Chapter 10
Glasgow1 June 2004
The police interview went as well as could be expected. It was almost fun watching Gus squirming at the questions he was asked. It seems they've got him in mind for the Slayer's disappearance despite the lack of evidence, and think it's just too much of a coincidence that he was around this time. Still, they didn't exactly go easy on me either, wanting to know all my details. Fortunately, Gus was able to explain that Rupert had hired me and that I'd just arrived from London, although I fully expect that the police calling him to corroborate our stories isn't going to endear me any further with him.
They didn't tell us anything much about the girl either beyond the fact that she was shocked but otherwise unhurt - as if we didn't already know that. If she noticed anything odd about me, then the police didn't mention it. As for the attacker, they've just said that he was high on something so I assume that anything odd he said has been attributed to that.
The news that the police were on their way came courtesy of Gus who knocked on my door around eleven. I hope he doesn't feel it's an established habit to waken me that way – I'd much rather just get up when I'm ready.
I threw on some clothes, and went upstairs to the office. As promised, the stairway is covered, although there is glass at about eye level all the way up, so I had to crouch awkwardly. I'll have to do something about that, paint the glass or something, but I'll worry about that later.
The main level of the building was rather different to the one I'm going to be living on. The building was once a grand house which has been divided up. The main entrance is shared between the Council office – also known as Watcher Rarities – and a firm of solicitors. Upstairs, and entered only from the back, are a couple of other offices – one housing some surveyors and the other a property management agent, or, as they're known around here, a factor's office. The basement is split between two flats. The one I've got was used by the last Watcher they had here, but it's been vacant since Gus took over. The other looks occupied, but I haven't seen anyone yet.
The original house must have been really something. High ceilings, huge rooms, and, on the main floor anyway, elaborate cornicing and centrepieces. The flat's not really a basement, more what they call a 'garden flat'. Not sure how they got that name, but at the front, the windows are at ground level, so the floor is below ground level, but you enter from the back of the building with just one step up. It's actually not bad at all – it's got some character that I should be able to work on.
No sooner have the police gone, than someone's knocking on the door – almost as if they'd been waiting for them to leave. Gus opens the door and immediately becomes a different person. And no, I don't mean magic.
He seems uncomfortable as she comes in and looks pointedly at me.
"Ah, Mrs. McConnechie, it's always good to see you," he fawns.
Mrs. McConnechie is old in a way that I'll never be. Her skin is wrinkled and her hair is white. She's not quite five feet tall, and there's not a lot of her, but she's got a presence that's almost overwhelming. She shakes her head at Gus, and her expression softens, although I doubt Gus spots that.
"Son, don't ever get yourself into a position where your life depends on you lying, because it'd be a shame to get killed so easily. Now, who is this?"
"This," he manages after just a short hesitation and with a rapidly reddening complexion, "is William Sinclair. Rupert Giles has employed him to help me on some … current concerns."
"Current concerns? You mean the disappearing Slayers. So, what's your background, Mr. Sinclair?"
I glance at Gus, unsure how much I should tell her.
"Mrs. McConnechie knows all about the Council. Her late husband was a senior Watcher, and she's very knowledgeable about Council practices."
"Ok, then. Well, I've just come from Los Angeles, but before that, I was working with the Slayer at the Sunnydale Hellmouth."
"Ah, I see," she says softly, but her concentration on me seems to increase for a second, then her attention snaps back to Gus.
"Tell me why you've got all the blinds closed in the middle of the day. You should open them and switch off the lights. The Council's not made of money, you know," she says disapprovingly, and moves to the nearest window.
"Mr. Sinclair is … allergic to sunlight," Gus says quickly, moving to stop her.
"Is he now?" she asks, looking back at me. "Surely a little sunlight through glass couldn't do any harm. I hear that the ultraviolet's all absorbed by the glass."
"I assure you it's not a good idea," I offer, ready to dive for cover if necessary.
"So, why don't tell me who you really are, then, vampire?"
Somehow, I suspected I couldn't fool her.
"William is my name, although more people know me as Spike. Council records have me as William the Bloody."
"Angelus' get," she says, her eyes darkening. "I've heard about you. You've got a soul, I hear."
"Yes."
"Cursed with it, were you? Like Angelus?"
"No, I bloo … I earned it."
"Rupert doesn't like you, does he?"
"No, but then I'm not too fond of him either."
"That opinion doesn't do anything to help you here. Rupert was … very close to my husband. Duncan was a mentor of sorts to Rupert Giles in his youth."
"Yes, well, imagining Rupert Giles in his youth is just about beyond me. He's so stuck in his ways that …"
"Enough! I know Rupert. He's extremely loyal to those he loves, and if he sees you as a threat to one of those, then I can see that he could be … short-sighted. You're the one who stalked his Slayer."
"I loved … love her."
"Then why aren't you with her? I heard you'd been destroyed closing that hellmouth in Sunnydale. If you're still walking the earth, why aren't you with her?"
"My reasons are … personal. And the story of how I got here is sort of involved."
"It can wait. I wanted to know what the police said. Is this about the murder?" This question is directed at Gus, and I get the feeling I've just been dismissed. And, of course, the penny drops. This is the woman who called Gus to tell him about my singing.
"Mrs. McConnechie, there was no murder."
"No murder? Of course there was. Saw it with my own eyes. That blonde chap …"
She looks at me again, and her posture stiffens.
"It was you, wasn't it?"
Gus moves to stand between us, unable to get her attention otherwise. "There was no murder. And yes, it was William you saw. The other man was drunk, but he walked away from here under his own steam."
"It looked like …"
"I know how it must have looked, but I checked the man myself, and he was alive."
"You're sure?"
"Absolutely."
"So, why were the police here then?"
Gus then explains last night's events, and I just sit there watching the woman as she takes it all in. To be honest, she's taking all this remarkably well, and I'm surprised.
At last she seems satisfied that she knows what's happening. She stands up, ready to leave. Gus tries to usher her to the door, but she avoids him and comes back to stand in front of me.
"Just so you know, I'm not afraid of you. And if you wake me with your dreadful singing again, I can guarantee that you'll be sorry."
Her finger's wagging in my face as she speaks, and it's all I can do to keep a straight face. She notices.
"You're not taking me seriously, are you? That's the problem with you youngsters." She pauses then, her eyes narrowing as she thinks of something. "But then you're not a youngster, are you?"
"No. Compared to me, you're the youngster."
She smiles at that, a genuine smile that changes her face so completely that I can see the girl she once was, and I'd guess she was a stunner.
"Gus is afraid of me, and I'd like to keep things that way," she says quietly in my ear.
"You're a very … surprising lady," I answer, equally quietly.
"While you hold no surprises at all."
I look at her, wondering what she means, but she turns and leaves the office.
Gus looks at me when she's gone, obviously desperate to know what she said to me. I pretend I haven't noticed.
"So that's my neighbour, is it?"
"Er, yes. Mrs. McConnechie sort of comes with the place. She's actually our landlady. The house has been in her family for some time, although it was divided up into flats before she was born. Apparently, her will stipulates that the Council will inherit it when she's gone.
"Must be worth some money, then."
"I'd imagine so – I've certainly never had the impression that she's counting the pennies. I think she just lives there so she can keep up to date on what's happening. Officially, Duncan McConnechie was the Watcher, but I think she was every bit as involved as he was."
He pauses for a moment, then adds, "I thought she'd be furious that Mr. Giles sent a vampire up here. I hoped she wouldn't realise that's what you are, but I should have known she'd work it out. Still, she seems to have accepted you."
"Yes, that surprised me," I admit. If she's got a background with the Council of Watchers, I'd have thought she'd be in the 'stake now, ask questions later' group.
Gus seems to have got over his wariness of me – maybe it's that 'shared adversity' thing, or maybe it's Mrs. McConnechie's influence, but either way, he doesn't seem to be in a hurry for me to leave, so he puts the kettle on and pulls out a tub of chocolate digestives.
"Giles told you about the Slayers, then?"
"Yeah. I think his main reason for sending me here is to keep me out of the way, but the Slayers thing was an added incentive. He knows I've always had a thing about Slayers. Of course, it used to be that I wanted to kill them, but not any longer."
"I've heard a bit about you – a vampire who chose a soul. I know Buffy's involved too, but not the details, although I'd love to know more about her. She's a legend, really, although Mr. Travers considered her dangerous."
"Oh, she's both. More dangerous than anyone I've ever met, but a legend too."
"And you got a soul for her?"
"That's … personal. Maybe I'll feel like talking about it some time, but not now. For now, all you have to know is that she's in my past. What about your Slayer? I've read your report, and the police reports Giles had on file, but I'd like to know what happened, well, first hand."
"Fiona. Yes, she's … a very bright girl. Strong too even though she's just a wee thing. I hoped … she'd be around for a long time. Glasgow's not really a hotbed of demon activity, and with all the Slayers around just now, she wasn't in danger of being sent somewhere else. That night, I was supposed to meet her. There'd been a rash of 'animal attacks' over on the south side – four in one week. All of them were buried in the West Manse Cemetery, close to where Fiona lives, and we suspected they would be rising soon. We'd agreed I'd be there at eleven, but the phone rang as I was leaving, someone working for Giles who needed to get some information from me from some books that're kept here – they belonged to Duncan McConnechie and he wanted them kept in Glasgow. Anyway, while I was faxing over some pages, she was there alone. I was half an hour late, and when I got to where we'd agreed to meet – just outside the cemetery – she'd gone. I assumed she'd just been impatient, so I went inside, looking for the newest graves. I found them, but they all seemed to be undisturbed. I thought I heard something – it could have been an animal – fox or something – further over, so I went and had a look, but there were some headstones overturned, and the ground was all churned up, like there'd been a fight. I searched the whole place, but there was no sign of her, and when I tried to call her, I found her phone lying there in the middle of the churned up ground. I called the police, but they weren't interested in what I was saying. They kept telling me that a young woman like her wasn't likely to be spending her nights walking around a cemetery. I showed them what I'd found, but they just said it was vandals, and they took me in for questioning. As far as her parents are concerned, I'm someone who's been helping her with her Latin. When they found she wasn't in bed … I think they think I'm involved too. Giles was able to confirm that I was tied up on the phone when I said I was, and they haven't got any other evidence, so they had to release me. They warned me to keep away from the cemetery, though – said they'd take me snooping round there as obstructing their inquiry, so I haven't been back. Then I heard that the other two have disappeared too …"
He looks miserable.
"Chances are they're still alive. If someone was killing Slayers, I think we'd have heard."
"You think so?"
Poor boy's looking at me as if I've just done something amazing. I can't help but wonder why Rupert didn't tell him the same. Then again, maybe he's assuming he'd know.
"Maybe I'll head out there after dark, take a look around," I suggest.
"But the police …"
"Haven't said anything to me about not going there. And I might spot something you humans'd miss."
He seems relieved at that – almost grateful. Fortunately, at that point, the phone rings, and while he's talking, I take the opportunity to go back downstairs.
I'm no sooner in my flat when there's a knock on my door. I open it to find Mrs. McConnechie. She doesn't wait for an invitation, just walks in. I wonder if she's related to a certain Slayer.
"William, I've decided to help you."
"You're going to help, are you?"
"You might be older than me, but you've yet to grow up. Now listen. I don't know what you're used to, but I'd bet being stuck inside until ten at night is going to make it hard for you to do anything useful."
"Well, I was going to get a car," I offer.
"Sometimes a car can be a liability in a city. Come with me."
Not having any idea what she's doing, I follow her. There's a covered area at the back of the building which leads to a small, three-sided structure which houses some bins. She leads me there, then points to the bins.
"Move them outside," she commands.
I'm starting to consider the idea that she's not all there, but I do it anyway. To my surprise, behind them, there's a loose flagstone. She tells me to lift it out of the way, and I do. Underneath, there's a metal trap door in the ground, and she produces a key which unlocks it.
"There's a tunnel down there. My grandfather used to call it 'the secret cellar' but he would never tell me what it was for. It's been empty for many years, but I believe that it should afford sewer access. Perhaps that would be useful?"
Useful? Who's she kidding? "Thanks, Mrs. M," I answer.
"Oh, stop that. If you're older than me, then you can call me Moira."
"Thanks, Moira."
"Right. Now, make sure you find out what happened to those Slayers."
"Rupert wouldn't be happy about you trusting me like this," I suggest.
"You're absolutely right, but then I'll have to be a lot older and more infirm before I'll be taking advice from him."
She hands me the key, then turns to leave, but stops, turning back and putting a hand on my arm. "A word of advice from an old woman?"
"Yeah, why not?"
"Don't leave it too late. I don't know this Slayer of yours, but Rupert does. And if he's that set on keeping you from her, then he believes she really cares for you. Your love … well, I saw it in your aura when you spoke about her. I saw your soul too, saw your intent. Sometimes love brings the most unlikely people together. I know. Duncan was from a long line of Watchers. Me? Well, let's just say there're some witches in my background, and not all of them were whiter than white. The Council didn't approve of me, but Duncan held his ground. I won them over in the end. I have … abilities that have proved useful. A bit like you, really."
She leaves me then, and by the time I've taken in what she's just said, she's gone. I turn back to the opening, and stuff the key into my pocket. I take a look into the cellar, then drop down.
It's a large room – completely dark apart from the little light that's coming through the trap door. The floor below is made of flagstones, and I just stand there for a moment, getting my bearings and trying to listen for any clues.
I have to vamp out to see anything, but once I do, I find the room bare, although there are some unwholesome-looking stains on the walls. There's the sound of running water in the distance, so I follow that sound, and, in the corner, there's a large grill. It's rusted in, but I give it a good pull, and it comes free. What do you know? Mo was right. I've got sewer access. Right now, that's of limited use, since I don't know my way around above ground yet, but with a bit of research …
I go back to Gus' office, and ask if he's got any sewer maps. He looks at me as if I'm crazy, but offers that there might be something online, and points at the computer in the corner of the office.
It takes a while, but at last, I'm in possession of maps of the Glasgow sewer system – or at least the Victorian parts which cover the city centre. Then, I try to find a map of the city itself, and spend some time trying to marry the two together. Some time during my efforts, Gus decides to go home, asking me to lock up before I leave.
When I've got all I can, I realise that the sun's about to set, so I lock up as requested, then go down to the flat for some sustenance while I consider what to do. A spot of violence would do me good, and, remembering Gus' story about the Slayer, I decide to go and take a look for myself.
The cemetery where Fiona was snatched isn't that close. It's on the south side of the city and it takes me a while to get there. It's a pretty standard municipal cemetery – big - and with rows and rows of stones, many of them going back quite a long way. I'd assume that it was here long before the houses that now surround it, but I find my way to the part that's currently in use, and it's not long before I find my first mark. A lone vamp is loitering by a grave, no doubt waiting. I'm itching to have a go at something – it's been too long – so I just launch myself in there.
The result is … disappointing. You forget, you know, that the vamps attracted to the Hellmouth include some of the strongest around. Oh, there are idiots there too, but you get a higher proportion of the old families than elsewhere. Here? There's no real competition among vamps and the result is a fight that is over too fast even though I try to make it last. When the other one starts to crawl out of his grave, I don't even try to make a fight out of it, just wrench his head off before he gets too far.
Following Gus' description, I search for the area where he saw signs of a fight before, and I find it without difficulty. The headstones are still down and I search the area for anything useful. I know the police will already have done that, but then they won't have been looking for the same things I am. And Gus? Well, maybe he was looking for the right things, but he's just human, and he's never been back in daylight having been warned off by the police.
I'm just about to give up when I spot it. I'm not even sure it's real at first. There's a faint luminescence on the underside of one of the grave stones – so faint that I doubt a human eye would pick it out. I fish in my pocket and search for something – and come up with a pen knife. I scrape the stone and see some of the luminescence transfer onto the knife. I wrap the whole thing in a piece of paper I picked up somewhere, and put it in my pocket.
Now that I know what I'm looking for, I find a couple of other samples of the same stuff, and I duly take samples on other blades of the knife before I run out of time. I really need to get myself a car.
I'm pretty sure I know what it is, but I'm surprised at how little I've spotted. If I'm right, and it's Fyarl mucus, then someone's done some cleaning up.
I barely make it back to the flat before the sun's too high. Once inside, I decide to sleep for a bit before sharing the news with Gus. And my next priorities are setting up a blood delivery and getting myself a car.
