If all I could do to help Veronica was hold her, then this was where she needed to be every night. Right here in my arms.
Ronnie
I didn’t have to find her after all. She found me, infiltrating my subconscious with her movie reel of horrors. Her name was Candace. I heard it on the lips of her killer, as he thrust into her body, encircling her throat with strong hands. Her choked sobs eventually stopped as she died. Even more sickening, there had been witnesses, and one of them caught the murder on video. I couldn’t see their faces as they stood back in the shadows, but I could see the little red light blinking. Recording the sickening act in digital clarity just confirmed how fucked in the head her abusers were.
She didn’t show me more than the few moments before and after her death, but I got the impression that they’d been torturing her for a while. Bound and gagged, her dress was torn and bunched up, barely covering anything.
I bit my cheek, forcing myself to get a grip. Brad surrounded me in the cocoon of his overheated body, providing the grounding that I so desperately needed. As rattled as I was, I found comfort in his touch. I covered his hand with mine to let him know I was thankful, and that it was okay, more than okay, for him to hold me. I shuddered at the thought of him not being there to bring me out of the nightmare.
Tish appeared at the side of the bed, crouching down to my level. I curled back into Brad, not sure if I could handle another visit from the beyond.
“I’m sorry. I tried to keep her away. She wanted to answer your questions.”
I wanted to ask about the building and the woman, but obviously there was no chance of doing that, for now. I think Tish knew exactly what had been going on, but she’s been trying to protect me. Come to think of it, the ghostly visitations had lessened since she appeared in my life. My own little guardian angel. I gave her a shaky smile and closed my eyes. Brad moved my hair on the pillow so he could burrow his face closer. His sigh brushed over my ear and across my neck. Timing my breaths with his, I slowly descended into peace.
Ronnie
“This is your favourite?”
“Yeah.”
“Gotham Tower?” Craning my neck back to take in the towering mass of glass and steel, I shook my head in amusement.
“I call it the Batman Building, but Gotham Tower works just as well. It’s the State Law Building, actually. I always get a kick out of the fact that a building dedicated to justice looks like something straight out of a Justice League comic book.”
“It’s true what they say, then?”
“What do they say?”
“That all men are just little boys at heart. You never really grow up.”
“Hey. I’m all man. And Batman is a legend. Why wouldn’t I be ecstatic that we have a real life Gotham Tower here in Brissie?”
“It’s pretty ugly.”
Brad scoffed. “Beauty is subjective.”
“That’s true,” I agreed, amused at how passionate he was about a building. Like me.
“The gothic styling was added in ‘93 as a way to conceal the new plant facilities. The designer must have been a Batman fan. I mean, come on. It’s too obvious. Genius, if you ask me.” He clapped his hands together and turned his face back to mine. “Okay, your turn. Where are we going next?”
“Can we head down towards The Mansions?” I never did get to see them the other day.
“Lead the way.” He gestured with his arm. Taking a step forward, I reached for his hand and pulled his arm down, twining my fingers into his. I’d rather walk beside him than lead him anywhere. I’d been alone for so long, it felt nice to finally have someone to share things with. Tish was right. I thought she’d be tagging along, but she was nowhere to be seen. That didn’t mean she wasn’t watching, though.
My stomach tightened with urgency as we got closer to our destination. It was one thing to have my safe place infiltrated by nightmares, but to actually pursue my demons was … fucking insane. What was I doing? I had to call on my deepest reserves to hunt down and face my darkest fears. Somehow, holding Brad’s hand, his unfaltering steps in sync with mine, I found what I was looking for. I wanted to see inside that building, and get it over with.
“Before we get to The Mansions, there’s a place I’ve been wanting to see. It’s just down there.”
We walked a little further, weaving in and out of the crowd. I did my best to avoid touching anyone as I breezed past. Not an easy task on a Saturday morning.
I came to an abrupt halt when we reached the large, brown house. It was beautiful. A turn-of-the-century, decorative facade covering a sinister deceit.
Brad surveyed the place from the footpath. “Federation Filigree. Just like my place. See the iron fringe and balustrade? I don’t have a parapet, though. I mean, this is a mansion, and my place is just a regular Queenslander.
