Sinister Music (2) “Ok Miss Collins all in good time. Do you have your driving licence to hand please?” She smelled of foam bath and expensive hair products. When she moved her arms the sweet aroma of a delicately perfumed anti-persperant rose and lingered for a second in the chilly breeze. Damn she smelled good. “I was on my way to the police station when you stopped me, I was only driving the way I was because I have to save the little girls life before it’s too late” Bill Hayne’s lowered the pad, at last she had his attention. “What little girl? Is your child in trouble?” “No, not my child. The little girl on the news. The one that went missing today. The one that has been taken by the Bed-time Beast” Bill felt his heartbeat step up a gear. If this woman knew something this could be the break he’d been waiting for for the last fifteen years. This would make them take notice of him back at the station. If he brought a national investigation like this to his department, they would be sure to give him promotion at last. “Right Miss Collins. Come and sit in the car please and tell me about it.” Bill thanked his lucky stars that they were short staffed at the station and that he was on sole patrol, he would be able to claim total credit for this one. Once they were seated in the car he finally wrote in his notepad. Beginning with Bev’s name and address. So this was the woman who had phoned the station. Bill patted himself on the back for going with his instinct and being such an astute police officer. Conveniently forgetting that his motives were carnal rather than professional. Bev’s knee was now only an inch from his, but his focus had shifted and he hardly even noticed. Her aroma had become cloying in the close confines of the car. It mingled with the rancid though not yet overpowering smell of his eight-hour sweat. Thought of sexual conquest was now the farthest thing from his mind. He wanted promotion so badly he could almost feel the stripe digging into his shoulder. “Right Miss Collins please tell me everything you know about the case.” His mind raced ahead, maybe she was the beast’s lover. Today was his lucky day, he just felt it. “Well,” began Bev “It’s difficult to know where to start really.” Bill switched roles for a third time. He plastered what he hoped would come across as a fatherly expression on his face, thought about patting her paternally on the knee and then thought better of it and said. “Don’t you worry I’m here to listen, you just start and the beginning and let it all come out” He cursed the fact that there were no tissues in the car, she was bound to cry, they always did. He resisted the urge to tap his fingers on his notebook impatiently come on, come on he thought cut to the chase. “Well this is probably going to sound crazy but…” oh oh, warning bells began to ring, if there was one thing a policeman didn’t like it was statements that ‘sounded crazy.’ “…I don’t really know how to begin.” Bev realised that she was beginning to ramble, she would never sound so insecure and unsure of herself in the courtroom, all she had to do was state what she knew clearly and concisely. Bill watched as the woman beside him hitched herself up into a more upright position, gathered her thoughts for a second and then took command of the situation. Bill became acutely aware of his own slouch and the fact that her eyes were now three inches above his. “He is an ice-cream vendor,” She said with authority. “Who is, the Bedtime Beast?” “That’s right.” Bill scribbled this vital piece of information down in his pad. His mouth was dry and he swallowed several times to lubricate it. She knew him. This was great. “What’s his name? Where does he live? Does he live with you? Where would he be at this time of day? Is he armed?” Bill fired off question after question hardly able to contain himself. The microphone hung from the police radio, not long now and he could call through the information that would make him the most famous officer in the country, but not before he had positioned himself outside the murderer’s house. “I’m sorry” continued Bev I don’t have that information yet, but I think I might be able to get it in a night or two. You see I’ve been having these dreams. “Oh don’t worry about that my love, I’m sure we can get you some counselling when it’s all over and we’ve got the Bas .. the perpetrator.” “You don’t understand, please listen to what I’m trying to tell you. I have been dreaming indirectly about the killings before or during the event.” Bill felt like slapping the bitch, he clenched his fist and secured his grip more tightly around the pencil. His mouth lost its benevolent smile and flattened into a cruel thin line as he saw his coveted promotion slipping away from him along with the splendour of fame and glory. Dreams! God dammed dreams for Christ sake. He tried very hard to keep the sarcasm out of his voice as he said stiffly. “Well Miss Collins, why don’t you tell me about these dreams of yours eh? It was all he could do to keep from throwing the pad and pencil out of the car’s window in disgust. Bev steeled herself, well she had expected scepticism hadn’t she? She went on in crisp, clear tones to tell the officer everything she had experienced. Bill Haynes barely managed to conceal his boredom. He just wanted to get the crazy slag out of his car, finish his shift and loose himself in as many pints of beer as he could get down before closing time. He was going to have this stupid cow though; she was going to pay for this. “Well now look at it from my position,” he drawled not even bothering to try and conceal his sarcasm this time. “I’d like to take this” he hesitated before the next word “…information … to my super, but lady I’d be the laughing stock of the men’s room. You come back to me when you have a name, address and a sperm sample and I’ll be the first one to listen to you love.” He grinned at her condescendingly, and the next words dripped from his tongue like venom from a milked viper’s fang. “Now then Miss, about these traffic violations.” Bev had been very patient and sand was sifting through the hourglass for that little girl, for all Bev knew the last grain might already have fallen onto the slagheap in the bottom globe. She felt her patience snap with an almost audible crack in her head. “Now you listen to me jerk off, you can give me as many tickets as you like, but the second I’m out of this stinking car, I’m going straight over your head to your superiors, I WILL be taken seriously over this. That little girl might all ready be dead And what are you doing about it? Absolutely sod all.” By the time the suddenly officious officer had finished his little power trip, Bev had been sitting in the police car for twenty minutes. Twenty valuable minutes how many more minutes would be wasted before something was done. And more to the point who would ever take her seriously on the scant information that she had. What if she was wrong? Could it after all be just an amazing co-incidence. As she drove to the police station, and as her fury began to wane, Bev began to doubt herself almost as much as the arrogant PC had doubted her. It was only by a stroke of sheer luck that she managed to get past the desk officer. Of course Haynes had radioed ahead and had laughed with John on the desk about the crazy tart who was claiming to be a psychic. They had seen it all before. John Anderson was ready to intercept Bev as she came to the desk. Bonking Bill was right. Nice tits. He prepared himself to get rid of her as soon as possible the shift ended in thirty minutes and he still had the duty log to fill in. They had got to the point in the proceedings where Bev was threatening the jumped up jackass with serious consequence when the door from the cells opened and Superintendent James Morris came though into the foyer. He heard Bev’s slightly raised voice cutting through the air like a switchblade and smiled in recognition. He had been in court many times and had seen the formidable woman do her worst. He had never seen her looking quite like this though. He was still grinning broadly as he approached the desk. Her nickname was Casius because she floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, and she was certainly stinging poor old Anderson, who was standing behind the desk with his mouth opening and closing but not being able to get a word in edgeways. “Miss Collins and to what do we owe the pleasure?” “It’s no pleasure inspector I assure you. May I have a few moments of your time please? It’s a matter of great importance.” “Then in that case my dear lady, you have my undivided attention. Anderson two coffee’s in my office pronto.” He held the door that he had exited open after operating the combi lock and together they went through into his office, leaving the bemused officer with his mouth still agape. Inspector Morris listened to Bev’s story with more manners and respect than had either of the other two police officers. Yet Bev was still painfully aware that he did not entirely believe her. Morris was thinking about the Sumner trial, it was nearing its finale and the stress on the key players must be tremendous. His first thought was that Collins was on the verge of some sort of stress related breakdown, and yet she certainly seemed lucid enough. She made him promise to at least look into the possibility of it being an ice-cream vendor. He had no better leads on the case and at least it was something to do to show the commissioner that inroads were being made into the hopeless mass of nothing that had so far come to light. As Bev left she promised to contact him immediately if anything else came to her in a dream. They smiled politely at each other as they shook hands and he walked her out to the street and watched her walk to her car with a worried expression on his face.
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Copyright © 2000 Sue (Sooz) Simpson |