Chapter 14
When the Doctor finally emerged from the basement, he found Sgt. Benton's gun trained on his face. He blinked at it several times.
"Is Jo…?" he trailed off.
The sergeant lowered his gun, but his face was hard. "She's fine," he said, shortly.
"Where is she? And where is the Brigadier? I must speak with him." The Doctor quietly closed the door to the basement as he spoke. A certain amount of relief washed over him to leave the godforsaken place.
"They're in the lounge. The Duke is there as well."
The Doctor nodded. The sergeant escorted him down the hallway to the lounge, keeping one hand on his gun belt at all times.
The lounge was largely silent except for the Brigadier, who was shouting orders into a handheld radio. Jo sat alone on a sofa, wrapped in a blanket, staring unblinkingly into a cup of tea. The Duke sat in a large armchair, resting his steepled fingers on his top lip. There was a disturbed expression on his face.
"Greyhound One to Trap Two! Do you read me? This is Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart! Do you read me? Over!"
The radio crackled with static before the somewhat muffled voice of a young man broke through. "Read you loud and clear. Roadblocks have been set up. No sign of him yet, sir."
"Very good, Captain Yates. Keep me informed. Over and out." He placed the radio on the coffee table in front of him before acknowledging the Doctor's presence. He looked up, his eyes dark. "Hello, Doctor. Nice to have you in the land of the living again."
"I…yes," the Doctor said. He dropped his gaze to the ground and rubbed the back of his neck. He closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. "I assume Jo has informed you of what we have learned concerning Brightley's ghost," he finally said.
"Indeed she has. Our Mr. Wesley appears to have jumped ship. My men have set up roadblocks around the county. Wherever he is, he won't get far."
"Good, good."
The silence settled like a blanket over the small group.
"I can't believe Wesley could do such things," the Duke said suddenly. "Torture a man for so long, I mean. And then petrify Ms. Grant and knock the poor Doctor unconscious."
"Unconsci—?" the Doctor started but then broke off when he saw the Brigadier's raised eyebrow.
"You just wouldn't believe a man like that would stoop to such a level," the Duke continued.
"No, you wouldn't," the Doctor said, his eyes trained on some point on the floor.
Jo got up from where she was sitting and set her tea on the table. She seemed much stronger than she had been a few minutes ago. "What I don't understand is why he would use Mr. Chatham to try to kill me. I never even met Mr. Wesley before I came here!" Her voice rose in pitch as she spoke.
"I don't think he had anything against you personally, Jo," the Doctor said, levelly. "I believe he was just trying to stop our investigation. Scare us away. After all, if we discovered what he was up to his little system of torture would have to stop."
Jo shivered. "Horrible," she whispered.
The Doctor's eyes quickly looked up to meet hers and, to his surprise, she smiled. A certain unspoken understanding passed between them and the Doctor returned the smile. There would be time for more long-winded apologies later.
The radio suddenly crackled to life. "Trap Two to Greyhound One! Trap Two to Greyhound One! Come in! Over!" the voice called, urgently.
The Brigadier snatched the radio and spoke quickly. "What is it, Yates? Have you seen him? Over!"
"I think so, sir. Some sort of old, open-top car headed at full pace south on Langford Road. Over."
"That's it, Yates! That's it! Pursue him, and keep me informed! We'll follow you in—"
"In Bessie," the Doctor said, suddenly grabbing the radio out of the Brigadier's hands. "Yes, this the Doctor. Trust me, my car can go much faster than your jeeps."
The radio crackled in indistinct confusion. The Brigadier's jaw flapped several types. "But, Doctor, you—"
"Well what are you waiting for, man?! Do you want to lose him?" And he fled the room, his velvet cape swirling behind him. The others followed him quickly out of the manor and into the black night.
The Brigadier's heart pumped rapidly, but he tried to remain rational. This wasn't over yet. Not for anybody.
iPinkNinja - I'm afraid the de-bugging process is going very slowly, unfortunately. Thank you for reviewing! We're in the final stretch here. :)
Also, happy birthday Bram Stoker!