Chapter 27
London 2010
When the taxi arrived at Victoria station, the stranger led her past the entrance to the steps of a beautiful house with an imposing entrance.
‘Where are we going?’ asked India.
‘Somewhere safe,’ said the man, breaking the relative silence he had maintained throughout the taxi ride.
She followed him up the steps and watched him swipe a card across a magnetic reader, disengaging a lock and they walked into an imposing hallway with a gated lift at the far end. India looked around in awe. Having seen the man use the modern swipe card she had half expected to see a modern hallway but what she walked into took her breath away. It was as if she had stepped back in time.
The decor was straight out of the thirties with walnut panelling lining the walls and lush carpets soft beneath her feet. Above her, several levels of landings circled the spectacular hallway and the biggest chandelier India had ever seen hung dramatically from the ceiling high above.
‘Wow,’ said India, ‘What is this place?’
‘You like it?’ asked the man, allowing himself a quick glance around as he removed his coat, before placing it on an ornately carved coat hanger. ‘It is rather quaint isn’t it?’
‘It’s beautiful,’ said India, in awe.
‘We like it,’ said the man.
‘Who’s we?’ asked India.
‘All in good time, please, come this way.’ He walked past the stairways, and slid open the gate to the lift. India followed him in.
‘Which floor?’ she asked as he closed the gates, her fingers hovering over the ivory buttons.
‘None of those,’ he said, producing a key on a chain from around his neck. ‘Excuse me.’
He eased her to one side and placed a finger on a small brass plaque bearing the manufacturers name, sliding it to one side to reveal a keyhole.
‘Security,’ he said with an apologetic smile. He turned the key, and to India’s surprise the lift descended rather than travel upwards.
A few seconds later the lift came to an abrupt stop bur the view through the gates was obscured by a large door. The man slid open the gate and pushed the door away from them.
‘After you,’ he said and stood to one side for India to pass.
India stepped through but stopped suddenly, as she saw she had entered a large, subterranean car park.
‘Wait a minute,’ she said, nervously, ‘Are you sure…’
Her sentence remained unfinished as the man’s strong arms enveloped her from behind.
India’s eyes widened and she thrashed wildly for a few seconds before the stench of chloroform from the cloth enveloped her senses and she slipped unconsciously to the floor.
Chapter 28
England 2010
Sister Bernice left her cell and made her way to the kitchens. The last few days had passed so quickly, she had hardly had time to think. The Senior Sisters had become sidetracked dealing with the Mother Superior’s death and she had found herself being relied upon to step up and help with the day to day business of the rest of the order. This morning she was overseeing the preparation of the midday meal and she made her way quickly to the kitchens. The eight kitchen staff were stood silently in line, patiently waiting to be told what to do.
Bernice walked in and smiled at the girls. All were shaven headed and were volunteers who lived at the convent. It was a five year apprenticeship, designed to test the devotion of all who wished to join the order. Bernice looked back at the time she had been in their shoes with fondness. The work had been hard but she found it cleansed her soul and prepared her for the life of devotion she had craved since childhood.
‘Good morning, ladies,’ said Bernice.
‘Good morning, Sister,’ they replied, in unison.
‘Right, shall we get started?’ asked Bernice with a nervous smile.
‘Please forgive me, Sister,’ said one stepping forward, ‘We didn’t expect to see you. Wednesday is usually Sister Agnes.’
‘She is busy today,’ said Bernice, ‘I will help and guide.’
‘Is everything okay, Miss?’ asked another.
‘Of course,’ said Bernice, ‘Why wouldn’t it be?’
‘We heard there is a madman stalking us,’ said the girl.
Bernice stared at the girls. Sister Agnes had given strict instructions not to discuss the threat with the staff, but they looked really scared and had obviously heard something. She smiled gently and perched on the edge of the table.
‘Come here,’ she said kindly, ‘Come on, gather around.’
The girls closed in to a semi circle, facing Bernice with concern on their faces.
‘Look,’ said Bernice, ‘I am not going to lie to you. There has been an incident but it is well under control and you are completely safe here.’
‘What happened?’ asked one of the girls.
‘Oh, let’s just say that there was a prowler,’ said Bernice, hoping that they hadn’t heard any of the gory details.
‘Has he been caught?’ asked one of the girls.
‘No, but the caretaker has checked the area and there is no sign of him. It seems he is long gone.’
‘Then why are we still locked down?’ asked another.
‘Better safe than sorry,’ said Bernice, ‘To be honest, there are so many unsavoury characters out in the big wide world, we should have taken these precautions long ago.’
‘But who would threaten a convent?’
‘Sadly, it is often the way of the world, Sharon,’ said Bernice, ‘All we can do is continue in the service of the Holy Mother and pray for the souls of those who know no better.’
‘But what if they come back?’
‘Well, I have talked to Sister Agnes, and she tells me that things have been put in place for our protection. Apparently, they have engaged a security company to look after us. Now, enough negativity, shall we get started on lunch?’
The group dispersed to their tasks while Bernice pulled down the recipe books from the shelves. Despite allaying the fears of the trainees, there were more questions than answers spinning around her mind. After a while the thoughts eased as she became involved in the lunch preparations and, for an hour or so, normality returned to the kitchen.
Suddenly, the relative calm was shattered as one of the girls screamed, dropping a pan clattering to the floor. Bernice span around.
‘What’s the matter?’ she shouted, running over.
‘There’s someone there,’ shouted the girl, pointing at the door, ‘They tried to get in!’
Bernice stared in horror at the locked door. Despite the solid Oak, the thought of less than two inches of wood between them and any potential attacker the other side filled her with dread. She walked slowly to the door, while the rest of the girls gathered behind her, talking in hushed tones. Suddenly there came a loud knock on the door, making them all jump and a voice called out from the other side.
‘Hello, anyone there? It’s Maximillian. The door’s locked, can you let me in?’
Bernice let out a sigh of relief as she recognised the old man’s voice. Since the day of the Mother Superior’s death, the convent was locked down as secure as any prison and Maximillian and his son patrolled the outer corridors as if their lives depended on it, taking it in turns to rest or eat.
Maximillian was the caretaker and was employed directly by the order. For the last few days, he and his family were the only ones allowed through the locked doors of the convent for security reasons. The caretaker and his family had served the convent all their lives, as had his grandfather and his predecessors as far back as records were kept. They were intrinsically linked to the convent and had unswerving loyalty to the order.
Maximillian, or Max, as he was known to the Sisters, kept the grounds in shape and tended the allotments while his son, Jacob saw to the minor maintenance around the buildings and maintained the cemetery. Maximillian’s ageing wife, Anna, carried out errands on behalf of the Sisters to the local village and liaised with the Mother Superior on all things to do with the outside world. In return, the family enjoyed rent free accommodation in a small cottage in the grounds and received a modest yet adequate income from the estate. The whole family had been deeply affected by the death of the Mother Superior and they had moved inside the walls of the convent to support and protect, not just the sisters.