‘I demand to see immediately a member of my staff. I am responsible for this man and, more importantly, I am a dean of this college!’
Harker raised his head to see archaeology dean Thomas Lercher – or Doggie to his friends – arrive looking like a man possessed. The dean had a murderous look in his eye as he verbally tussled with the unamused-looking policeman wearing a high-visibility jacket. To the officer’s credit he refused to bite back at the howling dean and, without further delay, allowed him through without even so much as a sigh of frustration.
‘Thank heavens, Alex. Are you hurt?’ Dean Lercher fumed, pausing to assess Harker for any injuries.
‘I’m fine except from some ringing in my ears,’ Harker replied, while batting away the dean’s probing hands.
‘Are you free to go yet?’
‘I’ve given a statement,’ Harker replied with a nod, ‘and I’ve even had the offer of a counsellor, although I think I’ll give that a miss. I don’t feel like reliving this experience anytime soon.’
‘Christ, you could have been shot dead,’ the dean continued. ‘What on earth is the world coming to?’
‘Doggie, I told you I’m OK.’
‘Yes, I can see you’re fine,’ the man acknowledged, his indignation only increasing. ‘And I told you not to call me Doggie…you know I hate it!’
It was about this time that Harker realized there was something else his old friend and boss was far more annoyed about than the lapse in his colleague’s safety, and it didn’t take any wild guesses to figure it out. ‘I’m afraid the lecture hall will need to be redecorated.’
Doggie stood now with his back to Harker and dismissed the comment with a flick of his wrist.
‘It’s not that,’ he moaned, his tone now more relaxed. ‘I’m not that bad, Alex.’
‘Really?’ Harker replied, with more than just a hint of sarcasm.
Doggie’s shoulders began to twitch and then escalated to a quivering, until finally he spun around and allowed his temper to boil over. ‘Your safety is the most important thing but…do you know how much it will cost to refurbish that bloody room? The interior newly sound-proofed…the cladding alone will cost a small fortune!’
Immediately after the shooting, Harker had phoned Blackwater asylum for the criminally insane, where Chloe had resumed her post as section head. Reception had assured him she was on site and they would get her to call him at the earliest possible convenience. Mercifully, it seemed that, whatever Lucas’s true identity, he was clearly a troubled man and prone to lying. In fact it had already occurred to Harker that perhaps he may have been an ex-patient of Blackwater himself.
The shooting incident had left Harker shaken. Seeing anything so nasty up close might have an impact on the strongest of psyches, but the simple fact that Chloe was safe had now done much to soften the whole ordeal. Of course, Doggie here was clueless as to the whole Chloe aspect and, as Harker watched his friend gripe away about the cost of a refurbishment, he thought back to a telling incident in which the dean had been involved. A few years back someone had committed suicide by throwing himself onto the tracks of the Northern Tube Line, causing huge delays. While most passengers on the platform were quietly discussing the tragedy, Doggie was loudly throwing a wobbler and complaining that the fellow must have been a selfish bastard and that if he wanted to top himself then why not do it in his own home.
To many people who knew the dean casually, these characteristic displays were questionable, but to anyone who knew him well, as Harker did, they were nothing more than eccentricities from a man who deep down had a heart of gold, and who Harker could trust with his life. Even so, the dean was very much an acquired taste.
‘I mean, who the hell kills himself in a lecture hall, for Christ’s… Why not do it somewhere outside? The weather is beautiful at this time of year.’
Harker was still enjoying the dean’s bravado when his mobile began to ring. He pulled it from his pocket and tapped the accept button.
‘Hi, Mr Harker?’
‘Yes.’
‘It’s Jared from Blackwater. We spoke earlier.’
‘Yes,’ Harker replied. ‘Thanks for getting back to me so soon. Did you pass my message on to Chloe?’ He was eager to regale her with every bizarre and gory detail of the day’s events, until what he heard made his stomach curdle.
‘I’m afraid I made a mistake earlier. Dr Stanton hasn’t been seen here all day. One of the receptionists called your house but there was no reply, and I called her mobile after speaking with you but no one is answering.’
A cold sweat moistened Harker’s forehead as Jared continued. ‘Mr Harker, do you happen to know if she’s coming in tomorrow? She has numerous appointments lined up and…’
The sound of the orderly’s voice faded into the background as Harker retreated into himself, allowing his worst fears to take hold. It seemed no one had the slightest clue where she was…with the exception perhaps of Lucas!
‘Mr Harker, can you hear me?’
‘Yes. Thank you, Jared. I’ll be in touch.’
Harker let the mobile slip from his hand into his jacket pocket, and he began to rub at his temples as grim possibilities began to clutter his mind.
‘Is everything OK, Alex?’
Harker looked up to see his old friend, who had now ceased his tirade and was looking concerned.
‘It’s Chloe,’ Harker murmured. ‘She’s missing.’
The next few minutes were a blur as Harker stumbled through an account of the threats Lucas had made, and by the end of it Doggie was looking even more worried than he did.
‘Jesus, Alex, you need to tell the police everything.’
‘He warned me not to tell anyone or there would be consequences…that he would be watching.’
‘Watching! The man’s dead. Believe me, the only thing that nutter’s watching is an angel with a harp…or a guy with a pitchfork.’
Doggie’s raised voice drew a brief stare from one of the policemen standing nearby and Harker immediately stood up and gently guided the dean further down the corridor and out of earshot.
‘This isn’t funny, Doggie,’ Harker scolded.
‘I don’t mean it to be, but this Lucas character is dead.’
‘I know, but seeing as Chloe’s missing, then clearly others are involved.’
Both men then stood staring at each other in silence, their expressions continuing the conversation without the need for words. It was Doggie who spoke up first. ‘It’s your call, Alex. What do you want to do?’
Harker expelled a deep breath as if he was considering his answer, but in truth he already knew. ‘I’m going to the address Lucas gave me. To see what’s there.’
‘Fine. I’ll come with you,’ Doggie quickly replied, nodding enthusiastically. ‘There’s nothing useful I can do here anyway.’
Harker gave him an appreciative tap on his forearm and, without another word, they both headed for the stairs leading to the front entrance.
‘What are we expecting to find?’ Doggie asked eventually, with rising apprehension in his voice.
‘I honestly have no idea, but considering the dead man that gave me the address?’ Harker replied, pausing as they reached the main door. ‘I’ll bet it’s nothing good.’