Secrets and Lies

I ended up spending the rest of my Friday exploring Whitby as a tourist. It was kind of fun wandering around seeing the sights, and when it got towards dinner time I finally visited one of their famous chippies and got a taste of their award-winning fish and chips.

I also exchanged a couple texts with Carter at one point, the inspector apologized for all but ditching me and asked if I was alright. I responded that I was fine, and encouraged her to enjoy herself and her time with her friend. Jenny seemed happy enough with the idea so we left it at that. Once I'd seen and done everything I wanted I caught the train back to Castleton Moor, then finished my day with a brisk walk from the station to the B&B.

The following morning I was up again in time to enjoy another of Mrs. Whitmore's full English breakfasts, although I did get a few more texts from the inspector during my morning meal. She was ready to let her staff know about her change of status, and I agreed to accompany her in to the office so I'd be there during the announcement.

She was in another of her business-casual outfits when she picked me up outside the B&B, and what I assumed was her new trademark beige overcoat. What really caught my eye though was the subtle make-up the inspector had on. I could tell she was wearing lipstick, a bit of eyeshadow, and maybe even a touch of mascara. Considering she and I hadn't broached the topic of make-up at all I knew that had to be the doctor's influence, and I found myself suppressing a smile as I imagined O'Conner getting excited about educating her friend on some of the finer points of womanhood.

When we reached the office a minute or so later things went about as well as could be expected.

Constables Mary Blake and Raj Chaudhuri were the only two people there when we arrived, but it wasn't long before Nigel Goodland and George Mallory showed up to get a look at their boss's new appearance. All four of them were varying degrees of shocked at first, but they quickly recognized the inspector's tone and mannerisms, even if her looks and voice were entirely new.

Then with all that out of the way Carter and I sat down in her office to discuss our final reports, and how best to wrap up this case she'd been working on for the past twelve weeks.

"I know my boss won't believe a word of it," I sighed, "But for my own peace of mind I'm going to be reporting everything as accurately and completely as I can."

I scowled slightly as I added, "Williams might not accept it, but I'm not going to sugar coat it for him and I definitely won't lie. He'd just use that as an excuse to fire me."

Jenny gave me a sad look, "As happy as I am to have put an end to all this, I'll be sorry to see you go detective. And I'm very sorry you'll have to put up with your chief superintendent Williams again."

"Thanks," I replied with a wan smile. Then I asked, "What about you? Things seemed to go ok with your staff here, but I take it you haven't spoken to your superiors in Whitby yet?"

She shook her head, "Not yet. I'll have to handle that on Monday. Maureen's already offered to help if I need it, so as much as I appreciate all your assistance Trillium, I won't impose on you any further."

That just made me smile, "I'm happy to have helped where I could."

After that we both focused on wrapping up the details of the case, then the two of us got started on some preliminary drafts of our final reports.

That ended up being my last full day in the North York Moors. Jenny and the rest of her staff took me out to the pub for drinks and dinner Saturday evening, then I spent one final night at the B&B. Sunday morning I got to enjoy another of Mrs. Whitmore's fine breakfasts, then I walked the half kilometre or so up to the Castleton Moor station to begin my day-long trek back home.

Monday November eighteenth I was at my desk in London once again, and with no other assignments there was nothing else for me to do but continue working on my report. In fact it turned out I had three full days to get that finished, before Williams deigned to acknowledge that I was back and the case had been brought to a successful conclusion. I forwarded him my final written report on Wednesday, and the following afternoon he called me into his office for a debriefing and to discuss some of the details in my report.

So it was that I found myself in Chief Superintendent Williams' office at precisely half past two on Thursday November twenty-first, two weeks to the day from when he'd originally given me the temporary assignment.

"And according to an email I received on Tuesday," I said as I got to the end of my summary, "The Police Authority in Whitby accepted Inspector Jennifer Carter's report, and also approved her request to take a two-week vacation starting at the end of this week. From the sounds of it she seems to be adapting well to her new circumstances, and she has the full support of her superiors and her colleagues, as well as her own staff in Castleton."

Chief Superintendent Williams scowled all the way through my verbal report, then made a disapproving sort of grunt noise when I got to the end.

Finally he grumbled, "So you and the local inspector spend a week chasing your tails, then when you finally got your hands on a pair of suspects you stood by and watched them commit arson and destroy possible evidence before letting the two of them slip through your fingers and disappear? Have I got that right? Now you're back here empty-handed, with nothing at all to show for your time, apart from some crazy story about monsters and magic?"

"I used to think you were a pretty decent officer Sharpe," he stated as he slowly shook his head, "But after this fiasco I've got my doubts. I can't help wondering if that spell you used in October messed up more than just your body."

For a moment I didn't even know how to respond. I'd only been in the North York Moors for ten days, but I'd gotten used to dealing with smart compassionate accepting people. Compared to them, Williams was like a cold slap in the face.

I glanced to my left, where that mysterious well-dressed man was once again seated in the other guest chair. In an exact replay of two weeks earlier he hadn't said a single word, nor had the chief superintendent bothered to do any introductions. That felt even stranger now than it did the first time around, especially the way my boss didn't even acknowledge the guy.

It took another second or two for me to get over the shock of Williams' transmisic insult. Then I fought to keep my tone level as I responded, "Excuse me sir? Everything in my report has been corroborated by Inspector Carter, Dr. O'Conner, and the other officers and medical personnel I worked with in North Yorkshire. The discrepancies in the autopsy reports are explained in the ME's statement."

"And like I said at the start of my report," I continued with a touch of sarcasm in my tone, "Which I'm sure you noticed when you took the time to thoroughly review it, there are certain seemingly impossible factors that can only be accounted for by the existence of magic. Which we all know to be real, thanks to the spells released to the public in May and August of this year."

My voice remained firm as I went on, "As for the two persons of interest, considering both Carter and I witnessed first-hand their ability to start fires and kill dangerous creatures simply by pointing and reciting some foreign words, there wasn't exactly anything the two of us could do to take them into custody. Not without putting our lives and the lives of the of the other constables at risk."

Then I wrapped it up by saying, "Frankly sir we might never have solved this case without Campbell and Smith's help. I can't say I approve of all of their actions, and their methods may be unconventional, but they were working for the public good just as much as we were."

By the time I was done Williams had another scowl on his face, and I was sure he was about to tell me off. I found it hard to care though, considering the whole assignment felt like a set-up from start to finish. The fact that I'd played some small part in resolving the situation probably irritated the guy more than anything I'd had to say about magic and monsters.

"That's enough Sharpe," he finally snapped.

Before he could get another word out though the mystery man surprised us both by finally speaking up. "I'll take it from here chief superintendent. Why don't you get yourself some coffee?"

I was even more surprised when my boss simply nodded, then silently got up and exited his own office. That told me more than anything else that this guy in the fancy suit was important, and probably even further up the chain of command than I could guess.

"You've done good work here detective," he began after Williams closed the door on his way out. "That case has been open for almost five months, and you cracked it in a single week. Just as impressive was the fact that you didn't try and cover up or hide any of the more unusual experiences you encountered. Your written report was very thorough and honest, and that as much as anything else has convinced us you'd be a good fit for our team."

I frowned at him, "Your team?"

"Was this all some sort of test then?" I added as my frown grew a little deeper.

The mystery man nodded, "Over the past six months we've seen a marked increase in unexplained or supernatural incidents across the UK. That this spike in activity coincides with the introduction of that first spell is likely no coincidence. The government has identified this situation as a new threat to public safety, and responded by forming a task force charged with addressing supernatural crimes. And your actions detective have proved that you're up to the challenge."

"So what do you say Sharpe?" he asked. "You can continue with your desk assignment here at the Met, or join us and help keep our country safe from supernatural criminals."

I glanced at Williams' empty chair, then looked back at the mystery man again and asked, "What about Campbell and Smith? They're the ones who actually put a stop to the thing. Will you be making them the same offer?"

"Or are they already on your team?" I added as I made that connection.

To my surprise the unnamed man's expression soured as though I'd said something distasteful. He shook his head, "We're aware of that group operating out of Cardiff. They're freelancers, little more than vigilantes. They have their uses, for now, but they're exactly the sort of people that need to be policed and controlled."

"I see," I nodded slowly as I forced myself to maintain a neutral expression.

Internally though I was scowling at all the alarm bells this guy just raised. I also had to wonder just how bad his team was at reading people, that they'd think I'd be the least bit interested in all the fascist nonsense he'd just spewed.

The fact that they knew about the North Yorkshire situation for months and treated it as nothing more than a way to test prospective recruits also spoke volumes about how little they really cared for the public's safety. I also noted that like my boss he seemed to be avoiding my first name. He hadn't acknowledged or even reacted to Williams' blatant transmisia either, which didn't help his case one bit.

By that point my mind was already made up. Despite that I decided to try and stall a bit. So I asked, "Can I have some time to think this over? A week perhaps? It's rather a big decision after all."

The still unnamed man responded, "This is a time-limited offer detective. Having said that, I can wait a couple more days. I'll pay you another visit on Monday, and I'll expect an answer."

"Dismissed," he added.

"Thank you sir," I replied as I got to my feet, then made my way out of Williams' office.

• • • • •

The very next morning at ten o'clock sharp I found myself standing in front of a nondescript single-story commercial building in the middle of a busy industrial park. There were rusted security bars protecting the windows, and a faded sign hung over the door.

"Llewellyn Import & Export Services

est. 1987, Cardiff"

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves, then stepped up and let myself inside.

The cramped reception area was too small for any guest seating, and apart from some scuffs and dents the off-white walls were bare. The only furniture was a receptionist desk, that was completely dominated by an array of three large computer monitors. And partially hidden behind those monitors sat two young women.

They looked to be older teens, no more than eighteen or nineteen years at most. Both of them had long raven-black hair, but that's where the similarities ended. The one on the left had bright green eyes and a fair complexion, and was dressed casual in a pair of jeans and a light-grey hoodie. Her make-up was bright and colourful, and she also wore some cute fashionable jewelry. In short she looked like a normal typical teenaged girl.

The one on the right however was quite different. Her skin was almost pale, which starkly contrasted her dark make-up and all-black attire. From her long heavy skirt to her hoodie, everything she wore was the same jet-black as her long straight hair. Even her eyes seemed unnaturally dark. In fact the only thing about her that wasn't dark was her silver jewelry. In a way she reminded me of Sally Stewart, but younger. And thin to the point of being almost waif-like. And where the pathologist was more of a gothy gremlin, this girl gave off some especially witchy vibes.

"Oh er, hello?" the first girl said in a Welsh accent, as her green eyes flicked up and down over me. "I'm sorry but we're not exactly open. Or um, company policy, meetings are by appointment only."

The second girl gave me an appraising look as she added in her own Welsh accent, "Do you have an appointment ma'am?"

I shook my head, "I don't. But I've already worked with a couple of your colleagues, and I'd very much like to speak with them again if that's possible? Are either Martin Smith or Phoebe Campbell available?"

The girls exchanged a curious look, but before either of them could respond the door behind them suddenly opened to reveal Smith standing there. I caught a glimpse of the nondescript hallway he'd emerged from, then the door swung closed again behind him.

"Hello Detective Sharpe," he greeted me. "I can't say I'm surprised to see you've tracked us down here. Although I do admit to being a little surprised you've come alone."

While there was nothing overtly threatening in his words or tone the implication was there. And considering what happened to Carter and I that first night at the ME's office I knew I was taking a chance showing up at their office. It seemed like the right thing to do though, all things considered.

So I responded with a slightly nervous smile, "Hello again Mr. Smith. The detective thing is very likely to become an 'ex' situation fairly soon, so 'Miss Sharpe' would be fine."

"You could also just call me Trillium if you like," I added.

Smith raised an eyebrow, "I see. Well if you're not here to try and arrest Phoebe and I for skipping out without giving you our statements then what brings you to Cardiff?"

I took a deep breath then explained, "I'm here because I've recently come across some important information you people probably need to know about. It's regarding some new government initiatives, especially when it comes to their interest in and opinions of your work here."

Then I gave him a hopeful look as I added, "I'm also here to see if perhaps your firm might be hiring? Odds are I'm going to be looking for a new job in the near future, and thought perhaps I might be able to lend a hand. Considering we're all on the same side and everything."

Smith appeared surprised by what I had to say, but he kept any opinions to himself while I was talking. Then when I finished he looked at the non-witchy girl at the receptionist desk and asked, "Alys, do you know when your dad and Dr. Bishop are due back in the office?"

"I think they're expecting it to be another week yet," she replied. "Although dad's email last night said things were going well. He and Dr. Grace have already made contact with one of the subjects, and he said she and her associates all seemed friendly."

The witchy girl added with a smirk, "I'm sure Grace and Owen are definitely hard at work dealing with some cooperative entities. And not simply enjoying a romantic holiday together in the Lakes District."

"Emma hush!" Alys whispered as she bit back a giggle. There was a matching grin on her face though as she added, "We don't want to give the new girl the wrong impression."

My eyebrows crept up, while Martin stifled a sigh.

"Come along Trillium," he said as he opened the door behind him. "You can tell me about this news of yours in the meeting room."

As I followed him through the doorway he added, "Welcome to LIES."

~ End (of Episode One?) ~