Absolution - The First Book Of The Vampire Immortalis Trilogy by Elizabeth Mitchell
Authors: Elizabeth Mitchell
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police,” he said, heading in the direction of the reception desk and the telephone. “Your hooligan of a son tried to smash my salon window in Melrose yesterday so I really am not in the mood to be playing silly games.”
Peter lent over, picked up the phone, yanked its cable out of the wall socket, and then dropped it on the floor. “Oops. Looks like your phone might be out of order, Gordon.”
Gordon looked at Peter in total disbelief, wondering what on Earth had come over him. Since he had been with Yvonne, contact with her ex-husband had been minimal, but on the rare occasion that they had crossed paths, Peter had shown little in the way of animosity. He had always given the impression of a deflated, beaten man. Now he had a vengeful glint in his eye and a nasty edge to his voice.
Peter grabbed Gordon by the throat with one hand and pushed him hard towards the door that Chloe had poked her head around, sending the hairdresser flying across the room and knocking him clean off his feet. “Let's see how the stock-taking is coming along, shall we Gordon?”
Gordon tried to pick himself up off the floor, but in what seemed like a blink of an eye, Peter was standing right over him like a man possessed by demons. The hairdresser started to crawl his way into the stock room, his eyes fixed on his tormentor. “If you leave now, we can forget this ever happened. I won't breathe so much as a word about it to Yvonne.”
Peter just laughed, but just as he was about to say something, Chloe lunged at him with a pair of scissors. Two or three times she lashed out, stabbing the intruder in the arm. Peter continued to laugh as he stepped over Gordon to grab hold of Chloe by the wrists. She was only sixteen years old, barely out of school, but her tiny frame struggled with all its might to break free from Peter's grasp. Gordon lay on the ground, horrified, as Peter sunk his teeth deep into Chloe's neck and watched as she slumped lifeless to the floor. “Dominus noster Jesus Christus te absolvat. Dominus noster Jesus Christus te absolvat.”
Peter now turned his fury on Gordon, pulling him into the depths of the stock room by his ridiculous ponytail and slamming the door shut.
“Please, don't hurt me!” pleaded Gordon. Don't hurt me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!”
“Quiet, my child, quiet. I have come to absolve you of your sins. You will soon be at peace with your Maker. And the man that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. Dominus noster Jesus Christus te absolvat...”
“Adam! Adam!”
Adam was enjoying a long hot soak in the bath when he heard Anna screaming his name. Grabbing a towel, he ran downstairs to the hallway where he found Anna preparing to leave the house.
“He's killing someone now. I can hear him giving absolution. Get dressed quickly and go to Lisa's. Find out where Liam is and phone me. I'll check the town and will wait for you at the abbey.”
When the doorbell went, the McIntyre family had just sat down to their evening meal.
“I'll go,” said Lisa, her chair being nearest the front door.
“If it's Connor tell him I'll be out in half an hour,” her brother, Ben, shouted after her.
When Lisa opened the door, she was surprised to see Adam standing there.
“Hi. Just checking you're okay after last night.”
“Yeah, I'm fine, but I've just sat down to dinner.”
“Oh, sorry. Didn't think what time it was. Is Liam with you?”
“No, I've not heard from him today. I tried phoning him this afternoon, but his phone is switched off. The battery must be dead.”
“Right. I'll let you get back to your meal. Give me a call if you're going down to the abbey later.”
DCI Buchan sat at his desk with only a whisky bottle and a glass tumbler for company. The other officers working on the murder cases had called it a day over an hour ago, but Buchan was still in his office, working on the murder cases.
The
Peter lent over, picked up the phone, yanked its cable out of the wall socket, and then dropped it on the floor. “Oops. Looks like your phone might be out of order, Gordon.”
Gordon looked at Peter in total disbelief, wondering what on Earth had come over him. Since he had been with Yvonne, contact with her ex-husband had been minimal, but on the rare occasion that they had crossed paths, Peter had shown little in the way of animosity. He had always given the impression of a deflated, beaten man. Now he had a vengeful glint in his eye and a nasty edge to his voice.
Peter grabbed Gordon by the throat with one hand and pushed him hard towards the door that Chloe had poked her head around, sending the hairdresser flying across the room and knocking him clean off his feet. “Let's see how the stock-taking is coming along, shall we Gordon?”
Gordon tried to pick himself up off the floor, but in what seemed like a blink of an eye, Peter was standing right over him like a man possessed by demons. The hairdresser started to crawl his way into the stock room, his eyes fixed on his tormentor. “If you leave now, we can forget this ever happened. I won't breathe so much as a word about it to Yvonne.”
Peter just laughed, but just as he was about to say something, Chloe lunged at him with a pair of scissors. Two or three times she lashed out, stabbing the intruder in the arm. Peter continued to laugh as he stepped over Gordon to grab hold of Chloe by the wrists. She was only sixteen years old, barely out of school, but her tiny frame struggled with all its might to break free from Peter's grasp. Gordon lay on the ground, horrified, as Peter sunk his teeth deep into Chloe's neck and watched as she slumped lifeless to the floor. “Dominus noster Jesus Christus te absolvat. Dominus noster Jesus Christus te absolvat.”
Peter now turned his fury on Gordon, pulling him into the depths of the stock room by his ridiculous ponytail and slamming the door shut.
“Please, don't hurt me!” pleaded Gordon. Don't hurt me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!”
“Quiet, my child, quiet. I have come to absolve you of your sins. You will soon be at peace with your Maker. And the man that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. Dominus noster Jesus Christus te absolvat...”
“Adam! Adam!”
Adam was enjoying a long hot soak in the bath when he heard Anna screaming his name. Grabbing a towel, he ran downstairs to the hallway where he found Anna preparing to leave the house.
“He's killing someone now. I can hear him giving absolution. Get dressed quickly and go to Lisa's. Find out where Liam is and phone me. I'll check the town and will wait for you at the abbey.”
When the doorbell went, the McIntyre family had just sat down to their evening meal.
“I'll go,” said Lisa, her chair being nearest the front door.
“If it's Connor tell him I'll be out in half an hour,” her brother, Ben, shouted after her.
When Lisa opened the door, she was surprised to see Adam standing there.
“Hi. Just checking you're okay after last night.”
“Yeah, I'm fine, but I've just sat down to dinner.”
“Oh, sorry. Didn't think what time it was. Is Liam with you?”
“No, I've not heard from him today. I tried phoning him this afternoon, but his phone is switched off. The battery must be dead.”
“Right. I'll let you get back to your meal. Give me a call if you're going down to the abbey later.”
DCI Buchan sat at his desk with only a whisky bottle and a glass tumbler for company. The other officers working on the murder cases had called it a day over an hour ago, but Buchan was still in his office, working on the murder cases.
The
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