Doctor Who_ Cats Cradle_ Witch Mark - Andrew Hunt [74]
And in a strange way, Old Davy believed in them.
'Any luck?' Jack asked Stevens who had just appeared over the bonnet of the car. Jack had woken that morning wondering where he was. Going from a tent to a hotel room to a completely different hotel room made for confusing awakenings. He’d got up and found a message pinned to his door. Stevens had left early to pursue enquiries about the yellow van, to try to track down the missing vet and to continue his search for the origin of the people who had been killed in the coach accident. He’s arranged that he and Jack should meet in Gwydyr or, alternatively, back at the Black Swan.
Jack, after wandering around the roads, had opted to meet Stevens in Gwydyr as that was where he happened to be at the specified time. On an impulse, he had gone down the road that led to the metal gates, because he had thought that maybe they could conceal a breeding ground for monsters; the raggedness of the warning signs had convinced him that this couldn’t be the government research centre that Hughes, the policeman , had mentioned. So, still looking for the stones, or any sign of David, he had made his way to Gwydyr. That was why he was sitting, slumped by his rucksack, against Steven’s car.
‘Nothing,’ said Stevens. ‘I think I may be wasting my time up here.’
'How can you say that?' asked Jack. 'You've seen a unicorn haven't you?'
'Maybe. That reminds me, I’m not holding out much hope, but I'd like you to at least show me the place where you found the centaur.’ He shook his head at Jack's assumption. 'No, what I meant was I came up here because of something I call my “Un-missing People" file.'
'Oh, yeah.' Jack's enthusiasm was bridled. 'I don't suppose you found any trace of David. '
'No, and the police here are being as unhelpful as they possibly can be. I don't think they like me.
Well, get in.' He unlocked the passenger door.
'We've got to do something for David,' Jack said, sliding in. 'I mean, I'd sort of hoped for lines of policemen beating their way through the undergrowth, but it's as if we were both just non-persons.
Nobody will pay any attention to me.'
'I listened.'
'Oh, and that did a lot of good.'
'Don't blame me.' Although it was true, it didn't do Stevens's pride any good to be told the truth.
'Why the heck not? You're a bloody policeman, aren't you? And you can't do diddly-squat!'
It was true, Stevens thought. There was absolutely nothing he could do. When people in authority start to gang up on you then you're up a creek without a paddle. By rights there should be people out looking for David, but there weren't; there should have been a public outcry about the burning of the centaur, but there wasn't. In short, he was about as much use here as a chocolate kettle.
'Pull over here,' said Jack, after a while. 'The centaur's down there.'
They got out and went down the stream. As they had expected there was nothing to see and it was beginning to get dark. Stevens knelt in the mud, looking for some indication that something had happened there. He sniffed. There was a faint smell of petrol in the air. Well, that was something, at least.
'How come that smell's still there?' Jack asked. 'I mean, it's been two days now.' The breeze caught at his hair and blew his fringe into his eyes.
'Christ, that isn't from two days ago!' Stevens exclaimed. 'It's happening again, they're burning something else.' He raised a damp finger in the air and felt the direction of the breeze.
'You're right!' cried Jack. 'Oh, my God! It couldn't be ... T
'I hope not. Come on!'
David struggled against his bonds, but succeeded only in grazing the backs of his hands against the rough, dark granite of the stone pillar and in making the ropes dig even tighter into his wrists. The circle of