin to grow.”

  “You're wrong, mother,” Estella replied, her voice trembling with shock. “You're so very wrong...”

  “Then take the test,” she continued, reaching over to the bookshelf and picking up a leather-bound bible. “I dare you, child. Hold this in your hand and see that your flesh doesn't burn!”

  Estella stared at the book, but she held back from accepting her mother's offer.

  “You daren't,” Nora hissed. “You know the truth!”

  Turning to her father, Estella saw that he seemed to be waiting, as if he too wanted to see what would happen. Finally, taking the bible from her mother's hands, she held it firmly while staring into the old woman's eyes. As the seconds ticked past, she felt a growing sense of relief as she realized that her hands weren't burning.

  “See?” she asked finally. “I could stand here and hold this bible all day and all night, for twenty days and twenty nights, and still it wouldn't burn. Edgar is not what you think he is, mother. I'm not saying that he's perfect, but was father perfect when you married him? Is any man?”

  “He has even taught you to deceive the godly,” her mother replied, taking a step back. “It's worse than I feared.”

  “Take it,” Estella said, holding the bible out to her. “I know I'll never satisfy your demands.”

  “I don't want that book in this house anymore,” Nora said firmly, “not after it has been contaminated!”

  “Perhaps you should leave,” Tom said, taking the bible. “Estella, I know this must be difficult for you to accept, but your mother has been under a lot of strain lately, and it's not all because of you. She fell last week and fractured her hip, and then she -”

  “Don't make excuses,” Estella replied, interrupting him. “I was wrong to come here. She's never going to see the truth.” Turning, she hurried to the door and pulled it open, only to stop and turn back after stepping outside. Sh
e waited as her father caught up to her, but she could see the concern in his eyes. “Will you come, at least?” she asked. “I know she won't, but you, father... You'll come to my wedding?”

  He opened his mouth to reply, but something seemed to be holding him back.

  “Father,” she continued, “please...”

  “It would be difficult,” he said cautiously. “Please try to understand.”

  “You have the same fears as her?”

  “It's not that, I just...” He paused. “You're a grown woman, Estella, and you've made your choice. Now you must live with the consequences. I'm sure you'll live a happy life up there in that man's home, but no-one can live in two worlds at once. When you marry him, you'll cease to be a part of this town and you'll cease to be a part of this...” He held out the bible for her. “Take it. It was your grandfather's and I'm sure he'd want you to have it.”

  “Are you scared to have it in your home too?” she asked, as another tear ran down her cheek. “Now that I've contaminated it?”

  “Take it,” he said again, gently placing it in her hands. “You should at least have one thing to remind you of your old...” His voice trailed off. “Good luck. I'll always think of you while you're up there, but I can do no more than that. It's not that unusual, Estella. When a woman takes a husband, she should devote herself entirely to him. This way of doing things is for the best.” Turning, he headed back inside and pushed the door shut.

  Looking down at the bible in her trembling hands, Estella felt a wave of sorrow starting to rise through her body, but she was able to hold it back before she was completely overwhelmed. Taking a deep breath, she turned and began to make her way along the street, and somehow she managed to keep going even though she felt that she might collapse at any moment. She told herself that she could cry when she got back to the mansion, when she found a quiet room where no-one would find her; for now, she was determined to hold her head high as she walked through the town, even though she was well aware of the glances that were being cast in her direction by fearful locals, many of whom had once been her friends.