Spiritwalker (25 page)

Finally hours later he glanced at his watch and summoned the waiter, he signed for his meal and drinks left a hefty tip and headed off again. Anna was totally bored and glad to be on the move again. He drove for almost an hour, before braking sharply in front of some electric gates. He fumbled around for a moment and finding an object pointed it forward and the gates swung open noiselessly. He drove up the drive, parked the car in a large garage which housed two other vehicles. He took out his briefcase and his overnight bag and placed the overnight bag on the passenger seat of the larger vehicle. Still with his briefcase in his hand he headed for a side door, slid the key in the lock once inside he punched a code into the security keypad. He stopped for a moment listening, then seemingly satisfied he continued on down the hall and into his study. He went over to the side-board and filled a glass with brandy and sat down. Anna gazed about her, she took in all the framed photos on the mantelpiece and examined each one in turn. Then she came to one which stopped her in her tracks. It was of him and Jane. Jane looked slightly uncomfortable, while he was beaming from ear to ear with his arm around her shoulder. Looking back to where Kingston was sitting she noticed that he had fallen asleep. She waited patiently hoping that this wasn't it. That he wasn't going to stay here all night. Where is he keeping Jane? She wondered.

Her patience was rewarded at about two-thirty in the morning he stirred himself looking at his watch, he cursed and jumped up from his seat. He pulled a bunch of keys from his pocket and headed out into the hall and up the stairs. At the top he turned right and stopping outside a door, picked one of the keys and unlocked it. He switched on the light and walked in.

“Hello My darling. Did you miss me?” He said. Anna saw a figure in the bed come to life and shrink away from him as he approached. She couldn't believe the sight before her. It took her a moment to recognise the woman huddled in the bed. She was horrific looking, her eyes were hollow, dark circles framed the frightened eyes. Her wrists were shackled together and her thin frail body was chained to the bed. A ghost of her former self was how Anna thought of her as she stared in horror at the poor woman in front of her. She watched as Kingston kissed her lightly on the forehead and poured a glass of water for her. She meanwhile was trying to melt into the wall. She looked very lethargic as though she might be drugged. Finally after a while he coaxed her to drink and she drank greedily. He poured another glass for her and she finished that too.

I should go now Anna thought, I know where she is now. I must find Morley and tell him everything. Jane could be home with her family by morning. It was what Kingston said next that stopped her in her tracks.

“Darling, I've a surprise for you?” Jane looked at him fearfully and said nothing.

“We're going away for a while. I'm taking you away for a holiday. You'll love it, you can get better and we can finally be a family.” He rambled on and on talking to her, reassuring her. Anna knew now that she couldn't go she had to stay with them. When Kingston stopped at where ever he was moving Jane to, then she would find Morley.

“Are you an angel? Will you help me?” The sound of Jane's trembling voice shocked Anna. The poor woman was staring up past Kingston and looking directly at her. She can see me Anna thought in amazement. No one had ever seen her before. Some had been aware of her presence, but not known what it was that they were sensing. “I'm going to help you, I'm going to get you out of her soon.” Anna promised, hoping that Jane could hear and understand her. Kingston thinking that she was looking at him and addressing him, took it as a break through and scooped her into his arms crooning softly to her as he kissed her face. Anna watched in disgust as he held Jane’s feeble body against his. Anna wondered where Kingston was going to take Jane. She hadn't overheard the conversation about booking the ferry to France. If she had she would have left immediately. She had a fear of water that would have persuaded her do anything rather than cross the channel. In her spirit state she was terrified of water. It confused and disorientated her to the extent that she blacked out and when she finally returned to her body she couldn’t remember anything.

Kingston freed Jane's wrists and unshackled her from the bed. He undressed her down to her under-wear, Anna could see more clearly her thin emaciated body. He went over to the dressing table and removed some clothes. Jane just lay there shivering waiting for her abductor to return. She didn't even have the strength to sit up properly. Kingston came back with her clothes and dressed her carefully. He left the room briefly and returned with his briefcase. Opening it he took out another syringe and vial and filling the syringe with the contents of it, he proceeded to inject it into Jane. Anna looked on helplessly as Jane struggled feebly against him. Within moments she was unconscious and Kingston wrapped her in a blanket and throwing her over his shoulder he walked downstairs and out into the garage. He propped her up against the side of the vehicle, opened the back door, lifted up a panel in the floor and to Anna's dismay he placed Jane's unconscious body inside and carefully replaced the panel. No one would ever guess that she was in there unless they had prior knowledge of its existence. He closed the door, returned to the house and locked everything up tight again before hopping into the driver’s seat and driving off.

Anna watched from the back seat as they journeyed into the night. She prayed that it wasn't going to be a long trip. She now understood the urgency of Simi's appeal, when she had come to her in the night to warn her that Jane hadn't much time. Little more than a week at best Anna thought as they drove through the night. Sitting in the back she lost track of time, they must have been travelling for nearly two hours. He had stopped briefly at a motorway service station to refill with diesel and he had returned with a shopping bag of groceries. Anna stayed in the vehicle not wanting to leave Jane by herself. It still hadn't registered with her that he was headed for Dover until he pulled into the ferry port. “Oh no!” Anna gasped as she realised where she was and where he was going. Not France she prayed in vain. Kingston handed the port official his passport and travel documents. He was told to hurry that the ferry was leaving shortly. On to the ferry he drove smiling at how easy it had been.

What should she do? She couldn't leave Jane now. The ferry only took just over an hour to France. What if she couldn't get back to her body in time to alert the police or Morley? Kingston could be going anywhere in France or Belgium, anywhere on the continent in fact. She had never travelled so far from her body before and was worried how long it would take to get back. It wasn't that she was afraid that she couldn't return, she was certain she could. It was the water that worried her. She couldn't cross large expanses of water. It did something to her, made her feel all strange; made her want to float away into oblivion. She had tried crossing water a few times, the lake near her home when she was younger but every time she tried she got lost and eventually woke up not knowing how she got back to her body. The last time she had tried she had awoken to discover her sister sitting beside her bed calling her name. She had lost a full afternoon not knowing what had happened. She vowed from then on not to try again. Perhaps it will be different this time she persuaded herself. I'll just stay in the Land Rover with Jane and wait until we reach land. Maybe if I'm in a vehicle I'll be fine. The first half an hour of the sailing was fine. She just concentrated on staying where she was. Kingston had gone somewhere so she was alone with Jane beneath her feet. It was the remainder of the journey that was the problem. She could feel the pull of the water and she had to make a supreme effort to remain where she was. The water tugged at her spirit it was becoming impossible to ignore. She never thought she would be glad to see Kingston when he unlocked the door and sat back in. She watched barely able to concentrate as he keyed an address into his sat nav. She knew they must be close to port now. If she could only hang on for a few more minutes, she would be on land again and it would renew her strength. She knew it was in vain she felt the call of the sea and she hadn't any more strength to resist. The last thing she remembered was her spirit floating up, away from the Land Rover, away from the ferry and into oblivion.

Chapter thirty four

He was relieved to finally reach the port. So far everything was going according to plan. Now all he had to worry about was getting past the port officials. It wasn't usually a problem he had never been stopped and searched before. Luck was with him that morning. A group of young people, looking suspiciously like hippies, the type that always get searched, had been pulled over and their camper van was being searched by customs officers. He was only asked to show his passport and after the official gave a cursory glance at it and in the back window of the Jeep he was waved through. He weaved his way through the French towns and finally the Sat Nav informed him that he had reached his destination. The Green's villa was down a private cul-de-sac, overlooking the sea. It was a typical French building, the whiteness of the wall contrasted with the greenness of the surrounding gardens. The front lawn was as smooth and level as a football pitch. He found the key where he had been told, unlocked the front door, entered the security code and he was in. He heaved a huge sigh of relief, he had made it. He carefully checked every room, he wanted one that was secure enough to hold Jane. Upstairs he found the perfect one. The shutters were secure and the door was sturdy, it had a small en suite with only a tiny window. No fear that she could escape through that he calculated. Satisfying himself that no one else was around, that he wasn't being watched by prying eyes he returned to the Land Rover and released Jane from her prison. The feeling that he was being watched had long gone and he was totally relaxed. Just him and Jane and all the time in the world for her to get better and for them to start their new lives afresh.

Jane was still unconscious as he carried her up the stairs and into the bedroom. He lay her on the bed, she was just beginning to come around from the effects of the strong sedative he had given her earlier. She moaned loudly and her body began to shake violently, her head which had been lolling to one side now jerked uncontrollably, and froth was spilling from her mouth. “Shit, what's happening?” He said aloud as he inserted his finger into her mouth to make sure she didn't swallow her tongue. He remembered Dr. Naizi telling him to be careful with the sedative, as it was liable to cause seizures if over used. He made up his mind to cut back on it and only to use it on Jane if absolutely necessary. He held her tightly to him and waited for the seizure to pass. She moaned again and her eyes fluttered open. It took her a moment to register his presence, she was still groggy from the drugs. Her feeble attempts to push against him went unnoticed. He stroked her hair and continued to hold her. She eventually ceased struggling and just gave up realising it was futile.

“May I have a glass of water?” She managed to say despite the dryness of her tongue. It felt like a hard dry lump in her mouth. She tried to lick her parched lips but failed. Smiling he lay her down on the bed and covered her with the comforter from the end of the bed.

“I'll be back in a few minutes.” He assured her as he left locking the door behind him. He returned with a large pitcher of water and filled a glass for her. She drank thirsty, her tongue slowly began to feel normal again and she was beginning to feel revived. He allowed her to drink as much as she wanted, then he told her to rest. Locking her in once more, satisfied that there was no way she could injure herself or escape, he left and went into the adjoining bedroom. He was exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before and the stress of the past few weeks. He fell fast asleep and it was mid-afternoon before he woke up.

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As soon as Jane was left alone she tried to sit up and heave herself out of the bed and failed, she was very weak and quiet groggy still. He hadn't restrained her in any way and it was the first time in days that he hadn't drugged her. She didn't think it was an oversight, more likely he was certain that there was no way of escape and nothing with which she could injure herself. He has even taken the glass and pitcher with him, she thought bitterly as she studied her new surroundings. It was daytime outside that much she was sure of. The beams of light were breaking through the window shutters. Where has he taken me? She wondered as she looked around her new prison. The room was large enough but devoid of any ornaments or pictures. A large tapestry hanging on the wall opposite was the only decoration. The walls were of an uneven stone and painted white, and the floor had dark terracotta tiles. The interior reminded her of her holiday home in Spain. It had that same cool Mediterranean feel to it. Had he taken her to Spain? it wasn't her holiday home in on the Costa del Sol but it might be his. She dismissed that thought, how could he possibly have smuggled her out of Britain. Even if he had her passport surely someone would have noticed the state of her and asked questions. It never dawned on her that he might have taken her to France on the ferry, since she didn't remember the ferry trip.

Lying back against the pillows she began to asses her situation. What could she do? She was no longer wanted to die, she wanted to live, and she wanted to be free again. She missed her family, her daughters, her sister, even her two timing husband. She wasn't going to let this bastard win. He wasn't going to get away with kidnapping her. She thought about the things she could do. I can't do much like this, she thought as she examined her too thin body, he's too strong for me to fight. I'm going to have to outwit him. She decided her best course of action was to let him think he was winning, that she was finally giving in. He wanted a wife and family, well she was bloody well going to make him believe that that was what she wanted too. Her heart went cold as she remembered how he had told her he was going to bring Sassy to her. She had to get him to forget any thoughts of her niece. She didn't want him to start thinking that they could have a baby together, the thought of sex with him made her want to gag. So far, apart from that first night when she had allowed him to drive her home, he hadn't laid a hand on her sexually. First though she knew she had to regain her strength again. She realised that she had to start eating, she had barely eaten a thing since her capture and it showed. Her ribs were protruding through her skin, she looked skeletal. However long it took, she was going to gain her strength and his trust. She remembered the dream she had last night, she had seen her guardian angel. A beautiful apparition had come to her and promised to help. She had been falling further and further into a deep despair until that moment, only wishing for a swift death. That angel had strengthened her spirit and her resolve. She hadn't been one to believe in God or the afterlife until then, she remembered something her mother used to say to herself and Eva when they were growing up. “God helps those who help themselves.” Well by fuck, she thought I’m going to give God every chance to help me.