Darkness Dominates - Chapter 19

Pippa watched Leola pour some Martini into a tumbler behind the bar. She added some blood from a plastic pouch and stirred them together.

“There’s enough alcohol in there to get someone seriously drunk twice over, Leola.”

“Only those with human constitutions, Pippa”

“Robert said something along those lines. Why did you tell him to leave?”

In one go, Leola downed the entire contents of the glass. She didn’t put it back on the bar until it was empty.

“Because we’ve got things to discuss – and they’re not for anyone’s ears but ours.”

“What things?”

“To begin with, once Emily and Lynette have been liquidated, I intend to step down as leader of ‘The Guild’.”

“So, the coup was temporary.”

“It was always going to be so, Pippa; I was only intending to be this council’s chairperson until the execution of Emily and Lynette. Once they’re dead, I’ll name my successor, and then I’m leaving Alvenshnire.”

“How long for”

“Probably a century and a half, Pippa”

“Why are you staying away from the county for that length of time?”

“My being a part of your lives has kicked up a hell of a lot of dust. 150 years is sufficient to allow it to settle.”

Leola came out from the staff side of the bar and made her way over to Pippa.

“I hope you’re not going to ask me to replace you – the outgoing mayor wants me to step into his shoes. I’m still anxious that they might be too big for me to fill.”

Opening the reply meant to reassure with 21^st century teen speak, Leola said “Chillax, you’re not the one I have in mind to take over from me.”

“So, who do you want to succeed you then?”

“You’ll know soon enough. We need to discuss one of the reasons our chat has to remain private.”

“Which is?”

“My third daughter”

“I thought you said you’ll never reveal anything about her.”

“That was for Robert’s benefit more than for yours. He had to believe I’d never share information about her with anyone.”

“So why am I being given this info?”

“Because my instincts tell me you’ll be able to keep a secret that’ll protect someone.”

In Pippa’s left ear, Leola whispered the name of Emily and Lynette’s half-sister. When she’d told her who it was, Pippa instantly understood why Leola wanted her identity to remain a secret; the name was one she recognised. The logic behind her being entrusted with this detail was clear to her straight away.

“Don’t say that name aloud” said Leola, looking at her surroundings. “These walls have ears!”

“You probably saw that poster on a lot of walls during World War 2”

“I wasn’t in the UK back then. I was...”

All of a sudden, Pippa gave her handbag a terse glance. She’d started to hear her ringtone from within it.

“Sorry, do you mind if I take this?”

“It’s fine”

She immediately answered it. Pippa recognised the voice on the other end as Paula’s. Mrs Davidson started talking to her before she could even say “Hello?” This phone conversation began with her revealing that she’d heard Mayor Anthony announcing his successor on local radio.

“Mayor Trennell, I know you’ve got a lot on your plate, given your new responsibilities, but I need you to come down to the school urgently! I’ve a serious situation on my hands.”

“It’s going to be a few days before I can officially be called that.”

Swiftly adjusting her mindset, Pippa realised this wasn’t the issue here.

“Sure, I’ll get down to the school as soon as I can.”

Pippa then heard a click on Mrs Davidson’s end of the line.

“I’ve got to go, Leola – something’s happened at Rosie’s school – I don’t know what!”

Stood inches behind her, Rosie said “Katy’s been snatched by my dad’s killers, mum!”

For a second, Pippa’s eyes opened as wide as physically possible. She then turned to Leola again.

“I know they murdered my husband, but will they kill Katy?”

“They won’t, if you turn yourself over to them” Rosie said hurriedly. It was obvious to her mum and to Leola she was already in favour of the swap. Rosie had seen this situation in films and TV countless times. She’d been against the hero negotiating with the villains. Since it was happening to Katy for real, her attitude was the opposite of that one.

Pippa was startled by Leola suddenly shaking her hand. The gesture was completely out of the blue.

“This is goodbye, slash farewell” she said to Rosie as well as Pippa.

“You’re going to execute them now?”

“I’m out of options, except that one, Pippa. Katy’s an innocent bystander, as was Doug. I’m not going to let her end up dead.”

“I didn’t think your lot cared” said Rosie.

“It’s more complex than that, as you’ll discover when – shit!”

The slip of the tongue was wholly accidental. Leola hadn’t intended to reveal that whilst responding to Rosie’s remark. Pippa stared at her tersely. She wanted the circumstances and location to be right before telling Rosie. Leola didn’t say anything else before leaving. Whilst Pippa turned to face her youngest daughter, she made a quick and covert exit as she could.

“What did she mean, mum?”

Pippa made the mistake of saying “Now’s not the time to discuss this!” Rosie thought she was being fobbed off. The second time Rosie asked this, she shouted the question instead of speaking it. Pippa understood her anger. She then realised that there was no ideal time or place in which to come clean.

“You’re a vampire, love – you were changed into one!”

She’d opted to come straight to the point. Building up to this bombshell ran the risk of infuriating her.

Rosie burst out laughing. It was a random reaction. She didn’t have any other she could respond with. The laughter took a moment to subside. There were a few seconds of her breathing a little heavier. The breaths became quicker, and Pippa suddenly became worried Rosie was on the verge of a panic attack. Her breathing slowed down before it could get near that stage.

“Who did this to me?”

On asking, Rosie’s suppressed memory of being turned burst forth. When it had gone from her mind, she stared at Pippa in sheer disbelief. Knowing Rosie had put 2 and 2 together, she tried explaining.

“There wasn’t a choice – I thought you were in danger from the Walsh sisters! They killed your dad! I couldn’t let them murder you or Charlotte too!”

Already plain to Pippa was that her motives were academic now. Leola had made it more her mission to be rid of her daughters than ever. Basically, it seemed that turning Rosie wasn’t necessary after all. Top of the list of Rosie’s feelings at this moment was betrayal. Pippa reached out her left hand to her right shoulder, but it was knocked away.

“I hate you – I so fucking hate you!” yelled Rosie.

Rosie headed right out of the nightclub. She was running blindly, without any route in mind.

Back inside ‘Red Moon’, Pippa felt days of pent-up emotions surging through her like molten lava. The feelings created a burning sensation inside her. As she fell awkwardly to her knees, they reached the surface, becoming volcanic along the way.

“Doug!” screamed Pippa. The collision of sorrow and rage made her vocal expression of grief explosive. “I killed you! I should’ve pretended Skye wasn’t there – looked the other way! I didn’t back then, and I lost my career as a social worker! I didn’t now, and I’ve lost you too!” she roared.

The intensity of the feelings being expressed increased. They progressed to destructive behaviour. Pippa went to town with vandalising the club’s bar. The glasses and bottles behind there were the first casualties. In over five minutes, they were nothing but fragments. The counter itself was then reduced to splinters of wood. Her turbo-charged appetite for destruction didn’t come to an end until Jennifer arrived outside the club. She heard the noise being made and dashed in, running over broken chairs and tables. DCI Stoneham even had to leap over the remnants of a speaker. Its circuitry and wiring were strewn in various directions. Jennifer grappled with Pippa until their eyes were level with one another.

“Hey, look at me, Pippa! Look at me!” she said ferociously. The tone of her command snapped her friend out of her escalating rage. Rosie’s mum came to her senses.

“Just breathe, Pips.”

DCI Stoneham’s second instruction was a little calmer.

“I’ve fucked up!” Pippa said twice. “I shouldn’t have told her!”

Her eyes momentarily drifted away from Jennifer’s. The DCI gently pushed her cheek a little to the left, re-establishing eye contact between them.

“Listen, Pips! Things are going to be weird in your family – I get that! I’ve had nearly 18 years to realise that’s the case. You’ll have Rosie and Charlotte in your life forever. That’ll make it easier for you to cope with the strangeness of it in the long run.”

“I’m not turning Charlotte – not if Leola accomplishes her goal! She’ll be safe once Leola’s daughters are gone.”

“That doesn’t matter – it’s still a better option for her to be turned.”

“Are you going to turn Ali?”

Pippa had asked this so she could deliberately highlight the pointlessness in turning Charlotte.

“I am, yes – after I’ve told her the truth about me.”

“What happened to you keeping the vampire-related stuff from Ali’s life?”

“I realised I couldn’t – I shouldn’t.”

“When did your perspective change so drastically?”

“When I was forced to turn you, Pips! Whatever mess was made by Leola turning Emily and Lynette into vampires, I was able to understand there was a noble intention that had driven her – keeping her daughters safe.”

“And just look how they turned out as a result, Jennifer!”

“Which happened because of how times were when they were made immortal, Pips. Our children have grown up in an age where what happened to the Eddington sisters couldn’t happen today. Be grateful your Rosie and my Ali don’t face that possibility. That’s the advantage we both possess.”

“Disbelief and being told to fuck off is what awaits you if you come clean.”

“I’m prepared for that. You see, I thought I had a choice, but I don’t. This stuff I put on my face will one day end up being useless. 20, 30 years down the line, I won’t be able to maintain the illusion of ageing this stuff creates. There’ll come a day when I have to reveal what I am to Alicia – I think that day has arrived!”

Rosie had been drinking another coffee in Tanaho’s, when she remembered her own unintentional slip-up with Alicia. She imagined it would lead to a bizarre mother-daughter discussion between Alicia and Jennifer. This caused her to start to see Pippa’s take on this situation. She still felt betrayal, but it had lessened during her walk here. This minor change of perspective made her less unforgiving towards her mum. Rosie saw Pippa approaching. Her first impulse was to put her feet on the seat the other side of the table. She kept them on the ground, however.

When her mum did sit down there, Rosie tried to act as if she was invisible. Pippa wasn’t going to put off from talking to her. Rosie was unenthusiastic in acknowledging her presence.

“I hope you’re not expecting a conversation – it’s so not happening!”

“Before that becomes your phrase for today, Rosie, there’s something you need to know about why I intervened over Skye.”

Reluctant as she was to listen, Rosie said “Fine, I’ll hear it!”

“It’s to do with why I left social services.”

“And...”

“I was in Tanaho’s one night, when I saw a fifteen year old girl sat alone at one of the tables. I struck up a conversation with her. She told me her name – Jessie Dwyer. I spotted something under her left sleeve. It turned out to be eleven cigarette burns on that arm. When I reported it to my superiors, the next day, I was informed that she already had a social worker – Eve Tillman – handling her situation.”

“Shirley Tillman’s mum?”

“That’s her, Rosie. She was the most incompetent social worker I ever came across! Eve did bog all to help Jessie! A colleague of mine back then told me that she’d bought every explanation given by Jessie’s mum and stepdad for the bruises and burns on her body. What’s worse, the doctor who examined her told Eve that Jessie was definitely being physically abused – the stupid cow never put that in her report. I made the mistake of telling my bosses this – they fired me instead of her – can you believe that?”

“What happened to Jessie?”

“She went to Canroth railway station and threw herself onto one of the tracks, just as a train was coming that way. You can imagine the rest! And that’s why I brought Miss Linton home with me! I thought I was redeeming myself for not trying harder to help her...but I walked blindly into a situation from a supernatural TV show!”

“Were her mum and stepdad banged up?”

“That’s probably the worst part, Rosie – her committing suicide meant that her accusations could never be proved...one way or the other. The bastards never saw the inside of a courtroom. The CPS didn’t feel there was enough evidence to warrant a trial. They still live somewhere in Alven.”

“They so don’t have any shame!”

The story Pippa was telling seemed to be making it easier to communicate with her daughter, without recriminations spoiling her effort.

“I do, though, Rosie! You’re right to hate me! However, what you’re a few hours from becoming doesn’t have to change your life. I’m not going to let it change mine.”

“You totally sound like one of those women in those TV ads who won’t let their illness win!”

“Maybe that’s the best way to be in this situation, Rosie! It’s not like we can ever be what we’ve become in the real world!”

“I’ve so figured that out for myself, mum! I don’t want to my life to be any different than it was three weeks ago.”

“It won’t be during the daytime.”

In the space of a minute, Rosie finished off her coffee and had taken out her I-Phone.

“Who are you calling?” Pippa asked her daughter.

“Katy’s mum and dad”

“They don’t need to know about this situation!”

“As if, mum! I’m so not telling them that!”

“Then why are you phoning them?”

“To see how they’re holding up”

Rosie’s mundane reason allayed Pippa’s brief anxiety that she was going to blab. When it went to voicemail, Rosie left a message, saying she would try and phone again later.

“Okay mum, let’s go”

“Let’s go where?”

“Home – I take it that’s where we’re headed next!”

“We have to – we can’t finish this conversation properly here”

Rosie was in agreement with her mum – a less than regular occurrence. Within the family home, there was more freedom to talk about their shared situation in detail. When the two of them were back in the house, they made a beeline for the kitchen.

“So what happens now, mum?”

Rosie’s wait for an answer was interrupted by her ringtone. The voice on the other end was Mrs Lonsdale.

“I got your message, Rosie. You’ll have to be quick in telling me why you phoned – we’re going down to the school again! Mrs Davidson rang us several minutes ago, telling us that she’s gotten hold of the CCTV footage showing the main schoolyard at home time. Hold on, Rosie, I need to call you back! Someone’s rang the doorbell.”

Hearing the call had ended, Rosie hung up at her end.

Mrs Lonsdale half-strode, half-dashed down the hallway. Through the two panes of glass in the door, she made out a male figure stood on the doorstep. His left elbow was very close to where the doorbell was. He appeared to be carrying something, or someone. She called out her husband’s Christian name when she opened the door.

The man who’d rung the bell using his left elbow said “I found her out cold in the multiplex on Standerton Street” as Mr Lonsdale joined his wife in the corridor. He took Katy straight up to her bedroom, as Mrs Lonsdale whole heartedly thanked him for bringing her back safely. When the man had gone and she’d closed the door, Katy’s mum immediately selected Jennifer’s number to tell hers and her husband’s ordeal was at an end.