LIFERS. Epilogue, part two.

The right side of Brenda’s face was bruised and she also sported a split lip, but was thankful her eye hadn’t blackened, and even more thankful the police had reached her in time. She pulled a small notepad from her bag and began to read from it.

‘According to the police report, the patrol car Robertson used turned out to be a movie prop stolen nine years ago from a film set on location in Roanoke, and his uniform came from the costume department of the same set.’

Larry said, ‘You mean the cruiser on the edge of town as you drive in?’ He looked at Gregg. ‘The one with the obvious mistake of having no town name above the badge on the door?’

‘That’s what it was,’ Gregg said. ‘I knew there was something not right about that car the second I saw it, but I just couldn’t work out what it was.’

Larry raised an eyebrow. ‘Even Stevie Wonder couldn’t have missed that one, Gregg.’

‘Stevie who?’

‘Never mind.’

Brenda continued, ‘The police found the blue Ford by the way, it was hidden in a garage around the back of the Brontrose place. Which, according to Celia, only Mason ever used and he alone had keys for. So there’s smething else she’ll probably get away with.’

‘Well what about the store of blood we found?’ said Jill. ‘The boxes were emblazoned with the letters B-P-L and the PuriCell trademark. Can’t they be traced back to her? Surely she can’t deny knowledge of that?’

‘Apparently she can,’ Brenda said, and flicked over a page. ‘Celia Brontrose reported the theft of one of her transport vehicles to the Lynchburg P.D. just over a week ago. And just happened to be the same day Ellie Vincent appeared on CNN after hiring us. The vehicle turned up four days later about fifty miles from Martinsville, empty of course.’

‘Well,’ Gregg said, ‘it looks like she had some idea this was all going to come to a head and started to cover her tracks. Guess she really is a psychic after all … eh, Larry.’

Larry scoffed. ‘Phuh, psychic my─’

Brenda slapped her pad across his arm.

‘Well she’s one hell of a cunning, scheming, conniving …’ he trailed off.

‘So you honestly believe she knew exactly what Mason was up to?’ Brenda said.

‘I’ll say,’ insisted Larry. ‘Tell me, Bren, how long after we left you at the lake did Mason turned on you?’

‘Almost right away, as I watched you and Celia drive off I started to make the call to the police and that’s when he snatched the phone from me and knocked me unconscious. Next thing I’m aware of is me tied up on a bed with my mouth covered in sticky-tape and Mason coming into the cabin of the boat. He began to untie me and that’s when I started to fight for my life.’

Larry shook his head. ‘Celia Brontrose called Mason from my cell phone about thirty to forty minutes after we left you at the lake. And, in my opinion, her conversation didn’t sound the slightest bit legit, claimed you were on your phone, and then all of a sudden my phone falls from her hand and out the window. That, as far as I’m concerned, was to stop me trying to contact you. Oh believe me, she knew all right.’

‘Well,’ said Brenda. ‘It’s over now and I’m fine.’ She edged nearer to Larry, linked his arm. ‘And you, Mister Kessler, have a dinner date tonight.’

Larry was about to speak when a young nurse knocked and entered. ‘Mister Pieroni, this was left at reception for you,’ she said, and passed it to him.

‘Did you see who left it?’

‘A young blonde woman, I think it was the girl from the news, Marianna somebody.’

‘Did she leave a message?’

‘Only that I should give this to you and you would know exactly what to do with it.’

He took a large brown UPS envelope from the nurse and opened it.

‘What is it, Gregg?’ Larry asked.

As he read the letter to himself, a smile grew across his face. ‘Well now,’ he said. ‘Let’s just say there’s a certain little psychic lady not too far from here, whom, after we give this to the police, could soon be looking at life in prison. And in her case, life in prison could mean a very, very, long time.’

‘Hallelujah,’ Larry said. ‘Looks like justice will prevail after all. Let me see it.’

Gregg passed the letter over. ‘There’s one thing I’m puzzled about, Brenda,’ he said.

She turned to face him. ‘And what’s that?’

‘You were tied up on a boat, had no way of letting anyone know where you were, then you ended up at the bottom of a lake where you drowned, am I right?’

She nodded. ‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘Well how the hell did the police know you were in trouble in the first place, and, where to look for you?’

‘Mitch Newbury, the officer who dragged me from the lake, told me that when Mason snatched my cell phone he didn’t end the call, and because I’d said the words “Dead body” they saw it as a valid reason to have the location of the phone traced. Apparently they were able to pin-point it to within a couple of metres.’

In some considerable pain, but with the greatest measure of enthusiasm, Nick sat up and looked at both Jill and Gregg. ‘See,’ he said, his face the picture of pure agony. ‘Now will you believe me?’ He pointed to the ceiling, but this time neither whispered nor mimed the words. ‘It’s THEM.’

..........................................Martinsville..........................................

Forensics experts eventually finished with Martinsville after finding an undisclosed amount of human remains there. Even so, it was reported by the press that a police insider informed them the amount of bodies found was thought to be well over a thousand, and that didn’t include the remains of the residents from the cinema. DNA testing will in some way come close to the total figure, but those results could take months, or possibly even years to collate.

The police questioned Gregg, Nick and Jill a number of times with regard to the deaths of the people in the cinema, but any charges brought against them in that respect were unequivocally quashed by the very grateful, and most influential, Senator Edward Walsh.

The town of Martinsville still stands, but the cinema and town hall were completely destroyed that morning. And the demolition of the remaining buildings is scheduled to take place as soon as possible.

People still lose their way now and then when driving along the dark and quiet roads that surround Martinsville. And even though the dogs were removed and humanely dealt with; howling, of sorts, can still sometimes be heard coming from beneath the charred remains of the town hall, especially after the sun has set. And even more so when someone has lost their way, and rather than keep on going, arrive at Martinsville to seek shelter…

THE END
OR IS IT?