Under a Ghostly Moon (Jerry Moon Supernatural Thrillers Book 1) (16 page)

"
Yes, Sonia did mention a girl called Lorraine to me when we were discussing the Goths who’d gone missing from the
Hangman's Rest
.  It was me who suggested she should pass the information on to the police."

"
God, the
Hangman's Rest
," Whatley grimaced.  "Where did they come up with such a bloody awful name for a pub? It just sounds like trouble waiting to happen."

"
It's traditional, apparently the old Bristol gallows used to be near there."

"
I can bloody well believe it.  I guess that's always been a bit of a problem area."  Moon knew that the part of town around the
Rest
had actually been quite prosperous at times in the past but this was probably not the best time to give Whatley a lesson in local history.  "Anyway, Miss Newton's body was wrapped in bin-liners and left in a dark corner in one of the back alleys, a short walk up the road from the pub.  It must have lain there for several months but no one noticed it, probably because there's so much rubbish piled up back there.  You know what Stoke's Croft is like, with all those dodgy take-aways - some of the garbage piled around her smelt worse than the body.  One of our scene-of-crime officers found her while they were searching the area for clues to the Llewellyn murder."

"
So, was there anything to connect her death with the other murder?" Moon was intrigued.  More than one Goth murder in the same area suggested the start of a possible pattern.

"
Well, as you can guess, the body wasn't in the best of conditions after so long out in the open, but the autopsy suggests a similar modus operandi.”  Whatley regarded Moon seriously for a second.  “This isn’t to go beyond me and you, okay?  But Forensics found evidence of a bite on Miss Newton’s neck, similar to the one found on Mr Llewellyn.  We're very keen to get this nasty business solved as quickly as possible, Mr Moon, before it turns into a serial killing spree.  In my case even to the point of accepting some supernatural help if it's offered… so why don't you keep your radar on alert and give me regular updates on what your friends on the other side have to say? I can treat you as an anonymous informant, if you like.  So there'll be no need to mention us consulting a ‘psychic’ or to draw attention to you in any way... what do you think?"

"
Well, I’d like to see an end to these killings as much as you do, Inspector, but I’d prefer that my employers didn’t hear about this. As long as I can rely on you to keep my contribution confidential I don't see why we can't come to some arrangement."

"
Wonderful, it'll be easier from my point of view as well if we can keep the whole supernatural angle hidden.  Looks dreadful in the paperwork and it tends to interfere with one's promotion prospects." Whatley winked one bright blue eye at Moon.

"
If you don't mind I'll be going now, Inspector Whatley," said Moon looking at his watch.  "It's four thirty already.  I start work at eight and I need to catch up on a few things before then."

"
Fine, Mr Moon, but keep in touch. I'll let you know any fresh developments from our end." Whatley opened the interview room door for him.  "Goodbye for now."

As he walked back home
Moon wondered about the possible consequences of this new development.  He was dumbfounded that a policeman like Whatley seemed so willing to accept the idea of contacting the dead, when he, himself, had so much trouble accepting the existence of his
gift
to begin with.  This new development would certainly make helping Uri to solve the mystery of Dominic's murder less difficult.  However, he thought he might find it hard to protect the secret of Uri's true nature from the detective.  The vampire had probably used his glamour to cloud Whatley's mind, the way he had done with Moon the first time he had seen him.  The Inspector certainly seemed convinced that Uri and the girls were human, which was fine as far as it went, but Moon suspected that a mind like a vice lurked behind Whatley's scruffy exterior.  You didn't get to be a detective inspector without having a certain capacity for winkling out the truth.  Moon was certain that if Whatley grew suspicious that he had been deceived he would probably decide to subject Uri to much closer scrutiny.

The news that the shadowy figure that Moon had
nicknamed the 'Ghost Eater' had graduated from attacking spirits to inciting attacks on living people was also worrying.  Moon wondered what it could possibly hope to gain from this.  Benjamina Jones’ ravings before she attacked him hinted that the evil creature was somehow intending to appropriate material power.  Despite its unusual diet, the Ghost Eater seemed to be just another kind of ghost, so how could it hope to have power over the living... and what could it possibly gain from it? His discussion with Uri about the power of belief may have given him the beginnings of an answer but what he was contemplating was patently absurd.  The thing couldn't be building a gathering of followers, could it? Or perhaps it believed it could draw others in once it began to organise the core of unstable individuals it already had under its influence.

Moon finally got back to his flat at about ten past five.  Feeling the effects of his interrupted lunch, he fixed himself a Spanish omelette, which he ate in front of the television before having a quick shower.  He was sitting on his bed in his bathrobe drying his hair when the phone rang.  He threw the damp towel onto the floor and quickly grabbed the receiver.  "Moon," he said brusquely, knowing this would probably throw any unknown caller off their guard.  He had decided long ago that most anyone who called without know his name was probably trying to sell him something so if he could catch them wrong-footed at the start it was all for the best.

"
Hi, Jerry," said Sonia's voice from the receiver.  "You know you could really do with brushing up your telephone manner."

"
Thus spake the telesales rep," replied Moon, grinning.

"
Well, everyone's got to make a living somehow. We can't all be trained professionals like you."

"'
Semi-professional', please," replied Moon, shaking his head even though Sonia couldn't see him.  "That's a special term the Government invented specifically for nurses, so they don't have to pay us professional rates."

"
My heart bleeds for you.  So what kind of afternoon have you had, mister gets-up-at-two-o'clock?"

"
Well, apart from the attempted stabbing, most of it was okay."

"
Someone tried to
stab
you?" Sonia's voice raised two octaves with outraged disbelief.

"
Well, it’s not the first time.  I’ll tell you about my adventures in Casualty some day.  But this time was a bit special – a crazy ‘holy-roller’ tried to kill me because 'the Master' told her to do it." Moon described his afternoon's encounters to Sonia, including his meeting with Whatley.

"
So now you're what… some kind of supernatural snitch?"

"
I suppose so."

"
Does that mean you'll have to start wearing a scruffy Mac and a tweed cap, start smoking dog-ends and talk in a miserable cockney accent?"

"
You’ve been watching too many
Callan
re-runs on cable - not all police informants are socially inadequate, you know.  Anyway, I see myself more in the role of the civilian specialist who helps the police with unsolvable cases out of the goodness of my heart."

"
How philanthropic of you… I can’t wait to see the mini-series." Sonia chuckled.  "It's good news though, isn't it? Now you can let the police in on everything you know so they'll be able to catch the killer. Then we can stop worrying about the safety of the local ghoulies and ghosties and have more time for making mad, passionate love."

"
I don't know.  I'm a bit worried that I might accidentally out Uri as a vampire.  There's also something about this other thing, the creature that's attacking the ghosts, that makes me wonder whether it might be connected to the murders in some way.  Plus all this somehow seems to be centred on Uri.  I’m not saying he’s involved in any way but he seems to be the focus of all this nastiness.  It’s as if Uri’s attracted the interest of something evil and it’s toying with him… and trying to draw attention to him.  Uri's managed to convince Whatley that he's not a vampire for the time being but if Whatley turns over enough stones..." Moon left the consequence hanging and decided to change the subject.  "Anyway, speaking of mad passionate love how's the old...?"

"
Oh, much better thanks.  I hope you've nothing planned for tomorrow night because I intend to ravish you repeatedly."

"
I'll have to see if I've got a window…  Oh damn! I meant to ask you.  Uri's agreed to teach me the noble art of psychic self-defence.  We'll be getting together on Monday night but he suggested it would be better if we could get started some time over the weekend.  Do you mind if I spend part of Saturday night learning how to zap nasties?"

"
Not if I can come along.  I've been dying to have a nose around Uri's place."

"
Okay, I thought you might want to tag along and Uri's cool with it.  It's likely to run late though, Uri and I are both night owls, or should that be 'bats' in Uri’s case?"

Sonia laughed
.  "Don't worry; if it gets too late I'll just curl up in a corner and go to sleep." Moon was puzzled by a faint popping on the other end of the phone for a few seconds and then realised that it was Sonia tapping the receiver with a fingernail.  It was a little habit she had when she was thinking hard about something.  "But what do you think this ghost eater of yours is really up to? Bullying the local oddballs into assaulting people seems an odd pastime even for a spook."

"
I don't know," Moon confessed, sitting forward on the bed.  "I wondered if it might be trying to establish some sort of powerbase in the 'real' world…”

“Can it really do that?”

  “I'm not sure.  I’ve never heard of anything like it before.  I mean, Bristol may have its fair share of weird characters but I can't see how making them attack people can further the Ghost Eater’s cause.  Can you?"

"
Not unless it gets something out of the attacks themselves,” replied Sonia thoughtfully. “Who knows, perhaps it's doing all these horrible things out of pure sadism." Moon could sense the depth of Sonia's concern at the other end of the phone.  "You just be careful, Jerry, this thing sounds dangerous."

"
I'll do my best to take care of myself.  Hopefully, these sessions with Uri will help give me some kind of edge on the bad guys." Moon realised that he was more anxious about this than he had thought.  "I've never been worried about being able to contact the spirits before now, you know.  I've always thought of them as just people without their bodies and it's never once crossed my mind that they might be able to hurt anyone.”  The image of the Jenny Greenteeth entered his head unbidden.  He shuddered with the chill the memory sent through him.  “Though I can say that I've met some pretty nasty things over the last couple of days that have made me reconsider somewhat.  Let's hope that Uri really can help."

"
Yes, let's." Moon could hear the worry in Sonia's voice.  "I'm sure he will. He's very impressive in action, I can vouch for that." Their conversation then drifted away from Uri and the murders.  Before they finally said their goodnights they arranged to meet up at the Hangman's Rest for around seven- thirty the next evening.

Moon had been allocated back on the Cardiology ward for that night, covering for a night staff member who was on holiday.  None of the patients tonight were particularly unwell, although the lady who had been experiencing problems a couple of nights earlier was still considered to be in a bit of a 'brittle' condition so she was receiving continuous oxygen therapy and on hourly observations.

When they had finished the late drug round and settled the patients into bed, Moon and the rest of the nursing staff sat at the nurses
' station with cups of tea or coffee while he and Svetlana, one of the permanent Cardiology nurses updated the patients' notes.  Later they chatted quietly for a while as they worked on some less demanding paperwork in
preparation for the next shift.

About two
in the morning Svetlana went off the ward to take her mid-shift break.  Jenny one of the healthcare assistants had popped outside for one of her frequent cigarette breaks and the other healthcare assistant, Juni, was recording the two o'clock vital signs observations for those who needed them.  This left Moon sitting alone at the nurses' station.  He was making a few notes for his article on his palmtop organiser, when his attention was abruptly drawn to the behaviour of his retinue of ghost globes.  He had grown quite used to the tiny blue lights following him and had begun to ignore them but something was definitely bothering them.  They had been drifting gently around the ward, flitting inquisitively in and out of corners and, he supposed, getting the feel of the place.  But now they were all huddled together under the resuscitation trolley as if they were frightened of something.  Moon reached out with his ghost sense and tried to pinpoint what was upsetting them. After a few second's worth of feeling around, he was drawn to the side cubicle that belonged to Mrs Brent, their 'poorly' patient.