whispered. ‘He never intended the truth to be revealed,’ Joubert said. ‘But now it doesn’t matter.’
‘Who would want to kill him?’ she asked, as if expecting the Frenchman to furnish her with an answer.
‘The same person who would want to steal those files,’ he said, i can’t think
what possible use they would be to anyone not acquainted with the paranormal.
Besides, who else but Vernon and myself even knew they were at the house?’ He shook his head.
i saw Vernon murdered,’ Kelly said, flatly. Joubert looked at her aghast. ‘In a dream,’ she continued.
‘Have you had precognitive dreams before?” he asked, somewhat excitedly.
“Never.’
‘Did you see who killed him?’
Kelly took a long swig from her glass, wishing that it contained something stronger. She nodded.
“His name is David Blake,” she said. ‘The man I’m living with.’
Joubert watched her across the table, aware that she was quivering slightly.
‘Could there have been some mistake?’ he asked.
She shrugged.
i don’t know what to believe any more.’
‘Kelly, if it’s true then you could be in a great deal of danger.’
‘He doesn’t know I suspect him,’ she said, her voice cracking. ‘Besides,’
Kelly wiped a tear from her eye corner, i love him.’ Her eyes filled with moisture which, a second later, began to spill down her cheeks. ‘Oh God it can’t be Him. It can’t.’
Joubert moved closer and curled one comforting arm around her shoulder.
‘He wouldn’t hurt me though, I know he wouldn’t,’ she murmured.
‘How can you be sure?’
She had no answer.
London
It was late afternoon by the time Kelly drew into the driveway outside Blake’s house. There was no sign of his XJS. He was either out for a while or the car was in the garage. She left her Mini where it was, locked it, then headed for the front door.
As she stepped inside the hall, the silence seemed to envelop her like an invisible blanket and she stood motionless for a moment as if reluctant to disturb the solitude. She glanced across at the cellar door.
It was open slightly.
Kelly approached it silently, listening for the noise of a clacking typewriter from below but there was none.
‘David,’ she called and her voice sounded hollow in the stillness.
No answer.
She walked back to the sitting room door, opened it slightly and peered in, calling his name as she did so.
Nothing.
Kelly wandered to the bottom of the staircase and looked up.
‘David, are you up there?’
The silence reigned supreme.
She opened the cellar door wider and gazed down into the subterranean chamber.
Kelly began to descend.
Half way down the stairs she called his name once again, now satisfied that the house was empty. The extractor fan was on, a slight whirring sound filling the calmness. Kelly felt that all too familiar ripple of fear caress her neck and spine. The celiar looked vast, stretching out all around her, making her feel vulnerable and exposed. She moved towards his desk, her pace slowing, her jaw dropping open.
Perched on top of the typewriter were the six manilla files.
Kelly froze for a second then reached forward and picked one up, nipping it open. She recognised Lasalle’s handwriting on the first page.
‘Found what you’re looking for?’
The voice sounded thunderous in the silence.
Kelly spun round, almost dropping the file, her eyes fixed on the figure at the top of the stairs.
Blake stood there motionless for a moment then slowly descended the steps.
His face was expressionless as he approached her, one hand extended. He
motioned for her to give him the file which she did, not shifting her gaze from his eyes, trying to look through those twin dark screens which covered them.
‘Why did you kill Dr Vernon?’ she asked, falteringly.
‘Kelly,’ he said, softly. ‘You shouldn’t have come down here. What goes on in this room is my business.’
‘You did kill him didn’t you, David?’ she persisted.
‘Yes,’ he said, unhesitatingly. ‘I needed the files.’
‘I’ve been to his house today. I’ve spoken to Joubert.’
Blake chuckled.
‘Not so long ago you were convinced that Vernon and Joubert were responsible for these events,’ he said.
‘Tell me why you did it,’ she said. ‘Why you caused all those deaths.’
He didn’t answer.
‘Why?’ she roared at him, her voice a mixture of fear and desperation.
He saw a single tear trickle from her eye corner. She wiped it away angrily.
‘Ever since I can remember, even before I began writing about the paranormal, the idea of Astral projection has fascinated me,’ he began, his tone measured and calm. ‘Not just travelling through space on an ethereal level, but actual physical movement of the Astral body through time. The tangible realization of that movement which meant I could literally be in two places at once. In control of two centres of consciousness. I made it work. It took years to master but I learned how to do it and the more I learned, the more I realized that it was possible to manipulate the subconscious personalities of others as well. To use them.’ He regarded her with no hint of emotion on his face.
‘Like Toni Landers and the rest?’ she said.
‘I learned to control the Shadow inside them.’
‘The Shadow?’ Kelly said, looking vague.
‘The alter-ego. What you know as the subconscious. That part of the mind which controls our darker side, that’s the Shadow. I found a way to release it.’
‘How?’ she wanted to know. ‘Is it by a form of hypnosis?’
‘Yes, combined with my own ability to absorb the energy which the Shadow radiates. It’s like an infra-red beacon to me. I can tap into it. Feed on it.
It increases my own power. Everyone, no matter who they are, has this darker side to their nature. Most people are able to control it, and it’s kept in check by their code of morals or by the law. But when the force is released, they act out thoughts and desires which had previously been hidden.’
Kelly shook her head.
‘Why did you do it, David?’ she asked, tears brimming in her eyes once again.
‘What did you hope to achieve by having Toni Landers kill that baby, or Roger Carr murder that girl. Or Braddock or O’Neil. Why did they have to kill?’
‘I had to be sure of my own abilities. Now I am,’ he said, impassively. ‘The seance gave me a perfect opportunity to
use that power, to prove once and for all that I could influence other people’s alter-egos. Use them. Can’t you appreciate what this means?’ His voice had taken on a note of excitement. ‘Politicians could be manipulated.
Leaders of the Church, Heads of State.’
‘You’re mad,’ she said, taking a step back.
‘No, Kelly, I’m not mad,’ he said. ‘This power is too great to be wasted.
Think about it. There need be no more wars, no more civil unrest, because those who provoke such incidents could be found and destroyed before they were able to create trouble. Any trace of evil inside their minds would be
