Chapter One

Chapter One

Richmond, London – Raven

The long hot, dry spell had lasted longer than anyone predicted. Three months. Three long, hot, dry months. Three months without rain and even here in the Royal Botanical Gardens the grass had started turning brown and the trees were showing signs of stress.

It wasn't hard to get in, I just bought a ticket and walked through the gates - one of the hundreds taking a break from the heat, desperate to escape the madness that had overtaken the city.

It was all over the news, of course. Splashing all the gory details of the latest atrocity across our screens. Spreading fear and discontent in a race for ratings even as their talking heads call for calm, attributing the surge in violent crime to the soaring temperatures.

But nothing of this, no, not a word... they were still harping on last week's crime-de-jour. Some nutter waded into the crowd at Balham farmers' market with a machete 'cause they'd been 'doing his head in with all that hollering', or so he claimed, while he sweltered in a poorly ventilated flat, air conditioning on the blink. Asshole.

A glance across the river told me I still had hours to kill, not that there was much to see from here. They'd erected one of those big white tents to keep prying eyes away, and put up a couple of drones, doubtless looking for anyone watching a little too closely.

I'd been pleased to find an ideal spot to spy from after only twenty minutes meandering along the river path, not that I'd stopped looking. There might've been something even better just around the corner, and the slow search mingling with the crowd helped keep the drones from getting curious. Paranoid? Me? Maybe, but why risk it?

I sighed, they'd only been knocking about over there for half a dozen hours. At this rate, if the last few scenes were anything to go by, they'd be there well into the night. Long past closing time in fact. At least there was still plenty of time to stroll around the gardens to find the perfect spot to spy from.

Two full, fruitless laps later I’d confirmed the majestic beech was, indeed, my best option... and that I still had hours to kill! At least the galleries were still open and, bonus, air conditioned! I wandered distractedly through a couple of exhibits. Barely paying attention as I pondered on how I might get in to that tent and, more importantly, back out again. A wall of hot, humid air slammed into me as I stepped through a door and found myself in a grand courtyard. The smell of chips wafted over me and my stomach rumbled before I could about-face.

"Why not?" I thought, it's not like I didn't have the time. I followed the greasy scent into the Victoria Plaza Cafe, but chips be damned. I needed me some ice cream. A cone in each hand counts as a balanced meal, right? But, the horror... they only had chocolate fudge left, the sacrifices a girl has to make, right?

Ice creams in hand, I headed into the little gift shop returning the cashier’s glare with interest, like I was going to waste any of my precious, precious triple scoop on their faux hardwood flooring! There wasn't a huge selection, but enough that I'd could pick up the essentials for tonight: Water, a couple of snack bars and wow, a coat that was just too perfect to leave behind. It wasn't even all that expensive, for a tourist trap in the middle of the city... and the card went through at the first attempt so yay!

With a quick glance around as I re-joined the river path to make sure nobody was watching, I wiped the card down carefully and dropped it near to where I'd lifted it. Hopefully it'd get back to its owner, I'm not evil after all!

***

I'd wrapped myself in the leaf-print camo parka I'd found in the gift shop and ducked into the shadows at the base of a majestic copper beech where I'd watched the thinning crowd, waiting for the perfect moment before climbing unseen up into the crown. Fortunately, for me at least, just a few days in to September the tree had lost most of its purple hue but was yet to lose most of its leaves – the parka made concealing myself from wandering eyes surprisingly easy.

Not that they'd be able to see me from over there, staring out from behind the lights that now flooded the scene, but why take unnecessary risks? A single report from a 'concerned citizen', or a member of staff who'd happened to look up at the wrong moment and the game would very much be over. No, people weren't going to be a problem. But the Met's 'eyes-in-the-sky', were a real risk, even if I did laugh out loud every time I saw one.

Whoever thought it was a good idea to stencil Police Emergency Response Vehicle all over their drones was either blind or stupid, or possibly a comic genius. I’d lost count of the times I’d idly wondered just how many ‘come quick, a PERV’s gonna get me’ type calls the Met had received since they’d launched the damned things. Hell, I may have made a call or two like that myself, alcohol may have been involved, possibly, maybe. Definitely wouldn’t be playing today though, a quick thermal scan and they'd have me, and getting caught watching just wouldn’t do.

Whether they'd follow and pick me up at home, again, or simply bring in the dogs to chase me down, again, I couldn't say - but after eleven bodies, maybe twelve now, there's not a snowflake's chance in hell they'd just let me slip away. Suffice to say I have complicated relationship with the local constabulary, and dog bites hurt. No, today I’d be all business.

From my perch I could easily see across the river to the white tent and the silhouettes of the people moving around within, lit by the powerful lights that had flickered to life with the rumbling of a large generator I'd have to find and deal with later. But now, now I'd wait and not do anything stupid.

***

My watch said the park had officially closed three hours ago and it was about as dark as it was going to get. I was bored out of my mind. I could see myself dozing off if I didn’t move soon, and it was a long way down. Luckily, the activity on the other side of the river finally seemed to be winding down so, I hoped, I wouldn't have to wait much longer.

I was searching through my pockets for some sugary goodness to help keep me going (and finding only wrappers, oops - never was good at that delayed gratification thing) and stave off the images of waking as I crashed through the branches, when an almost tangible silence settled around me. If that wasn't enough of a clue that it'd arrived, the waft of honey & cinnamon announced its presence as surely as the icy waves crawling up my spine.

"Well?" I asked the shadows after a couple of minutes, turning to face the messenger construct when it became clear it wasn't going to say anything. It was sat exactly where I'd known it would be, hunched over in the shadows a couple of branches away and completely, inhumanly still. Waiting with its unblinking obsidian eyes fixated on me, sending icy chills racing up and down my spine.

It'd wait there all night if it had to, the construct would only leave when it had a message to take back to its master. I rolled my eyes, wondering whether anyone was on the other end, or if they'd just sent the construct to annoy me - it's not like there was anything I could report yet, and they should know that. They’d just have to bloody well wait! I mean, I hadn't even managed to get a look at the body yet, and they were damned lucky I hadn't decided to leave and check it out in the morgue tomorrow. That’d definitely be easier than crashing an active crime scene, and more than good enough to confirm this was lucky contestant number twelve but, I knew, that wouldn’t satisfy him, or me - I'd lose the imprint and everything else the boys in blue had missed from the scene.

"I'll have to wait for them to shut down the lights before sneaking a peak, should have what Da...," I smiled at the growl emanating from the messenger's mouth. Point to me. Childish, maybe, but dropping the honorific had pissed in someone's cornflakes enough to confirm that someone was on the other end of the line.

"OK already," I snarled back, "what his lordship needs before sunrise, better?" I hadn't even finished speaking before the messenger started to fade from view. Once upon a time I’d thought they were an impressive casting, something I would've killed to have in my repertoire but I'd long since given up on such childish fantasies... let's face it, who needs a messenger when you've got a decent mobile?

I turned my attention back towards the river, half of half a plan forming in my mind's eye as I prepared to clamber down through the maze of branches. "OK, well, good chat," I threw dismissively over my shoulder, adrenalin temporarily overpowering smart, "thanks for popping by!"

"Yes.... go now," a dark, chocolatey voice I knew almost as well as my own echoed around me as a sharp shove helped my descent. I landed hard, with an undignified yelp, my eyes watering from the jolt and the overwhelming scent of rotting flesh. If I’d been able to breathe I might have cursed his name, but the bag that followed knocked the wind out of me very effectively, probably by design, and probably for the best.

Looks like my luck had just run out, because it's not like my mouth would normally get me into trouble – honest.

I set off, wondering just how fucked I was going to be when I got home!