Doctor Who_ Warlock - Andrew Cartmel [145]
Ace couldn’t find any immediate grounds for objection so she settled on a stool at the counter. Creed took a pot of coffee off the stove and poured himself a cup. Ace thought of Pammy and the long night at the lab and she shuddered.
Creed noticed. He blew on his coffee and set it aside. ‘Too hot.’ He grinned at Ace again. She liked the sardonic jagged lines of his face when he smiled. ‘I understand you had an unpleasant experience using warlock.’
‘What do you know about it?’ said Ace.
‘I’ve had a couple of close encounters myself. I first tried the drug in New York. Purely in the line of duty, you understand. So did your friend Benny.’
‘Bernice. Yeah, the Doctor arranged for her to join whatsit. The International doobery thingy.’
‘IDEA. Yeah I was a member myself until my contract was invalidated in London.’
‘You mean you left your job?’
‘I had to.’
‘I trust you got a decent settlement.’
‘Sure. Company car and bags of money.’ Creed smiled and sipped his coffee.
‘And some interesting firearms, too,’ said Benny, coming into the kitchen with the Doctor.
‘Hey, it’s Miss Winterhill.’
‘Summerfield.’
‘Whatever.’
‘Creed –’
Creed turned to see Ace frowning at him. Her eyes were clouded with memory. ‘In a funny way, it wasn’t unpleasant,’ she said.
‘What?’
‘Warlock. In a way it wasn’t unpleasant. Not the drug itself. The drug itself wasn’t evil. It was what we made of it. We brought our conflict with us. It wasn’t really to blame for what happened.’
Benny went over and put her hand on Ace’s shoulder. ‘I know what you mean. Ugly things happened but it was the people making it happen. Not warlock.’
‘Sure,’ said Creed. ‘Warlock was as helpless as we were.’
The Doctor was staring at them, having just come back into the kitchen. Ace realized he’d slipped out into the herb garden and he’d taken something with him. She felt a surge of gratitude when she saw that Chick’s bowl was gone from its traditional corner of the kitchen. The Doctor had discreetly disposed of it outside. ‘The three of you sound like an advertisement for warlock,’ he said.
‘Well, the three of us have tried it. You haven’t.’
‘What a shame there aren’t any more of those white tablets left,’ said the Doctor.
‘Oh, I don’t know, I’m sure I could find you some.’ Mrs Woodcott entered the kitchen. ‘I still have pretty good connections for a woman who spent a year hiding in a nunnery.’
‘And I still have some samples in my car,’ said Creed. ‘Or maybe Justine’s got them.’
At his mention of Justine there was suddenly an awkward silence in the kitchen. Ace didn’t understand why, though she could sense that there was something going on between Creed and the married woman. The two were being exceptionally polite to each other but avoided ever being in the same room together.
‘Go on, Doctor, try a tablet,’ said Mrs Woodcott. ‘Or a mushroom. I’m sure warlock is eager to make your acquaintance.’
‘So am I,’ said the Doctor. ‘In fact, I think that process has already begun, without any need for white tablets or mushrooms.’ He looked at them. ‘I’ve already begun to make the acquaintance of warlock. Through social interaction with you.’
‘Good morning.’
Everyone looked up as Justine and her husband came into the kitchen. Vincent was walking slowly, half supported by his wife. His skin was still somewhat pale and his eyes bloodshot but he was looking stronger.
He and Creed smiled and nodded politely at each other.
‘How are you going?’ asked Creed.
‘Not bad. Emerging from a life‐support tank’s a bit like coming out from under a general anaesthetic; I’ll be shaky for a few days.’
‘Speaking of life‐support tanks, I’d better see how our friend’s getting along in the garage.’ Creed got up and left the kitchen.
Benny followed him, going out through the back door into the herb garden. She found Creed crouching there beside one of the planting beds, a low hummock of rich black earth edged with old bricks. He was fingering the masses of green plants, flourishing unstricken by the frost.
‘Sage,’ said Creed. ‘Basil, thyme. I know my homegrown herbs.’ His breath